OPEN CLASSROOM SUCCESS !!

It was great to see such tremendous support from families for our Open Classroom afternoon on Wednesday. How wonderful for us that the sun showed up to brighten our week. Over 300 people enjoyed a sausage sizzle cooked by parents Anthony Grasso, Riann Oliver and Simon Thomas. A huge thank you to Anthony, Riann and Simon for their organisation and efforts; and to the other parents who helped out serving the sausages, assisted with setting up or packing up the band and juggling work commitments to attend! We thank Frank and all of our band teachers as well as our clever students (including some of our secondary students from MacKillop) for giving us such joyful entertainment as families walked around to visit classrooms. Thank you also to our staff who prepared their spaces and students to share learning with families. Mrs Baywood’s STEM activity station near our admin block was a lot of fun too. We hope that it was as enjoyable for our parents and family members as it was for our students.

HARMONY DAY

FRIDAY 21ST MARCH

Next Friday is Harmony Day, a day that celebrates Australia's multiculturalism and promotes inclusiveness. Students are invited to wear orange or cultural dress on Harmony Day to symbolise social communication and mutual respect in support of cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia! If families are interested in sharing their culture via setting up a cultural table display at school on the morning of Harmony day from 8.00am, please email: amanda.thomas@lism.catholic.edu.au. We will need to know numbers to ensure we have enough tables and space available. Families are welcome to stay with their table display for the morning until 8:45am to share their culture and answer any questions children may have as they interact with the table display.

MISSION

OPENING SCHOOL MASS + YEAR 6 LEADERS BADGING CEREMONY

FRIDAY 21ST MARCH 

9.30AM

Year 6 Leaders are to wear their School Uniform to Mass 

YEAR 1 - CELEBRATION OF THE WORD

POSTPONED

Due to the rescheduling of St Peter’s Opening School Mass.

New Date TBA.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CHILDREN'S LITURGY OF THE WORD

Volunteers for Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLW) are urgently needed for Sunday masses at St Agnes’ Church. Children's Liturgy of the Word is when children are invited to leave the congregation to celebrate and reflect on the Sunday Gospel reading in an age-appropriate way. The children are led through prayers, songs and readings that are adapted to their level of understanding. CLW is scheduled either at 9.00am mass or 5.00pm mass and requires two adults each time. This is not a weekly commitment; most volunteers are rostered about once per month. All resources are provided, and there is a script to follow. Please contact Vanessa Denham: Email: Vanessa.Denham@stagnesparish.org.au for more information, or to register your interest.

PARENT YEAR LEVEL REPRESENTATIVES + PARENT ASSEMBLY

Thank you to these parents who have nominated to be a parent representative for 2025.

Thank you to Alana Kelemec for continuing on in the role of St Peter’s Parent Assembly Representative in 2025. A massive thank you to Michelle Barn for being in the role for the past 3 years. Parent Assembly is a branch of the Lismore Diocese that supports families in both their discipleship and parenting journey. 

COLOURS FOR CARITAS

DONATIONS NEEDED !!

This year the Year 6 mission fundraiser ‘Colours for Caritas’ is seeking donations of the following items:

• Bags of wrapped lollies
• Colourful hair spray
• Pre-loved books in good condition, suitable for ages 5-12.
• Nail polishes
• Hand-made jewellery (eg. loom bracelets, beaded necklaces) or beads/loom bands for our jewellery girls to make things out of
• Recycled material to make scrunchies

Donations to be placed in classroom boxes by the 4th of April. 

YEAR 5/6 DISCO FUNDRAISER FOR CAMPS

+ PARENT COMMUNITY GROUP

The first Parent Community Group will be held at the same time as the student disco on Wednesday 2nd April. Parents can drop their children off to the disco and stay onsite in the staffroom to:

• enjoy a drink and nibbles
• provide feedback on some topics the school is seeking parent voice on (topics tbc on the night)
• hear a talk from MacKillop Principal, Cath Eichman about ‘Healthy Tech Use before Highschool’. Cath daily witnesses, the impact technology has on teens and strongly advocates that the Primary school years are the time to set up healthy tech use boundaries for our children. This talk will be repeated during both disco sessions and is not to be missed! 

LEARNING

A GLIMPSE INTO THE CLASSROOM

How We Support Your Child’s Learning

At St Peter’s, we are committed to providing the best possible learning experiences for our students. Three key components that shape our teaching are Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI), The Third Teacher and Data-Informed Practice. These evidence-based strategies ensure that teaching is clear, the learning environment is purposeful and instruction is tailored to meet student needs.

Explicit Direct Instruction: Building Strong Foundations

In literacy and numeracy, we use Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) to ensure all students develop strong foundational skills. EDI is a structured, research-based teaching approach where teachers provide clear explanations, model new concepts, guide students through practice and check for understanding before moving on. This method ensures that learning is broken down into manageable steps, allowing every child to grasp key skills with confidence.

Through EDI, we create a supportive and engaging environment where students receive immediate feedback, practice skills in multiple ways and develop a deep understanding of essential literacy and numeracy concepts.

The Third Teacher: The Learning Environment as a Teaching Tool

In addition to quality instruction, we also recognise the importance of the classroom environment in shaping student learning. Inspired by the work of Lyn Sharratt, we embrace the concept of The Third Teacher, which highlights how the physical space, resources and displays in a classroom play an active role in students' education.

A well-organised and intentionally designed classroom can:

• Foster curiosity and independent learning
• Encourage collaboration and communication
• Support students in making connections between ideas

This means you’ll see classrooms filled with engaging learning walls, student work samples and purposeful displays that help children reflect on their progress. Every part of the learning space is designed to inspire and support our students.

Data-Informed Practice: Teaching That Responds to Student Needs

We believe that great teaching is informed by data. Through ongoing assessment and analysis, our teachers track student progress and adjust instruction to meet individual learning needs.

This means:

• Regular formative assessments help identify what each child knows and what they need to learn next.
• Small-group instruction and targeted support ensure students receive help in areas where they need it most.
• Teachers collaborate to analyse data and share strategies that enhance student learning outcomes.

By using Explicit Direct Instruction, The Third Teacher and Data-Informed Practice, we create a rich, supportive and effective learning environment where all students can thrive. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher.