Thank You to Our School Community Council

Last Friday, on the 1st of March, our School Community Council hosted the 2024 Welcome Barbecue. It was lovely to have so many families attend and to meet many parents and carers.

This event wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of our School Community Council. I would like to thank, in particular, Kylie McNamara, Cheryl and Dean Toussaint, Michael Shelton, and their assistants Andrea Stweart and Tracy McKee for their hard work.

School Leaders

Did you see St Matthew's promoted in the School Leaders feature in the Canberra Times on Friday?

At St Matthew's, we are proud of our Year Six leaders and impressed by their skills and initiative in performing important roles in our school.

We believe that in primary school, all students need to learn about and practise leadership skills, not just a selected few. At St Matthew's, we nurture our students to develop these skills while serving others. 

So far this year, our Year Six leaders have set a fine example for our younger students by supporting them in their play.

Smart Technology at School

We would like to clarify our policy regarding the student use of personal internet-connected devices, such as smartphones and smartwatches, during the school day.

At St Matthew's, our policy is that student internet-connected devices, such as smart phones or smart watches, are prohibited during school hours. This includes all sessions in the school day, including breaks and lunchtime.

If your child possesses a smartphone, smartwatch, or similar device, we kindly ask that it remain securely stored in their school bag throughout the day. Under no circumstances should these devices be taken out, accessed, or used during school hours. We believe that maintaining this policy will help cultivate a focused and respectful atmosphere, allowing students to maximise their learning potential.

It's important to note that we provide internet-connected technology for educational purposes when needed. Our teachers carefully program and monitor these devices to enhance the learning experience and facilitate academic progress. 

We appreciate your cooperation and support in enforcing these policies. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Together, we can ensure that our school remains a place of focused learning.

New Decodable Readers 

I would like to thank the Catholic Education Office for providing funds to increase our stock of decodable readers. A school purchase matched the Catholic Education contribution, increasing our range of these readers.

Decodable readers are specially designed books or texts structured to align with students' phonics skills and letter-sound correspondences. They are typically used in early literacy instruction, particularly in programs emphasising systematic phonics instruction.

The term "decodable" refers to the fact that the words in these readers are composed of phonetically regular letter-sound relationships. In other words, the words can be 'sounded out' and decoded using the phonics rules and strategies that students have learned.

Decodable readers typically start with simple, one-syllable words and gradually progress to more complex words and sentence structures as students develop their phonics skills. They often feature repetitive and predictable text to provide practice and reinforcement of specific phonics patterns.

The primary goal of using decodable readers is to help students apply their phonics knowledge in the context of reading connected text. By practising with decodable readers, students can gain fluency and confidence in their reading abilities while reinforcing their understanding of phonics principles. They are a valuable tool for helping beginning readers build a strong foundation in decoding skills and develop into proficient readers.

In truth and love,

Mrs Sarah Lowe

Principal