By Natalie Blewitt
Growth Team coordinator

As we head into Term 4, another busy term awaits. Final assessments, report writing, classroom clean outs, end of year assemblies and for primary schools, class parties and Christmas crafts.

It is easy to get lost in the frenetic pace of the term so planning your time is very important.

One of the non-negotiables this term is report writing. Over the coming weeks, find out when your reports are due and work back to ensure you have enough time to have them submitted to your line manager.

When writing them, do you have a focus for the week? For example, completing all of Monday’s classes, then the following week, all of Tuesday’s classes etc. And for primary schools, do you focus on a subject for the week? Or do you focus on completing the whole report for each child?

Do you use a comment bank? If so, don’t forget to check back on what comments you wrote for Semester 1.

Always endeavour to have a colleague read over your comments as this will make the editing process much smoother.

Remember, when writing your comments, write them in parent-friendly language. You can also utilise some of the wording from the judging standards.

Log into the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website
(scsa.wa.edu.au) to access the extranet.

This is where you will find the judging standards. While you are there, don’t forget to check out the curriculum support materials. These are being added to all the time.

There are several special days/events that also occur during Term 4, so don’t forget to add them to your planner. Here are some which may be of interest and some great sites where you will find free resources:

World Teacher’s Day
– 29 October

Held annually and observed in over 100 countries worldwide, World Teachers’ Day recognises and celebrates the service of teachers and the contributions they make to education: bit.ly/396Zave

Remembrance Day
– 11 November

On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes’ silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation. Have a look on Scootle for a range of free resources: scootle.edu.au

White Ribbon Day
– 19 November

White Ribbon is the world’s largest movement engaging men and boys to end men’s violence against women and girls, promote gender equality and create new opportunities for men to build positive, healthy and respectful relationships. White Ribbon Australia is part of a global social movement working to eliminate gendered violence: whiteribbon.org.au

Human Rights Day
– 10 December

Human Rights Day is a day to commemorate, educate and reflect on the principles that form the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This means celebrating the rights we exercise every day as Australians and acknowledging that enjoying those rights carries with it the responsibility of promoting these rights for all people. You can find some useful resources, especially for Year 7-9 students at:
bit.ly/3z8PZFe

Additional resources

For those looking for free Christmas craft and activity ideas, great resources can be found at: bit.ly/3lpyYlc

There are plenty of other free resources that can be found online with a simple Google search.

If you are looking to purchase some resources to see your year out, don’t forget to check out our range of member benefits, including a 5-10 per cent discount at the Teacher Superstore or even a 10 per cent discount at Jackson’s Drawing Supplies.

For more details visit:
sstuwa.org.au/benefits or tap on the benefits tab in the SSTUWA app.

And finally, a parting verse as we wish you the best for Term 4:

Look upon Term 4 as your final shot,
And really give it all you’ve got.
For the students who are in your care,
After all, your teaching can take them
anywhere!