Dear Franklin Families,

It is hard to believe that we are already into week 7 of term 4, only 3 more weeks until the end of the year. This time of the year is always busy and productive with a focus on finishing key pieces of work and celebrating what we have achieved as a school. When visiting classrooms, I am always very impressed with the commitment to learning and the strength of perseverance shown by all of our students at this end of the term.

As we head towards the end of the school year and reflect of what has been achieved, we also start planning for 2022. However, it is important to acknowledge that there are some who will not be returning to Franklin next year and these are our Grade 6 students. This is often a time when Grade 6 students experience mixed emotions, being excited about what lies ahead in the future but also being a bit uncertain about what that future will provide. Many of our Grade 6 students have been with us since Kindergarten and we are very proud of the responsible, happy and respectful people they have become. On behalf of the school community, I wish them all a happy and productive last few weeks of their primary school and the very best for all their future achievements.

Reporting and communicating learning progress in 2022.

Communicating a child or young person’s learning progress with their family is an important part of ensuring that schools meet their commitment to inspire and support all learners to succeed as connected, resilient, creative and curious thinkers.

From Term 1, 2022 new reporting requirements for all Tasmanian Government schools will begin to be phased in. These include:

• A–E ratings will be replaced by a 9-point visual scale for English, Maths and Science
• There will be no written comments for mid-year and end of year reports
• Schools will provide opportunities to communicate with families at least 4 times a year on student learning progress.
• Evidence of learning will be shared regularly with parents and will include work samples, writing, artwork, video, photographs and test results.
• Evidence of learning will be shared in a face-to-face meeting, online platform- Seesaw, email, printed copies sent home.
• Students will be involved in learning conversations.

For those families with students starting Kindergarten next year, the reporting process will be slightly different as Kinder teachers use the Early Years Learning Framework to guide their programs. The focus will continue to be on conversations and discussions about:

• How your child has settled into Kindergarten
• Sharing of successes and evidence of learning
• The results of the Kindergarten Development Check.

Further communication on these changes will be made available to all families as they begin to be phased in next year.

A reminder that this year’s reports and class placements will be sent home Friday December 10.

School Policies

We are currently updating key Department policies, procedures and guidelines that were first published following the Education Act 2016. This will ensure that the information contained in these is up to date before they are uploaded to the school website.

Have a great week

Linda Heerey