Learning & Teaching

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month

The word dyslexia originates from “dys” meaning “difficulties with” and “lexia” meaning “words”, and simply means a difficulty with words. During the month of October many organisations shine a light on the challenges faced by many individuals with dyslexia. It is also a time to honour and recognise the many strengths of those with dyslexia, raise awareness, foster understanding, and celebrate the resilience and creativity of all these amazing individuals.

Dyslexia is the most common learning difficulty affecting approximately 10-20% of the population.  This is one of the reasons why we started our evidence-based structured literacy journey a few years ago here at STM. Early identification and intervention can make a significant impact for students with dyslexia to ensure they do not fall too far behind. Many of our teachers have completed intensive training through the Australia Dyslexia Association, and we are identified as a dyslexia aware school. Research has shown that ALL students learn best when teachers use an integrated approach to reading that explicitly teaches phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension.

Watch the video below to learn some facts about dyslexia.

Dyslexia is often misunderstood. Here is a video dispelling some common myths about dyslexia.

Our next newsletter will have more information to highlight Dyslexia Awareness Month.

Term 4 InquiRE

This term our students will be exploring the concept of Roles and Responsibilities. Each grade will explore this big idea through lessons and workshops.

P-3 students will investigate this concept through shared personal experiences and workshops to help them find answers to the big question - How do we live together? Year 4/5/6 students will investigate the concept of Roles and Responsibilities through various workshops, experiences and personal projects. They will also find answers to the big question - How do we live together?

We look forward to seeing and hearing about their findings and discoveries throughout this term.