Middle Leader News
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to another exciting year of learning and adventures at SSPS.
STEM
Science – Technology – Engineering- Maths.
STEM is a focus in our classrooms at SSPS where students work towards becoming active participants in a digital world that is ever changing and evolving. We provide many opportunities to develop skills with digital tools, educate students on the importance of being safe online and how to become critical users of technology. Our teachers incorporate STEM into everyday activities in the classrooms, following the design thinking process which allows students to plan, design, create, think, reflect and evaluate. This year our Junior and Senior STEM clubs will commence in Week 4 of Term 1and will run for a 5 week period. Our Junior STEM club for Prep – Year 3 will operate before school with Mrs Hawkins, Mrs Laing, Miss K and Mrs Wann, while our Senior STEM club will operate during lunch times by Mrs Bennett. Information and sign up for our Junior and Senior STEM Club will be sent out early next week.
Learner Qualities
It has been so wonderful welcoming all students back to our learning spaces over the past two weeks and witnessing a genuine enthusiasm for learning in our classrooms. This year we continue to embrace our St Saviour’s learner qualities in all we do and our learner qualities have been prevalent already in our first two weeks of school. We encourage you to talk to your child about these learner qualities at home. Here are some ideas on how you might encourage your child to be determined:
- Having a go at their homework before asking for help. You might encourage them to do the parts they can and then think about specific questions they might need to ask you or their teacher to seek clarification on the task.
- Getting dressed by themselves, packing their own bags and completing jobs without being asked or with minimal assistance.
Version 9 Curriculum
In 2025, we continue to roll out Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum at SSPS. This year our classroom teachers will now use Version 9 in Science and technology, along with English, Maths and HASS which was rolled out in 2024. Our specialist teachers are using Version 9 in HPE, Music, Drama, Dance and LOTE.
Our teachers will begin to communicate these changes with you through communication notes, as well as further information being published in our school newsletters. Version 9 of the curriculum is not expected to be fully implemented until 2027.
Phonics at SSPS
As you will be aware our school has taken a synthetic approach to phonics to align with Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. This has seen SSPS using Decodable Readers Australia in Prep to Year 2 to support our teaching of phonics and reading. The process of rolling out decodable readers and a synthetic approach to phonics is well underway as we spend time updating our resources and investing time in training staff and parents on how to best support children. This year in Year 3 – 6 we will take on Jocelyn Seamer Resources to support our older students in phonics and spelling. Further information will be provided by classroom teachers and via the school newsletter.
We look forward to a great year of learning and growth,
Bec Thomas