From the Head of Student Support

The Learning Support team have been hard at work this term, assisting our students in a variety of ways. We are very blessed at WCC to have a team of 19 amazing Learning Assistants that work alongside our teachers to provide additional support for our students. Some of these learning assistants together with our intervention teacher Mrs Adams, and our school chaplain Miss Vanessa, run a range of evidence-based intervention programs across the College to support the development of literacy and numeracy skills as well as emotional regulation. 

Research tells us that for approximately 20% of students, reading is a seriously difficult task that will require intensive instruction. Did you also know that according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, when intervention is delayed it takes four times as long to intervene in fourth grade as it does in late Prep? That is why here at WCC, we are committed to the early identification of students who need extra help and put additional support in place as soon as possible.

In Prep, some of our students are busy building their phonological awareness and phonics knowledge through our Reading Readiness program. In Years 1 & 2, selected students are working in small groups to build their phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge through the MiniLit program, a systematic synthetic phonics program that teaches children word reading skills. In Years 3 to 6, identified students continue to work in small groups of up to four, to consolidate and expand their phonemic awareness, word reading abilities and fluency through the MacqLit program. In Year 7, our English support class is offered to a small number of students who work with their English teacher Miss Fitzgerald to further consolidate and refine the skills they are learning in their English classes.

We feel very privileged to work alongside the families at WCC, to provide excellent educational opportunities for all our students. For those on Personalised Learning Plans (PLP’s), our teachers will be emailing home a reviewed copy of their Semester 1 goals this week, and Student Support Group meetings will be held early next term when new goals will be set.

I congratulate all our students on their efforts and progress this term as they strive to fulfill their God given potential. 

Liz Parker

Head of Learning Support