We respectfully acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and learn, and pay respect to the First Nations Peoples and their elders, past, present and emerging.
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Dear Parents and Carers,
‘Sound it out’
If you’re a Facebook user you’ve probably seen something like this, but have a go anyway and read the paragraph below:
I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghhuot slelinpg was ipmorantt! See if yuor flamiy can raed tihs too.
How did you go? I can bet that you had a lot more success than you thought you would and that it was easier as you went along (If you look to the end of the Principal’s Notes you can see the text in correct spelling).
Reading is about meaning!
So often we listen to our children read and when they pause at a difficult word, we encourage them to ‘sound it out’. Often this is the first and only strategy we know to suggest. Your successful reading of the text above shows that reading is not about the individual letters on the page and that ‘sounding a word out’ would not be a successful strategy. In fact, much of our English language does not lend itself easily to being ‘sounded out’.
Reading is always first and foremost about understanding the message in the text. Successful readers do understand the visual patterns of letters/sounds, but they don’t stay at that point. They soon move beyond that to predict and read ahead based on the message they are reading and use only the minimal visual letter/sound clues that are necessary to confirm they’re on the right track. Hence the need to only have the first and last letter correct in the above example. Please chat with your child’s class teacher if you would like help with strategies to use with your child’s reading.
God bless.
Rachel Smith
Principal (Acting)
Principal’s Notes
DONUT and Pick Up Arrangements
Thank you to those parents who are following our Donut and pick up procedures. Just a reminder, to keep traffic flowing and to avoid the blocking of Heidelberg Street, the students must be able to get themselves in and out of the car. If your child requires help or you have child lock on your car door, please park your car in the carpark and assist your child to get in and out of the car and across the road. Thank you for your support in our endeavour to keep traffic flowing.
Kindergarten
Our newest “big-schoolers” are into their fourth week at SCA. From next week they will be with us 5 days a week (after having Wednesdays off for the first month.)
Interim Reports and Three Way Conferences
Students will bring home their interim reports on Friday, 18th March, with Three Way Conferences commencing on Monday 28th March. Optional Parent/Teacher Interviews will be offered at the end of each term, in addition to the semester reports being sent home at the end of Term 2 and Term 4.
Dates for 2022
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2022 |
Term Begins |
Term Ends |
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Term 1 |
Monday, 31 January 2022 |
Friday, 8 April 2022 |
|
Term 2 |
Wednesday, 27 April 2022 |
Friday, 1 July 2022 |
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Term 3 |
Tuesday, 19 July 2022 |
Friday, 23 September 2022 |
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Term 4 |
Monday, 10 October 2022 |
Friday, 16 December 2022 |
I couldn’t believe that I could actually understand what I was reading. Using the incredible power of the human mind, according to research at Cambridge University, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing, huh? Yeah and I always thought spelling was important! See if your family can read this too.
LENTEN JOURNEY
Next Wednesday 2nd March, the Catholic Church marks the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. The day before is called Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday originated during the Middle Ages. As in contemporary times, food items like meats, fats, eggs, milk, and fish were regarded as restricted during Lent. To keep such food from being wasted, many families would have big feasts on Shrove Tuesday in order to consume those items that would inevitably become spoiled during the next forty days.
The English tradition of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday came about as a way to use as much milk, fats, and eggs as possible before Ash Wednesday began. In France, the consumption of all fats and fatty foods on this day coined the name "Fat Tuesday" or Mardi Gra.
The three parish schools will join together to celebrate Ash Wednesday via Teams, with a liturgy led by Fr James and Fr Josh from our Holy Family church.
PROJECT COMPASSION
Yesterday was our first fundraising event for Project Compassion through our fun Twosday event, thanks for all your support. Project Compassion brings together thousands of Australian schools, parishes, and supporters to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world, including Australia.
Congratulations to the children who will be awarded white cards this week.
| Kinder | Piper J, Rocket P, Fletcher T |
| Year 1 | Hunter A, Jemima G, Hailey W |
| Year 2 | Lily M, Sienna O |
| Year 3 | Evie H, Lilli L, Jade M, Malakai R, Maddison T |
| Year 4 | April M, Sofia R, Cooper S, Madeline W, Riley Y |
| Year 5 | Eloise G, Isla H, Hayley M |
| Year 6 | Sebastian L |
As you may be aware, all School Sport for term one has been postponed or cancelled. We still have our fingers crossed for term two. This means:
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Year 5 & 6 students might still be able to nominate and trial to represent the Tuggeranong schools region in a variety of team sports. This process will hopefully begin next term. If you think your child would like to participate, please visit the website for more details about the process:
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www.schoolsportact.org.au -
The Swimming Carnivals at both school and Tuggeranong regional level have been cancelled. Nominations for squad swimmers who would like to be considered for an ACT squad are open now. Please get your child to see Mr Sweeney for more information in the process for this year.