Welcoming Pre-Service Teachers to Our School
Next term, we are pleased to welcome pre-service teachers from the University of the Sunshine Coast to our school. These students are currently completing their teaching degrees and will be joining us to gain hands-on experience in the classroom as part of their professional learning journey. They will be working with Prep A, Year 4A, Year 5/6A and Year 5/6B.This partnership provides a wonderful opportunity for our school community. By working alongside our experienced teachers, the pre-service teachers will develop their skills and confidence in real-world teaching environments. At the same time, our students benefit from the additional support and enthusiasm these future educators bring to the classroom. We are proud to play a role in shaping the next generation of teachers and fostering a collaborative learning environment. Please join us in welcoming these pre-service teachers to our school community next term! If you have any questions about this program, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Year 1 Phonics CheckWhat is the Year 1 Phonics Check?
In Year 1 your child’s teacher is able to use the quick and easy Phonics Check to better understand the phonics knowledge of their students. The Check looks at how well your child can 'decode' written words. The teacher will listen to how the child sounds out the letter and letter groups and how they blend these sounds together from left to right to make words. The Phonics Check helps your child's teacher and the school to understand your child's decoding strengths and areas to work on. Teachers and schools can then use this information to inform their teaching program.
How does the Phonics Check work?
- Your child will sit with a teacher they know and be asked to read up to 40 words aloud.
- These words are a mix of real words and made-up words (sometimes called 'pseudo words', 'non-words' or 'nonsense words').
- Your child may have read some of the words before, while others, like the made-up words will be completely new.
- The Phonics Check normally takes just a few minutes to complete and is carefully designed not to be stressful. There is no set time limit for it and if your child is struggling, the teacher will stop.
The Phonics Check includes a mix of real words and non-words. The teacher will tell your child before the Phonics Check that there will be made-up words that they will not have seen before. Children might be familiar with this because many schools already use non-words when they teach phonics.Non-words are important to include because words such as ‘vap' or ‘jound' are new to all children. Children cannot read the pseudo words by using their memory or vocabulary; they have to use their decoding skills. This is a fair way to assess their ability to decode.
After the Phonics Check
The Phonics Check helps your child's teacher and the school to understand your child's decoding strengths and areas to work on. Remember that all children are individuals and develop at different rates. You can find some great ideas for supporting your child to read through phonics in our resources to support reading at home.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
If you are looking for some things to do these school holidays, check out the 'Things to Do Sunshine Coast' website for some fun holiday activities: https://thingstodosunshinecoast.com.au/school-holiday-fun/The Sunshine Coast Council's 'Adventure Sunshine Coast' website, also has a number of walk and cycle tracks to explore for all ages and abilities : https://adventure.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/?utm_source=sunshine%2Bcoast%2Bcouncil&utm_medium=website
Wishing Everyone a Safe and Relaxing Holiday
As we approach the end of Term 3, we want to take a moment to thank our students, families, and staff for their hard work and dedication throughout the term. It has been a busy and rewarding few months, and we are so proud of the progress and achievements across our school community. We hope everyone enjoys a safe, healthy, and restful holiday break. Whether you're spending time with family, exploring the outdoors, or simply relaxing at home, we encourage you to take this time to recharge and refresh.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back for Term 4 on Tuesday 6th October.
Take care, stay safe, and we’ll see you all soon!
Tracy Turner
HOC
