Issue 8 - 8th June 2023
If you have been into your child’s classroom this year, you will see that the seating arrangements are quite different to what they have been in previous years. In every classroom, all desks are facing the front.
The trend of organising desks into clusters has been beneficial for group work, but it can be problematic for students who have to constantly turn their necks or bodies to see the teacher. This arrangement can also promote distraction and disengagement. In contrast, sitting in rows facing the same direction is one of the easiest ways to ensure that students can access the same information consistently and stay on track with their learning. Teachers make eye contact with every student, hold their attention, and communicate effectively.
Everyone can see the teacher and board/screen clearly and the teacher can see every student’s face and quickly assess and amend their level of interaction with a lesson.
Additionally, desks and seating facing forward can also help to create a more structured and disciplined learning environment. This can be especially helpful for students who struggle with self-regulation or who may be easily distracted. We have found that with the current arrangements students are much more focused and engaged. There has been a significant reduction in off-task behaviour and distraction.
Of course, there is still a place for group work. The students work with those beside or around them, desks are rearranged, students move to the atrium or break out spaces or work on the floor. Ask your child how facing the front is helping them to learn.
I want to extend another thank you to everyone that contributed to the Vinnies’ Food Drive. What an impressive way to show how much this community cares about looking after those less fortunate than ourselves. On that note, the final Caritas Project Compassion donations have been calculated. We raised $225.15 for this amazing cause. This money will go towards providing clean water, school supplies, clothing and countless other items that are in desperate need all over the world.
St Vincent de Paul Prayer
Please help me to see the needs of others.
Guide my hands to help those who are hungry.
Make my heart kind to those who are sad.
Teach me to be friendly to strangers.
Let me share my things with those who need them.
Give me the strength to help sick people.
Help me to support those who need it most.
As we share our worries and love,
Our good times and bad times,
We feel your presence with us.
Amen.
At the end of this term, student reports will be published. This year the report format has changed slightly. There will be a letter coming home shortly to give more details. If you have any questions about your child’s report, please contact me or the classroom teacher.
As the weather continues to get colder, please make sure that all uniform items are named. Several times a week the front office is given a jacket or fleece top that is not named, making it difficult to make sure that everyone has what they need to stay warm.
The Writing Revolution the next steps beyond simple sentence level.
As previously mentioned, St. Peter Chanel Staff have adopted the Writing Revolution approach. Today I would like to introduce you to the next three valuable strategies from the Writing Revolution: sentence expansion, note-taking, and single paragraph outlining. These techniques are essential for developing strong writing skills and promoting effective communication. In this newsletter, we will explain the importance of each step and provide detailed examples to help you understand how these strategies can benefit your child.
- Sentence Expansion: Sentence expansion is a powerful technique that helps students enrich their writing by providing additional details and elaboration. By expanding their sentences, students can create more engaging and descriptive pieces of writing. This skill is crucial as it allows students to express their ideas more clearly and effectively. Students expand their sentences by using question words such as, who? what? when? where? why? And how? Teachers model sentence expansion first to ensure students understand the process and once embedded, they have a go themselves.
Here's an example:
Original Sentence (referred to as a kernel): The dog barked.
Who – small fluffy dog
What – barked
How – loudly
When – in the presence of a stranger
Why – to alert the owner
Where - outside the house
Expanded Sentence: The small, fluffy dog barked loudly, alerting its owner to the presence of a stranger outside the house.
As you can see, the expanded sentence not only provides more information about the dog but also creates a vivid image in the reader's mind.
- Note Taking: Note-taking is an essential skill that supports students in gathering and organizing information effectively. Whether they are reading a book, attending a lecture, or conducting research, taking notes helps students retain key points and facilitates the writing process. Encouraging your child to develop effective note-taking habits will contribute to their academic success.
Here's an example:
Original Text: Dolphins are intelligent creatures and can perform complex tricks in water parks.
Notes: Dolphins - intelligent, complex tricks - water parks
These concise notes capture the essential information from the original text, making it easier for the student to reference and incorporate into their writing later.
- Single Paragraph Outline: The single paragraph outline is a structured approach that enables students to organize their thoughts and create coherent and well-structured paragraphs. This technique helps them clearly convey their ideas and arguments while maintaining logical flow within their writing.
Here's an example:
Topic: Benefits of Regular Exercise Outline:
- Introduction: Importance of regular exercise for overall health and well-being.
- Body:
- Physical benefits: Increased strength, improved cardiovascular health, and weight management.
- Mental benefits: Reduced stress, enhanced mood, and improved cognitive function.
- Social benefits: Opportunities for teamwork, building friendships, and fostering a sense of belonging.
- Conclusion: Encouraging regular exercise for a healthier lifestyle.
By using a single paragraph outline, students can effectively plan and organize their writing, ensuring that their ideas are presented in a logical and coherent manner.
Revision Process:
Once students have outlined their ideas using a single paragraph outline, they begin to flash out their ideas and create their paragraphs. This process is then followed by the revision and editing.
Practicing revision activities helps students:
- Develop clarity and coherence
- To use sentence strategies when writing at length
- Incorporate substantive changes into a piece of writing in addition to mechanical ones.
- Create pieces of writing that flow logically and are connected to the main idea.
Mrs Anna Hart
Literacy Coordinator
On Wednesday, our Cross Country Carnival went ahead despite the weather predictions. All students showed fantastic sportsmanship and participation. Everyone should be very proud of their efforts!
Unfortunately, we have just been advised that tomorrow's North West Cross Country has been cancelled. Our apologies for any inconvenience.
Miss Melissa Dodd
PE Teacher
Congratulations Rory on winning last week's Bake Raffle!
Our next bake raffle is Thursday, 15th June. Tickets are just $1.00 via Qkr!
Thank you to everyone who supported our Colour Fun-Run and especially our helpers on the day.
Spud Night
We will be holding a 'Spud Night' on Friday, 23rd June. An order form has been sent out to families and orders can be done via Qkr! Please contact the Office if you would extra forms.
Any donations of sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon, beef mince, chicken or sausages would be greatly appreciated. If you are able to donate please contact Sarah Schuuring via email - schuuring30@hotmail.com. All donations are greatly appreciated.
Next Meeting - Thursday, 3rd August at 3pm - All Welcome!
Term 2
Last day of term - Friday, 7th July
Term 3
Tuesday, 25th July - Friday, 29th September
Monday 24th July - Student Free Day
Term 4
Tuesday, 17th October - Thursday, 14th December
Monday, 16th October - Student Free Day
A reminder for families there is no Auskick this Friday. The final auskick session will be Friday, 16th June.
“It takes four times as many resources to help a student resolve a literacy problem in Year 4, than it does in Year 1” - Dr Kerry Hempenstall
Dyslexia (Specific Learning Disorder in reading) is a common learning disability, with approximately 1 in 10 people being Dyslexic. Dyslexia often runs in families. A person with dyslexia often has a family member with dyslexia or other reading or spelling problems. It is very important to know that dyslexia is not due to low intelligence. People with dyslexia have persistent difficulty with reading and spelling, although individuals typically have strong language skills – as well as highly developed creativity and problem solving skills!
Pre-school aged children with dyslexia may demonstrate challenges in:
- delayed speech
- difficulty pronouncing some words
- learning the alphabet
- writing their name
Primary school aged children may:
- have lots of errors when reading
- read slowly and without expression
- avoid reading — especially aloud
- struggle to understand what they’ve read
- have school anxiety
- show signs of low-self esteem
How is dyslexia diagnosed?
An educational psychologist usually diagnoses dyslexia. The psychologist will:
- take a history, covering medical, developmental, education and family aspects
- investigate your child’s learning strengths and weaknesses
- consider what the teacher says, as well as test scores supplied by your child’s school
- see how your child has responded to academic intervention
Your child must receive at least 6 months of systematic and intentional teaching to improve their reading skills before dyslexia will be diagnosed. Identifying dyslexia early allows for early intervention. This helps to make sure your child doesn’t fall behind in their reading skills. Despite this, dyslexia is often not picked up in the early years of school.
How is dyslexia treated?
It is so vital for families to know, that those with dyslexia can improve their reading and spelling skills. Your child with dyslexia will benefit from being taught explicit and structured phonemic awareness and phonics (systematic, synthetic phonics). Decodable readers also help children with dyslexia learn to read. These books introduce letter-sound knowledge.
Synthetic phonics is a way of teaching children to read. It teaches children how to link letters to speech sounds. They then learn how to blend these sounds together to read words. ‘Synthetic’ refers to the practice of blending sounds together. ‘Phonics’ is the practice of linking speech sounds (phonemes) to their written symbols (graphemes).
At St Peter Chanel, we have selected and implemented ‘Read Write Inc’, especially due to this importance and as it is an evidence-based program, this ensures that research supports our program in producing literacy improvements. It’s so important to know the characteristics of dyslexia, in order to best support our little ones with their reading and writing by early identification.
A reminder for families of the upcoming dates for the remainder of this term.
Friday, 9th June - North West Cross Country - Cancelled
Monday, 12th June - King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Thursday, 15th June - P & F Bake Raffle
Monday, 19th June - Learning Treasures 9:00am - 10:30am
Tuesday, 20th June - Marist Regional College Meet and Greet 2:15pm - https://www.facebook.com/events/934632744410621/?ref=newsfeed
Wednesday, 21st June - Manual P&F Spud night orders due to the office
Thursday, 22nd June - Issue 4 Bookclub Due
Friday, 23rd June - P & F Spud Night - Collection via Canteen at your selected time
Monday, 26th June - Learning Treasures 9:00am - 10:30am
Thursday, 29th June - Assembly 1:45pm - Year 5 & Prep presenting and P&F Bake Raffle
Friday, 30th June - Year 6 Bingo Night
Monday, 3rd July - Learning Treasures 9:00am - 10:30am
Friday, 7th July - Crazy Hair/Crazy Hat Day - Gold Coin Donation - Parents and Friends Fundraiser.