It has been a full Term here at Pi Wadjarri School.  Next Term our new curriculum will be implemented and up and running by week 3.  With one of the main focusses being integration between the junior and senior classes. Reading, understanding sounds, writing, as well as targeting the four main operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division will form the basis of our Students’ learning.  Explicit Teaching will be expanded across the Curriculum with streamlined data collection.

We are assisting the Junior Class Years 1-3 towards a more structured and vigorous Curriculum.  This will be achieved by an orderly learning environment, requiring Students to learn new Classroom Habits.  Behaviours will inevitably improve.

Teaching Reading at Pia School – Part B

A major focus of our Curriculum is to provide Teachers at our School with systematic support to build skills to teach Reading effectively.  In addition, the reading growth of our Students will be closely monitored by on-going Assessment to provide information to guide Teaching and Learning.  This collection of data will be used to shape improvements and adjust Teaching Strategies to meet individual student’s learning needs.

Those students who struggle with reading will be identified early by our teachers and provided with systematic, Explicit and Intensive Instruction in Phonemic and Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Reading fluently and vocabulary.

In summary, the purpose of an Explicit Early Reading Instruction Strategy in our School will assist students to master the challenges of linking written and spoken language.  Strategies to assist students at risk include teaching the alphabetic system, learning to de-code new words, and building a vocabulary by assisting students to decipher sound, blending words and hooking sounds together to develop a vocabulary bank of words.

Visit from Sports Australia

We were fortunate this week to have a visit from Jacko Whitby from Sports Australia.  As mentioned in our previous Newsletter I had secured a grant from Sports Australia to cover Jacko visiting our School.  He took the children through various athletic balance drills; running skills and how to co-ordinate running over small hurdles.  He brought with him a huge blue mat to practice long-jump skills.  Thank you Jacko for coming – the children really enjoyed it.

Farewell

I would like to thank Ms Jennifer for teaching the Senior Class this Term.  Her dedication, kindness and caring approach when assisting our students will be sorely missed.  Students in the Senior Class will miss you Jennifer.  God Bless.

Recently Pia Wadjarri was loaned a dozen Sphero robots from the University of Adelaide. With the robots we have been learning more about visual coding and movement. They are very fun robots and can zip around very fast. We learnt how to change their colours, change their speed and their direction. We also discovered programs that other people all around the world had made for Spheros and we used them on the robots. There was one program that made the robots jump and dance. That was very popular!

Attendance for semester one has been disappointing, with only 25% of our students attending 80% or more of the time. 

Regular attendance at school is fundamental to student learning. Every day counts; any absence from school has the potential to adversly impact student outcomes.

The school has the following vacant positions 

• Gardener/Handyperson Level 2 0.25FTE [10 hours per week]
• AIEO Level 3 0.4FTE [13 hours per week]

Both positions will be advertised early in term 4. Please contact the Manager Corporate Services, Sonia Nelson on 9923 5204 for further information.

As part of our attendance program each student at Pia Wadjarri receives one full set uniform for free which includes a jacket, track pants, hoodie and t-shirt. Additional uniforms can be purchased from the school. Payment can be in the form of cash (pay the Principal and they will give you a receipt) or by directly depositing money into the school bank account. Please contact the Manager Corporate Services for these details on 9923 5204.