Defence School Transition Aide
At Campbell Primary School we are fortunate to have a Defence School Transition Aide (DSTA).
The Defence School Transition Aide Program provides support to children of Australian Defence Force (ADF) Members and their families, particularly during their transition into and out of a school on posting. The DSTA assists children and parents to connect to the school community. The DSTA provides support to children during times of parental absence.
Children respond differently to relocation and change. The DSTA works in conjunction with classroom teachers to monitor the transition of both new and leaving students and provide assistance to support the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of these students.
A Defence School Transition Aide is not necessarily a teacher but a member of the school team.
The duties of the DSTA may include the following:
- assisting children and families to integrate into the new school and local community,
- coordinating appropriate welcome and farewell activities,
- smoothing the transition from school to school and between different education systems (including minimising the impact of relocation on learning outcomes),
- monitoring the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of Defence students,
- helping students develop self-confidence, self-reliance and resilience,
- referring students to services, or school and community programs that meet their needs,
- enhancing awareness and appreciation of the unique Defence lifestyle in schools and communities, and
- providing support to children during times of parental absence.
MiniLit (Meeting initial needs in Literacy)
Some students require additional support and a range of scaffolded learning experiences and opportunities to help them learn effectively and develop the capacity for further learning. At Campbell Primary School we support these Year 1 and Year 2 students through small group programs such as Minilit, goal setting through Individual Learning Plans (ILP) and Behaviour Plans.
Please contact our Deputy Principal, Kate Herrington for more information.
EAL/D (English as an Additional Language or Dialect)
EAL/D students are those whose first language is a language or dialect other than English and who require additional support to assist them to develop proficiency in English.
EAL/D students come from diverse, multilingual backgrounds and may include:
- Overseas and Australian-born students whose first language is a language other than English (students born in Australia must have one or both of their parents born in a non-English speaking country to receive support)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students whose first language is an Indigenous language, including traditional languages, creoles and related varieties, or Aboriginal English.
EAL/D students require specific support to build the English language skills needed to access the general curriculum, in addition to learning area-specific language structures, at Campbell Primary, we have a specialist EAL/D teacher.
Story Dog
Campbell Primary is fortunate to be supported by National Library sponsored, 'Maddie' the story dog with her handler 'Aunty Sue'. Together they support students requiring additional assistance with confidence and enjoyment in reading.
ICAS
Campbell Primary School is a long standing participant of the word-renowned ICAS Assessments.
ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of New South Wales, with over 35 years’ experience in educational assessments.
ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies.
Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.