Dear Parents and Carers,

Semester 1 Primary School Reports 2021

Our teachers have begun the process of creating each child’s Semester 1 2021 report. Catholic Education has provided the following information to parents in regard to the Semester 1 Reports.

 In Semester 1:

For Kindergarten students:

• Achievement in each subject will be reported using a four-point scale (Well Above Expectations, Above Expectations, Meeting Expectations and Working Towards Expectations).

For Year 1 to Year 6 students:

• Academic grades for each subject using a five-point scale from A-E will be reported using the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards.

For all students:

• Strand Achievement will be reported in English, Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, and The Arts using a five-point scale (Excellent, High, Sound, Basic, Elementary).
• Engagement with Learning statements, which are taken directly from the Australian Curriculum, will provide specific information about your child’s Critical and Creative Thinking, and Personal and Social Responsibility, using a three-point scale (Beginning, Developing, Consistently).
• Individual student comments will not be used in the Semester 1 Reports. This applies to ALL Primary Canberra/Goulburn Catholic schools.

Dialogue is an important feature of reporting. The Semester Report in this format encourages parent engagement and conversation about student learning. We want the report to be the entry point for parent-teacher interviews where we can engage in genuine conversation about your child’s strengths, challenges, effort and areas for growth.

You are encouraged to make an appointment with your child’s teacher in Week 9 or Week 10 this term. More details will follow as we get closer to publishing reports. (Semester 1 reports will not be printed, but available through the COMPASS Parent Portal). 

The new approach to Academic Reporting is a developing process. Further work will be undertaken in the coming months to determine how progress and achievement is best reported based on what we know to be important information about a student’s learning and progress.

Mother’s Day

Thank you to the wonderful Yr. 1 parents who helped with the Mother’s Day breakfast. Special thanks to Fiona Scott (Harry Yr 1, Thor Yr 6) for her coordination and organisation. Also, particular mention to Caitrin, Moira, Mark, Alex, Ash, Rhean and Chantal for your assistance on the day and in the lead up. It was a great community event. 

NAPLAN

Our Yr. 3 and Yr. 5 students have been sitting their NAPLAN tests this week. We have been very conscious to keep the environment calm and as normal as possible. There is inevitably some angst around the tests but our students have been focussed to “get the job done”.

Centred in Learning Gathering

We have our Centred in Learning gathering on Monday at 9am, in Holy Faith Hall.

Yours sincerely,

Julie Wiley
Principal

Library Borrowing Day: Monday

What to bring: Returned books and a Library Bag

Thank you for supporting Library Borrowing each week. It is well worth it! On Library borrowing days, I love to listen to the ‘book chats’ happening between students. The sharing of newly borrowed books is lovely to see and helps students make book selections based on peer reviews.

Providing students with the opportunity to borrow each week allows students to be part of the borrowing process. They are learning how to locate and borrow books they are interested in and it helps them feel a part of our reading community by selecting, sharing and reading in the Library each week. I often ask for student recommendations and update books frequently to keep up with their current interests.

To lift literacy performance, children need to be exposed to the classics and 'real literature’; not just standard reading texts (home readers). Students need access to interesting books and materials. Sometimes, students get in a rut and don’t read beyond their favourite genre or author. When students are provided with the opportunity to borrow from our school Library each week, they interact more with books, spend more time reading and exhibit more positive attitudes toward reading.

Some of the ways I promote reading as my role as Teacher-Librarian include:

• A ‘Bookflix’ wall showcasing all the new and popular reading titles with reviews and recommendations.
• Previewing ‘NEW’ books each week- students can easily view ‘new’ book titles, as they are displayed each week.
• Fequently updating our Library collection with new and interesting books.
• Wishlist, where students can write down their book requests. 
• Reading aloud to students each Library lesson. (That doesn’t exclude reading to older students, too. Occasionally reading more difficult texts aloud provides opportunity for rich discussion and vocabulary development). 
• Themed Library Displays- like our current ‘Ocean’ book display. It’s incredible how showcasing books in creative ways increases the loans on these titles!
• Peer recommendations- the opportunity for students to share their favourite reads and recommend books to others. 
• Promoting reading through digital formats; SORA ebooks and Storybox Library.

Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge

Keep up the fantastic effort to complete the challenge. I have received five completed challenge forms so far. When completed, please return ‘Student Reading Records’ to classroom teachers. Each student who completes the challenge will be entered into a draw to win a $20 Scholastic Book Club voucher. There will be one prize winner per class. The challenge ends on Friday 6^th August 2021- plenty of time left to get stuck into reading!

For more information or to reprint challenge forms go to: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/additional-programs/chief_ministers_reading_challenge

SAVE THE DATE:

• National Simultaneous Storytime- On Wednesday 19May

Our school will participate in National Simultaneous Storytime and listen to ‘Give Me Some Space!’, written by Philip Bunting. It will be read to us and many other students around Australia by an astronaut from the International Space Station. Very cool!  https://www.alia.org.au/nss

• Bookfair – 3 – 5 August

Scholastic Book Fair is a fun reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. Over three days, Bookfair will be set up in our school library and students and families will be given the opportunity to view and purchase from a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level.

• Book Week 21- 27 August

This year’s theme:  ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds’

Each year since 1945 the CBCA has brought children and books together across Australia through CBCA Book Week. During this time schools and public libraries spend one glorious week celebrating books and Australian children's authors and illustrators. At STM we have colourful displays, run competitions and tell stories relating to a theme to highlight the importance of reading.

Students might like to start thinking about their favourite book character to come dressed as this year for the annual school parade.

Family Photos

Family photos are now available for purchase from the Front office. Photos are $10.00. The Portrait Gallery generously donate all funds from the family photographs to our school. If you would like to purchase Your family photo, click on the link below to download the credit card payment slip. The slip can be sent in with your child and the photograph will be sent home that afternoon. Alternately, you can contact the office and provide your details over the phone on 62498869.

Click here CC_Slip.pdf

Merici College