Dear Parents,
I have been working with several small groups in Literacy and Numeracy over the past few weeks with Year 2 and Year 3 in particular. The new literacy tool we are implementing at St Mary’s is called InitiaLit and it emphasises phonemic awareness and developing skills in decoding unknown words. Teachers received training in InitiaLit at the end of last year and now the programme is being ‘rolled out’ across our archdiocese this year. We are very pleased with student responses and engagement already and look forward to sharing details with parents soon.
Parents are invited to come in for a barbecue on Friday 12 March after school. It is an initiative of our Community Council to support parent involvement especially now that Covid restrictions have eased. Parents are welcome to come in, take a look at our playground and new equipment and have a sausage sizzle whilst chatting to staff and other parents. Families may like to sit a while, so bring your picnic rug and simply enjoy our space as a family. We’ll even get out the cricket bat to have a game if weather permits. It will be a great way to start the weekend. Please RSVP via the link below to assist with catering.
https://stmarysbatlow.schoolzineplus.com/form/55
On a final note I will be away this Wednesday to Friday at a Catholic Education Principal’s Conference and Retreat. This is an annual meeting of the 56 principals across our archdiocese and supportive of the current programs in education. In my absence Ms Hotham will be in charge.
Have a lovely week everyone.
Jannine