Acting Assistant Principal

English and PDH Books 

On Friday, 6 June 2025, your child will bring home their English and Personal Development and Health (PDH) books. This is part of our home-school partnership to support your child's growth. We encourage you to explore their work with them, discuss their learning and celebrate their progress.

Your child has placed a sticky note on a piece of work they are particularly proud of – they are eager to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment on this piece. Your feedback shows your interest, boosts their confidence and motivates them to continue learning and improving.

Kindly return the books on Tuesday, 10 June 2025 (the next school day) so your child can continue their great work.

Number Fluency 

At St Margaret Mary’s, we have been focusing on developing children’s number fluency each day as part of our Mathematics work. Number fluency is a key focus in every Maths lesson because it lays the foundation for higher-level skills like problem-solving, reasoning, and critical thinking. When children develop fluency, they can recall basic math facts quickly and perform calculations mentally, which frees up their working memory to tackle more complex tasks confidently and efficiently. 

We encourage you to support your child’s number fluency at home with simple games. Here are some examples:

• count aloud together, count objects, or play games involving counting forwards, or backwards, count by 2s, 5s, and 10s from a range of numbers. 
• use everyday items like dominoes, playing cards, or dice to match numbers with quantities, helping children understand numbers in multiple forms.
• choose 4 to 6 random numbers and ask your child to put them in order, ask them to justify their order, challenge them to think of other numbers that fit between these numbers. 
• use household items like spaghetti, kebab sticks, toothpicks or pencils to group collections by tens and ones (Hint: Year One are experts at this!) 
• encourage quick mental recall of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts through short, regular practice. Create some healthy competition at home, as you race to say the answer first. 

Attendance Matters

Every school day is packed with valuable lessons, activities, and interactions that contribute to your child’s growth.  Regular school attendance is essential for your child's learning, social development, and confidence. Even small absences can add up over time and create gaps in your child’s understanding of key concepts. These gaps can make it harder for them to keep up with the curriculum and may affect their confidence and motivation. 

We understand that appointments and commitments are sometimes unavoidable. To support your child’s learning continuity, we kindly ask that you schedule medical, dental, and other appointments outside of school hours whenever possible. This simple step can significantly reduce missed instructional time and help maintain a steady learning rhythm. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to your child’s education.

Nancy Kubti 

Acting Assistant Principal