Literacy and Numeracy

NAPLAN Update

On Monday,  ACARA released the NAPLAN National Report containing this year's State and National mean scores.  It is with great pride that we are able to share that our mean scores in Year 3 and Year 5 across all strands were above, and in some areas, well above the state mean!  A huge congratulations to all of our students and staff on this wonderful achievement!

Classroom Helpers - Reminder

For parents wishing to assist in classrooms during the Literacy or Numeracy block, a reminder that it is a requirement that you must have completed the Parent Helper Course facilitated by Josh Crowe and myself earlier this year.  This ensures that you have an understanding of the expectations of assisting in the classroom as well as an understanding of our approaches to learning and teaching in these areas.  The St James Volunteer Process completed with Carmel is a separate requirement to this.  Thank you for your understanding.  Dates to complete the course in 2023 will be advertised early in Term 1.  

Mrs. Cathy Dimitrakopoulos

Literacy/Learning and Teaching Leader

cathy.dimitrakopoulos@sjvermont.catholic.edu.au

     Mathematics - Productive Struggle is a Good Thing

At St James, we encourage students to be mathematical thinkers. Sometimes getting the correct answer is not the most important part of the process. Students experiencing some productive struggle has lots of benefits. 

The definition of “productive struggle” is effortful learning that empowers students to attempt solving new math problems using logic and prior knowledge before being explicitly taught a procedure.

The effortful learning required during productive struggling builds positive learning habits that translate into greater educational perseverance and learning outcomes that meet maths standards.

Working through challenging maths problems encourages a deeper level of learning while simultaneously preparing students to take on more complex and challenging mathematical concepts in the future.

Remember - it is ok not to know the answer straight away. 

 Josh Crowe

                                                                   Mathematics Leader

                                             joshua.crowe@sjvermont.catholic.edu.au