PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear families,
Tomorrow, June 29, our school community has the joy of celebrating the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. All are warmly invited to share in our Feast Day Mass, celebrated by Fr John at 9:15am in our school hall.
Saints Peter and Paul are often referred to as two of the great “Pillars of the Church.” Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labours, their sufferings, and their preaching.
Saint Peter, you were uniquely chosen to be a rock foundation of faith
upon which the Church was established.
Saint Paul, you went forth to preach this faith far and wide,
establishing many new communities of faith.
Dear Lord,
We come together as one family.
May we follow in the footsteps of Sts Peter and Paul, seeking each day
to build community and to share in the message of Jesus.
May we be lovers of learning who treat each other with care and respect.
Sts Peter and Paul, pray for us.
Amen
Parent Conferences and Semester 1 Reports
Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend conferences this week. It has been a busy but rewarding week for the teachers as they shared the enormous amount of learning that occurred throughout the semester. I thank our amazing teachers for their expertise and enthusiasm.
Families will receive Semester 1 Report via Compass this afternoon. All reports, except for Kindergarten, use an A-E reporting scale. Please view the short presentation explaining this scale. A-E Reporting Presentation
If your child is leaving our school in the coming years, I suggest you download and save your child’s report. Most schools require a recent student report for enrolment. Having one handy will reduce your admin time.
Student Enrolment
The official Catholic Schools enrolment period is over; however, it is not too late to apply and secure a place. Please encourage friends and families to complete the enrolment form on our website.
Are you leaving Sts Peter and Paul School? If you are aware of a possible move, please advise Mrs Collis as soon as possible to help with our planning.
Winter Uniform
I look forward to seeing all students looking dapper in the correct school uniform next term. I have noticed children wearing weekend wear like mis-matched hats, colourful socks, and various accessories to school. Some older children need regular reminders that shoulder-length hair must be tied back, and that make-up and nail polish are not permitted at Sts Peter and Paul School. Please ensure your child is abiding by our uniform policy.
Rostrum Final
Congratulations to Anna Scanlan from 6 Maroon on competing in the Rostrum Quarter Final held at Curtin last week. We are so proud of the way she represented Sts Peter and Paul School. Well done, Anna!
School hours Communication
We have an increasing number of students communicating with their families during school hours on devices. This is not permitted. Please remind your children of this rule. All school hours communication must be via the front office.
Happy Holidays
Term 3 resumes for all students on Tuesday July 18. Monday July 17 is a Pupil Free Day during which staff will be undertaking professional learning in Mathematics content and pedagogy.
Literacy Visit
Last Wednesday our teachers undertook professional learning with Jessica Colleu Terradas, a literacy expert currently employed at Catholic Education. Supported by Miss Garrett, Jess led the staff’s exploration of student assessment data and highlighted ways our Catalyst approach to reading instruction has furthered student learning. I invite you to read the article below, from Monday's Canberra Times, about Jessica’s expertise and her goals for the readers in our Archdiocese.
Jessica Colleu Terradas says Australian schools should do more to prevent reading failure
Jessica Colleu Terradas with Saints Peter and Paul Primary School students Lauren Miller, 11, Tom Hutchins, 10 and Roxie Moore, 10. Picture by Keegan Carroll
Schools should not wait for students to fail to learn to read and should proactively ensure no child leaves primary school without proficient reading skills.
That was the key message Canberra-based researcher Jessica Colleu Terradas took away from travels to the United Kingdom, France and United States as part of her Churchill Fellowship study.
While working as a special education teacher in a Western Australian high school, she was concerned about the numbers of students who had become "instructional casualties" because they hadn't been taught to read in primary school.
"I was witnessing kids coming into high school severely at risk, unable to read. Some of them were three to six years behind in their reading levels and functioning at a year 1 reading level," Miss Colleu Terradas said.
"It's a moral obligation that we hold to do something about those kids that should be leaving primary school able to read, let alone leaving high school able to read, so they can have a successful life."
Miss Colleu Terradas was employed as a literacy coach in South Australia to promote evidence-based reading instruction and support the implementation of the phonics check in 2018.
She has since moved to the ACT where she is now the senior officer of teaching and learning literacy and instructional coach with the Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese.
As part of the Churchill Fellowship, she first visited France where every school has universal screening check that is administered three times between year one and year two and again in year six. The data available for parents within 48 hours and the education department can use it to make strategic decisions.
She then went to United Kingdom where they have seen progress in reading comprehension levels since the introduction of a phonics check in 2012. The UK education department has also provided a list of endorsed, evidence-based phonics programs so educators can be sure they are using quality materials grounded in research.
Miss Colleu Terradas went to schools in Blackpool, a disadvantaged town in Northern England where a group of high schools are participating in an initiative to lift literacy levels.
Her time in the US included visiting the state of Ohio state which passed the right to read law in 2021, also known as the Ohio Dyslexia law.
She also went to schools in Portland, Oregon and North Carolina that have achieved outstanding results through direct instruction, scripted literacy programs
Her final report recommends all Australian states and territories use universal screening as soon as students start school to catch reading difficulties earlier.
It also recommends schools adopt a multi-tiered system of support including small-group and one-on-one tutoring to ensure students catch up before reading gaps become worse. Lastly, it calls for current and preservice teachers to get training in effective reading instruction methods.
"We want to shift from that reactive, wait-to-fail, a deficit model to a more preventive approach where we're more proactive," she said.
Our Mr Johns will be back at the helm next term after a well-deserved break. We are very much looking forward to Cameron’s return from overseas. We have stockpiled our Irish jokes and are excited to hear of his travel adventures. He has been dearly missed.
Thank you for your support of our school community this term. I know you will join me in wishing our dedicated and industrious staff a peaceful and productive stand down period.
I hope you and your families have a safe and revitalising break too. May the next two weeks be filled with all the good things our crisp Canberra has to offer.
Best wishes,
Anna Williams
Acting Principal