Literacy News 

Welcome to the 2022 school year!

 

At Our Lady’s, Literacy has a high priority, as it underpins every other subject, from maths to Religious Education. We have a very robust, whole-school approach to literacy that includes a number of components, such as: 

  • Reader’s Workshop
  • Writer’s Workshop 
  • Oral language development
  • Phonics in Context
  • Regular formal and informal assessment

These elements allow for differentiated teaching that draws from the Victorian Curriculum and targets the current needs of students. During the testing days at the start of the year, teachers assessed students’ reading and writing and this data is being used to inform our teaching focuses. Level teams meet regularly for facilitated planning to share knowledge and formulate learning intentions that will then be communicated with students.

Classroom Helper Training

Parents/carers as helpers are an invaluable component of our literacy program, offering extra support to students and teachers alike, and helping to build a sense of community and belonging. Unfortunately, Covid has prevented us from being able to involve parents, carers and other helpers in literacy over the last two years, but we are hoping to provide opportunities to welcome helpers back into the classroom this year. Parent helpers are generally required between 9 and 11 on Monday to Friday, depending on the schedule of each class. You can choose to help out weekly, fortnightly or whatever works for you, and you can stay for an hour or for the whole literacy block.

 

To support our classroom helpers, I will be running training later in the term.  The session will cover a range of topics relating to how our literacy block works, what you might be doing if you help during literacy and general expectations of being a classroom helper. We’ll also take a brief look at our new Phonics in Context approach. While the focus of the session is on classroom learning, many of the principles apply equally to supporting your child's learning at home. Therefore, all parents are welcome to attend Classroom Helper Training, regardless of whether or not you are able to help in the classroom.

 

If you are interested in attending the training, please email me at: annie.facchinetti@olhceltham.catholic.edu.au

In your email, it would be helpful if you could let me know the names and grades of your child/ren, as well as which of the following times you would be available:

  • After drop-off in the morning (9 am) on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
  • Before pick-up in the afternoon (2 pm) on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday

It’s really exciting to finally be able to  plan for having classroom helpers back on site!

 

Warm regards

 

Annie Facchinetti

Literacy Leader & Teaching and Learning Leader