Learners at McAuley Community School are readers, writers and spellers. Literacy is a fundamental life skill. It is developed in multiple ways – through listening, reading, viewing and creating language. At school, learners learn to understand and use language effectively and confidently. This is essential for learning, communicating and participating in everyday life.

The beginning of this year has seen a great focus on our whole school approach to literacy. In this edition of McAuley News you will just love reading what is happening in the Neighbourhoods and how the learning of literacy is brought to life. Nicole Tropeano also elaborates on aspects of our whole school approach.

A big thank you to Leah and Leticia Camilleri, on behalf of the P&F, for hosting our Scholastic ‘Dive into Reading’ Book Fair this week. Reading for pleasure unlocks the power of our imagination and the learners enjoyed browsing and selecting from the huge selection of books.  A wonderful annual event that promotes a love of reading. Thank you also to the parent/carer volunteers that supported Leah and Leticia.

Catholic Education Week was held this month with the focus on saying 'thank you' to the dedicated, caring, hardworking staff and learners who make Catholic schools in SA so special. We take the opportunity to show our gratitude to our incredible team of staff at McAuley Community School who put the learner at the centre of all they do. We are so grateful for their dedication and commitment to make a difference in a learner’s school day.

Our Strategic Plan 2022-24 was distributed to our school community today with a copy sent home with the eldest child in each family. We are thrilled to share with you our strategic directions, our purpose, our commitments and outcomes for the next three years.

As we move forward this year we look forward to seeing more parents and caregivers on site like we did for our beautiful Mother’s Day gathering. Assemblies are back on Mondays at 2.20pm on even weeks and we have our Whole School Mass on this Wednesday 1 June at 9:30am. You are all invited and we would love to see you there.

From 16-24 May, our whole school community celebrated Laudato Si’ Week.

Laudato Si’ Week 2022 marked the seventh anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on creation care. Laudato Si' (Praise Be to You) is the second encyclical of Pope Francis and has the subtitle on “care for our common home".

This global celebration united all people to listen and respond together to the cry of creation and to rejoice in the progress we have made locally and globally in bringing Laudato Si’ to life. All our learners engaged in a Laudato Si’ liturgy in their Neighbourhoods bringing awareness to our call to care for creation.

At McAuley, we have a deep commitment to environmental and ecological awareness.

Our Eco leaders, Ceanne, Eve, Ivy and Maxi and Sustainability Coordinator, Ms Danielle Carr, have been very busy with a wide range of recent initiatives including:

• Building a Native Butterfly Garden planning with Receptions and the 3-4 year olds from Alive Catholic Early Learning
• Designing and planting a stir-fry garden plot with the 3/4 Neighbourhood
• Setting up wicking beds on the Year 2 balcony

Further to this, our upcoming initiatives include:

• Using a recently won grant for a sensory garden for nature play and a grant for a new bin system
• Our Eco Leaders attending their first YELP (Young Environmental Leaders Program) day on Monday this week
• The creation of an Adopt-a-Spot recycled plastics mural panel with one of nine spots given to various community groups and individuals.

We are a Catholic Earthcare School and our goal this year is to progress through the Earthcare school’s certification process and to continue our development of a whole school ecology strategy.

Each family and staff member was gifted a native Westringia Wynyabbie Gem shrub from McAuley to celebrate Easter. These coastal plants display light violet flowers mostly year round. Purple is the colour of Lent.

The idea of giving a plant to nurture was in keeping with our ecology philosophy and the Catholic tradition of celebrating new life.  We have heard beautiful feedback from learners that have planted it in their garden during the break or regifted it to a grandparent or family friend.  We hope they flourish in their new homes.

We are grateful to our Year 6 Mercy and Eco Leaders for their hands-on support with this community activity. 

'The pleasure is in the giving.’

We are so grateful for the reverence and respect by our learners at our Palm Sunday event, Stations of the Cross and at the Last Supper held by each year Neighbourhood in the Chapel.

This year McAuley is establishing a whole school approach to the teaching and learning of reading which is based on the research and evidence from the ‘Science of Reading’.

Reading is a complex process that involves both learning to decode and make meaning from texts with comprehension the ultimate goal.  The research clearly shows that there are six components essential to reading instruction and learning to read.  These are phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, oral language and comprehension. 

At McAuley we are currently focusing on phonics which is the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language, also referred to as the alphabetic principle.

We are implementing Promoting Literacy Development or PLD which is a Structured Synthetic Phonics program.  This evidence-based program explicitly teaches learners the skills to decode and encode for reading, spelling and writing.

All Educators and Co-Educators are completing online coursework to successfully implement PLD in their Neighbourhoods. In addition, 12 staff, including an Educator and Co-Educator from each learning Neighbourhood attended a full day ‘Implementing PLD’ seminar at SPELD SA this month.   

These staff are particularly passionate about literacy and are deeply invested in high-quality literacy pedagogy and practice.  They will lead the implementation of Structured Synthetic Phonics within their Neighbourhoods. 

Further detailed information about our whole school approach to reading will be available in a letter to families via Skoolbag this week, which I hope you enjoy reading.

e: nicole.tropeano@mcs.catholic.edu.au 

Literacy skills are fundamental to the development of all learners across every facet of the curriculum. The purpose of a Personalised Plan for Learning or PPL for short, is to support learners to access the curriculum on the same basis as their peers. Through a PPL, adjustments can be made to the learning environment or curriculum to assist learners to meet their full potential and develop a strong foundation of literacy.

When there is a need to provide support to develop literacy skills, a huge range of adjustments can be put in place. Examples of these adjustments might be providing visual or pictorial instructions where the learning is broken into smaller, more manageable pieces for the learner to understand and digest. It might be providing the ‘talk to text’ option on a device so that learners are able to share their creative ideas without the burden of handwriting a long piece of genre.

Perhaps the curriculum requires modification so that the learner is developing their individual literacy skills at a level appropriate to them. A PPL might also document the support a learner is receiving through regular small group or individual literacy sessions.

If you have any questions pertaining to your child’s PPL, you are welcome to email your PC educator.  An opportunity for PPL reviews, in partnership with their PC educator, will take place in Weeks 8 and 9 of this term.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email if you have any wonderings.

e: yalinda.allen@mcs.catholic.edu.au

The Reception learners have commenced their Structured Synthetic Phonics program that includes early reading, spelling, oral language and movement.

Each morning learners are provided with opportunities to continue to develop their literacy skills as a whole class, in targeted groups and at a small group level. Learners focus on alphabet sound recall, letter formation, blending and segmenting through kinaesthetic experiences, explicit instruction, games and manipulatives.

Here is a snippet of their phonics learning in action:

• ‘Hop to it’- Learners hop for each sound. For example, show a pig, kids say /p/,/i/,/g/, hopping 3 times. Learners hop on a new square for each sound.
• Elkonin boxes- Learners use manipulatives for each sound. For example, move counters into c/a/t.
• Promoting Literacy Development Reading Race app- Learners sound out words in a sequential, intuitive synthetic phonics manner with increasing length and complexity as they progress through the game.
• Roll it, sound it, say it, write it: Learners roll the dice, sound out the word, say it and write the word.

As part of Year One’s literacy learning this term, they are focussing on Procedures.  The learners are participating in a variety of procedural activities that encourage them to give specific and clear instructions, steps and methods on how to perform a particular task.

This unit will conclude with the learners creating their own recipe which they will make.  You can see in some of the photos, Mrs Buchanan having a group discussion with the learners gathered around her. She was taking them through the precise steps to make a buttered jam sandwich. 

It was interesting to note how quickly the Year One learners understood how specific an instruction needs to be. At one point, Mrs Buchanan put the butter container on top of the bread as they told her to ‘put the butter on the bread’ instead of ‘scoop some butter out of the container and spread the butter on the bread.’ 

Expect a lot more instructions at home now from your child – sorry!

Bang! Pop! Crackle! Do you want to find out what happens next?

The Year 2 Neighbourhood is exploring the structure and features of Narrative texts. They are learning to begin their stories with sizzling starts, using onomatopoeia or action. They successfully create tension in their stories, exploring their imagination and creativity.

Their educators hope to inspire and spark interest in our young Year Two authors.

The Year 3/4 learners have been busy building their reading comprehension skills. The focus has been on three types of questions: Literal, Inferential and Evaluative.  The learners have been explicitly taught each of these types of questions, including the question starters. They are using the traffic lights as a way to remember them.

The literal questions are green ‘right there on the page’ questions eg. locate key words, recall the order of events and identify cause and effect within a text

The inferential questions are orange ‘reading between the lines’ questions eg. use their existing knowledge to make sense of the text and connect the text to their own experience.

Lastly, the evaluative questions are red ‘big picture’ questions eg. offer their opinion, point of view or feelings. When readers read or view a text, they can understand it on different levels. Deep comprehension occurs when all levels have been considered.

The learners have been using the program Springboard into Comprehension on their devices to facilitate this learning.

The 5/6 Neighbourhood is focusing on reading comprehension this semester.  Their educators believe this is a critical skill to support learners to find meaning in texts, summarise and apply what is being read.

During reading comprehension lessons, learners are explicitly taught text comprehension, vocabulary and fluency. As a collaborative group they are reading, identifying and learning to make inferences from a passage and use critical thinking skills to answer questions related to the text.

Learners also have a continuous novel study called ‘Books Club’ and this is where learners choose their own novel and work throughout the term to create an extensive project to share in a small group as an oral presentation. They demonstrate their ability to identify characters, themes and identify challenging words.

This model of teaching and learning supports an ”I do, we do, you do” gradual release of responsibility where educators offer direct instruction using modelling during reading compression lessons. They then participate collaboratively in an interactive way to support leaner with prompts and clues.

The final step is the learner working independently on their ‘Books Club’ to practise and demonstrate how well they have mastered their new skills.

Our Eco Leaders and Arts Leaders are involved in an exciting project this term.  Through our involvement with the community program, Adopt-a-Spot, we are creating one of nine panels for a marine debris art piece.

Adopt-a-Spot is a volunteer community group that aims to minimise waste entering the ocean through regular collection and removal of rubbish. Groups adopt an area which they regularly visit to record and collect the rubbish.  At McAuley, we are responsible for a one kilometre stretch of beach at the end of Wattle Avenue and Wattle Avenue Reserve.  Each Pastoral Care Group will have at least one visit to the area this year.

The purpose of recording and photographing the rubbish is to inform the Adopt-a-Spot organisers and Keeping South Australia Beautiful (KESAB) about what sort of debris is most at risk of ending up in the ocean.

The 2.5 metres squared sunset wave mural our leaders are creating will be displayed at the Cheese Factory on 46 Main South Road, Myponga behind the Valley of Yore Café.  All of the pieces used in this nine panel mural have been collected by Adopt-a-Spot volunteers along our coastline, over the past few months.

We will have a follow up story when this exciting mural project is completed.  Well done everyone for the role you play in environmental awareness.

It was a privilege to gather at Brighton’s Arch of Remembrance to commemorate ANZAC Day this year.  Due to COVID restrictions, it had been two years since the local community were permitted to gather at this significant memorial.

We thank two of our school leaders, Patrick and Ollie, for laying a wreath at the Dawn Service on behalf of McAuley Community School.  Only two were permitted from each participating school as per RSL regulations.

The ANZAC tradition – the ideals of courage, endurance and mateship – was established on 25 April 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Lest We Forget.

Our successful McAuley Radio program was launched for its second year during Catholic Education Week.

Special guests were interviewed each day by a selection of Year 6 broadcasters talking about the learning opportunities at McAuley.

• Monday 9 May:  Principal, Mrs Amanda Parslow
• Tuesday 10 May: Sustainability Educator, Ms Danielle Carr
• Wednesday 11 May: Visual Art & Design Educator, Miss Maddie McGowan
• Friday 13 May: Music Educator, Mr Ryan Mifsud

Click here to access the McAuley Radio page on our website which you need to access to hear the broadcasts.  There is a ‘play’ button on the page that connects you to the live stream every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:20 to 8:40am.

Stay tuned for more special guests including ‘All About Sport & PE’.

We are so grateful to Music Educator, Mr Ryan Mifsud for his ongoing support of these Year 6 learners and experienced broadcaster, Mr Peter Kostiw. Thank you!

The Museum of Childhood visited the Year One Neighbourhood for a history incursion to learn about toys of the past.  The learners were very involved in the discussion and asked many questions.  They are learning to distinguish the difference between past, present and future.

The educators discussed with them changes that have personal significance such as birthdays.  Another point of interest was as we grow older the types of toys we like to play with may change as we develop new interests. Learners participated by bringing in photos of themselves playing with a toy when they were little.

The Museum brought a selection of different toys and the history of family leisure time was brought to life. Everyone in Year One enjoyed this special day of learning.

It was a pleasure to welcome more than 140 mums and significant women to our Mother’s Day Gathering in the Plaza on Friday 6 May.

The rain held off just long enough for everyone to catch up over a hot coffee.

We hope to have more community events now that restrictions are being lifted.  Thank you for your ongoing contribution in so many ways to our McAuley community.

The Year 5/6 Educators partnered with the CSIRO’s program STEM Professionals & Schools to enjoy a collaborative and inquisitive chemistry afternoon with Dr Ingo Koeper. 

The focus was building on the learners understanding around the state of matter changing by giving them hands on experience.  They predicated, observed and created further questions that fuelled their natural curiosity.

The highlight was the sublimation process of a solid changing into a gas, involving dry ice, dish washing liquid and water, which exploded with vapour and bubbles.

This learning is part of the Science Australian Curriculum covering the comparison and classification of different types of observable changes to materials. Learners follow procedures to develop investigable questions and design investigations into simple cause-and-effect relationships.

The learners are looking forward to focusing on their Chemistry Unit investigating and experimenting with different states of matter and how they react to natural occurrences during this term.

A big welcome to our lovely new Front Office Receptionist, Mrs Jacqui Hays.

If you have popped in this term, you will have met Jacqui or perhaps spoken to her on the phone.  With 10 years experience at St Anthony’s School, Edwardstown as an Inclusive Education Coordinator and then Education Support Officer, Jacqui is very familiar with a busy Catholic school environment.

An old scholar of Marymount and Brighton local, there was a sense of coming home when Jacqui started at McAuley. Her children are at Sacred Heart College and when they were younger, St Teresa’s at Brighton.

“I have always followed the success of McAuley with great interest and now I am working in this community, it’s such a thrill.  I want to meet and get to know as many parents as possible,” she said.

Working alongside Miss Kate Hussey, or ‘Miss Kate’ as the learners call her, both are responsible for taking calls from families, welcoming visitors and first aid when needed.

Kate also manages enrolment enquiries in her new responsibility as Registrar which she loves.  SkoolBag and overseeing the distribution of school reports are two other important responsibilities, not to mention an ongoing administration role.  If you have ever had to sign your child in late or out early, Kate is the one you would have chatted to. Every day is busy, though we are grateful for the natural connection Kate has with parents and their children.

Mrs Teresa Ragless is still part of the McAuley family of course and has a new role as our Work Health & Safety Officer having completed a diploma for this role.  When there is an excursion coming up or any local activity or event, educators liaise with Teresa about safety and duty of care.

Did you know Teresa studied Library & Information Management at UniSA and manages our huge volume of book orders for the learners in each Neighbourhood? Did you know fun fact, that in Year 12 Teresa was presented with the award for Most Outstanding Drama Student at Sacred Heart College? 

Thank you to these three amazing women for their sense of humour and daily contribution supporting our learners, their families and McAuley staff.  And if you happen to see Jacqui walking her cute pug Oli on the beach Sunday mornings, she would love you to stop and say hi.

Our Eco Leaders were very keen to attend their first Young Environmental Leaders Program (YELP) run by Green Adelaide on Monday last week. This hands-on workshop was held at Byards Community Centre in Happy Valley and focused on sustainability action and networking activities with other schools.

Over the course of the year, the Eco Leaders will receive ongoing support from a Green Adelaide Officer to develop their leadership, public speaking and communication skills.  They will be empowered to lead sustainable change within our school and community.

The Eco Leaders will develop a joint environmental project of their choice and will be involved in the decision making, planning and action to make it a reality. 

We thank our Sustainability Educator, Ms Danielle Carr for her enthusiasm and tireless work educating all our learners and staff about protecting our environment.