Learning Partnership
Dear Families
The focus of this week’s bulletin is to share the learning experiences of our writers across the school. Developing as a writer involves so much more than just handwriting. Writing is a complex and creative process, and our writing program from Prep to Year 6 ensures that children develop skills in all areas that great writers need.
We use the 7 Traits of Writing as a foundation for our teaching. These include:
Ideas – developing strong content and messages
Organisation – structuring writing logically
Voice – expressing personality and emotion
Word Choice – selecting precise and powerful vocabulary
Sentence Fluency – creating smooth, varied sentences
Conventions – using grammar, punctuation and spelling correctly
Presentation – the visual appearance of writing
Across all year levels, writing sessions follow our Instructional Model: whole-class explicit teaching, targeted small group or individual support, and a return to the whole group for reflection and sharing. This structure supports all children to grow in confidence and capability as writers.
Specific spelling skills are developed through dedicated spelling sessions. These follow a systematic synthetic phonics approach, and as children move through the school, they also explore morphology - the meaningful parts of words - which strengthens both spelling and vocabulary.
We encourage you to read your child’s Year Level Bulletin, which provides valuable insight into how writing is taught in your child’s classroom and practical ways you can support learning at home.
This week, children in Prep to Year 4 were fortunate to take part in drama workshops with Katherine Zachest, a university lecturer and PhD student from Deakin University. With only minimal props, Katherine engaged children in storytelling, expressive movement, and scene creation using body language and spoken word. The energy in the MPC was infectious and showed just how much joy and learning was taking place! Drama plays a key role in developing writing skills by encouraging children to build imaginative ideas, experiment with language, and explore the structure of narratives through performance.
We also continue to see children apply their writing skills in authentic ways across the curriculum. Just this week:
- A group of Year 6 children wrote persuasive emails requesting plant donations to improve our school entrance.
- A Prep child wrote a letter to the zoo, asking the very important question: Do bears sleep standing up?
- Several Year 3/4 children composed letters to local community members as part of their inquiry into the local area.
Through Investigations and Education Research Projects (ERPs), children are given opportunities to use writing for real-life purposes, reinforcing their understanding that writing is a powerful tool for communication and action.
We’re proud of the creativity, curiosity, and growth we see in our writers every day. Thank you for supporting your child’s writing journey and for staying connected through your child’s bulletin.
Warm regards
Connie Apostolos
Assistant Principal