Learning and Thriving in 25!

As we know reading is a skill for life. When kids like reading, they do more of it and this boosts their reading skills and school success. At StMM’s fostering our student’s reading skills, stamina and love of reading is a key focus each and every day.

There are many things you can do at home to continue build your child’s reading success:

Read aloud to your child every day - reading aloud not only gives you important quality time with your child, it exposes them to new ideas, concepts and vocabulary.
Having conversations when reading with children helps them develop higher level thinking and language skills. While reading books aloud, ask your child questions and talk about the content of the story together, for example:
- What do you think will happen next?
- What do you think about a particular character?
- Why do you think the story ended the way it did?
- Can you think of a different ending for the story?
- How does that make you feel?
- Why do you think the author chose to include a particular event in the story?
- Using the pictures can you create your own story?
Read a wide variety of texts - children improve their reading skills by practising with a wide variety of reading material, including magazines, newspapers, poetry, websites and picture books.
Make reading FUN, FUN, FUN

NAPLAN 2025

NAPLAN started this week for our Year 3 and 5 students. We want to remind everyone that this is just another school day. Please ensure your child has a good breakfast and follows their regular routine. Our goal is to keep the atmosphere as normal and stress-free as possible for all our students.

Please take the time to speak with your child about NAPLAN and how they feel they are going. Please reassure your child that NAPLAN is one test on a particular day and it is only one form of assessment. The tests assess literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school. It is not a test that can be studied for and students are not expected to do so.

If you know your child is going to be absent during this testing window, please let your child's classroom teacher or the office know. Please ensure that your child arrives at school on time as all tests will begin shortly after the morning roll is marked.

Parents are encouraged to visit the parents and carers page on the NAP website and download a copy of the NAPLAN information brochure.

Everyday Counts

The more your child attends school the greater their opportunity to learn, create social connections and improve their wellbeing. Regular attendance has countless benefits for your child’s learning and development. Parents play an important role in ensuring students get to school and stay in school every day.

If you are concerned about your child's attendance at school or any other issues that may affect their attendance please contact the school office to speak with your child’s teacher. At StMM’s we are committed to working together to ensure every child makes every day at school count.

As I reflect on the past two weeks, I am truly grateful to witness the incredible community spirit and unwavering support from our staff, students and parents, especially during Catholic Schools Week, where we celebrated our open days, highlighting the quality education we provide each and every day. Events like these simply would not be possible without the dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our students, and the invaluable involvement of our parents. Most importantly, they help strengthen the sense of community within our school, fostering an environment where everyone works together to create memorable and enriching experiences for our students.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

God Bless

Rochelle Borg

Assistant Principal

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