Dear Families,

On Thursday members of the school leadership team and I attended the AI Curriculum Connect Symposium at the State Library. Thought leaders shared the challenges and probable future role Artificial Intelligence will have in our lives and the implications for a responsive and responsible education system.

Key take aways.

• Critical thinking and literacies must be taught to children from the early years.
• Extent of user vocabulary and conceptual understanding will determine the quality of generated AI content.
• Assessment of learning process will have higher value than product and content in education.
• Discerning reliable information sources in a ‘post truth’ world will be critical.
• Prosocial behaviours, empathy and community will become more important for education including the importance of ‘struggle.’

Additionally, this week school staff engaged in contemporary science of reading. Scarborough’s Reading Rope informs our approach of the ‘simple view of reading’ that is, word reading and language comprehension. In the early years significant instructional time is committed to learning to decode and encode words while gradually becoming more proficient at reading and writing for meaning and purpose. Frequently referred to as ‘learning to read’ in the early years and ‘reading to learn’ in the middle and upper years of schooling. Did you know that the extent of our vocabulary is predictive of later academic success. Time spent reading and talking each day increases one’s vocabulary exponentially! Research shows 15 minutes to 1 hour per day reading is causal to how extensive our vocabulary becomes.

Road Safety and Staff Car Parks

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation to keep our students, staff, and community safe when moving in and around the school site.

Adhering to road rules and respecting school carpark expectations is critical. The carpark in-between the Tuckshop and the school Administration Building is especially dangerous due to the driveway visibility as cars enter and leave. School carparks are reserved for staff and commercial deliveries. Disability parking is the only exception for families and students using school carparks.

Have a wonderful week!

Eunice Webb

Principal