From the Assistant Principal
Dear Parents, Carers, Boys and Girls,
Staff Professional Learning
On the first day of Term 4, the whole teaching team attended a professional learning day in Braidwood led by Dr Lorraine Hammond. The day focused on the explicit teaching of vocabulary and sentence level writing, building on our skills in constructing Daily Reviews. Work by Isabel Beck on vocabulary instruction and Judith Hockman’s Writing Revolution were cited significantly during the professional learning day.
Following on from this day, we welcomed Brooke Wardana from Shaping Minds to demonstrate how the high impact practices can be used in a classroom setting. Our teachers really benefited from Brooke’s dynamic delivery of the Explicit Direct Instruction lessons. Opportunities to see the teaching practice of other teachers is an effective way to build the capacity of our staff as it allows teachers to reflect on the practices that are happening in their classrooms and see practices that inspire them to improve and try new things.There is a real buzz of excitement among our teachers after these professional learning opportunities and they are working hard to implement high impact teaching that is fun, fast, and meaningful for all learners.
Catholic Schools NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander State Education Conference
Last week Mr Hodgson and I had the privilege of attending the Catholic Schools NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander State Education Conference, hosted by Catholic Schools NSW and Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta. The conference was held at Leura in the Blue Mountains and brought together education and community practitioners to share unique perspectives on building systems and practices that empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families to thrive.
The conference included outstanding student cultural performances from the host diocese, a moving smoking ceremony from Darug and Gundungurra people, collaborative artworks, a variety of small group workshops and on country experiences. There were some amazing keynote speakers including Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Hon Linda Burney MP, 2021 Senior Australian of the Year Dr Aunty Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann, Channel 9 entertainment journalist Brooke Boney and founder and CEO of ID. Know Yourself, Isaiah Dawe.
It was an opportunity to come together, to listen and engage in conversation about how we can continue to close the gap in educational outcomes for the nine and a half thousand Aboriginal students who attend Catholic schools in the state. While we have climbed mountains in understanding of First Nations people, we recognise that we are on a journey and that there is still work to do. Opportunities like this empower us to lead our schools and community towards a deeper cultural understanding and appreciation. Providing real, authentic and supported pathways for our students is pivotal to our work. It was a real privilege to be part of this conversation.
God bless and take care.
Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal