Principal
Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends of St Patrick’s College,
Literacy: Studies on Boys and Reading
You may have heard about the phenomenon some have labelled the “boys’ crisis in education” — the disparity between girls’ and boys’ achievement levels. You see it now each year when the HSC results are reported. In fact, participation in English Advanced is dominated by girls each year (59% of the cohort) and this accounts for their overall stronger performance. What can you do as parents to keep boys reading as they travel through Years 5 to 12?
SEE DAD READ
At least three recent studies have found that boys who viewed reading as a feminine activity were less motivated to read. In a 2003 Canadian study, 24% of second-grade boys said that reading was “a girl thing.”
It is very important for kids to see their dads read for a variety of purposes — for work and for pleasure. Often dads do read but their kids don’t see it. In addition to reading to their sons, dads should make a point of letting their sons see them scanning stories in the newspaper or on their iPad during breakfast, reading reports for work, using an instruction manual or reviewing the rules of a new game.
FIND BOY-FRIENDLY BOOKS
Sure, we love The Paper Bag Princess and strive to be gender-neutral parents who send daughters to hockey and sons to dance class however, there is evidence boys are drawn to different types of reading material than their female peers. At least two studies have found that boys tend to prefer non-fiction, magazines, scary stories and comic books. A third study revealed that boys who had regular access to comic books reported higher levels of reading enjoyment and were more likely to read other material.
As parents and educators, we need to MIND THE GAP.
In general, boys:
- take longer to learn to read than girls do
- read less often than girls
- rate their reading ability lower than girls
- express less enthusiasm for reading
- have less interest in leisure reading and more interest in “utilitarian” reading; and
- tend to be better at information retrieval and work-related reading tasks than girls.
I have been visiting students in meetings across the College and have stressed the importance of reading on their journey to completing secondary schooling. Our libraries at St Pat’s are teeming with boy-friendly material. I would appreciate your assistance in making reading for leisure a priority in your son’s life so that we can bridge the gap in literacy.
Staffing News
It has come to our attention that the 2021 Student Diaries have omitted a couple of key middle leaders in the College:
- The Year 9 Coordinator is Mr Matt Herro (as a result of Mr Castiglione’s late promotion)
- Ms Rebecca Duff is the Performing Arts Coordinator
- Dr David Taylor is the Ensemble Coordinator and
- Mr David Magro is replacing Mr Herro as the Justice and Peace Coordinator.
Collectively we wish them well in their positions. They would be happy to have contact with you if your son is interested in those areas of College life.
Community News
Please join me in congratulating Mr Oscar Texeira (Year 12 Coordinator) on the birth of his daughter Ariana born on Monday 1 February. Mum and bub are doing well. Mrs Yolanda Orlando (Junior School) is now also the proud mum of little Vincenzo Antonio. We thank the Lord for their safe arrival and know that these children will bring their families many blessings.
Kiss and Ride Zone Fraser Street
This week, my office has received many complaints from local residents about the traffic congestion in this street. We have asked that the Council send their rangers to assist us in improving drivers’ habits! I implore parents who use this facility to pull right up to the top of the zone, remain in their cars and thus, ensure boys alight quickly and efficiently, avoiding congestion in the surrounding streets.
Dr Vittoria Lavorato
Principal
SPC boys can do anything! *
*except divide by zero