Here we are at the threshold of another school year. It was wonderful to welcome the students back as we look to delight in God's love through inspired learning. The most incredible privilege of being involved in Christian education is having the opportunity to point little lives to Jesus in the hope that they will develop a personal relationship with Him.

In our first Junior School staff meeting, I shared the verse in Colossians where we are encouraged to be rooted and built up in Him. This phrase has been resonating with me over the past few months, firstly as a challenge as I ask myself, “How am I rooting and building myself in Him?” As Christians, we need to make a conscious effort to ensure that we spend regular time with God so that our roots are grounded deeper into the soil of God's truth. Secondly, as Christian educators and parents, we want to root and build up our children in Christ so they can withstand the challenges that this changing world bombards them with. My prayer for 2023 is that every student in our Junior School will have deeper roots in Christ at the end of the year than they do now. If this is the case, I believe we have successfully educated and equipped our students for whatever God has planned for them.

I want to take the opportunity to welcome all our new families to Oxley. We had 71 new students beginning their educational journey with us this year. It was delightful to meet many of the Prep parents at our morning tea and see them begin to develop friendships that could potentially last for many years to come. While you will recognise many familiar faces among our staff, we would like to officially welcome several new staff members, some of who you may be familiar with. It is my pleasure to welcome our new classroom teachers, Mr Mitchell Gaiser (Year 6), Mr Riley Moran (Year 5), Mrs Claudia Weller (Year 4) and Mrs Naomi Perry (Year 3). I would like to welcome Mrs Sonia McGill, who is taking on the role of Head of Learning Enhancement for Junior School. Mrs McGill brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the area, and it is wonderful to welcome her to the team. I am also thankful to God for the provision of Mrs Caylin Shrivastav, who teaches instrumental music, but this year will also be teaching Prep to Year 3 Performing Arts. In 2023 we are blessed to have two new Learning Support Assistants in Miss Susan Kay and Mrs Esther Chen. This week we farewelled Mrs Melissa Lee as she began her maternity leave. We pray God will bless and keep her as she steps out of the classroom and into motherhood.

Our Prep students have enjoyed their first week at school and are quickly settling into the learning environment. At the commencement of the school year, staff focus on building a collaborative learning community for all students across the Junior School. It is an engaging and positive time that sets the stage for a successful year.

I would also like to remind and ask parents, and those driving around the College property, to please be mindful of the road rules, ensuring that there is no stopping on the side of the roads or across the pedestrian crossings. If you need to stop or park, please do so in designated car parks. Thank you for ensuring that our students are always kept safe.

Parents are reminded that on Saturday 18 February, the College will be conducting the annual Scholarship Testing Day. Years 5 and 6 students are invited to apply, and registrations are to be completed online via the scholarships link on our College website. Please note that registrations close on Friday 10 February.

It is exciting to see the rollout and implementation of our new writing program this year. At the end of last year, staff received training in the VCOP / Big Write program and have begun to implement what they have learnt. The Big Write program focuses on four main aspects of writing – Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation (VCOP). Through regular writing sessions (known as Big Write), students will develop their skills in these areas and learn about and revise several different genres, therefore improving their overall writing ability. The four elements of the program are as follows.

Vocabulary: Students learn the different types of words that they use to add meaning and description to their writing. New and impressive terms that the students have used and found in good quality texts are shared with everyone. The students are encouraged to use these words where appropriate in their writing.

Connectives: Every class will display examples of powerful connectives (joining words). The students are encouraged to use these to improve the organisation of their writing. They will learn how to use a variety of sentence types to enhance their work.

Openers: Every class will display and discuss good sentence openers (sentence starters) that the students can use in their writing to make their sentences and overall texts more interesting. We teach ways of improving a basic sentence by changing how it begins, e.g., ‘Suzy walked across the room’ to a better sentence, ‘With her heart pounding, Suzy slowly crept across the creaking floorboards.’.

Punctuation: Every class will display Punctuation Pyramids, showing the levels of punctuation. Students are taught the names of the higher-level punctuation from Year 1 onwards and learn to use them in their writing.

The program’s premise is, If they can’t say it, they can’t write it. This program works on developing oral language to assist the writing process. Students will be given Talk Homework as part of the preparation for Big Write. We need to encourage the development of language and listening skills to develop the students’ writing abilities. Talk Homework is an approach designed to promote the development of conversations.

To help your child get the most out of their Talk Homework task, we suggest that you try to do the following:

Encourage as many family members as possible to be involved in Talk Homework, possibly around the meal table.
Switch off the TV. Try to ensure this is dedicated talking and listening time.
When giving your opinion, use the because word to explain why you think that.
Give the possible views of two contrasting family members who are not present for the talk and use the because word to explain why they may differ.
Ask others around the table to give their opinions and use the because word.
Ask your child their opinion and ask them to use the because word.
Link the topic you are given to discuss something you remember from when you were a child and say why things may be different now. Project forward to how things may be different in the future.

We pray that our partnership in your child's learning will be one of mutual respect, blessing and joy. We look forward to seeing what God has in store and watching His unique plans and purposes unfold in 2023.

As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7

Amy Liddle

Head of Junior School

Prep’s First Day of School