Principal's Message

A message from our Principal

Learning Stretch at MPPS 

With classroom literacy and numeracy programs now well underway, students are continuing to embrace the academic challenges presented to them. A key focus across the school is developing a growth mindset-helping students understand that learning is not always easy and that genuine progress often comes from working through challenges rather than avoiding them.

We are encouraging students to spend longer in what we call the "learning stretch"- that space where learning feels challenging, mistakes happen, and perseverance is required. While this can sometimes feel uncomfortable, it is also where some of the most meaningful learning takes place. Research consistently shows that resilience, persistence and a willingness to learn from mistakes are important contributors to long-term success. 

Every child responds to challenge differently. Some students eagerly tackle difficult tasks and enjoy the opportunity to extend themselves, while others may hesitate because they worry about making mistakes or not getting the answer right the first time. Our teachers continue to build their expertise in creating appropriately challenging learning experiences and use a wide range of strategies to support students as they develop confidence, resilience and independence.

As parents, one of the most valuable messages we can reinforce is that mistakes are a normal and important part of learning. Praising effort, effective strategies and perseverance-rather than simply the end result-helps children build confidence and develop a positive approach to challenge. 

If you would like to learn more about growth mindset and productive learning, these resources are well worth exploring:

• Victorian Department of Education – Attitudes, motivations and dispositions for learning
• Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) – How students learn best
• Bastow Institute – Towards a Growth Mindset

We've shared the following article previously, but it's always a timely reminder of how we can support children to embrace challenge and view mistakes as an important part of the learning process. We encourage you to take a few minutes to read it.

What Kids Really Mean When They Say, “I’m Bored” - Woodland Hills Private School

Book Week Celebrations at MPPS  

We are very much looking forward to our annual Book Week celebrations next Wednesday. This year we are asking all students to dress up as their favourite book character plus… we are asking all students to bring a book from home that they enjoyed but have finished with and would be prepared to donate to our new library. Each book donated will carry a certificate showing which student donated it.

This Monday state member Nina Taylor will be visiting to help launch our book week celebrations at assembly.

With reading and writing programs continuing to build momentum across the school, one of our key priorities is exposing students to rich, high-quality literature. While learning to read is essential, reading widely and deeply is equally important because it helps children become better writers, stronger communicators and more knowledgeable learners.

Rich literature introduces students to sophisticated vocabulary, varied sentence structures, engaging storytelling and powerful ways of expressing ideas. As children immerse themselves in quality texts, they naturally begin to absorb the language, style and craft of accomplished authors. This exposure strengthens not only their writing, but also their comprehension, imagination and general knowledge of the world. Research consistently shows that the relationship between reading and writing is reciprocal-students who read widely tend to write with greater confidence, richer vocabulary and a stronger understanding of how effective texts are constructed. 

In classrooms, teachers intentionally use rich literature as mentor texts during ‘book club’ sessions. Together, students explore how authors capture a reader's attention, develop characters, create atmosphere, organise ideas and choose precise vocabulary. These discussions provide students with practical techniques that they can then apply in their own writing. Simply put, the more children experience excellent writing, the more likely they are to produce it themselves. 

Reading rich literature also builds background knowledge. The more children know about the world, the easier it becomes for them to understand increasingly complex texts, make connections across learning areas and communicate their ideas clearly. Every novel, picture book, biography or poem contributes to a growing bank of knowledge and vocabulary that students can draw upon in future reading, writing and discussion. 

One of the greatest gifts families can give their children is regular exposure to quality books. Reading together, discussing stories and introducing children to a wide variety of authors and genres all help to develop a lifelong love of reading and, in turn, stronger writing skills.

If you'd like to learn more about the powerful connection between reading and writing, these resources provide an excellent overview:

• National Council of Teachers of English – Professional Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing (Reading and Writing are Related): https://ncte.org/statement/teaching-writing/
• National Council of Teachers of English – The Relationship Between Reading and Writing: https://ncte.org/blog/2017/12/relationship-writing-reading/
• Reading for Writing: A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Reading Interventions on Writing (Graham et al., 2018): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0034654317746927

This term, we encourage every family to make time for reading together. Whether it's a picture book, a chapter novel, poetry or nonfiction, every rich reading experience helps to grow vocabulary, knowledge, curiosity and confidence as a writer.

We are Collecting Basketball Banners!

If you have any basketball banners (as pictured) we’d love to put them up on display in our new sports and performing arts centre, so please bring them into me. Once we have enough, we will hang them up for everyone to see. 

Pyjama Day (a message from our Student Voice Council) 

Hello, parents! We are informing you that Pajama Day is on September the 4th. Your child can wear their pyjamas to school. Please bring a gold coin donation to support children in foster care. 

Thank you!

SVC

All the best,