St Andrews Christian College Newsletter 2023

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Learning Support at St Andrews

Online learning at school is a constantly evolving and changing space.

The first week of lockdown happened so quickly, and most students have had enough experience to know what to expect and transitioned into the rhythms of doing online learning onsite with little resistance, even though there was disappointment. 

Trusting God through this time, has been an opportunity to again put into practice what we have been learning about as staff and students.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17: 7-8

The second week brought exams for secondary students, and although a slightly different way of doing these assessments, students have taken this in their stride.

At school, we have had up to 40 students needing to attend onsite each day. Learning Assistants have again needed to adjust to doing things differently as we continually refine and change how things are best done. It is always wonderful to be a part of student learning and development.

 

Students have relished the opportunity to see their peers, to participate in Zoom devotions each day, and have grown in their understanding of IT. 

 

Additionally, Learning Support sessions for some Primary students continued via Zoom – either 1:1 or in a small group.  This allowed for the continuity of learning, which is imperative for some students. Thank you to the parents who helped to facilitate these sessions – logging your children on to Zoom, being present in the room for 1:1 sessions and even printing pages required for the sessions. For some students, this has allowed seamless learning to occur.

Reporting – Primary Learning Support

Primary students who participate in Learning Support sessions will be receiving an end of semester report.  This will provide parents with information on students’ level of needs, types of intervention and progress in this area. 

Additionally, students involved in Author’s Workshop will receive a brief report on the skills and strategies they have demonstrated over the semester.

“Author’s Workshop” 

E3 – ENGAGE, ENRICH, EMPOWER

You might hear the sounds of pencils scratching the page, or paper rustling in Room 16 on a Wednesday afternoon.   You might see students thoughtfully staring off in the distance with a pencil in the corner of their mouths, or heads down frantically writing as quickly as possible to capture their ideas before they float away. 

 

This is a group of primary authors at work throughout Semester 1. 

In first semester a group of 12 students form Years 2-4 were selected to participate in “Author’s Workshop” based on the following premise:

For students to understand that we are created to express ourselves and can communicate through words, in creative ways to build up the Kingdom of God.

The group met once a week where they could explore the process of writing.  This allowed students to write for any purpose and in the genre of their choice – emulating the manner in which real authors work. 

It has been exciting to read a range of narratives - including one set in World War II; persuasive letters – two written to Mrs Punay about why we should continue Author’s Workshop into Semester 2; an information report on crabs, and even a biography of a famous author.

 

Students have explored and experimented with the following writing strategies:

  • Seven different types of “Sizzling Starts”
  • The Power of Three
  • Different types of “Exciting Endings”
  • A different way to write similes

Students also had personal writing goals where they were able to explore the following strategies and apply them to their own writing, including:

  • Show don’t tell
  • Characterisation development
  • Starting sentences in different ways
  • Using dialogue
  • Checking for coherence
  • Fleshing out ideas to add detail

Here are some comments from students about Author’s Workshop:

  • Elliott 3E: “I enjoyed being able to choose what we write about and what the topic is.”
  • Ellie 3A: “I liked being able to write whatever I liked when I feel like it.”
  • Audrey 2H: “I liked being able to write with no distractions.”
  • Jiamiao 4C: “I liked learning different strategies to use in my writing.”

What I learned from Author’s Workshop:

  • Naomi 3E: “I learned the difference between similes and metaphors.”
  • Zoe 3E: “I learned how to use the Power of Three.”
  • Elliott 3E: “I learned about figurative language.”

Supporting Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

A number of families in the college have students who have a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).  In discussions with one such family it was suggested that the college could arrange occasional meetings where parents of these students could share advice and experiences and encourage one another. 

 

 In future meetings there could also be presentations on the subject from various professionals. Our first meeting was held last Monday 21st June via Zoom. Further information will be sent out regarding future meetings.

Speech Therapy

Su Ann has been providing speech therapy and social skills training to a number of students each Tuesday.  We have received positive feedback from this intervention and are able to let you know that this service will be continuing for the remainder of the year.

Additionally, if your child has NDIS funding, Su Ann is also available to schedule before or after school appointments to support their learning.  Please let me know if you would like to access this service.

 

You are always welcome to contact one of the Learning Support teachers:

Blessings

The Learning Support Teachers