20 November 2025

Welcome to week 6!

Food for thought

A single focused practice session after school might not seem like much,
but repeated over weeks and months it can be the difference between
“I keep forgetting this” and “I’ve really got it now.”
Your support at home is a crucial part of your child’s learning team, and it’s making a real, measurable difference.

In this edition:

• From the Principal
• WA Digital Technologies Teacher of the Year

• Education Focus and Support 

• Understanding Government School Funding

• Class Structure and Teacher Allocations for 2026

• Social Media Age Restrictions

• Interschool Athletics Results (email Brandon 
• Remembrance Day
• Art Activities by Year 3 (email Erica) 
• Upcoming events and promotions

Key dates for Term 4

        📌 Final P&C Meeting of 2025 – Monday 1st December
        🪩 Edu Dance Concert – Thursday 4th December
        🫖 Volunteer's Morning Tea – Tuesday 9th December
        🎤 Coolbinia's Got Talent – Friday 12th December
        🎓 Year 6 Graduation – Wednesday 17th December
        🎉 Last day of school 2025 – Thursday 18th December

Dates upcoming two weeks

• Zoo Safari Year 6 - Monday 24th November
• River Rangers Room 11- Monday 24th November
• River Rangers Room 7 - Tuesday 25th November

Children remember what they revisit, not just what they hear once in class.

Educational research has shown this for more than 100 years. Studies on memory and learning (often called the “forgetting curve”) show that after something is taught, we begin forgetting it almost straight away unless we review and practise it repeatedly over time. Each time a child goes back over a skill, the brain strengthens that pathway, like walking the same track through the bush until it becomes a clear, easy path.

This is exactly the idea behind popular books like The One Thing and The Talent Code: small, focused actions repeated consistently matter far more than occasional big efforts. In learning, it isn’t “How smart am I?” or “How good was that one lesson?” that makes the biggest difference it’s “What am I practising regularly?”

At Coolbinia, our teachers are seeing this play out very clearly.

• Students who regularly complete their Reading Eggs and Mathletics tasks are retaining concepts and moving ahead more quickly.

• Students who don’t practise as often need to be re-taught the same ideas for up to three weeks, simply because the learning hasn’t had enough time to “stick.”

• This isn’t about the quality of teaching our school results show that high-quality instruction is happening in classrooms.

• It isn’t about how intelligent a child is either the same pattern appears across different ability levels.

The key difference is consistent practice at home.

To the many parents who are already encouraging and supporting this: thank you. Every time you remind your child to log in to Reading Eggs or Mathletics, sit beside them for a few minutes, or help them build a routine, you are not “just” doing homework, you are giving their brain the repetition it needs to lock in learning.

Congratulations to Mr Wilson
WA Digital Technologies
Teacher of the Year

Coolbinia Primary School is proud to announce that our Digital Technologies Specialist and STEM Leader, Mr Ian Wilson, has been named the 2025 Digital Technologies Teacher of the Year by ECAWA.

This prestigious award recognises educators who show exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact. ECAWA praised Ian’s work as “a powerful example of how Digital Technologies can enrich learning, strengthen student capability, and connect technology with culture, creativity, and community.”

Over the past decade, Ian has created a rich Digital Technologies program that integrates coding, robotics, and digital literacy with Sustainability, Two-Way Science, Aboriginal perspectives, Asia studies, and programs such as Einstein-First. His leadership has strengthened whole-school capability and built strong partnerships with organisations including ACARA, CSIRO, UWA, Grok Academy, Scitech, and FIRST LEGO League.

You can read the full ECAWA announcement here:
https://ecawa.wa.edu.au/2025/11/13/ian-wilson-ecawa-dttoy-2025/

We are also delighted to share that Ian has been nominated for the national ACCE Digital Technologies Teacher of the Year award.

The Coolbinia community congratulates Mr Wilson on this outstanding and well-deserved achievement. We are incredibly proud to have his expertise, innovation, and passion guiding our students, staff, and families.

Education Focus and Support for All Students in 2026

At Coolbinia Primary School, our priority is helping every child thrive—academically, socially, and emotionally. As we move into 2026, we remain committed to high expectations for learning and progress, supported by proven teaching practices in literacy, numeracy, and integrated areas such as Science, Digital Technologies, and the Cross-Curriculum priorities.

Building on the success of our Early Childhood Intensive Learning Program introduced this year, we are strengthening support for diverse learning needs across the school. Key initiatives include:

• Academic Small Group Program (Years 2 & 3): Short, focused sessions in literacy and numeracy designed to complement classroom learning and accelerate progress.
• Special Needs Support Program: A structured model for students with diagnosed learning needs, providing targeted morning support in literacy, numeracy, and functional skills, followed by full participation in mainstream classes.

These programs reflect our commitment to equity and excellence, ensuring every child has the opportunity to catch up, keep up, and excel.

Understanding Government School Funding

We know families often wonder how school funding works and how programs are resourced. Public schools in WA operate under the Student-Centred Funding Model (SCFM). Each student attracts a base allocation, with additional loadings for specific needs such as disability, Aboriginal students, English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EALD), and socio-economic factors.

This funding is provided as a single budget that covers all school operations—staffing, resources, and programs. Importantly, schools do not receive extra funding for intervention programs. When we introduce additional supports, such as withdrawal programs or specialist staff, these are funded from within our existing budget.

For context, Coolbinia receives approximately $10,588 per student, while allocations vary across WA (e.g., $16,500 in 6061, $19,900 in 6064, $19,000 in 6164, and $9,824 in 6008). Around 70% of our funding goes directly to teacher salaries, with the remainder supporting resources and programs.

Despite these constraints, Coolbinia remains focused on delivering high-quality teaching and targeted support. We believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and we work hard to make that a reality.

Class Structure and Teacher Allocations for 2026

Upcoming Social Media Age Restrictions  Key Information for Families

The Australian Government is introducing new national age limits for social media to boost online safety and protect young people. Families are encouraged to understand what these changes mean, how platforms will verify age, and how to support safe online use at home.

For clear guidance on platform age limits and practical advice for parents, visit the eSafety Commissioner’s page:
Social Media Age Restrictions: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/social-media-age-restrictions

Free parent and carer webinars are also available to explain the new rules and offer strategies for supporting children online:
Webinars: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions/webinars

Our school will continue teaching safe and responsible online behaviours, and these resources can help families stay prepared for the upcoming changes.

Congratulations to all our Interschool Athletes!

We are incredibly proud of everyone who represented Coolbinia at the Interschool Carnivals. Below are the results for the Meritorious Shield and Championship Shield, along with our Runner-up and Champion Boy/Girl Medal winners across all Interschool Athletics events Cross Country, Jumps and Throws, and Track and Field.

As the smallest school in the cluster, we’re thrilled with our outstanding achievements and the spirit our athletes showed. We’ll keep striving to reach even greater heights Go Coolbinia!

Clay Modelling by Year 3s Room 5

After a visit to the WA Museum to see the Chinese Terracotta Warriors exhibition, the Year 3 students learnt about the Terracotta Army and its historical significance. They found over 8,000 clay warriors were buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang more than 2,000 years ago to protect him in the afterlife. They designed and created their own mini clay warrior statue and experimented with clay modelling techniques (rolling, shaping, joining and adding details e.g. hair bun). The original statues were painted so the students painted their own with water colour paints.

Upcoming events and promotions

Last Chance to Order School Photos!

As another school year draws to a close, we’d like to remind families that school photos are still available for online purchase through Kapture.

All photos will remain available until the end of Term 4, after which they’ll be removed from the website in preparation for next year.

Place your order directly through the Kapture’s website and use your unique school code: HXW8VK.

Don’t miss out on capturing these special memories before they’re gone!