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Dear Parents & Parishioners,

The following concepts are related to evidence-based teaching practices, cognitive science and the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Vision for Instruction. They underpin the approach to explicit teaching practices that are evident in our classrooms at OHR.

The definition of learning as ‘a change in long-term memory’ is often associated with Paul Kirschner, John Sweller and Richard Clark, who are proponents of cognitive load theory. This concept was emphasised in their work on the theory, particularly in a well-known article published in 2006 titled ‘Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching’ (p. 75). In this paper, the authors argue that instructional approaches that ignore the structures that constitute human cognitive architecture are not effective. They highlight that, for learning to be meaningful, it must involve a change in long-term memory.

In his book Why Don’t Students Like School?, Daniel Willingham, a prominent cognitive psychologist, defines thinking as ‘combining information in new ways. The information can come from long-term memory – facts you’ve memorised – or from the environment’ (2021, p. 28). According to Willingham, thinking requires effort because it involves working with information that is not immediately apparent and making new connections that have not been made before. His definition underlines the importance of how teachers can design lessons that encourage students to think deeply and effectively.

‘I’ve come to the conclusion Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory is the single most important thing for teachers to know’ (Dylan Wiliam 2017). John Sweller’s cognitive load theory explores how the human brain can only process a small amount of new information at once. Cognitive load theory suggests that learning is hampered when the demand exceeds an individual’s cognitive capacity. Information is processed in the working memory, where small amounts of information are stored for a very short time. Long-term memory is where large amounts of information are stored semi-permanently. Information is stored in the long-term memory in ‘schemas’, which provide a system for organising and storing knowledge. If a student’s working memory is overloaded, there is a risk that they will not understand the content being taught, and their learning will be slow and/or ineffective. Experts have developed a set of instructional recommendations based on cognitive load theory.

Mathematics Version 2.0

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) recently published its revised Mathematics curriculum (Mathematics Version 2.0).

All Victorian schools will start using Mathematics Version 2.0 in 2025. At Our Holy Redeemer, we are using the revised Mathematics curriculum for student reporting from Semester 1, 2025.

On your child’s previous report, the teacher reported against the three strands of the achievement standard for Mathematics (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability). Under the Mathematics Version 2.0 curriculum, your child’s teacher will report against the achievement standard as a whole, providing a single, aggregated score.

As the achievement standards reported on have changed, the first time you receive a report under the Mathematics Version 2.0 curriculum, it will only show achievement and not progress. For all reports after this, progress will be shown against the single achievement standard.

Triple 000

Does your child know what to do in an emergency?

Victoria’s triple zero service is urging parents and carers to include children as young as four-years of age in their safety plans, including teaching them when and how to call 000 in a life-threatening emergency says ESTA the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority.

During Monday's school assembly the students viewed and discussed the following video. Does your child know their house number and street address? We encourage you to re-watch the YouTube video as a family and discuss the contents with your child/ren to reinforce the important messaging.

Pentecost Sunday

This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is a Christian day that commemorates the descending of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church, also known as the birthday of the Church. Christians celebrate this day on the 50th day after Easter.

Pentecost was a turning point for the Church. Until then, the apostles were followers of Jesus, now lost and confused without Him. After Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the apostles could now move confidently outward to share the good news of the gospel with the entire world.

Pentecost is actually a Jewish holiday, also called Shavuot, that occurred 50 days after the ancient Passover Festival. The birth of the Christian church happened in the middle of a Jewish festival that remembered God’s gift of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai and honoured the harvest season.

2025 Primary School Leaders' Forum

On Tuesday, Amelia and Zoe attended the 2025 Primary School Leaders' Forum. This event provided an opportunity for two school leaders from each school in the Kew electorate to raise issues which are important to them and their fellow students.

Once again, Jess Wilson MP, hosted the forum in the Legislative Assembly chamber so that students could experience where Members of Parliament debate issues, pass laws and hold the government to account.

Amelia spoke on a state issue with her topic being 'Crime in Victoria and young people's involvement', while Zoe addressed a local issue where she outlined her proposal of 'The need for more crossing supervisors and safe crossing zones for students'.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)

The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability. The NCCD enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school. The definition of ‘students with disability’ applies broadly to any student who has received adjustments over 10 weeks within a 12-month period.

Information pertaining to the NCCD can be found in today’s Newsletter on the Learning Diversity page.

PFA Events

Make sure that you jump to the PFA News page for details of upcoming events including the 'OHR Dads Night Out' (tonight) and the 'Winter Solstice Barbeque' (Sat 14 June).

Semester One Reports & Parent Teacher Conferences

Semester One Reports will go live on Monday 30 June. Instructions for accessing the reports will be communicated closer to the time.

Due to the fact that a number of classroom teachers will be away on Long Service Leave during the last week of Term 2, the Parent Teacher Conferences will be held early next term on Thursday 31 July.

Tomorrow is a School Closure Day

Tomorrow, Friday 6 June, is a school closure day for staff professional learning. The staffs from our three parish schools will gather together on this day where the focus will be on Staff Faith Formation.

Wishing everyone a great long weekend,

Frank Dame

School News

Assembly Award Winners