Developing Organisational Skills at School

Being organised is directly related to our whole school PBL expectation that ‘We are Responsible’ and can impact positively on students’ academic outcomes. Strong organisational skills allow students to follow instructions, manage their time, set goals, prioritise tasks and create action plans. These skills also enable students to find and manage their materials, be in the right place at the right time, hand in work on time and have organised notes for studying. At Kaleen Primary School, we expose students to a range of organisation techniques and strategies to support them with their other areas of learning. Students are encouraged to choose the strategies that work most effectively for them (in general and in specific contexts). How organisational skills are taught in preschool are very different to what we might focus on in our senior school. We surveyed our teachers to find out how we’re teaching these skills across the school.

In the junior school, students are encouraged to develop their independence and organisational skills in a number of ways. They are taught to respond to signals in the environment (school bell, pack up songs, teacher requests etc) by taking responsible actions. Students are explicitly taught how and when to perform specific tasks (e.g. putting bags on hooks, unpacking drink bottles, writing their name on work, packing up lesson materials etc). Teachers break tasks into small manageable chunks and (over time) string together different tasks to achieve broader objectives. Packing up a game, putting scrap paper in the recycling bin, chairs under desks, names on work etc. will be taught individually at first and then grouped together into a “pack up” routine. The success criteria is shared with students verbally or sometimes with photos of the completed task. Teachers offer students feedback and support through praise, W@K tokens, visual timetables, and timed reminders about when tasks need to be completed.

In the senior school, students are asked to take on additional responsibilities for their organisation and learning. Many of the organisational skills taught in the junior school have now become learned habits. Students are tuned into specific class routines and structures that help keep them organised and up to speed with their learning and accountable. They are exposed to a number of digital and paper methods of organising their time and commitments (calendars, diaries, checklists etc.) and have additional choices about the specific strategies that work best for them. Students are asked to reflect more on their achievements and measure their progress against success criteria.

What can parents do to promote organisation skills in their children?

To-do lists can help children with mental organisation by teaching them how to set goals, manage their time, and prioritise their tasks. Parents can support their child to make a to-do list for the following day, asking them to order the items on the list from highest to lowest priority. For children who need additional support, they can break the larger items on the list into smaller sections. For example, cleaning their room can then be broken into folding their washing, putting toys away and making the bed.  Getting children in the habit of planning out their days and having an organised list of tasks teaches them how to organise and prioritise events in their lives.

Organisers and planners (paper and digital) are other tools that can help with mental organisation. Student-friendly planners provide children with a visual plan, as they map out their week or month. Parents can sit down with their children and put tests, school events, sports practice, games and family gatherings on their monthly calendars. They can also use the planners to block off time for studying, playdates, and even time for organising their rooms, notebooks and planners.

PE@K Initiatives

Next week we are relaunching our PE@K (Passion and Enrichment At Kaleen) initiatives (for the first time since the Covid19 Pandemic hit). We have surveyed the teachers and students and are super excited to be running with the following PE@K initiatives:

PE@K Programs: are opportunities for students to participate in a wide range of enrichment experiences. These programs are offered throughout the year and are an ongoing commitment where students attend the program each week. These programs are an extension to the teaching program and enhance the learning opportunities for students. These vary throughout the year and include class and cohort extension groups as well as Green Team, Junior and Senior Choir, Japanese Choir, Dance Nation, Rock band, IMP Band (Years 5 and 6), Chess and Student Parliament.

PE@K Projects: are conducted throughout the school for students to engage in a passion or enrichment project. These are individualised projects and provide opportunities for students to work individually or collaboratively on a wide range of topics. The PE@K projects vary for each cohort based on student need.

PE@K Clubs: The PE@K clubs currently include Junior and Senior Coding, Chess, Literacy Club, Gym Games. These are teacher led, structured activities that will operate during lunchtime. All students are welcome, and meet outside the canteen at the pick up zone  (after lunch eating time) if they would like to attend. A timetable is on display in the library to remind students about the PE@K clubs.

Junior Social Play are opportunities for our junior students to connect with each other in a more supportive environment.  Children who are looking for an activity or the opportunity to make friends are encouraged to attend. All Junior students are welcome to join.  Some examples of Junior Social Play activities are Handcrafts, dance, building and construction, fundamental movement skills, cubby making and puzzles 

Bye for now,

Chris Shaddock

Principal

2023 Book Packs

All educational resources have been purchased by the school. A payment note went out on Wednesday. Payments will need to be finalised by the end of Term 1. 

‘Book Pack’ pricing includes:

• Stationery items

• Digital Technology and Subscriptions

• Educational Resources (art and craft supplies, photocopy paper, year level specific recourses)

The cost for each ‘Book Pack’ is $95.00. There is a reduced rate for families with more than one child attending Kaleen Primary School (including the preschool). Payment is required by Thursday April 6th. The prices are listed below.

If you have…

1 child the cost is $95.00

2 children the total cost is $180.00

3 or more children the total cost is $250.00 per family

Payments can be made by cash, EFTPOS, or via our website using Quickweb. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a payment plan, please contact the front office. 

Apply now for the Future of Education Equity Fund for the 2023 school year. Eligible low-income ACT families can receive one-off payments for financial aid to help cover the costs of their children’s educational costs, such as sport equipment and activities, music lessons, school uniforms and excursions. The Fund is open to eligible students enrolled in preschools that are attached to an ACT government school, through to Year 12 in the ACT. Further information and the online application form is available at https://www.education.act.gov.au/support-for-our-students/financial-and-resource-assistance-for-families 

The P&C would love your feedback on a proposal to run information sessions out of school hours on topics of interest to the school community.

Please take a minute to answer four simple questions at the link below, which will help us to understand community interest. We thank you in advance!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q3G3YS5  

Sporting News   

Congratulations to our new Sporting House Captains and Vice Captains for 2023!

SNOWY                                              MURRUMBIDGEE                        HAWKSBURY                     COTTER

 Captains                                                                                         Captains                                                                                            Captains                                                                        Captains

 Brooklyn Sims-Eriksen                                                Olyvia Ivancic                                                                       Avrielle Bellette                                                 Millie Dahl

 Zachary Keens                                                                   Vivan Rendeep                                                                     Jack Ward                                                               Marlowe Bossell

 Vice Captains                                                                              Vice Captains                                                                                Vice Captains                                                          Vice Captains

 Shachee Boddu                                                                   Elliott Clayton                                                                       Anya Jakilet                                                        Samantha Zangl

 Koby Cunningham                                                           Lucas Shen-Zhao                                                               Leo Fletcher                                                        Cody Crabb

Swimming Carnival 2023

Well done to everyone who participated in the swimming carnival held on Tuesday 21st February. Lots of determination and sportspersonship was shown throughout the day from swimmers and students in Aquatic games. Thanks to the parents and volunteers who assisted on the day. The winning house was Hawkesbury. Well done to all houses for their exemplary behaviour and participation.

Congratulations to the following 16 students who have met the required qualifying times to compete in the Belconnen Region Carnival held on Tuesday 28th March  at the AIS. 

Violet L, Sarah T, Sophie McC, Annabel N, Alex M, Josephine C, Lijane D, Andrew S, Fred W, Thomas M-L, Joad H, Campbell D’A, Rory C, Lachlan S, Max G, Raymond A. More information will be sent out when the carnival is closer. 

Congratulations to the following students who placed in the swimming events.

Check out all of the fun adventures that Year 6 had on camp this week!

Have a look at the Year 1 Virtual Assembly!

Emily  from 5MS played a traditional Chinese instrument called Guzheng at the National Multicultural Festival in Canberra.  This instrument belongs to the

zither family of string instruments. It is a large instrument that has over two thousand years of history.

This year, there were more than 200,000 people at the National Multicultural Festival.

 Emily did very well on stage and her family and friends are very proud of her. 

If you would like to have your child's achievement acknowledged here, please email a short blurb to KaleenPSAdmin@ed.act.edu.au 

Community