Teaching and Learning

Why Handwriting Still Matters

Handwriting might feel a little old‑fashioned in a world full of digital technology, but it’s still a foundational writing skill that plays a big role in how children learn to express themselves. Research from the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) shows that handwriting needs to become accurate and increasingly automatic. When children aren’t using all their energy to remember how to form each letter, they have far more thinking space available for their ideas, vocabulary, spelling, and sentence construction.

This is why we spend time teaching correct letter formation at school. Students learn where each letter starts, the direction of the strokes, how tall or short letters should be, and how they sit neatly on the line. Once these habits become automatic, writing becomes smoother, clearer and more confident.

Dotted Thirds

You may have seen your child using paper with three horizontal lines — commonly called dotted thirds. Victorian schools use this paper to help children develop consistent letter size, placement and spacing. The Victorian Modern Cursive handwriting style is designed specifically for dotted thirds.

Supporting Handwriting at Home 

Handwriting is one of the easiest literacy skills to practise at home - even a few minutes can make a noticeable difference. Encourage your child to practise lowercase letters, their name, or familiar words, focusing on formation, size, and placement rather than speed. Slow, careful practice builds confidence and fluency over time.

Book Week 

Book Week is just around the corner, we’re looking forward to celebrating from Monday 24th to Friday 28th August. Our Book Week Character Dress Up Day will take place on Monday 24th August, we warmly invite families to join us for the Parade and Assembly.

Monday 24th August 

• Book Character Parade - 9:00am 
• Book Week Assembly  - 2:50pm 

Throughout the week, we encourage everyone to come along and support our Stella Maris Jungle Book Fair, which is already looking fantastic. A huge thank you to Mrs Louise Moore, our LSOs and the parents who have helped bring it to life. Families are welcome to visit the Book Fair before and after school each day.

Danielle Phillips

Teaching and Learning Leader