Myrniong - ELC to Yr6
Staffing and Prep 2021 Orientation Program
As we look ahead to Term Four and commencement of our Prep Orientation Program, we can announce that Mrs. Sharon Kelly will be our Prep teacher for 2021. Sharon is a dedicated and experienced Prep teacher. I look forward to her continuing her excellent work in this important foundation area of the Junior School. The aims of our upcoming Prep 2021 Orientation Program are;
· to establish a strong partnership between the children, their families, the Prep teacher and the Junior School community
· for the Prep teacher to get to know the children and understand some of their initial needs for the beginning of Prep
· to foster interaction between the 2021 Prep group and a familiarisation of the learning environment
· parents interact with the Prep teacher and feel informed about the 2021 Prep programme.
Thursday October 8th - Informal Session: Mrs. Kelly visits all Piccino students at the Early Learning Centre.
Thursday October 15th - Session 1 (9.15 am to 10.00 am) 2021 Preps visit the Prep room for the first Orientation session.
Thursday October 22nd - Session 2 (9.15 am to 10.00 am) Prep room Orientation
Thursday October 29th - Session 3 (9.15 am to 10.00 am): Prep room Orientation + Parent Coffee Q&A Session (9.15 am to 10.00 am) Parents are invited for a coffee and chat with the Head of Junior School
Thursday November 5th - Session 4: (9.15 am to 10.00 am) Prep room Orientation
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Thursday November 12th - Junior School Orientation Day - (9.00 am to 3.15 pm) + Prep 2021 Parent Information Session ( 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm)
Year One to Year Six staffing will be announced at Orientation Day - Thursday, November 12th .
The Importance of Reading
Last Sunday’s Age newspaper included a thought-provoking article by Jordan Baker. She looked at Year 9 NAPLAN writing results and offered some interesting observations:
*One in five boys cannot write well enough by Year 9, with experts warning the problem is partly caused by a waning interest in reading and could lead to significant problems for boys in their final years of school.
*Looking at the scores on the writing test ... the greatest predictor is gender. It doesn't matter what school you're going to or your parents' education, since NAPLAN started, it's your gender.
*I don't think you can talk about the drop in writing without touching on the impact of digital technology, and how easy it is for children these days to do other things with their time than sit down and read a book or write a story.
*Boys tended to read less than girls, and reading was connected to writing quality. The books children read influence their writing ideas.
*Spelling also plays a role, as it can be an obstacle to accuracy and fluency, and influence how enjoyable students find writing, as well as the word choices they make. If they have trouble with spelling, they will make simpler word choices in their writing.
The Junior School has implemented a number of strategies over the past four years to target writing and spelling. Above all, we champion the cause of students being regular recreational readers. In 2020 we implemented the SMART Spelling approach. All Junior School teachers undertook professional learning with language guru Michelle Hutchison. This year, Years Three and Five have been trialing the ‘Little Scribe’ Writing program. Writing competitions are also offered to interested students throughout the year. The latest offering is for Years Four, Five and Six students. Storylinks are running a competition where upper primary children are invited to write a short story of between 1000 and 1500 words – on any subject. The winner will receive $100 and have their story published on the StoryLinks website.
Weekly Riddle
Last week’s Assembly Riddle was ‘When is a door not a door?’ The answer - when it is a ajar.
This week’s Assembly riddle - I have cities but no buildings. I have mountains but no trees. I have rivers but no fish. What am I?
Teacher Aide Appreciation Week
It is Teacher Aide Appreciation Week and we are fortunate to have four wonderful women working in this role at College (although we call the role Learning Support Assistant). Rosana Marshall and Bernadine Kelvy, Emma Johnson and Glenda Lee are an invaluable part of our Learning Support Team at College. These women are passionate about helping students achieve their goals and aspirations. They guide, solve problems and difficulties and provide essential support to teachers as well as students. LSAs build strong rapport with the students they support and establish trust and mutual respect as a foundation of their relationship. Their insight and knowledge into how a student approaches tasks are invaluable to teachers in planning their programs. Thank you so much, Mrs Marshall, Mrs Kelvy, Mrs Lee and Ms Johnson, for your dedication warmth and expert assistance.
Stephen Nelson
Head of Junior School