Principal

Cultivating a Love for Reading

Last week, I stumbled upon an article in the Sydney Morning Herald that left me deeply concerned [Sydney Morning Herald, "More children shun reading in their free time as libraries also fall out of favour, study shows," April 4, 2024, by Robyn Grace]. The piece highlighted a disconcerting trend: our children are increasingly shunning reading during their free time, and libraries are falling out of favour. As we grapple with declining childhood literacy rates, it's crucial that we address this issue head-on.

The Alarming Statistics:

• One-third of secondary school students do not engage in any reading during their leisure hours.
• Thirteen per cent of Year 4 students "never or almost never" borrow books from our school library.

A comprehensive study conducted by Deakin University, involving over 13,000 11 to 18-year-olds, revealed that:

• Twenty-nine per cent of students abstain from reading outside of schoolwork altogether.
• Seventeen per cent read less than once a week.
• Only a mere fifteen per cent read daily.

Beyond Traditional Books

But it's not just about books anymore. Our students are also disengaging from other forms of written content:

• Articles, blogs, magazines, comics, and newspapers—more than a third of surveyed students don't actively engage with these valuable resources.
• Even audiobooks failed to capture their interest, with only thirteen percent tuning in during their spare time.

Unpacking the Challenge

The heart of the matter lies in understanding why some students are becoming "book abstainers." Here are key insights:

• Demographics: Typically, these reluctant readers are male and older (!!).
• Social Influence: Their friends often share similar non-reading habits.
• Appealing Content: Forty-four per cent struggle to find books that truly resonate with them.
• A staggering sixty-seven percent express a dislike for reading altogether.

Our Collective Responsibility

As parents/carers and educators, we must rally together to reverse this trend. Here's how we can make a difference:

1. Encourage Exploration: Let's help our children discover genres and topics that ignite their curiosity.
2. Model Reading: Our enthusiasm for reading can be contagious. Share your favourite books and stories with your child. This is especially true for our fathers. Male role models that show how reading can add to the enjoyment of their spare time is invaluable.
3. Library Revival: Our College libraries are a treasure trove waiting to be explored. Encourage regular library visits.
4. Audiobooks: For those who prefer listening, audiobooks offer an alternative path to literary enjoyment.

Remember, fostering a love for reading isn't just about academic success—it shapes well-rounded individuals who appreciate the power of words. Let's embark on this journey together, nurturing curious minds and lifelong learners.

Years 5 and 6 at SPC

Mrs Tatola and Mr Fields have done much research into the best practice pedagogy for improving a student’s reading ability. They are steadily implementing a Science of Reading approach for our students, and it will be the one consistent approach used by all our Primary teachers.

The Science of Reading (SoR) is an effective teaching approach for upper primary students. It's based on solid evidence from cognitive science, which combines research from education, linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience. SoR focuses on explicit and systematic teaching, helping kids learn decoding, phonics, and word recognition step by step. Students gain the skills needed to understand and engage with texts by emphasising comprehension. Plus, it enhances cognitive abilities like working memory and auditory processing. So, when teachers use the Science of Reading, they set our boys up for lifelong literacy and success in school. Parents can access more information about this pedagogical approach here.

Staff Farewells

At the end of this term, we bid farewell to two members of our teaching staff: Ms Brittany Treweeke (Junior School PDHPE) and Mr Daniel Mifsud (Secondary PDHPE). They both desire to pursue other interests, including travel overseas. We wish them both well and thank them for the contribution they have made to the KLA of PDHPE and to the co-curricular side of College life. Next term, I will advise the community of their replacements in the first newsletter.

Wishing You Well for The Vacation Break

After a busy 11-week term, punctuated at the end by the Easter season, we are all looking forward to a well-deserved break. All boys will have time to re-group, catch up on any missed work, and get notes in order. It would be wonderful to hear that boys read at least one book in their free time and give themselves a rest from their personal devices.

Newsletter Announcement to Parents

After a thorough and carefully considered tender process and evaluation, I am pleased to announce that we have selected our new canteen provider, Bon Appetit Catering, to commence operating from the start of Term 2. The tender process aimed to find an experienced third-party operator who would take great care in delivering our students a delicious, nutritious, and diverse menu at a reasonable cost. We had an extensive field, shortlisted the best tenders, sampled their menus, interrogated their costs and even used a “mystery shopper” process whereby we visited other schools where tenderers were operating to see if what they promised is actually what is happening in current school canteens.

Bon Appetit has successfully operated in a number of schools and will be operating two spaces at the college. The current canteen facilities will be the Middle School Canteen for Years 5 to 8, and the new cafeteria in the Scientia Building will be the Senior School Cafeteria for Years 9 - 12. They will offer breakfast from 8:15am, recess and lunch. Parents can pre-order their son/s meals and in the Junior School, these will be delivered to the classroom to avoid the necessity of queuing. 

We are confident that this arrangement will alleviate our current congestion and that the wide variety of offerings will greatly enhance the dining experience for our students and staff. Students with special dietary needs (gluten-free, high protein, etc.) will be well catered for.

As part of these new operations, the College will move to a cashless purchase system for both sites. The boys will not be able to use cash, credit cards, or smartphone banking facilities.

To minimise the theft of cash and credit cards and in accordance with our no-cell phone policy, purchases can only be made using each boy’s Student ID card.

The purchases will be made via Flexischools and you can link your son’s Student ID card to an account you create and control. The proposed menu is included below.

Flexischools App

Parents simply download the Flexischools app from the Apple or Google store and follow the prompts to create an account. You can download the App and find registration and online ordering instructions here.

Parents can also add access for their studson/sent to use the App, enabling students to place online orders themselves. 

Student ID Cards

From Term 2, students will be able to make over-the-counter canteen purchases with their existing student ID card by linking their card to their profile in the Flexischools App. 

You can set daily spend limits and keep an eye on what they’re buying via your Flexischools App. 

Here’s how to link your son’s student card to your Flexischools account for cash-free spending at school.

If you have an Existing Flexischool Account

In your student profile settings, enter the Student ID number located below the barcode on the front of your student card.

How to set up a New Flexischool Account

• Go to Flexischools and register an account and create a student.
• Select St Patrick's College Strathfield from drop down list.
• Under Settings, enter the Student ID number located below the barcode on the front of your student card.

About Flexischools

Flexischools is Australia's #1 school ordering solution, operating in more than 1,650 schools across Australia and enabling cashless ordering and payments for canteen for schools. Flexischools’ information security management systems are also ISO 27001 certified and Flexischools has also been assessed and qualified for, the Safer Technologies 4 Schools Badge Program (ST4S).

Community Prayers

• The Community would recall that recently, Brittany Abraham, sister of Jason Abraham (Year 8), had her life tragically cut short in a road accident. Her funeral is this Friday 12 April 2024 at 10:00 AM at St Kevin’s Parish, Eastwood. 

• We also pray for the family of Mrs Felicity Orme. Mrs Orme had a strong connection to the College, having sent her three sons to SPC: Old Boys Patrick Orme (’05), Phillip Orme (’09), and Mitchell Orme (’13 College Captain).  

May they both rest in perpetual peace. 

Amen.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero