FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.
Winston Churchill
To the St Nicholas School Community
TERM 4 - WEEK 7
For many years educators have been promoting the fact that the Australian and NSW Curriculum is overcrowded. The sheer volume of skills and content that needs covering affects the depth of learning that can occur. Many skills are only covered at surface level, which can lead to our students knowing a little about a lot, rather than a lot about what really matters - the fundamentals.
The most important fundamental - reading. Many of you would have previously heard me argue, ‘as an educator, the greatest gift we can give a child is the ability to read!’ At St Nicholas School we are therefore unapologetic in focusing our processes and structures to improve reading.
In the most basic form, the concept is very simple: if we want to improve our students ability to read, we:
- Improve a teachers' ability to teach reading
- Improve the time a child spends reading
In 2021 we have committed to both of these statements. There is considerable evidence for supporting the following two statements:
- The quality of teaching and learning provided to St Nicholas School students for reading has never been better.
- St Nicholas School children are reading to an adult more than ever.
One set of evidence to support these statements is our infants reading data collected in the last two weeks. With half a term to go, our PM reading levels are far superior to where our students finished the year in 2020.
End of Year, 2020 | Weeks 5 & 6, Term 4 2021 | |
| Kinder | 6.33 | 8.41 |
| Year 1 | 16.56 | 17.18 |
| Year 2 | 21.26 | 23.30 |
| Year 3 | 25.57 | 26.56 |
As principal of St Nicholas School, I am particularly proud of our staff and their commitment to improving reading, which is helping to set our students up for success.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT - THIS WEEK'S BRAIN TEASER
Congratulations Alexander Kidd (2HS) who was the 12th student to provide Mrs Daley with the correct answer to last week's riddle:
- How many eggs would a rooster lay over three weeks, provided it is adequately fed and housed? Answer: None. Roosters don't lay eggs!
This weeks riddle:
- It’s as light as a feather, but the strongest person can’t hold it for more than five minutes.
The 18th student to see Mrs Dunst (after 8.30am tomorrow) with the correct answer will win a canteen meal voucher to be used on the day of their choosing.
Have a great weekend.
John Clery
PRINCIPAL