Our Year 6s had a wonderful time on school camp last week and I need to say an enormous thank-you to the St Mark's staff who attended the camp and ensured the children had a safe and positive experience. Please see the photos below.

Don't forget the Labour Day Public Holiday on Monday 11th March - School is closed.

School photos will take place on Wednesday 20th March - please make sure you have ordered your photos online.

Science of Learning/Reading:

Here is an article from Carolyn Hunter - Literacy Leader at St Mark's:

During the recent Wednesday School Closure, teachers at St. Marks’ dedicated a day to enriching their understanding, immersing themselves in cutting-edge research and methodologies crucial for effective Reading instruction.

The day was led by Dr. Nathaniel Swain, a distinguished Senior Lecturer and Director of Academic Programs at La Trobe University, whose expertise spans various educational domains. Renowned as a researcher, teacher, instructional coach, and writer, Dr. Swain excels in elucidating the intricacies of education. His contributions as a Science of Learning Specialist and Advisor on Curriculum enrich educational practices, while his background as a speech pathologist underscores his commitment to language and literacy development.

Beyond academia, Dr. Swain is an expert presenter, captivating audiences with his fervent passion for language, literacy, and learning. He serves as a prominent media spokesperson and his dedication extends globally as he tirelessly works to promote effective and engaging teaching methodologies for all students, both locally and internationally.

Throughout the day of learning, teachers gained further insights into the importance of explicit and systematic teaching methods for building foundational knowledge and skills. We explored engagement protocols to maximize learning impact for all students, alongside strategies for differentiation and adaptation within the framework of the explicit direct model. This approach aims to create an optimal learning environment where every student can develop proficiency in reading, writing, and understanding the core principles of the English language.

NAPLAN:

The students in Year 3 and Year 5 will be undertaking NAPLAN assessments next week. These assessments give us big picture data about areas of strength and areas that need improvement with our students' Literacy and Numeracy skills and helps us to define our goals and actions for our School Improvement Plan and Annual Action Plans. They also give us individual student data that we use alongside our school based data to ensure we have an accurate picture of where students are at with their learning and what goals we need to be working on.

Year 6 Camp:

Stand Up Project (SUP) - from our SUP Leaders:

On Tuesday night, a group of Year 5/6 students took the spotlight, sharing their newfound knowledge on the Stand Up Project (SUP) with a group of engaged St. Marks parents and friends. SUP is a pioneering student-led initiative dedicated to empowering our young leaders to respond, teach, and inspire their peers at St. Marks to become Active Bystanders. Active bystanders are those that are equipped with the skills to actively make a stand against discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

Under the guidance of Dr. Zach Greig, an advocate for creating a safer school environment, our SUP leaders are now enthusiastic about applying their newfound knowledge in the 3/4, 1/2, and Foundation level classrooms, showcasing their commitment to making a positive impact within our school community.

SUP leaders are busy finalising their program ready to roll out into the classrooms soon. Keep an eye out for further details of its implementation, as we encourage you to follow up at home with your children, engaging in any questions or discussions related to this exciting project.

Your ongoing support is invaluable in creating a safe and empowering learning environment at St. Marks.

Congratulations:

Congratulations to Tavish in FG and his family on the birth of their new son/brother Aavish. We wish them all the very best with their beautiful new addition to their family.

School Tour Dates:

Please share our school tour dates with family and friends who have a child starting school next year. If any of our current families have a child starting school in 2025 please fill in an enrolment application form by 24th May 2024.

Welcome Picnic:

We are looking forward to seeing as many families as possible at our Welcome Picnic on March 14th - 5.30 - 7.30 p.m. on the oval. There will be some fun inflatables for the children and a sausage sizzle run by the Parents' Association. A flyer will be sent home to all families with the eldest child. Please return the reply slip as soon as possible just so we have some indication as to how many people might like to purchase sausages.

Holiday Play Therapy Sessions:

With the Easter break around the corner, we are reaching out to let you know about our Group Play Therapy Holiday Programs running this April.

We are offering an intensive group play therapy program for children and an intensive group play therapy program for families (parent-child pairs) from Monday 8th of April - Friday 12th of April (5 x 1-hour sessions) at both our Malvern East and Balwyn North clinics.

Based on Integrative Play Therapy approaches, our therapists facilitate tailored and unstructured therapy groups to meet the unique needs of all families attending. Each group has a maximum of 6 children, or 6 parent-child pairs, along with three therapists.

The groups are thoughtfully designed to include children and families with a range of presenting needs and goals. This 'mix' of group members gives children and parents/carers the opportunity to experience therapeutic benefits from supported 'peer modelling' - that is, the opportunity to spend time with, and around, others who may have varying and unique strengths and difficulties. This allows children and parents to gain from time with peers and with play therapists.

If you are interested, please get in touch with us by phone or email to secure your spot or to ask any questions you may have.

Warmly,

Felicity Odgers

Practice contact number: 0478 389 793

Practice email: admin@playroomtherapy.com.au

Locations: 101 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North / 91 Waverley Road, Malvern East

Website: www.playroomtherapy.com.au

Second Hand Uniform:

Second hand uniform is available from the office at any time. If you are in need of some extra items of uniform please don't hesitate to come to the school office and see what we have in stock. We also welcome donations of clean second hand uniform items in good condition that perhaps your children have grown out of.

Sports Uniform Days:

Here is the timetable for the days students can wear their sports uniform and runners to school (all other days students must wear full school uniform and school shoes):

Monday - 5/6 Level

Tuesday - 3/4 Level

Wednesday - Foundation Level

Thursday - 1/2 Level

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