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Prep 2024 Information As we welcome our newest members of the St Patrick's community to Prep in 2024, there is a lot of information that parents and carers seek. ​ Here is what you need to know to get started in 2024. School Uniform All of the school uniform information can be found on our website here . All uniform items that identify the school, such as polo shirts, house polos, backpacks, jumpers, hats and dresses are to be purchased through Academy Uniforms. Their Thomastown store is open over the school holidays and the school uniform shop near the netball courts will reopen on Tuesday 31 January from 8:00am to 4:00pm . All other uniform items (except shoes) can also be purchased through the uniform shop, but can be substituted for like items from other department-type store s. ​ School uniform days will be advised closer to the start of Term 1 by the classroom teacher. Sports uniform is worn on the days that the class have PE and Visual Art. ​ ​ School Requisite Items St Patrick's provides a list of items that a student will use throughout the year, broken up into a list of items the school provides and a list of items required to be supplied by families. The list is provided at the end of the prep transition sessions, but the School Requisite List for 2024 can be found here: ​ Prep Requisite List ​ ​ Back to School Reminders Please remember the following: Label everything that is being sent to school; If a kinder name is labelled on an item, such as lunch boxes, please change it to the 2024 class; Do not forget to add the student name and classroom to the reusable school lunch order bags to avoid lunch orders being lost; There are NO lunch orders during the first week of classes - canteen reopens in early February; ​ ​ School Reopening The school office will reopen on Tuesday 30 January , our Back to School Open House will be on Tuesday 30 January and prep students will commence on Thursday 1 February. ​ ​ Prep Testing Days Each prep student will undertake a testing session during one of the Wednesday rest days. Parents and carers need to book a day and time for this testing. More information about how to do this can be found here . ​ ​ Co mmu nication ​ St Patrick's uses a range of communication methods, and a list of them can be found he re . ​ A reminder to ensure that your email address is registered with the front office so that you receive the weekly newsletter. Please email Elise Vlasveld (elise.vlasveld@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au ) to request to be added to the newsletter list. ​ ​ We also recommend that all families with Facebook, request access to our parent/carer-only Facebook group. You can find the group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stpatskilmorefamilies . You must answer all questions to be admitted to the group. ​ ​ SIMON Parent Access Module (PAM) You must ensure that you setup your PAM account. The Parent Access Module (PAM) is connected the school's SIMON student management system. From this account you can notify absences, access reports, provide and update medical information, nominate emergency contacts, etc. An account will be created for new families and you will receive an email to set up the new account. A letter in relation to PAM access for new families can be found here . ​ You will utilise PAM to access school reports, grant permissions and notify absences. Information about how to do these things and more can be found here . ​ ​ Other Dates Please refer to your SIMON PAM account for the 2024 school calendar. ​ ​ 2024 Welcome Barbeque To welcome our families to school for 2023, there will be a back-to-school barbeque on the evening of the first Friday of school, Friday 2 February 2023 from 4:45-6:00pm . ​ ​ 2024 School Fees Finally, school fees for 2024 have been set, and information can be found on the webpage here . School fee invoices will be sent out early in Term 1. The school is moving to all payments being made by direct debit (various payment frequencies are available). Please contact Deb Amodio, the Finance Officer, to setup your direct debit. ​ Late in 2021, our head office, MACS, released a new Concessional Fee Policy, which provides reduced fees for: families of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; families with Health Care or DVA Cards; or those families facing severe financial hardship. In order to be eligible for the Concessional Fee Policy, you must be entitled to the CSEF Payment, with an eligibility cut off date in April. Do not delay in applying for CSEF and Concessional Fee, as we cannot apply the discounts if the CSEF application is not approved. ​ If you believe that you may be eligible for a concessional fee, please contact Deb Amodio (deb.amodio@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au ) to request the documentation to apply for the concessional fee. The concessional fee must be paid by direct debit and the concessional fee is not retrospective, and any existing debt stands in full. ​ If you face issues in paying the school fees, at any time during the year, please contact Deb Amodio, and discuss what arrangements can be made to assist your situation. It is important that you contact the school early so that we can assist appropriately.

Contact Us Success! Message received. Send For all enquiries, please call our main reception between 8.15am - 4:00pm: (03) 5782 1579 1 Conway Street, Kilmore, VIC, 3764 ​ Tel: (03) 5782 1579 Email: principal@spkilmore.catholic.edu.au ​ In the event of an emergency, please call the school mobile: 0448 523 995. St Patrick Volunteer and Contractor Induction

School Uniform At St Patrick's Primary School we value our school uniform. The school uniform should be worn as a badge of pride that creates a sense of community, identity and belonging. It also helps students "buy-in" to the school ethos of pride in your appearance, and more importantly, removes peer pressure about what clothes a student wears to school - a school uniform ensures everyone dresses the same and puts everyone on an equal footing. School uniforms can be purchased at the uniform shop (in the netball building) on Tuesdays from 8:00am to 11:00am or Thursdays from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. Uniforms can also be ordered online on the link below (select the school and use the password "kilmore"), or through Academy Uniforms , 238 Wolseley Place, Thomastown (Ph: 9460 8011). A copy of the price list can be found on the button below. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ In addition to the uniform below, students must also have the embroidered school bag, and are required to have a library bag and art smock. ​ For sports uniform, houses and colours are: McAuley (blue) , Morrison (green) , O'Rourke (yellow) and Chisholm (red) . ​ The school's uniform policy can be found here: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Price List Uniform and Grooming Policy Online Ordering

Request a Prospectus Considering St Patrick's for your child? Request a prospectus to receive an electronic and/or hard copy prospectus. The booklet provides a lot of detailed information about the school to assist you in your school selection. Enrolment Criteria and Process Transition to Prep

NAPLAN St Patrick's participates in the annual NAPLAN testing for Years 3 and 5. NAPLAN is conducted online during May each year. It tests a variety of literacy and numeracy skills and is just one of many assessments that St Patrick's uses throughout the year to judge a student's academic progress. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy), is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It tests the types of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. The tests cover skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. The assessments are undertaken every year in the second full week in May. ​ The test is administered by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which is the independent statutory authority responsible for the overall management of the Australian National Assessment Program, in collaboration with representatives from all states and territories and non-government school sectors. ​ NAPLAN is made up of tests in four areas: reading writing language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation); and numeracy. ​ NAPLAN test results provide information on how students are performing in the areas of literacy and numeracy and support improvements in teaching and learning. The data from NAPLAN test results gives schools and systems the ability to measure their students’ achievements against national minimum standards and student performance in other states and territories. ​ Reports on individual student performance are provided to all students and parents/carers by the states and territories. ​ NAPLAN results are also reported nationally through summary results released in August and a full national report released in December. ​ Whilst St Patrick's Primary School actively participate in the NAPLAN testing, it is not seen by the school as a be-all-end-all test, as it is just part of an ongoing testing regime that the school does to keep close check of student's performances. Parents and students should be aware that an unexpected result in a NAPLAN test is unusual, but should it occur, the school will work with the student and family to identify what may have contributed to the results. ​ For more information on NAPLAN, go to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority website here or the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority website here . *Source: www.nap.edu.au

French Conversation Classes St Patrick's Primary School offer all of our families the opportunity to participate in French conversation classes with our French teacher, Mr Quentin Berlatier. One of the specialist subjects offered at St Patrick's Primary School is French. Our French teacher, Mr Quentin Berlatier, is a native of France and is fluent in French. ​ He is offering all of our families the opportunity to attend the school before pick up time on a Monday, 2:15-3:00pm, and participate in French Conversation classes free of charge. ​ It is a wonderful opportunity for families also partake in the French language and engage in the students' learning of the French language.

Child Safety At St Patrick's Primary School our student's safety is of the utmost importance. The school ensures that all government regulations are adhered to with respect to child safety to make a student's time at St Patrick's not only an enjoyable experience, but also a safe one. Child Safety Standards The Child Safe Standards are compulsory minimum standards for all Victorian early childhood services and schools, to ensure they are well prepared to protect children from abuse and neglect. ​ To read more go to the Department of Education's webpage on PROTECT here . Reportable Conduct Scheme The Reportable Conduct Scheme came into force on 1 July 2017 and requires schools to respond to allegations of child abuse (and other child-related misconduct) made against the school's workers and volunteers, and to notify the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) of any allegations. ​ Reportable conduct includes sexual offences or misconduct or physical violence against, with or in the presence of a child, behaviour causing significant emotional or psychological harm to a child, or significant neglect of a child. ​ To read more, go to the Commission for Children and Young People webpage here .

Parents at School There is strong evidence that parent engagement is associated with improvements in academic outcomes for students of all ages. It is for that reason that St Patrick's welcomes and encourages parents to be involved in the school program wherever possible Options for helping at school ​ St Patrick's offers many options to parents, carers and indeed grandparents, who wish to help at the school and those options are not limited to within the classroom. Whilst many parents choose to help in the classroom, there are many other avenues to help in a way that is suitable and comfortable for you. ​ Helping in the classroom - contact your classroom teacher, or go to your class page to work out when it might suit you to help in the classroom. This type of help can include reading with your child, working with small groups, changing readers with children, or just generally providing a helping hand. Parents are not expected to fulfil the role of "teacher" and any help that you can provide is absolutely welcome. Helping in specialist classes - do you have a particular interest in art, or sport, or have skills in the performing arts field like dancing, singing or playing an instrument, or maybe you can speak French? Then why not consider helping out in one of those specialist classes? Parents have a wealth of knowledge that can really be influential in a child's education and St Patrick's welcome the opportunity for parents to come to class, either as a one-off or on a regular basis, to get involved in these classes. Assisting with class excursions - every year, each class level will be involved with incursions, excursions and camps. Excursions and camps are reliant on parent participation. St Patrick's appreciate that these can be big commitments for parents and we do everything we can to make this as easy as possible for you to participate. Canteen helper - our school canteen operates Tuesday to Friday and parent helpers are an important element in ensuring that we have a canteen service for our students. Parents can contact the canteen manager, Helena Putnik, ****** to find out more about helping in the canteen. More information about the canteen can be found here . Parents and Friends events - the Parents and Friends conduct many events during the year, such as Mothers and Fathers Day breakfasts and gift stalls, a biennial fete/fair, and other events throughout the year. If you have a particular interest, or can only help out once or twice a year, these events are great opportunities for you to be involved at school. More information about the Parents and Friends can be found here . ​ For more information about getting involved at school, information from the Department of Education can be found here . Working with Children's Checks ​ Government regulations require that anyone that attends the school that has more than incidental contact with students must have a current and valid Working With Children's Check. ​ If you do not hold a current Working With Children's Check, you must go online, complete the application form and then attend an Australia Post outlet to finalise the application. It will then be processed and you will be notified of the outcome. The website for applications can be found here .

Transitioning to Prep Starting prep is a very exciting time for the whole family and the beginning of your child's journey through school. At St Patrick's, we aim to provide a welcoming and supportive community filled with opportunities for children to grow in confidence as they begin their first school year. Our Transition to School program is made up of several parts which include: Transition conversations Kindergarten contact Discovery days Additional transition sessions Additional family meetings Transition mornings; and Family information sessions. ​ Once at school, the transition is further assisted through: Wednesday rest days at the beginning of the school year, where Preps do not attend school so they can take a break midweek to help them get used to attending school on a full time basis. These dates will be confirmed towards the end of 2023. the Buddy program where each prep student is "buddied up" with a senior student. More information about the Buddy program can be found on the wellness programs page here . 2024 dates Enrolments Open Families are asked to register an enrolment enquiry through the school office. The Enrolment Officer will be in contact and provide you with further information and move the enquiry to the application stage. Wednesday 4th March School Tours Families wishing to become familiar with our school are invited to attend a school tour with staff and student leaders present. To book a school tour, please go to the Book a Tour webpage under the Enrolment tab. Tuesday 26 March, Tuesday 23 April and Mon day 29 April 9:00am and 10:00am Prep Information Evening This is an opportunity to welcome all parents and carers who are applying for a Prep position at St Patrick’s in 2024 . Important and up to date Information about our school and the enrolment process will be shared during this session. ​ ​ This session is compulsory for all families wishing to apply and will be held in the school stadium as a face to face event. Tuesday 30 April 6:00pm - 7:00pm Enrolments Close ​ Families are asked to complete their online applications by Friday 5 May 202 3 to ensure that the enrolment application is given consideration. The school can take up to 78 prep students in 2024 and in the event that more applications are received than places available, a waiting list will be created. Friday 3 May Transition conversations Transition conversations are an opportunity for us to begin to get to know the child and parent/carer. They are a time for parents to ask any questions you may have and to explore how to best support their child as they make the transition from kinder to school. Please note, these meetings do not aim to determine if your child is ‘school ready’. If you have any questions regarding school readiness, it is best to have a conversation with your child’s kindergarten teacher. These are compulsory for all families. Wednesday 10 May to Friday 16 June Letters of Offer sent out ​ Once places are determined, letters of offer will be sent out to families on Friday 28 June (the last day of Term 2). An acceptance form must be completed and returned to the school to secure the enrolment offer. ​ Please note, any delay with Australia Post deliveries may impact when you receive your letter of offer. Friday 28 June Kindergarten visits ​ Throughout Term Three and Four, our staff will contact each child's kindergarten and/or visit the children at their kindergarten to understand their education journey so far and to put things in place to support their transition. Terms Three and Four Discovery Days ​ Mondays in Term Three (dates to be confired) , our library will be open for you to visit and start discovering what school is like. It will be a chance to share a favourite story and meet some new friends. These sessions are not compulsory. Information on how to book online will be sent with your Letter of Offer. By invitation, as required Additional transition sessions ​ Held during Term Four, on Tuesdays to be confirmed , these small group sessions focus on supporting those children and families who may be new to the school or who would like to build their confidence at St Patrick's in a smaller setting. These sessions are by request from the family or invitation from the school. Tuesday 10, 17, 24 October 2:15pm - 3:00pm Additional family meetings ​ Between now and when the child begins, parents/carers may want to meet and discuss any further concerns or ideas they may have to provide their child with the best possibly start to school. Meetings can be initiated by parents or the school as needed. As needed Transition mornings ​ Three mornings filled with fun and forming new friendships. All children are required to attend to learn about school and meet their new peers and teachers. Your child’s 202 4 class and teacher will be announced at the final session. All three sessions are compulsory for all students. Term Four Wednesday 8 November Monday 13 November Tuesday 21 November 9:15am - 10:45am (compulsory) Family information sessions ​ Whilst the children attend their transition mornings, parents/carers will attend these compulsory family information sessions. They are an opportunity for the school to pass on information. It is also an opportunity to meet other parents and ask questions. These are compulsory. As per transition mornings Held in the school stadium (compulsory)

Classroom Subjects St Patrick's Primary School breaks up the Victorian Curriculum into subjects taught both in the classroom and in specialised environments within the school. The information provided here is with respect to those subjects taught in the classroom. Literacy Our literacy program reflects the various elements of the Victorian Curriculum which includes reading and viewing, writing and spelling and speaking and listening. Each class studies English for 10 hours a week. For more information on the Literacy program, click here . Mathematics Mathematics is taught under the 3 strands outlined in the Victorian Curriculum - Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Students study Mathematics for 5 hours per week in every level of the school. For more information on the Maths program, click here . Integrated Inquiry The inquiry process develops skills for lifelong learning in areas such as history, environment, science and citizenship. Each class studies Inquiry for two hours a week. For more information on the Inquiry program, click here . Religion The Religious Education Curriculum attends to the spiritual development of each person to appreciating the value of Catholic faith. Each class studies RE for 2 hours per week. For more information on the RE program, click here . Social & Emotional SEL assists students in relationships, decision-making, learning how to handle challenging situations and develop leadership skills across the curriculum to nurture their wellbeing and assist their learning. Each class studies SEL for at least 45 minutes a week. For more information on the SEL program, click here . Technologies Whilst technolgoies is not a separate subject within the curriculum, it is incorporated across all parts of the curriculum. For more information on the Technologies program, click here .

School Houses St Patrick's have four school houses and each student is allocated to a house when they start at St Patrick's. That house allocation will apply to siblings as they enrol too. The four school houses are named after prominent people. McAuley (blue house) ​ Named after Sister Catherine McAuley, joint founder of the Sisters of Mercy, born September 29 1778 in Ireland and died November 11, 1841. ​ In 1824 Catherine McAuley leased a property in southeast Dublin to build a house to serve poor women and children. ​ On December 12 1831 Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle and Mary Elizabeth Harley professed their religious vows as the first Sisters of Mercy, thereby founding the congregation. She encouraged her Sisters to "educate poor girls, to lodge and maintain poor young women who are in danger and to visit the sick poor". Within 10 years Catherine founded nine Convents of Mercy in Ireland and England. ​ The Sisters of Mercy made a foundation in Perth, Western Australia in 1846. ​ Today there are more than 12,000 Sisters of Mercy worldwide. They run 200 health care facilities, 19 colleges, 58 schools and provide many other services that help people of every age. O'Rourke (yellow house) ​ Named after Father Timothy O'Rourke, Parish Priest at St Patrick's Catholic Church 1885-1860, died January 16 1861. ​ Fr O'Rourke was educated at Maynooth, Ireland and ordained as a priest in mid-1849. He left Ireland in August of that year to undertake missionary work in New Zealand. ​ In poor health he came to Melbourne for a holiday in January 1854 and agreed to act temporarily in the vacancy caused by the last illnesses of Fr Clarke in the parish of Kilmore. He remained and carried on with an energy far beyond his strength and accomplished much in a few short years which is testimony to the zeal of a great priest. Fr O'Rourke's first task was to assume responsibility for the building of the school-church. He initiated the building of a bluestone church-school. This building, used as a boy's school, had two large rooms with extra small rooms for a master and a school-mistress. ​ About 1855, under Fr O'Rourke's supervision, a small, solid bluestone church known as St Bridget's was built at the Survey on 2 acres of land donated by George Jessop. Maher states that the church was used for services for two years before being blessed by Bishop Goold on November 1 1857. ​ Fr O'Rourke not only took on responsibility for the building for the church, he also maintained several schools in the parish including opening at least 5 to accommodate the growing numbers of children living in the area. ​ St Patrick's Church was begun in 1857 under the watchful eye of Fr O'Rourke. He continued serving his parish despite ill health up until the last few months of 1860. Fr O'Rourke was interred in front of the Our Lady alter in the church he had organised to build on March 23 1871. Chisholm (red house) ​ Named after Caroline Chisholm, humanitarian, born May 30 1808 in England and died March 25 1877 in England. ​ Caroline Chisholm was born in England. She arrived in Australia in 1838 and set up a home for other women who had come to live here. She worked to improve life on the ships bringing people to Australia to start a new life and started a loans plan to bring poor children and families to Australia. She arranged free trips so that the families of convicts who were transported to Australia could come to join them. She also believed poor people should be able to buy farms cheaply. ​ Caroline set up a home in Sydney for young women, and organised other homes in several rural centres. The home was soon extended to help families and young men. During the seven years Caroline was in Australia she placed over 11,000 people in homes and jobs. Her 'home' - the Female Immigrant Home helped over 40,000 people in its 38 year lifespan. She became a very well-known woman who was very much admired. Morrison (green house) ​ Named after Monsignor Ken Morrison, Parish Priest St Patrick's Catholic Church 1952 - 1977. ​ Monsignor Morrison became the Parish Priest of St Mary's in Williamstown in 1936. This included becoming the part-time chaplain to the Point Cook and Laverton bases of the Royal Australia Air Force. During World War II he became the Principal Catholic Chaplain. He was responsible for 60 chaplains who served in Britain, Malta, the Far East, the Pacific, Japan and throughout Australia. He made frequent visits to their posts. In 1947-48 Monsignor Morrison served a 12 month tour of duty in Japan. In 1948 he reverted to his pre-war practice of dividing time between civil and service duties. He was awarded the OBE in 1962 for his work with the Air Force. ​ In 1952 he took up the appointment of parish priest in Kilmore, He quickly gained support of the parishioners to restore the church that was showing severe damage. He also rebuilt the school that had been condemned by the Health Authorities. In 1968 he added a larger school building and organised a bus service to bring students to St Patrick's from Broadford and Kilmore East. Monsignor Morrison drove the bus for 17 years. ​ During his remaining time at St Patrick's Monsignor Morrison added a district church at Wallan and rebuilt one at Darraweit Guim. He also administered a circuit of six district churches. ​ He handed over the reins of Parish Priest to Father Peter Rankin on June 18 1977.

Literacy At St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, we not only value the teaching of English but believe that it is paramount in providing students with the skills and understandings to fully access the curriculum and develop as divergent, critical thinkers. Through the integration of the three strands: Reading & Viewing, Writing & Spelling and Speaking & Listening, the students are provided with learning experiences that enable them to develop skills and strategies to be competent and confident users of the English language. Literacy skills are best taught through modelled, guided and independent learning experiences, based on explicit teaching. Therefore we provide a differentiated curriculum that caters for the diverse needs of the learner through effective, relevant and challenging learning and teaching opportunities. The English curriculum aims to ensure that students: learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms and in combination with non-linguistic forms of communication to create meaning develop interest and skills in inquiring into the aesthetic aspects of texts, and develop an informed appreciation of literature. ​ ​ Reading and Viewing - CAFE, Daily Five and InitiaLit ​ At St. Patrick’s, we are committed to 10 hours of Literacy per week. In Years 3-6 we follow the CAFÉ Model which includes the “Daily Five”. The Daily Five is a literacy structure that teaches independence and gives children the skills needed to create a lifetime love of reading and writing. It consists of five tasks that are introduced individually. ​ During this time, every child will participate in a guided reading group with their teacher once per week. During this session students will be explicitly taught reading skills appropriate for their ability level. For more information on CAFE and Daily 5, please go to the program website here . ​ InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program providing all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. InitiaLit is a three-year program, covering the first three years of school (Prep to Year 2). ​ InitiaLit–Prep incorporates the key components necessary for early reading instruction – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. ​ InitiaLit–1 continues on from InitiaLit–Prep in providing an explicit and effective model for teaching reading, spelling and related skills to children in their second year of schooling. The program incorporates daily lessons in reading and spelling, as well as rich language instruction using children’s literature. As with InitiaLit–Prep, a set of decodable InitiaLit Readers (Levels 10-16), have been developed to align with the InitiaLit–1 instructional sequence. These readers, used alongside the program, will help students generalise and consolidate their skills. ​ By Year 2, most children will be well on their way to reading independence. The program builds on the skills taught in InitiaLit–Prep and InitiaLit–1, with the focus shifting now to consolidating children’s reading and spelling skills, working specifically on reading comprehension, fluency, spelling and vocabulary. ​ ​ MiniLit and MacqLit ​ The MiniLit and MacqLit programs are literacy intervention programs. MiniLit is aimed at Prep to Year 2 and comprises 80 lessons, delivered 4 times per week, for one hour per lesson. A placement test will indicate the ideal starting point on the program for each student, with criteria provided for grouping students according to instructional level. Regular assessments administered throughout the program will monitor progress. Each lesson comprises three main components: Sounds and Words Activities Text Reading Story Book Reading ​ MacqLit is aimed at Years 3-6 and is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of older low-progress readers. It is a comprehensive sequence of lessons that includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. ​ ​ Writing and Spelling - SMART Spelling ​ At St Patrick’s students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, explanations, poetry and discussions. Students practise, consolidate and extend what they have learned. They develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of grammar and language, and they are increasingly able to articulate this knowledge. Gradually, more complex punctuation, clause and sentence structures and textual purposes and patterns are introduced. Student work is marked against a rubric that links directly to the Victorian Curriculum and is referred to regularly to ensure students know what to include in their piece of writing. We use the Seven Steps program to guide our teaching, which is fabulous for generating ideas and teaching students how to engage their reader. In 2017, St. Patrick’s introduced SMART Spelling in Years 3 to 6. SMART Spelling is designed to support teachers in the explicit and systematic teaching of spelling. The program is based on whole words with an emphasis on meaning and vocabulary development. Students must be able to read their spelling words, understand what they mean and how to use them. SMART Spelling is an acronym for the sequence teachers follow to teach words to students. It stands for: Say Meaning Analyse Remember Teach The spelling program runs through a weekly routine. Part of this routine is to have a weekly list of words which has a common sound. The students choose 6-8 words they want to focus on and highlight them. This list is then sent home and becomes the spelling homework for the week. ​ For more information on the developer of the SMART Spelling program, please go to her website here . ​ ​ Speaking and Listening ​ At St. Patrick’s we seek to develop the oral language competence of students across the school. Teachers plan and implement strategies which specifically target the development of oral language skills. ​ Language and the ability to communicate effectively is a key foundation to students’ capacity to learn in most general ways. A better developed knowledge of language and how it is used means a greater capacity to learn and to manage and to direct one’s activity as a learner (Munro, 2005) ​ Students participate in Show and Tell, 1 minute talks, debates and oral presentations of their work. Oral language permeates throughout