It is hard to believe that we are at the end of Week 6 and over the halfway point of the term. We have been blessed with some late warm summer weather, which the children have enjoyed. Our Kinder’s have also made it through their first full week of school! Well done Kinder!

May this Lenten journey be a time of grace and
blessings for each one of you, as we prepare
to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ and embrace the opportunities
and potential that lie ahead.

DAILY SCHEDULE AND EATING TIME
With the introduction of our DI (Direct Instruction) programs, we have made a slight change to the arrangements for eating times during the school day. In the pursuit of better learning, our Maths and English programs all occur in the first half of the day between 9:00am-12:00pm 

When the bell goes at 11:00am for the first break, all students from K-6 are seated and eating in their designated areas. The first 10 minutes are for eating before the students are invited to either continue eating their lunch or choose to go and play. Staff are also encouraging students to eat at the second break between 1:30-2:00pm. All classes also schedule a short fruit break in the morning.

If you have any further queries or concerns please contact your child’s classroom teacher. 

Our School Day
8:50-9:00am Class Prayer and Admin
9:00-10:00am Maths - CMC Groups
10:00-11:00am English - InitiaLit or Reading Mastery Groups

11:00-11:30am First Break (10 minutes supervised eating time)

11:30-12:00pm English - Spelling Mastery Groups
12:00-1:30pm Class/Stage - Key Learning Area Programs

1:30-2:00pm Second Break 

2:00-3:05pm Class/Stage - Key Learning Area Programs

GOOD TO GREAT SCHOOLS (GGSA)
Good to Great Schools Australia is a not-for-profit organisation with the mission of developing and supporting the delivery of effective teaching in Australian schools. The GGSA education model features internationally acknowledged best practices in instruction to meet the needs of all students. GGSA supports schools on their improvement journey to successfully deliver 21st century programs. These programs focus on three important practices commonly found in high performing school systems: Great Teachers, Effective Instruction and Every Child.

In 2023, St Mary’s Moruya partnered with Good to Great Schools, and in 2024 with the support of GGSA, we are using the following Direct Instruction programs:

• Spelling Mastery
• Reading Mastery Signature Edition
• Reading Mastery Transformations
• Connecting Maths Concepts K-6
• Oz-e Science: Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Space & Physics

Direct Instruction is an instructional method designed to accelerate learning by maximising efficiency in the design and delivery of instruction. The carefully articulated lessons ensure the consistency needed to produce high levels of achievement in every classroom.

Students undertake a placement test to accurately place them on the learning staircase, so they receive lessons at their skill level. Students are grouped and taught at their learning level so they master the content of each lesson and progress at their mastery rate.

Students are taught carefully sequenced and highly structured lessons. All students are required to participate actively and lessons are delivered at a fast pace. Lessons present the sequence of skills so students master all skills before moving on to more complex tasks. Only 10 percent of the material in a lesson is new, with 90 per cent being revision. Students are required to ‘master’ each lesson before advancing onto the next. Where students score less than 90 per cent, the teacher will reteach lessons to ensure mastery. The teacher administers a mastery test every five to ten lessons to monitor student progress and assess student mastery of the content covered.

One of the key strengths of Direct Instruction lies in its step-by-step teaching approach. By presenting information in a structured manner, teachers help students build a solid foundation of knowledge and gradually advance to more complex ideas. This ensures that no gaps are left in their understanding, enabling students to tackle higher-level concepts with confidence.

If you would like to know more about a particular program, please contact your child’s class teacher or Mrs Heffernan.

ATTENDANCE Matters!

Did you know that if a student misses as little as eight days in a school term, by the end of primary school they will have missed over a year of education? 

Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. Our goal is to improve attendance rates in 2024 and reduce unexplained absences. Education in NSW is compulsory for all children between the ages of six years and below the minimum school leaving age.

The Importance of Arriving On Time
Arriving at school and class on time:

• Ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day
• Helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine
• Gives students time to greet their friends before class 
• Reduces classroom disruption.

Student learning is more successful when students are present consistently for the whole school day. Students who arrive “just a few minutes late...” miss out on vital information on the day ahead.

What if my child has to be away from school?
On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:

• Being sick, or having an infectious disease
• Having an unavoidable dental or medical appointment
• Being required to attend a recognised religious festival or ceremonial occasion.
• Exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral, bereavement leave and Sorry Business).

In the case of an absence from school, parents must notify the school to advise them of the absence. This can be done via the Compass portal.

Please ensure you complete the Compass absentee form for any whole day absences in a timely manner. It is a legal requirement that any absence from school has a satisfactory explanation. Please only submit whole day absences via Compass (i.e. do not change the time in the absentee form). 

If you are dropping off late or picking up early you do not need to complete the absentee as you are required to sign your child in/out using the Compass Kiosk in the front office.

Extended Leave 
We recognise there are circumstances where students may need extended leave from school. Parents must seek permission from the Principal for their child or children to travel during school term for periods of time. Travel is considered to be domestic or international travel for the purpose of a family holiday, family business, bereavement or other reasons. Please send a note addressed to the Principal requesting the period of leave.

Legislation requires approval from the Principal and/or CECG if parents or carers wish to take their child out of school for longer periods of time of over 25 days or more. A form (available from the school front office) must be completed and returned for Principal approval prior to leave.

NAPLAN
Next Wednesday NAPLAN assessments begin for Year 3 and Year 5 students. A reminder that these assessments are a snapshot of what your child can do across various domains of literacy and numeracy. These assessments will be held in the mornings so please make sure your child arrives at school on time prior to the bell.

Below is the NAPLAN timetable. If your child is unable to attend one of the tests, then they will have time to complete a catch-up test. For online tests (Reading, Conventions of Language, Numeracy, Writing Yr 5) students have until the end of the test window (25 March) to complete catch-up tests. The last day for Year 3 Writing catch-up is Monday 18 March.

​​Students who are absent on the above dates will sit the tests from Tuesday 19/03/2024 to Monday 25/03/2024. In the event of technological issues, we also have these dates as back-up for the whole grade/s. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Heffernan or Mr Bateman.

Mrs Matthews has contacted families regarding required adjustments for individual students participating in NAPLAN. Please contact Mrs Matthews if you have any further questions about your child’s participation in these assessments.

Please see the flyer below and follow the link https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers for more information about NAPLAN 2024.

EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM
We are delighted that Jessie White applied and was accepted into the Catholic Education’s 2024 Emerging Leaders program. The course is an opportunity to acknowledge, affirm and develop the leadership capacity of our staff. Jessie was one of only twenty teachers from across the archdiocese to gain a place in this exciting new program. Most of the professional learning for this course occurs during the school holiday periods.

Throughout the course Jessie will examine her own and various styles of leadership, address the theological and biblical foundations of leadership in a Catholic school, explore ways to improve student outcomes through a range of capabilities and mentor colleagues through a specific project, implementing Classroom Mastery at St Mary's. 

Jessie is an exceptional educator and is very dedicated to supporting and improving student learning outcomes. She is an effective communicator, she is enthusiastic, she motivates others to learn and is a positive role model. We are fortunate to have such a passionate educator working with us. We congratulate Jessie on her inclusion in this program!

CLASSROOM MASTERY COACHING
Last Friday, Sara Wiggins, one of Classroom Mastery trainers and coaches, visited our school to provide some instructional coaching on the routines we have established for classroom management. Sara, Jessie White and members of the leadership team observed the teachers and the students in the classroom and provided teachers with feedback on how they were going with the implementation of our entry and exit routines and cue to start. 

Sara later met with a group of students to get their feedback about what they had noticed since we had implemented these new strategies. Students commented that St Mary’s felt calm, safe and a place focused on learning. 

The professional learning for staff and the supportive coaching has been very beneficial in keeping the Classroom Mastery standard of practice high across the school. We look forward to continuing to work with Sara and Dr Tim McDonald throughout the year.