Dear Macgregor Community

A big thank you to our wonderful P&C, school staff and volunteers for hosting a fabulous ‘Welcome BBQ’ this week. It was great to see teachers, children and parents meeting together for a sausage and a chat. Thank you to the families who attended and to the hundred plus parents who filled in the ‘Get to Know You’ survey. Your answers and feedback provided our staff with valuable information that will help us better cater for each child’s individual needs. The evening was a huge success and fabulous community event!

PBL News - On Track System

As a part of our PBL program, Macgregor’s teachers are implementing our new ‘On Track’ classroom management system. The system is built on a foundation of positive relationships and is made up of three main steps, ‘Low Key’, ‘Choice’ and ‘Reflection’. When a member of the class is not showing our behaviour expectations, teachers will employ ‘Low Key’ Responses to get them back on track. These include strategies such as visual and verbal prompts and signals, pausing their voice, parallel praise with adjacent students, using proximity and using the student’s name. These strategies help students stay on task, and allow the teacher to maintain the flow of the lesson. If ‘Low Keys’ don’t help students to stay on track, the teacher will move to ‘Choice’. This is where the teacher presents the student with the choice to follow the expectations or move on to ‘Reflection’. For example, a teacher might say, “You can choose to sit quietly on the floor or choose to sit quietly at Reflection”. If students continue to do the wrong thing, the teacher will say, “Choice made, moving please” and the student will move to ‘Reflection’. Reflection is a time for the student to independently reflect on their choices before rejoining the class. This might be within the classroom, or if it’s a bigger problem, with an executive teacher. Depending on the situation and severity of the behaviour, the teacher might choose to skip steps. At a later time, teachers will work with relevant stakeholders to identify patterns and functions of behaviours, and design suitable interventions to minimise them happening again. Effective use of the ‘On Track’ system helps maintain a positive classroom environment and a school where all students are able to focus on learning.

Literacy Initiatives

Thank you to our deputy principal Jodie Rowell for continuing to lead our school literacy initiatives. In the last newsletter we introduced families to the Simple View of Reading, the five big ideas of reading and The Science of Reading. This newsletter we’d like to introduce everyone to a model called Scarborough’s Reading Rope. This model explains the complex process of learning to read. All of the components in the rope come together to create what Scarborough calls a ‘skilled reader’. The word recognition components are heavily focussed on in the K-2 years. As students move through the years, these skills become more automatic. From years 3-6 there is a much heavier focus on the language comprehension elements of the rope.

At Macgregor we are using a program called Initialit, to deliver an explicit, structured, systematic, evidence based teaching program. We purposely chose this program because it is research-based and developed by an organisation called Multilit, in Australia. This may be familiar to some families as Multilit also designed our intervention programs, Minilit and Maclit. InitiaLit is different to those programs because it is designed to be delivered to the whole class. InitiaLit aligns with the range of models and ideas we’ve been introducing families to in newsletter articles - the Simple View of Reading, the five big ideas, The Science of Reading, and Scarborough’s Reading Rope.

Unlike learning to talk, which children do without formal instruction, children need to be directly taught the relationship between sounds and letters. The InitiaLit lessons teach children that words are made up of sounds and that those sounds are represented by letters. They will learn that a letter or letters can make different sounds, and that two or three letters together can make a sound. They will also learn key terminology such as ‘vowel’, ‘syllable’, ‘phoneme’, ‘grapheme’, and ‘digraph’.

Initialit is taught in a set order, about 4 or 5 times per week. The lessons are designed to keep children engaged and provide many opportunities for revision. The ongoing monitoring system within Initilit will enable us to quickly pick up those needing support or extension.    

You can help at home by:

• Doing lots of talking, listening and playing games with sounds

• Sing songs and nursery rhymes, teach tongue twisters and poems

• Clap syllables in words

• Talk about initial sounds in words

• Tell stories, play board games and card games

• Point out and talk about words and sounds in your child’s environment – play “I Spy” on the way to school, point out words on street signs, clap along to the beat while listening to music in the car

• Talk about interesting words to develop vocabulary

• Read with your child as often as possible. Enjoy books together. 

Bye for now,

Chris Shaddock

Principal

Science Spectacle Leaves Students in Awe! 

Last Friday, our school was treated to an unforgettable science extravaganza, courtesy of the brilliant Dr. Graham Walker from the Australian National University. Dr. Walker, whose expertise extends to the forefront of sustainable science, captured the imaginations of our eager students through a series of mind-blowing demonstrations that left everyone buzzing with excitement.

From marshmallow bazookas that fired up the curiosity of the crowd to solar-powered vehicles racing across the room, Dr. Walker seamlessly blended education and entertainment. The presentation delved into the fascinating world of alternative energy, offering a glimpse into the future of sustainable solutions. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the exploration of e-transport and hovercraft technology, sparking a sense of wonder and enthusiasm among our budding scientists.

It's with immense pride that we announce our school's victory in last year's "Sustainable Schools Program Leaps and Bounds Award," which paved the way for this extraordinary experience. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Graham Walker for his captivating presentation and to the Sustainable Schools Program for providing us with opportunities to foster a passion for science in our students. The engaging and educational session left an indelible mark on the minds of our Year 3-6 students, inspiring them to reach for the stars in the world of science. Massive thanks to Corey for coordinating this presentation! 

 Pedaling Towards Fun: Legendary Bike Club Thrills Year 5 & 6 Students! 

Saddle up for the exhilarating journey our Year 5 and 6 students have embarked upon with the Legendary Bike Club! This dynamic group of young riders has been making waves during lunchtime, honing their biking skills and covering an impressive 7 kilometers each day.

Under the guidance of our dedicated bike enthusiasts Corey (Youth Worker) & Mr Gibson (Year 6), these students are not just riding; they're conquering challenges and having a blast at the jumps! The Bike Club has become a hub of excitement and camaraderie, where the thrill of two-wheeled adventures meets the joy of skill development.

It's heartening to witness the passion and enthusiasm radiating from our young cyclists as they navigate the twists and turns outside of the school grounds. The Legendary Bike Club is not just about physical activity; it's a journey of discovery, building confidence, and fostering a love for outdoor adventures.

Kudos to our Year 5 & 6 riders that have jumped on and are doing very well each week! 

• 2024 Swimming Carnival and Aqua Fun day - Year 2 to 6 Monday 26 February 2024

• 2024 Water Fun Day (at the school) - Kindergarten and Year 1 Monday 26 February 2024

It is important that the school maintain an accurate and up to date record of family/carers email, home addresses and telephone numbers for all children. Please notify the school immediately with changes to your contact details by sending an email to info@macgregorps.act.edu.au, or phone 61421600.