Dear Parents and Carers,
This week I attended a Reading conference with leading Professors in the area of Reading and Literacy. There were certainly some very explicit messages. It was encouraging to see that at St Greg’s we are certainly adopting these evidence-based strategies in our classrooms.
A ‘structured literacy’ approach to teaching reading is best
Teaching children to read is a critical part of their early education, but it's not as simple as it might seem. Reading isn't a natural process like learning to speak; it requires explicit instruction and practice. Research has shown that a structured literacy approach is the most effective way to teach reading. This method focuses on the systematic teaching of phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
A structured literacy approach is designed to ensure that all children become proficient readers. This method involves explicit teaching of the relationships between letters and sounds, as well as how to blend these sounds to form words. For children in Kindergarten to Year 2, this means they will often bring home books that might seem too easy. However, these "decodable texts" are crucial for practice. They help students solidify their phonics skills and achieve reading automaticity, much like training wheels on a bicycle.
These books play an essential role. They allow children to apply what they've learned in class and build confidence. Once students master decoding and word recognition, they can then focus on understanding the text's meaning—the ultimate goal of reading.
What to expect in Years 3-6
As children progress to Year 3 and beyond, the focus shifts. By this stage, they spend less time on basic phonics and more on advanced skills. Teachers will still review letter-sound combinations as needed but will place greater emphasis on morphology—the study of words and their parts. This deeper understanding of language structure helps children improve their vocabulary and comprehension skills.
In our digital age, it's important to be aware of the "screen inferiority effect." Research indicates that reading on screens can be less effective than reading on paper. Studies show that people often understand and retain less information when reading from screens. This phenomenon is due in part to the distractions that come with digital devices—notifications, ads, and links all compete for our attention. To mitigate these effects, encourage your child to read physical books whenever possible. The one exception might be e-readers, which are designed to mimic the experience of reading a book and can be a good alternative.
Support your Child’s Reading Journey
Encourage practice: Make time for daily reading. The more your child practices, the more confident they will become.
Limit screen time: encourage reading from physical books to help improve comprehension and retention.
Be patient and supportive: Every child learns at their own pace. Celebrate their progress and provide encouragement.
Maths Superstars
Last week a film crew attended the Junior School to film and take photos of some of our students in Mathematical action! We were approached by the creators of the website re(Solve) to come into our primary classrooms and film our students participating in maths thinking and problem solving. The crew visited 3M, 3B, 4B & 6M. Thank you to the students and teachers who opened their doors to the crew. These videos will be used for teacher professional development and the photos will be on the website as exemplars for teaching lessons.
Feedback from the crew were that our students have great mathematical thinking and were very confident in participating in the lessons. Thank you to Mrs McPherson, Mrs Kerr, Mrs Mackay & Mr Fuser for doing such a great job with the students.
Parent Teacher Interviews
The parent teacher interviews held last Friday & Sunday were a wonderful opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher/s. There were great conversations had about achievements and areas to focus on moving forward. Hopefully you were able to share some of the discussions with your child to celebrate their progress and work towards new goals.
School Road Safety – Kieran Geaney Drive
Road safety is the responsibility of everyone in our community. Many parents have expressed concern about the safety of students and parents crossing at the pedestrian crossing closest to Donovan Boulevard. This area is clearly marked with the required markings: a pedestrian crossing, a yellow reflective sign, the zig zag road marking to warn of the crossing, the shoulder markings to ensure cars park away at a reasonable distance from the pedestrian lines.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the drivers to ensure they do not park over the shoulder markings, and they slow down to prepare for any pedestrians who may walk onto the crossing. Please observe and follow these road rules for the safety of all our community members.
Kind regards,
Diana