It is Term 4, and we can already see that a lot is happening this term at Austins Ferry. From Week 2 onwards PAT testing will commence at Austins Ferry for Year 3 and Year 5 students. PAT is a way for us to track student learning and make adjustments to how we teach – it is an important way for us to monitor how the school is tracking. Teachers will be working with classes to make sure students feel prepared and ready.  

Our NAPLAN results this year for Year 3s were very positive showing that we have surpassed similar schools for the first time in a number of years in nearly every area of assessment. This is a real testament to the hard work of our highly skilled teachers but also a reflection of the dedication our students have to the importance of learning.  

In terms of staffing, at the end of last term we bid farewell to Ms Gollogly and Ms Taylor who both left the school to pursue new opportunities elsewhere. We thanked them for their significant contributions to the community for their years of service at our end of term assembly. Ms Gammon will continue to teach 5-6A and Ms de Borde will be teaching 3-4C in Term 4. Welcome Ms Gammon and Ms de Borde to the Blue Pod and Red Pod! 

Later in the term Mr Gatenby and the 5-6 teachers will begin preparations for Year 6 leavers activities. Please check the calendar for more details on the specific dates for these events. We know the Year 6s will be really looking forward to these important events.   

Please also note that in Week 2 we have Show Day which is a student free day. Staff will be onsite furthering their professional understanding of learning plan development and trauma informed practice.  

Thank you to all the families who participated in our footy colours day at the end of last term. It was a huge success and it was fantastic to see so many happy students and families show out for their favourite teams! 

James Stewart

Advanced Skills Teacher

Red Pod Leader

In Kinder Clifton we have been working on our labelling skills.  We have been looking at labelled diagrams and thinking about why we need labels in readiness to start our planning for our boxwork junk to treasure projects.  Today we labelled Mrs Clifton!  We thought very hard about our sounds and then had to stick our sticky note to her.  It was very funny when her face was covered in labels! 

In 1-2 Riseley, we have been learning about push and pull forces and how they cause movement. We have been experimenting with creating everyday things that demonstrate push and pull forces in a number of ways using LEGO. Students were able to make predictions, observe, demonstrate, and explain how and why things moved, and what happens when they stop.  

At the end of Term 3, all grade 1-2 classes visited the sustainability Centre. Students engaged in activities around creating safe spaces for animals to live, creating musical instruments using items found in the garden or around the house, created musical sounds with different objects, and used items in the bush to create items that float on the water.

3/4A has had a very busy and exciting Term 3! The highlights included the Learn to Swim Program, our Richmond excursion, and our inclusion in the Kitchen/Garden and Lunch Programs. In the classroom, we have been working hard on improving our fluency when reading, our multiplication strategies and our questioning skills in our HASS inquiry.  

5/6B were working hard with Mr Gatenby over the last half of Term 3. They completed reading fluency tasks, plenty of co-operative problem solving in numeracy as well as developing ICT skills such as coding and producing electronic documents for science. They also discussed the pros and cons of banning social media for young people as well as learning how to draw on-point perspective drawings. The class are excited to have Mr Coppleman back after the birth of his daughter! 

On Thursday 25th September, 18 students across Prep-Year 6 attended the Theatre Royal for the performance of ‘The Adventures of Chicken, Peacock and the Pony They Rode Upon, courtesy of the Theatre’s Applause Program. 

Class teachers nominated 1 student who has consistently demonstrated our school values.  They were a fantastic audience and represented our school with pride. 

The students were excited to travel to the city to attend this performance. It was a pleasure to witness the wonderful interactions between students of all ages as they chatted and enjoyed each other’s company. 

I’m really thankful for getting selected, and I really enjoyed the performance. Hannah R. 

My favourite part was the singing. I nearly touched the big space blow up ball! Aria B. 

I’m very proud of myself for getting that experience. I was really excited to go there. Blake F.

My favourite part of the show was when the guy put his finger in the soup and tasted the soup, and he says it is disgusting. Leon M.