literacy | Sydney Catholic Schools

How to unlock the magic of reading

Five great ways for every family to create a lifelong love of reading!

As a parent, you might wonder how to foster a love of reading in your children. For Aidan, the answer came naturally on the occasional afternoon when he picked a book from the overflowing shelf and settled on the couch for a bit of post-school calm time with his kids, Ollie and Mia. His animated reading and funny voices transformed their living room into a vibrant world of adventure, filling their home with laughter and wonder.

It began with library picture books on weekends and continued with the kids reading from their own school readers on school afternoons. It has grown into a cherished family habit that strengthens their bond and supports a lifelong passion for reading.

Most importantly, Ollie and Mia are learning that reading is fun and that they, too, can become confident readers.

If you’d like to discover ways to create a fun family reading experience of your own, read on!

Five ways to turn a love of reading into your child’s literacy superpower

1. Become that pirate, bunny, or wicked witch
Unleash your inner actor! Bring stories to life by reading aloud with expression. Read in a mouse voice or become that bearded pirate! Let your child see and feel your enjoyment. Ask thought-provoking questions like, “What do you think this book is about?” or “Why do you think the character did that?” This sparks their imagination whilst building their listening and comprehension skills.

2. Make it a special moment of daily togetherness
Create a special reading time, whether it’s a cosy bedtime story, an afternoon reading session, or a morning ritual over breakfast. It’s a special time spent together that kids look forward to, allowing …

domenictrimboli01August 14, 2024|

How a well-rounded education helps kids flourish

No matter if your child is academically gifted or a talented athlete, there are things all parents should look for when choosing a school.

The conversations are happening in backyard barbecues, in local parks, and late at night between tired parents who want to do the right thing for their children.

What kind of school will give kids the best opportunity to thrive?

The question has been well researched globally and the answer is resounding: a well rounded education, with a variety of opportunities in different fields will foster the kinds of skills children will need to succeed.

For example, while there has been a huge focus on STEM education to improve our maths, science and technology skills – recent research found that including arts subjects helps future scientists and mathematicians think more creatively.*

Additionally, the World Economic Forum reported in 2020 that fostering a rich education environment, including everything from creativity to technology and teaching children collaborative problem solving skills, will provide the strengths children will need in our future economy.

“The early years of a child’s education are sharply focussed on providing them with strong foundations in literacy and numeracy which are the building blocks.” – Tony Farley, Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools

Improving outcomes

This broad-based educational offering not only gives children the chance to thrive in subjects they may never have tried; it has been shown to improve outcomes in core areas such as literacy and numeracy.

And, according to executive director of Sydney Catholic Schools Tony Farley, this gets to the heart of why children should have access to a well-rounded education from an early age.

“The early years of a child’s education are sharply focussed on providing …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauFebruary 29, 2024|

WriteOn 2022: Creativity spells success for budding student author

A story about an un-fun fair has secured a Sydney Catholic school student a win in the 2022 WriteOn Competition.

Holy Innocents’ Catholic Primary School student Samuel Phillips has been named a winner in the WriteOn competition for the second straight year, this time winning gold. Last year he won silver.

Buoyed by his win, the school has now established an “Author’s Corner” in the school library where children who love to read and write can get together to share and discuss their ideas, projects and the latest books they’ve read.

“I wanted to get gold, so I tried again and I won!” – Samuel Phillips

Samuel’s gold medal-winning story will be included in the best of WriteOn 2022 anthology.

An annual competition of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), in conjunction with the State Library of NSW, WriteOn asks students in Years 1 to 6 to write a 500-word creative piece based on an image.

The write stuff

A photo of a fairground games stall (pictured above) was the inspiration for Samuel’s 2022 entry.

“I wrote about an un-fun fair,” Samuel, a Stage 2 student at Holy Innocents, explained.

“There are seven kids and they go to a fun fair, where they all get picked off one by one.

“They then defeat the evil wizard, Zoron, and their friends come back.”

Samuel accepted his award at the State Library from the NSW Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell, on 12 September.

Deborah Bestulic, Principal of Holy Innocents’ Catholic Primary School, couldn’t …

Isabell PetrinicOctober 11, 2022|

Blessed Sacrament teacher spins A Spider’s Tale

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School Clifton Gardens can proudly boast having a children’s author among their ranks after Year 2 teacher Jesse James Muir published his first picture book, A Spider’s Tale.

The book tells the story of a lonely spider named Tom who sets off on an adventure in search of friendship and learns a thing or two about humans along the way.

Released by British publishing house Austin Macauley in March, the book has been met with widespread acclaim from students and parents alike.

Mr Muir is hoping to release his second book in the new future

Lighting the flame

Mr Muir, a former rugby player who plied his trade in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, began formulating the idea for the book while studying at university.

“In education you come across a lot of picture books and it lights the flame for wanting to do one yourself” – Jesse James Muir

“I wrote it while I was at university and it was a bit of procrastination,” Mr Muir said.

“I had always wanted to write a book and when I was swamped with assignments it seemed like a good time to do it.”

Spreading the message of empathy

In the book, Tom the spider has set his sights on making friends with the humans who live in the farm house.

But despite his best intentions, he soon learns that humans are not particularly fond of spiders.

Mr Muir said he didn’t plan the narrative or moral of the story before writing the book, rather it came out organically once he put pen to paper.

“It’s essentially about not judging a book by its cover and treating everyone …

domenictrimboli01August 22, 2022|

Book trailers wow judges

In some page-turning news, two students from All Hallows Catholic Primary School Five Dock have been shortlisted in the Children’s Book Council Awards (CBCA) 2021 Collide! book trailer Competition.

Chiara Castelvetere and Nicholas Prevezanos were shortlisted in the Years 3-4 category.

The trailers they created were about picture books Kookaburra by Claire Saxby and Not Cute by Philip Bunting, respectively. Watch them here and here.

“We’re very proud of our two students who have been very creative in their entries,” All Hallows Assistant Principal, Christine Torresan, said.

“We had a bit of a zoom celebration at the school” – Christine Torresan

In their own words

Nicholas Prevezanos.

“I chose the book Kookaburra for my book trailer as I enjoyed reading the book and wanted to share what the book was about with others,” Chiara said.

Nicholas said after reading the book Not Cute, he realised it had a very important message that really resonated with him: ‘You can’t change who you are and it doesn’t matter what others think of you, as long as you are happy with yourself.’

“I think it’s an important message for everyone; that is why I chose that book,” Nicholas said.

About Collide!

Open to students in Years 3-9, Collide! encourages students to read and improve their literacy skills while learning to produce an original one-minute book trailer from the 2021 CBCA Notables list.

Ms Torresan said the school’s teacher librarian, Sharon Seymour, encouraged students to enter this year’s competition and, based on the result, the school will definitely be entering again in 2022.

“Projects like these encourage literacy and a love of reading” – Christine Torresan

Sam Looney.

“Though not shortlisted for this year’s awards, I would …

Isabell PetrinicAugust 24, 2021|

VIDEO: How to encourage reading

They let you travel without moving your feet, and you can think of books – lots of them – as your child’s passport to learning.

Teacher librarian at All Hallows Catholic Primary School Five Dock, Sharon Seymour, also reviews books for the Children’s Book Council of Australia.

Here are her three top tips for encouraging your child to read more.

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauAugust 23, 2021|

Page-turning fun

Students at St Charles’ Catholic Primary School Waverley have embraced ‘a novel idea.’

About one in six of the school’s students are part of three before-school enrichment groups for students identified as gifted in literacy.

During remote learning, they have morphed from morning meetings to weekly challenges that include logic puzzles and riddles.

Principal Paul Croker said the enrichment groups provide students with an additional learning opportunity without impacting their regular learning time.

“There is a genuine excitement during these morning groups, as the students are very keen to participate and to feel challenged,” Mr Croker said.

“Research tells us how important it is for gifted students to interact with other like minds.”

“The enrichment group is an opportunity for the students to collaborate, bounce ideas off one another and help support and extend each other’s thinking” – Paul Croker

Enrichment lessons

Years 1 and 2 students read Lev Grossman’s The Silver Arrow, a fantasy adventure about endangered animals who are returned to their habitats via a magical train.

Students in Years 3 and 4 tackled the big themes in J.K Rowling’s post-Harry Potter adventure story The Ickabog.

And Markus Zuzak’s historical fiction set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief, allowed students in Years 5 and 6 to explore world history, politics and power.

“The major themes throughout are the value of literacy and the power of words” – Paul Croker

Their work included a project on the major themes in their book.

Other co-curricular enrichment opportunities at the school include coding, robotics, …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauAugust 23, 2021|

Book Week shortlist: Worlds of fun

The Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) 2021 shortlist is full of tales to take you away this Book Week and beyond.

Escape between the pages of these ‘Book of the Year’ contenders recommended by All Hallows Catholic Primary school teacher librarian, Sharon Seymour, and St Ursula’s College Kingsgrove’s resource and information coordinator, Elizabeth Lansdown.

Picture Book

Ellie’s dragon, Bob Graham

Ellie and her adorable friend, Scratch, do everything together. But why is Scratch beginning to fade? A touching story about the power of imagination and growing up. Bob Graham’s tender tale and delightful illustrations will appeal to young and old alike.

Early Childhood

Anemone is not the enemy, Anna McGregor

Every day the tide washes into Anemone’s rock pool, bringing possible friends to play. But who wants to play with a friend who stings? Then one day, Anemone meets Clownfish… A tale of friendship and symbiosis.

Younger Readers

The Book of Chance, Sue Whiting

Twelve-year-old Chance has a good life. She has a loving mama, her pet dog and an almost-sister who lives next door. But she is about to learn a secret that will change everything she believes about herself. A heartfelt mystery novel for upper primary and secondary readers.

We are wolves, Katrina Nannestad

Liesl Wolf and her family are forced to flee their home in East Prussia as the Russian army invades. When she, her brother Otto and her baby sister, Mia, find themselves lost and alone, they must take dangerous risks and make daring choices in order to survive. A compelling, touching story that has its roots in truth, for upper primary and secondary readers. Book trailers wow Colide! judges

Older Readers

When Rain Turns to Snow, Jane Godwin

This book’s central character, Lissa, struggles with issues that many teenagers will …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauAugust 20, 2021|

What does a teacher librarian do?

Two teacher librarians from Sydney Catholic schools share insights into their role.

Sharon Seymour, a teacher librarian at All Hallows Catholic Primary School Five Dock, reviews books for the Children’s Book Council of Australia and Premier’s Reading Challenge.

She is passionate about promoting a love of reading.

“I want students to enjoy a text; to think deeply about how it is making them feel and make connections using those comprehension skills that develop them as good readers like predicting and asking questions,” Ms Seymour said.

She believes students who read for pleasure do better in school across all curriculum areas.

Ms Seymour said cyber safety, STEM and information literacy were now critical parts of the role.

“For children to be information literate they need to be able to use technology and be responsible, ethical users of information,” she said.

“They need to be able to evaluate websites for relevance, currency and credibility, taking care to be aware of conflicting information and differing viewpoints.”

“Children are so lucky because they have an amazing amount of information available to them; on the other hand they have no idea whether it is credible” – Sharon Seymour

“It is up to them as users to be able to decipher what is out there, and that is very hard,” Ms Seymour said.

St Ursula’s College Kingsgrove’ Resource and Information Coordinator, Elizabeth Lansdown, said honing students’ research skills, supporting their wellbeing and instilling a love of reading were all part of the average day in a high school library.

She is the Teacher Librarian Professional Learning Community (TLPLC) chair.

“Often the library is the place where kids can go and feel safe, and take time out from the business …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauAugust 20, 2021|

Thirteen progress to public speaking grand final

Students spoke with a confidence and clarity that left their teachers and parents in awe at the semi-final of the 2021 Botany-Randwick Public Speaking competition. Now, 13 progress to the grand final!

The inaugural Botany-Randwick Public Speaking Competition was created in line with Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) priority to provide engaging, holistic learning experiences where children thrive academically.

This year 42 students from 14 primary schools competed in the competition’s semi-final, which was also live streamed on Zoom. Thirteen students will progress to the grand final at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Randwick on Thursday 15 July.

“The students spoke clearly with passion and commitment” – Margaret Holles

SCS’ Executive Director, Tony Farley, will be a guest speaker at the grand final. Local members of parliament – Marjorie O’Neill (Coogee), Michael Daley (Maroubra) and Ron Hoenig (Heffron) – will adjudicate.

The speeches will be live streamed for parents who cannot attend in person.

‘EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS AN ESSENTIAL SKILL’

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School Principal, Margaret Holles, was part of the competition’s organising committee.

“Our goal was for students to gain greater skills and confidence in their oral presentations and presenting their position on any topic,” Mrs Holles said.

“Effective communication is an essential skill for learning, problem solving, collaborating and building healthy relationships in life” – Margaret Holles

While many students favoured the topic ‘The internet has caused more problems than it has solved’ at the semis, others spoke eloquently about 200 Years of Catholic Education and the importance of treating elders with respect.

“Some of the audience could be …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauJune 21, 2021|

WriteOn past winners: ‘Be creative, try your best!’

Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) primary school students are encouraged to exercise their imaginations and writing skills in this year’s WriteOn competition. We sat down with our past SCS winners who shared their tips for success.

They are only in Year 3 but Savannah Burgess and Nicholas Bertoia are already published authors.

The Sydney Catholic Schools students’ work was included in the best of WriteOn 2020 anthology.

The annual writing competition for NSW students in Years 1 to 6 asks students to write a 500-word creative piece based on an image.

Savannah, who attends St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Belmore, received a gold award from among 362 entries for her story. It was about a boy who was bullied, but finds a true friend when a picture of a dog that he drew comes to life.

Her advice to this year’s entrants?

“To look at the stimulus and use your imagination,” she said. “It helped me to think of what to write about.”

“It’s fun to be creative” – Nicholas Bertoia

WriteOn: Students will write about this image in 2021.

In 2021, students may write letters, poems, narratives, journal entries, or scripts for radio, screen or stage. An image of a child riding a bike on a semi-rural road is their inspiration.

“They should just try their best,” said Nicholas.

The St Declan’s Catholic Primary School Penshurst student received a silver award in 2020 for a story about a boy who lost his dog.

Sydney Catholic Schools’ literacy specialist James Muldowney encouraged all Sydney Catholic primary schools to become involved in this year’s WriteOn.

“Not only do creative writing competitions such as this create …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauJune 4, 2021|

Empowering our students to be ‘critically literate’

A professional learning conference has highlighted the diversity of teacher librarian roles at Sydney Catholic schools, and how they are empowering students as literacy evolves.

Sydney Catholic schools teacher-librarians were among nearly 100 Catholic and independent school staff from across NSW and the ACT to attend the May Teacher Librarian Professional Learning Community (TLPLC) Conference at the State Library of NSW.

Hundreds of others accessed presentations digitally to get around COVID-19 restrictions.

“A lot of the skills that are required for children to navigate through technology are literacy skills – critical thinking, problem-solving, and being able to understand how to sift through all the information and make sense of it” – Simone Johnston

Literacy consultant Jennifer Asha presents via video link at the TLPLC conference. Photo: Gene Ramirez

Literacy consultant Jennifer Asha highlighted the importance of students becoming “critically literate.”

“We need to break both visual and verbal codes as readers,” she told conference delegates.

“We break those codes so we can actively participate in the different socio-cultural meanings of the texts, and know that we use texts for different purposes and functions.”

Ms Asha used text examples including Aaron Becker’s wordless picture books, Philip Bunting’s Who Am I?, and Christina Booth’s book about the extinction of the Thylacine, One Careless Night, to highlight ways teachers could encourage students to analyse and challenge a text, develop empathy, and appreciate subtlety and meaning.

“If we have connected learners, we’re setting up for a more fruitful, sustainable society” – Simone Johnston

WRITING CHANGE

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauJune 4, 2021|

Books for 5-8 Year Olds

My child is 5-8 years old. What should I look for when picking a book they will want to read? We asked Sydney Catholic Schools’ Education Officer: Reading Recovery, Rosemary Peric.

1. What should a parent/carer look for in a children’s book?

Interesting vocabulary with the unexpected use of language making the story exciting;
Stories with rhyme, rhythm or repetition;
A story with a ‘problem’ and then the joy of resolution;
A theme that interests the child; and
A story that makes the listener attuned to the detail of the language to be thinking, problem solving as the story is read, making meaning and … children saying: ‘Read it again! Read it again!’ when the book is finished.

2. What are the benefits of reading aloud to children at this age?

When you read to young children it:

Promotes a love of reading
Develops awareness of the sounds, rhythms and patterns of language
Builds vocabulary and a knowledge of book language
Develops skills in listening comprehension and critical thinking
Builds concentration
Encourages children to be imaginative
Promotes oral language development

Rosemary Peric. Photo: Kitty Beale

3. What is your best tip/s for encouraging a reluctant reader?

Read over and over again! Read stories that your child/ren love and read them with enthusiasm, don’t be dull, flat or boring, read with joy;
Visit your local library and allow your child to choose their own books;
Don’t worry if they want to read the same book more than once, just as a musician enjoys playing the same piece of music many times, so too a young reader can get something more from a book each time they read it;
Talk about the pictures and details that catch your child’s interest. …

Isabell PetrinicDecember 22, 2020|

Buddying up spells success

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark,” according to celebrated French romantic author, Victor Hugo.

With this idea in mind Our Lady of Fatima Primary School Kingsgrove has buddied up its Kindergarten students with students in Year 6 students, who are reading with the littlies to help improve their literacy.

The REDS program, as it is known, is the brainchild of school assistant principal, Margrita Cutrupi.

Short for ‘Read Every Day for Success’, the three-year-old REDS program supports early readers to build essential fluency skills and, in turn, the Year 6ers develop leadership skills and give back in the true spirit of the school motto: Serviam.

“Research shows that learning to read is one of the most important factors in school success,” school principal, Anthony Weir, said.

“Fluency is a critical skill for a young reader,” he further explained. “[It is] evidence that he/she is comfortable ‘decoding’ the words on the page, to read automatically and aloud with expression. Fluency is the bridge between decoding words and understanding what h

Photo: Annie Spratt on Unsplash

as been read.”

As part of the program, Year 6 students complete an expression of interest survey stating why they would make a great REDS mentor. Those chosen attend a workshop where they are taught tips on how to encourage and support their buddies.

Students are also taught to use the ‘pause, prompt, praise’ strategy, which encourages the kindy students to monitor meaning and to self-correct.
This strategy can be used any time a student is reading aloud.

“Each morning, 10 minutes after assembly, our Kindergarten students get to practise their fluency and expression by reading their home readers or class readers to one of the Year 6 REDS …

Isabell PetrinicSeptember 16, 2020|

Numeracy in Action

Sydney Catholic Schools is always proud of the great work being done by its staff and students, but never more so than at this unsettling time.

We’ve put together a collection that showcases the creativity and resilience of our teaching and learning communities.

Getting busy with words and numbers

Year 4 students at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School Carnes Hill have been busy learning about literacy and numeracy.

Projects have included creating their very own shop front (pictured) and managing the daily running of it, including advertising and daily budgets.

Keep on coming back

We’re adding new things to our Showcase section of this site all the time, so be sure to check back in!

Isabell PetrinicMay 6, 2020|

How to unlock the magic of reading

How a well-rounded education helps kids flourish

WriteOn 2022: Creativity spells success for budding student author

The write stuff

Blessed Sacrament teacher spins A Spider’s Tale

Lighting the flame

Spreading the message of empathy

Book trailers wow judges

In their own words

About Collide!

VIDEO: How to encourage reading

Page-turning fun

Book Week shortlist: Worlds of fun

What does a teacher librarian do?

Thirteen progress to public speaking grand final

WriteOn past winners: ‘Be creative, try your best!’

Empowering our students to be ‘critically literate’

Books for 5-8 Year Olds

My child is 5-8 years old. What should I look for when picking a book they will want to read? We asked Sydney Catholic Schools’ Education Officer: Reading Recovery, Rosemary Peric.

Buddying up spells success

Numeracy in Action

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