The Australian educational landscape is an everchanging one requiring our teaching staff to constantly be reviewing and reflecting what is planned, taught and assessed. In recent years, the most significant changes to impact St Hilda’s School include the move from OP to ATAR, the recent alterations to NAPLAN and the review of the Australian Curriculum.
Each of these changes may seem straightforward when announced and shared through a bullet pointed information sheet, however, the work that is required by teachers to enact and implement the changes is significant. When implementing the change to ATAR, a review of our teaching and learning was conducted from Year 12 backward to Prep as each building block along the educational path required altering to ensure that our students were receiving the very best opportunity for success.
Recently, NAPLAN has been altered both in testing format and in test timing. Every school in Australia is now required to administer NAPLAN online with the Year 3 writing test remaining as the only paper-based assessment. This testing assesses the literacy and numeracy levels of all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The shift in timing of these tests from May to March this year has required our teachers, particularly in the Junior School years, to alter their teaching and learning plans to accommodate the need to familiarise students with the testing environment and how to engage with the online testing style. We have also just been notified that from this year, NAPLAN will be reported differently, changing from a 10 band reporting format to a 4 band reporting format consisting of four levels of achievement, each with its own descriptor:
• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support
This will mean beginning a new results time series from 2023 as results from 2023 onwards will not be directly compared with results from 2008 to 2022.
Last year, the Australian Curriculum which directs what is taught nationally in schools from Prep to Year 10, underwent a review. Changes were made to every subject area with some subjects undergoing significant change. Our staff are at the forefront of planning for these changes and our approach is a staggered one involving Junior School implementing the needed alterations over the next two years and flowing through to the Middle and Senior School. St Hilda’s School is working ahead of most other schools with our approach to the professional development of our staff and the adjustments to our teaching, learning and assessment programs.
The start of 2023 has been very successful, and our students and staff are very focused on ensuring they are enjoying the academic rigour and the cultural and sporting activities that are already on offer. The Middle and Senior School girls enjoyed celebrating Galentine’s Day on Tuesday 14 February as their first fundraiser for the year. Students were able to purchase homemade brownies and a serenade which included groups of Senior girls singing to others around our school community. Well done to our girls for showing their Non Nobis Solum and for bringing joy to the St Hilda’s campus.
This week was also the start of our 2023 camp program with the Year 7 students engaging in a range of team building activities during their camp at Redland Bay. The girls have enjoyed strengthening their friendships and their ability to work collaboratively and co-operatively together.
The staff and I are focused on providing every student with a well-rounded education that caters for a strong academic focus, and the opportunity for each girl to experience joy as she feels she belongs by finding the cultural and sporting activities that ensure she is able to be the best person she can be. I look forward to supporting the girls and our community through another very productive and successful year at St Hilda’s School.
Mrs Amanda Shuttlewood
Acting Principal
