From the Principal's Desk
Our weekly newsletter is the major form of communication to the school community. It contains important information including student learning, school events and calendar dates. By receiving the newsletter, you will come to know the school community that you will enter in 2023 with your child.
As Kindergarten interviews continue throughout this month, we look forward to meeting you and your child as you make one of the most significant decisions for your child - accepting a position at Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School.
Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,
This week our staff participated in a day of professional learning together. We have titled the learning ‘Cracking the Code’ which relates specifically to the teaching of reading but also to the pedagogical practices that we continue to improve across our school.
Currently in NSW, we are going through a period of curriculum reform. This means that we will have new syllabuses handed down to us through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). We are currently familiarising ourselves with the K-2 English and Mathematics curriculum in readiness for implementation in 2023.
The curriculum reform will bring with it changes to our approach in teaching. It is important to note that these changes are evidenced based, that is based on research and cognitive science about the way a person learns.
At Good Samaritan, we are improving our approach in classrooms by refocusing on explicit instruction. Explicit Teaching is listed as one of the top 10 high impact teaching strategies. (Victoria Department of Education and Training 2017)
When teachers adopt explicit teaching practices they clearly show students what to do and how to do it. Teachers understand that learning happens most efficiently when teaching is clear, systematic and does not leave students to construct or discover information without any guidance.
The teacher decides on the learning intentions and success criteria based on the syllabus expectations and makes them transparent to students, demonstrating them by modelling. The teacher checks for understanding, and at the end of each lesson revisits what was covered and ties it all together (Hattie, 2009). Lessons begin with a review of previous learning which helps to alleviate the cognitive load of the working memory.
This is done through a model of instruction called the Gradual Release of Responsibility. As the title suggests, the responsibility of the learning is gradually released from the teacher to the student. This model is effective because it ensures that students are supported in their acquisition of the skills and strategies necessary for success. Implementing the gradual release of responsibility model requires time. This time is used to plan for learning, implement learning and evaluate the student gains allowing for the next steps of learning to be planned.
As a Catholic educational community we are reminded in the Book of Proverbs about learning ‘Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance’ (Proverbs 1:5). There is no greater testament to what our teachers do within the Good Samaritan classrooms than what our students themselves tell us.
As we journey through this week together, with Jesus,
Toni Sillis
Principal