Dear Parents & Guardians,

The past week has been a busy time for teachers and families as you make contact to discuss your child’s progress in what has been a tumultuous start to the year.  Whilst the focus has been on effort and engagement, I hope that it has still been a time of growth, even if it was only socially or emotionally, due to the very different way of “doing school” over the past six months.

Jesus said in Matthew’s Gospel, “For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”  Even though this is a phone conversation in most cases, I pray that  the spirit of Christ walks with you as we seek to understand each child and ourselves better.

I leave you with the following thought to ponder in light of the above:

When you talk with someone, don’t think about what you’ll say next.  

Thoughts will spring up naturally if you let them.

May the holiday vacation be a time of rest and calm for you and your family, especially after such an eventful first half to the year.

Go Gently,

Michael Reardon
Principal

Special Thanks And Appreciation

Last week I had my Leadership Review. Every four years principals have the opportunity to get feedback and reflect on their leadership. Those principals new to the diocese or in their first appointment, have their first review during their third year. The review process is quite involved and ensures reflection and advice is sought from the parish priest, parents, teachers and students. This data is collated and feedback is given on the day of the review. In addition, there was an opportunity for staff, parents and the student leaders to be interviewed about the impact of my leadership on the growth and development of our school.

This was a hugely affirming process and I am deeply appreciative of all for your kind thoughts and acknowledgements. When I applied for the principal position at St Paul’s, it was after twenty years as principal in Sydney Archdiocese. My decision was based on my desire to come home to our parish community and serve the community where my first experience of leadership began. Being able to lead our school, which has always had such a close emotional connection, is a gift and I thank all those who have placed their faith and trust in me as we have journeyed together.  The school is in a very good place and my wish is for us to continue to work together to make our school community an even better one.

Congratulations 

A very big congratulations to Angelisa D'Costa whose artwork has been selected to be used for the 2020 Christmas Art Exhibition and Competition Flyer and Booklet. This a great honour as it will be sent to all schools in the Diocese and will be the front cover of all correspondence this year.

Thank You

Thank you to the Colliss family and their company, Hamelin Brands who have kindly donated signs to our school. These signs have been placed at the gates and in all wet areas within our school. 

English News

Much has been written about ‘The Reading Wars’, the debate about how one learns to read. With two sides to the debate, those who state that one learns to read through ‘Whole Language’ (often referred to as a ‘Balanced Literacy Approach’) and those who state that Synthetic Phonics produces the best results. 

As a result of the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy in 2005, the following statement was made in regards to the most effective way to teach reading.

“It was clear that systematic phonics instruction is critical if children are to be taught to read well, whether or not they experience reading difficulties.  Teachers should provide systematic, direct and explicit phonics instruction so that children master the essential alphabetic code-breaking skills required for foundational reading proficiency.”

At St Paul's, significant professional learning and planning has been undertaken by teachers to ensure that all the students at St Paul’s are taught based on scientific, evidence based research. Hence why our school has been teaching reading using synthetic, systematic phonics for the past 5 years.

K-2 Teachers use specialised decodable books in the classroom to support student learning that align with the systematic and sequenced release of graphemes (letter combinations). The students also have digital access to these texts through Bug Club for home reading to support consolidation. In addition, and thanks to the generosity of the P&F, all students from K-6 now access these digital texts for home reading with students in 3-6 also having access to a larger range of reading material beyond decodable texts to support learning.

Students also visit the school library to select books which they are interested in to read for pure enjoyment. Parents are encouraged to snuggle up and enjoy these books with their child by sharing the reading or reading the book to their child if it is too difficult. Remember your child chose this book for a reason! 

Below is a link to an article about the problems behind a balanced literacy approach from the perspective of a learner. The article has been written by Allison Clarke, Speech Pathologist for Spelfabet.

https://www.spelfabet.com.au/2014/01/balanced-literacy/

Sheereen Brunetta
Assistant Principal

Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a Principal's Award.

Isaac Nauta, Sonny Lockett-Salo, Felicity Oake, Luca Burnett, Beth McAllister, George Harb, Mackenzie Bowen, James Fitzpatrick, Mariah Leahy, Isaiah Manojlovic, Giuseppina Vecchio, Isabella Gauci, Amelia Fitzpatrick, Angus Rix.

School photos will be held Tuesday, 21 July 2020 (Week 1, Term 3). Online orders are the preferred option. Group, portrait and sibling photgraphs can be purchased by following the link below. Should you require a payment envelope they are available from the school office.

https://www.advancedimage.com.au/keycode/keycodefinder.aspx?keycode=EPN197PN1

Or by visiting http://www.advancedlife.com.au/ and entering the school order code:

  EPN 197 PN1

Please Note: Sibling Orders will close 3pm on Monday, 20 July 2020.

Sibling photographs must be ordered either online or via payment envelope by the closing date, 3pm Monday, 20 July 2020.

No late orders will be accepted on the day for sibling photographs. 

Self Awareness is… 

Recognising and understanding our feelings, while valuing our strengths and abilities. This is the most important component for students in the development of their social emotional learning. 

Relationship Skills are… 

Relationship skills are an important component of Social Emotional Learning. Relationship skills pertain to “the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups.

Responsible Decision Making  

Responsible decision making is defined as “the ability to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms.” Essentially, all aspects of a potential decision and its consequences must be considered before a choice is made. To make the most appropriate behavioral choices, students need to learn how to evaluate the situation, analyse their options, and consider the potential consequences of each of those options for themselves and others.

In order for students to effectively make responsible decisions, they must develop competency with the following abilities:

• Identify the problem
• Analyze the situation
• Solve the problem
• Consider ethical responsibility
• Evaluate and reflect

For further information please visit https://www.kiddiematters.com/problem-solving-activity-free-printable/

For Parish news and information, or to book Mass during COVID-19 please visit the Parish website.

https://www.stpaulscamden.org.au/