From the Assistant Principal's Desk (Heights Campus)

Highlights from Heights  

The Power of Writing: Helping Our Students Find Their Voice

Writing is one of the most important skills our students learn at school. It helps them express their ideas, share what they know, and connect with others. Writing however is about more than just putting words on a page — it’s about making readers feel something.

When students write stories, they learn how to create characters and situations that take the reader on a journey. A good story can make someone feel excited, laugh out loud, or worry about what will happen next. In an information text, strong writing can spark curiosity and inspire readers to explore a topic further. Similarly for persuasive writing, the writer’s words can make someone feel angry about an unfair situation or sad about something that needs to change  and  make them want to take action.

At Springvale Rise Primary School, we support students step-by-step as they become confident writers. In the early years, we help Foundation students learn to write by saying words aloud, listening carefully to the sounds, and writing down each sound they hear. This builds their ability to encode familiar words and form simple sentences. 

As they move through the school, students develop more complex writing skills — learning how to structure their ideas, choose strong vocabulary, and craft well-formed texts that suit different purposes and audiences.

Students have the opportunity to write in different ways — using pencils and paper, as well as typing on laptops in the Middle Learning Centre (MLC) and Senior Learning Centre (SLC). Learning to write with both tools helps students develop flexibility and confidence in sharing their ideas in a range of formats.

Families can support writing at home in many ways. Encourage your child to write about things they enjoy, keep a diary, or write letters to family and friends. Reading together and talking about what you read also helps build vocabulary and imagination. If you speak a language other than English at home, that’s a wonderful strength! Sharing stories and ideas in any language helps children become better thinkers and communicators, which supports their writing in English too. 

Together, we can help our students grow into thoughtful, skilled writers who can share their voice with the world.

Mrs Sarah Orme

Assistant Principal

(Heights Campus)