Learning & Teaching 

LEARNING & TEACHING - Vira Pirrotta

NAPLAN online begins on Wednesday, May 12th. 

Understanding NAPLAN: What Parents Need to Know

Each year, students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 participate in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). This nationwide assessment helps parents, teachers, and schools understand how students progress in key skills like reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation), and numeracy.

Why is NAPLAN important?

NAPLAN provides valuable insights into your child’s literacy and numeracy development. It helps identify strengths and areas for improvement, giving parents and teachers helpful information to support student learning. However, it is just one part of a school’s overall assessment process. Teachers continuously assess students in many ways, and their day-to-day insights provide the most complete picture of a child’s progress.

How can parents use NAPLAN results?

NAPLAN results can be used alongside school reports and teacher feedback to understand your child’s learning journey better. If you have any questions about the results, we encourage you to speak with your child’s teacher to discuss their progress and any additional support they may need.

Remember, NAPLAN is not a measure of school quality but simply a tool to help track student learning. Every child develops at their own pace, and ongoing classroom learning is the best indicator of their overall growth.

For more information about NAPLAN, feel free to contact the school or visit https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers or see the attached PDF. 

LITERACY NEWS - Bernadette Parnis

As you will be aware, last year the State Government announced students will be taught using a systematic synthetic phonics approach as part of their reading programs, with a minimum of 25 minutes daily explicit teaching of phonics and phonemic awareness.

After much research, consultation and careful consideration the leadership team decided that InitiaLit-Foundation (InitiaLit-F) would be implemented in the Foundation year at St Fidelis. As it is a scripted program, teachers are required to read the prompts as they teach. They need to follow the approach precisely to preserve the integrity and effectiveness of the entire program model. We will trial and make adjustments as needed next year.

What is InitiaLit-F?

InitiaLit is an evidence-based literacy program designed to build a strong foundation for reading and writing. It provides children with essential skills and knowledge for literacy success. 

Who is InitiaLit-F for?

InitiaLit-F is specifically designed for Foundation students, focusing on providing them with the essential literacy skills they need for the early stages of their schooling.

What does InitiaLit-f focus on?

InitiaLit focuses on two primary components:

1. Phonics: The program systematically and explicitly teaches letter-sound relationships, progressing from basic to more advanced phonics concepts. Children also learn common morphemes and simple grammar concepts.
2. Vocabulary, oral language, and listening comprehension: Through high-quality children’s literature, the program develops vocabulary and comprehension, helping children build oral language skills. Storybooks are used to inspire writing and creative activities.

Program structure and implementation

InitiaLit–F is taught across the four terms of the school year. The program includes detailed lessons and activities designed to meet the learning needs of Foundation students, ensuring a solid literacy foundation.

InitiaLit–Foundation program structure:

• Whole-class teaching: 25 minutes, four times a week, with a detailed lesson plan.
• Spelling: 10 minutes, as directed by the lesson.
• Small group and independent work: 30-40 minutes of differentiated activities to reinforce learning.
• Storybook session: 15-20 minutes, using one storybook for four sessions over two weeks.
• Assessments: Regular progress monitoring through curriculum-based assessments to identify and address any student needs.

Key features of InitiaLit:

• Structured curriculum: InitiaLit follows a structured scope and sequence aligned with the Australian and Victorian Curriculum, ensuring consistency in literacy teaching for Foundation students.
• Comprehensive literacy skills: The program teaches both decoding (sound-letter relationships) and comprehension (understanding word meaning and usage), following the 'Simple View of Reading' model.
• Explicit and systematic instruction: Lessons are taught using a clear, step-by-step approach with an "I do, We do, You do" method to keep students actively engaged.
• Regular assessments: Ongoing assessments track student progress, ensuring that challenges are identified early and addressed effectively.
• Synthetic phonics: InitiaLit teaches phonics in a clear, sequential manner, focusing on blending sounds for reading and segmenting sounds for spelling.
• Rich vocabulary and comprehension: Storybooks enhance vocabulary development, oral language, and comprehension, which are essential for literacy growth.

Why InitiaLit matters

The Foundation year is critical for developing literacy skills. By implementing InitiaLit, students will receive a consistent, high-quality literacy program that sets them up for future success. The program's focus on phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension ensures that all children develop the solid foundation they need for reading and writing.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Bernadette Parnis

bparnis@sfmoreleand.catholic.edu.au 

SPORT & PE NEWS - Michael Jennings

SSV Coburg District Swimming Trials

School Sport Victoria conducts swimming competitions at district, division, region and state levels. The SSV Coburg District Swimming Trials were held on Tuesday 18 February at Elite Pool Brunswick. St. Fidelis Primary School was represented by 7 St. Fidelis students. The competitors could choose two events to swim over 50m. The events included freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.

Congratulations to the following St Fidelis competitors for competing at this event:

Also, special congratulations to Alexander who won the backstroke, Jeevan who was second in the backstroke, Clara who was first in freestyle and second in backstroke & Skyler who was second in backstroke.

By finishing 1st or 2nd, these students have qualified for the Division Swimming Championships to be held on Thursday, 13 March, at Oak Park Aquatic Centre.

SSV COBURG DISTRICT SUMMER SPORT

Congratulations to the members of the St Fidelis Summer Sports Teams who competed in the SSV Coburg District Bat Tennis, Basketball & Softball Competitions against St Bernards on Friday, 21 February. They should feel extremely proud of their efforts.

The players are to be highly commended for their great enthusiasm, energy, wonderful sporting behaviour and their dedication to team performances. The teams also benefited thanks to the efforts of the teachers in charge of the various sports. Thanks to Miss Zorzut, Miss Karalis, Mr Tresize and Miss Comrie for their contributions they made as coaches, supervisors and umpires for their respective teams. Their efforts were greatly appreciated.

Finally, thank you to those parents and family members who were able to come along and support the softball, basketball and bat tennis teams. The players and teachers appreciate you attending the games to cheer on the players.

SSV Coburg District

Round 1 Results:

BOYS/MIXED BASKETBALL 

St Fidelis, 36 points defeated St Bernards, 18 points                                                    

GIRLS BASKETBALL 

St Fidelis 44 points defeated St Bernards 6 points                                                            

BOYS/MIXED BAT TENNIS

St. Fidelis  games defeated St Bernards  games

GIRLS BAT TENNIS

S.t Fidelis games defeated St Bernards  games                                                                 

BOYS/MIXED SOFTBALL

St Fidelis 11 runs was defeated by St Bernards 19 runs