Aspley State School eNewsletter

Head of Department-Curriculum - Karen Newton

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NAPLAN 2025 – YEAR 3 and YEAR 5

NAPLAN KEY NOTES for Parents

Dates – 12 – 24 March
Testing started at Aspley State School on Monday this week, due to impacts of Cyclone Alfred
NAPLAN INFORMATION for FAMILIES

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

NAPLAN timetable - 12 – 25 March

The NAPLAN test window is 9 days. This is to accommodate schools that may not have the capacity to complete the tests in a shorter time frame. At Aspley, this year, we will complete all the tests within the second half of this window due to the impact of Cyclone Alfred. Catch up tests will also be scheduled within this timeframe.

The timeframes for the tests experienced by the student this week are as follows:

TEST	Duration	Description
Writing	Year 3 - 40 min Year 5 - 42 min	Students are provided with an idea or topic called a “writing stimulus” or “prompt” and asked to write a response in a particular genre (narrative or persuasive writing). YR3 complete the writing task on paper. Yr5 complete the writing task in the NAP online environment.
Reading	Year 3 - 45 min Year 5 - 50 min	Students read a range of informative, imaginative and persuasive texts, and then answer related questions.
Conventions of language	Year 3 - 45 min Year 5 - 45 min	Students are assessed on spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Numeracy	Year 3 - 45 min Year 5 - 50 min	Students are assessed on number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability.

How and when is my child’s performance reported?

NAPLAN results are reported against proficiency standards. There is a standard for each assessment area at each year level. Proficiency standards provide clear information on student achievement. They are set at a challenging but reasonable level expected for the student at the time of NAPLAN testing, based mainly on what has been taught in previous years of schooling. Student achievement is shown against 4 levels of proficiency: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support.

A NAPLAN individual student report will be provided by us, Aspley State School, later in the year. If you do not receive a report, you should contact us so we can follow up and provide the report. Current advice from the National Assessment Program suggests that schools should start to receive student reports for distribution later in the school year. Individual student results are strictly confidential.

Reading a NAPLAN individual student report.

The front page of the student report provides general information about the tests and an explanation of how to read the report.

The second and third pages show the student’s result in each assessment area. The results are classified into one of 4 proficiency levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support.

The report shows the student’s achievement against the national average for their year (shown as a black triangle) and the range of achievement for the middle 60% of students in their year level (shown as a light shaded rectangle). Reports in some states and territories also show the school average.

The final page of the report provides a brief summary of the skills typically demonstrated by students at each proficiency level.

This helpful video assists families to better understand how to read your child’s Individual Student Report.

How are NAPLAN results used?

Students and parents/carers use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.
Teachers use results to help identify students who need greater challenges or extra support.
Schools use results to identify strengths and areas of need to improve teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.
School systems use results to review the effectiveness of programs and support offered to schools.

Play is the Way - Ms Maria Pearce

During weeks 3 to 6, students listened to a story to help embed the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like them to treat you. Rhythm games were also introduced. These games are a valuable tool to help students focus, concentrate and contribute to the success of a collaborative and friendly classroom.

Classes played Piccadilly Circus again. This time students were challenged to play the game in absolute silence. Discussions centred around the need for effective eye contact, suitable gestures and awareness of facial expressions.

A new game, Islands, was introduced. Playing against the teacher, the class must work cohesively to be successful. This calls for quick thinking, rapid decision making and the willingness to be considerate, inclusive and helpful. An enjoyable sense of panic and rush brings each round of the game to a close.

Classroom News

Prep C

Prep C have had a busy start to the year as we’ve settled into the routines of school! In English, we’ve been working on our speaking and listening skills by talking about familiar stories shared in class. In Maths, we have explored patterns, numbers to 10, positional language, and collecting data. In Science, students have been learning about living things and their needs. In HASS, we have been learning about the structure of families as well as events that we celebrate or commemorate. This week in Prep C, we have celebrated both Harmony Day and World Down Syndrome Day by listening to stories and engaging in learning opportunities and activities.

In English this term Year 1 have been reading and exploring different characters in stories. They have been identifying the appearance, feelings and actions of the character and giving an opinion about the character, giving a reason for their opinion. 1C have certainly enjoyed the craft activities that have gone along with these books. In Science the focus is on how everyday materials can be physically changed in a variety of ways according to their properties. The students describe the actions used to physically change materials to make objects for different purposes. Students enjoyed making a bouncing ball, and containers that can hold objects and water.

In HaSS this term, 2C have been exploring changes in technology and the impacts this has had on our everyday lives. We have explored changes in technology related to the home, transport, entertainment, and communication. A particular highlight was when they were able to handle some old mobile phones (old as in early 2000’s, hello Nokia 3310!). Being able to identify features that have changed and features that have stayed the same is a key skill in this unit. 2C students identified that mobile phones still have a microphone and speaker for taking phone calls, but gone are buttons, aerials and large removable batteries. Instead, 2C found that mobile phones are used for much more than they were originally designed, we now send video and images, play games, engage with social media and many other things. If you have any old technology lying around your house, get it out and show your student, I’m sure they would love to realise how old you really are!!

When 3C first launched into reading the natural disaster texts by Jackie French, ‘Cyclone’, ‘Flood’, ‘Fire’ and ‘Drought’, we had no idea that Brisbane residents would soon be experiencing their very own weather event in the form of Cyclone Alfred!

Students enjoyed the author’s descriptive language and the illustrator’s atmospheric pictures. Now we know first-hand what Jackie French meant when she said:

‘wind snarls and skies weep grey’ ;

‘outside a giant groans and growls,

A wind that batters, shrieks and howls’.

Students are now practising their oral presentations in which they will give their opinion of their chosen book and describe the mood the author and illustrator created. We are working on having appropriate volume, pace, pitch, eye contact and stance.

In Year 4 mathematics, we have been collecting, presenting and analysing data. 4C worked together on a mathematical investigation in our quest to create a class crest. First, we collected data about the class's preferences for colour, crest shape and symbols to include. We graphed each of these data sets so that students could refer to the data while their group was designing their crest. This was so preferences voted for were honoured in the crest and so that it would be a true representation of our class. The class voted on a wining crest which is now our class symbol and will be displayed on our door. Pictured are some of the tables, graphs and crest designs, including the winning crest.

In HASS this term, 5C have been exploring how people and environments influence each another. We have enjoyed examining the characteristics of places in Europe and North America and the location of their major countries in relation to Australia. We have identified and described the human and environmental factors that influence the characteristics of places and examined the interconnections between people and environments. We are looking forward to beginning to investigate the impact of human actions on the environmental characteristics of places in Europe and North America.

6C’s Busy Start to the Term!

It has been a great start to the term for 6C, filled with learning, collaboration, and creativity.

Friday Afternoon Fun! We love spending Friday afternoons with our buddies, playing games and testing paper folds for strength. These activities foster friendships, problem-solving, and hands-on exploration.

English: Exploring Literature: In English, our book club panels spark discussions on literary texts, themes, and language. Sharing ideas challenges us to think critically and appreciate different perspectives.

Maths: Patterns and Data: We’ve been working with the Cartesian plane, creating tessellations, and analysing data. These activities sharpen our spatial and analytical skills in real-world contexts.

It’s been a fantastic start, and we’re excited for more learning ahead!