Literacy

Welcome to the Literacy page of the OLSC newsletter. Here you will find information about the Literacy programs across the school, interviews with staff and students, news about important events and book recommendations from time to time.

What are you reading?

Every fortnight, staff and students will be invited to share with the school community what they are currently reading.

Naveen (Year 5)- Wings of Fire Book 6 - Graphic Novel

Why did you choose this book series?

My aunty and uncle gave me these books for my birthday. It was fun reading the first book so I decided to read more.

What do you like about this book series?

I like the series because it started with some dragons who took eggs from other dragons. They started making fake prophecies about these dragons and I was excited to find out more. I then wanted to buy more books in the series.

Who else might enjoy reading this series of books?

I recommend this book to people aged 8 to 13 years who enjoy entertainment. There are more pictures in these books so they are very interesting to read.

Sienna (Year 2)- The Pigeon Needs a Bath

Why did you choose to read this book?

I am interested in pigeons and I knew that this pigeon is a bit naughty and funny. He doesn't listen to his owner and he never, ever does what his owner says. 

How did you feel when you read this book?

I felt happy when I read this book. My favourite part is when his owner tried to wash him and the pigeon escaped.

Bec (Deputy Principal) - 

Why did you choose to read this book?

To improve my knowledge and understanding of the Science of Learning. The author is a well known author in this field.

What are you finding most interesting about the book?

It is supporting what we are already trying to implement at OLSC .

Who would you recommend this book to?

All teachers, primary or secondary, whether they agree with the philosophy behind the Science of Learning or not. 

Kiah (1/2 LC Leader) and Leo - Where is the Green Sheep?

What made you choose to read this book?

This is a favourite book of Leo's. He loves the rhyming words and the opposites that are explored in the book, and also the suspense of trying to find and guess where the Green Sheep is.

What are you enjoying most about this book? 

Getting to spend time reading it to my son, as it brings him lots of joy.

Who would you recommend this book to? 

Anyone who loves a book that rhymes, it is suitable to read with younger children.

PhOrMeS - Staff Professional Development Day

Next term, on Monday 5th of May, the teachers are participating in a professional development day led by Shane from PhOrMeS. Although all staff will join in on the day, this program will be used in our Year 3 to Year 6 classrooms. The following is an extract from the PhOrMeS website and gives a brief explanation of what the program is all about:

Why has PhOrMeS been created?

PhOrMeS has been created in order to provide schools with high-quality literacy curriculum materials that cover decoding, spelling and vocabulary. 

Standing for PHonology, ORthography, Morphology, etymology and Semantics, PhOrMeS is not, simply, a phonics program. While it utilises systematic, synthetic phonics to teach early decoding and spelling, it aims to teach children proficiency in many areas of our deep, challenging and beautiful English language. The ability to comprehend, evaluate and analyse what we read, and write an array of genres for a plethora of audiences is part of the end goal of literacy learning. PhOrMeS is designed to give children the building blocks they need to achieve these critical skills.

Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge

The Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge has begun! 

The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10  and is aimed at encouraging our children to read for enjoyment and to log their reading into a personal online dashboard. It is not a competition; but instead a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 5th September 2025.

 Congratulations to those students who have already begun to log the books they are reading! It is important to remember to only add books that you have read since you first logged onto the dashboard. Please do not add books that you read earlier this year or late last year. There is plenty of time to complete the challenge - you have until September this year.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with your child's teacher via Dojo or email me.

Kristina Morrissey

kmorrissey@olscwyn.catholic.edu.au

Literacy Leader