KEEPING SCHOOL FUNDING FAIR

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Did you know that 6 in 10 Australians don’t fully understand how school funding works? Catholic Schools NSW has launched the Keep School Funding Fair campaign to ensure families have access to clear and accurate information. 

Our schools play a vital role in providing high-quality education while keeping costs affordable for families. A fair, means-tested funding model ensures all students are supported, no matter their background. 

Read the Catholic Schools NSW media release below to learn more, and visit keepfundingfair.org.au to watch the explainer video and take action.

Catholic Schools NSW Media Release

WILDFIRE VISIT

We were so excited to have Wildfire, the Lismore Diocese Catholic Schools band with us this week presenting the Ten:Ten Friendship with Jesus program through dance, singing, drama and workshops. The program brings to life the bible verse John 10:10 which says that Jesus has come to bring us life and life to the full. The hall was definitely alive with singing and dancing in the concert and age based small group workshops. Do ask your child what their highlight of Wildfire’s visit was for them.

YEAR 3 CELEBRATION OF THE WORD TODAY

Today, Year 3 came together with our family and friends for our first Celebration of the Word for 2025. We listened to Fr Prodencio talk about why belonging is important, and how we not only belong to our own families and our school family but that we are all invited to be part of God’s family. Thank you to our visitors who were able to join us in worship and to Fr Prodencio for leading us in celebration.

On Wednesday night 55 parents heard a talk from MacKillop Principal, Cath Eichman about ‘Healthy tech use before highschool’. Cath shared the latest data regarding the impact of the smart phone on our teens from The Anxious Generation book by Jonathan Haidt. The data, as well as Cath’s own experience strongly suggests waiting until 14 years old to give young people their own phone and delaying social media until 16 years old. Cath also encouraged families to implement these steps now to set young people up for success with tech use in high school:

• CONNECT…with your kids, build social intelligence and emotional regulation
• CREATE…Routines, healthy hobbies and traditions 
• CULTIVATE…..Resilience, learning and responsible tech use
• MODEL IT….

Here’s some parent feedback from the night:

• What a fabulous evening last night with Principal Cath from MacKillop college!

• I took SO much away from Cath’s presentation. I walked away feeling empowered as a parent and excited for the teenage years. Cathy’s authenticity shone through when she shared many stories and learnings from her own parenting journey.

• I loved every minute. Well done to the St Peter’s team for facilitating such a great event and helping parents be proactive on the blind journey of navigating tech with our young people.

A massive thank you to Amanda Matthews (Holly’s mum from Year 2 Blue), who generously donated the bubbles and wine for the evening.

The Anxious Generation book is available for loan through our parent library.

Please find attached some examples of tech agreements you may like to use with your family that were shared on the night:

Esafety - Family Tech Agreements

ST PETER'S MINISTRY AT MASS

SUNDAY 6TH APRIL

St Peter’s staff and students are ministering at 5.00pm mass on Sunday 6th April. All families are invited to come along to St Agnes' Church to join us in worship. Our choir will be singing, and our teachers and learning assistants will be helping with welcoming, reading and Children’s Liturgy of the Word. We hope to see you there!

COLOURS FOR CARITAS

MOTHER'S DAY @ ST PETER'S 

For this years Mother’s Day event, we will host a breakfast with an acai cup provided for all the mums/mum figures. The ingredients include: coconut cream, chia seeds, yoghurt, frozen raspberries, frozen banana, frozen acai, coconut flakes, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, fresh grapes.

To assist with catering please indicate by Monday 5th May how many mums or mum figures will be attending from your family in the google form here:  Mother's Day Breakfast RSVP

PARENT ASSEMBLY CONFERENCE

SAVE THE DATE - 14 JUNE @ OPAL COVE COFFS HARBOUR

This year’s Parent Assembly FREE conference is not to be missed. It’s highly recommended that you book to attend on the first day registrations open as the conference usually books out within a week. Registration information will be sent out on Compass as soon as it’s released. 

LEARNING

STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD WITH READING

At St Peter's, we believe that reading is the foundation of learning and that developing strong reading habits at home plays a key role in a child's academic success. Research shows that regular reading practice enhances comprehension, vocabulary and overall confidence. Here are some strategies to help your child, whether they are just beginning to read or refining their fluency skills.

Supporting Beginning Readers

Young children are developing their decoding skills, vocabulary and phonological awareness. Here’s how you can support your child:

• Read Together Daily: Reading together not only strengthens the parent-child bond but also models fluent reading, introduces new vocabulary and helps develop listening comprehension. Children who are read to regularly are more likely to develop a love of books and confidence in their own reading abilities.
  
  
• Point to Words While Reading: This helps children understand that words on the page correspond to spoken language.
  
  
• Use Phonics Strategies: Encourage your child to sound out words rather than guess them.
  
  
• Ask Questions About the Story: Simple questions like “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why did the character do that?” build comprehension.
  
  
• Make Reading Fun: Use expressive voices, act out parts of the story, or engage with rhyming books and songs.
  
  

Supporting Proficient Readers 

Older children are moving from learning to read to reading to learn. A key focus at this stage is prosody—reading with appropriate speed, expression and tone. Here’s how to support your child:

• Model Fluent Reading: Read aloud and demonstrate how to use punctuation and expression.
  
  
• Encourage Repeated Readings: Have your child reread short passages to build confidence and fluency.
  
  
• Use Paired Reading: Take turns reading, emphasising phrasing and intonation.
  
  
• Practice Reading at a Speaking Speed: Encourage reading at a natural pace, not too fast or slow.
  
  
• Engage with Audiobooks: Listening to professional narrators can help children understand how expression and tone enhance meaning.

• Expanding Vocabulary: Explain context clues and discuss the meaning of unfamiliar words.
  
  

Supporting reading at home in these ways fosters a love of learning and strengthens your child’s academic foundation. If you would like more guidance, our teachers are happy to provide additional support. Let’s continue working together to nurture confident, expressive readers!