The cut-off for Principal’s Awards this term is strictly next Friday (20th March), any awards handed in after this date will be processed for Term 2.
Learning to Read
Learning to read is one of the most important milestones in a child’s education. It opens the door to learning across all subjects and builds confidence, curiosity and independence. But reading doesn’t develop naturally for most children. It needs to be explicitly and carefully taught.
There is a large body of research, gathered over decades, from psychology, neuroscience, education and linguistics that helps us understand how the brain learns to read and what teaching approaches are most effective, especially for young learners.
Unlike spoken language, which children learn naturally through exposure, reading is a learned skill. Children must be taught how written symbols (letters) connect to spoken sounds and meaning. The research shows that strong reading instruction includes several essential building blocks, taught in a clear and systematic way.
Phonological Awareness
This is the ability to hear and work with sounds in spoken language. Before children read print, they learn to:
- Notice rhymes
- Break words into syllables
- Hear individual sounds (phonemes) in words
These skills help children prepare their brains for reading.
Phonics
Phonics teaches children the relationship between letters and sounds. Children learn how to:
- Match letters to sounds
- Blend sounds together to read words
- Break words apart to spell
Research shows that systematic phonics instruction is especially important in the early years and supports all learners, including those who find reading challenging. We do this in K-2 through the Initialit program.
Fluency
Fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with expression. When children don’t have to work hard to decode each word, they can focus on understanding what they read. Fluency develops through:
- Practice
- Re-reading familiar texts
- Teacher modelling of expressive reading
Vocabulary
Children need to know the meaning of words to understand what they read. Vocabulary grows through:
- Rich conversations
- Being read to
- Explicit teaching of new words
The more words children know, the easier it is for them to comprehend texts.
Comprehension
Comprehension (making meaning from text) is the ultimate goal of reading. It depends on:
- Strong decoding skills
- Vocabulary knowledge
- Background knowledge
- Thinking skills such as predicting, questioning and summarising
Explicit teaching of sounds and spelling patterns, regular opportunities to read decodable texts, teachers modelling how to read and think about texts and a strong focus on oral language and discussion are all part of our approach to building strong reading skills in our Junior School students.
Parents and carers play a vital role in this learning journey. You can help by:
- Reading aloud every day (even after your child can read independently)
- Talking about stories, characters and new words
- Encouraging your child to “sound out” unfamiliar words
- Celebrating effort and progress
To support K – 2 parents in this, next term we are running a special workshop designed to provide practical strategies to use at home to build reading confidence.
Date: Wednesday 29 April (Term 2, Week 2)
Time: 4:30-5:30pm
Venue: Multi-Purpose Hall
Register here: tinyurl.com/OPACPWRead
When reading is taught using evidence‑based approaches, children are more likely to experience success, confidence and joy in reading. By building strong foundations early, we are setting our students up not just to read, but to learn, imagine and thrive.
Over the next 2 weeks we will be holding parent-teacher interviews (19th and 24th March). Interviews will be held in your child’s classroom. Emails have been sent out to parents with links and instructions on how to book. This is a fabulous opportunity to discuss how your child has been settling into Term 1 learning, and we are looking forward to seeing you then.
As we move into the second half of the term, it has been wonderful to see students settling into routines, building friendships and engaging so positively with their learning. Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to a busy and rewarding remainder of the term as students continue to grow in confidence and capability.
God bless,
Mrs Jenny Squire
Deputy Principal – Head of Junior School
Sport
Share Student Achievements
We are always pleased to hear about outstanding student achievements in sport. If your child has recently achieved success at a representative, state or national level, whether through the College or externally, please contact Mr Cleur at jcleur@opac.nsw.edu.au with a brief summary and, if applicable, a photo for consideration in the newsletter.
Junior School Swimming – Met South Carnival
Our Junior School swimmers represented Oran Park Anglican College with enthusiasm at the Met South Swimming Carnival on 25th February at Prairiewood Leisure Centre. Students competed strongly across their events, demonstrating determination, teamwork, and great sportsmanship throughout the day. It was wonderful to see our swimmers encouraging one another and giving their best in a highly competitive environment. Well done to all students who represented OPAC so proudly.
Junior School Swimming – CSSA State Carnival
Our students continued their strong swimming season at the CSSA State Swimming Carnival on 5th March at Sydney Olympic Park. Despite a delayed start, our swimmers performed admirably in both individual events and relays, showing resilience and outstanding team spirit. A special congratulations to Noah (Year 5) who qualified for the CIS Swimming Carnival in the 50m Freestyle, achieving a new personal best time. This is an excellent achievement and we wish Noah all the best at the next level.
Training with the Best
Congratulations to Christiano, who was recently selected for a special training opportunity with renowned American actor and martial artist Jeff Speakman. Only three children were chosen for this unique experience, making it a very special achievement. It was an exciting opportunity for Christiano to learn from one of the world’s leading martial artists, and we celebrate his enthusiasm and dedication to his sport. Well done, Christiano!
College Sport
Our College Sport program continues to provide students with valuable opportunities to learn, develop skills, and enjoy a wide range of sporting experiences. This term, students have been participating in AUSISO (Australian International Sports Organisation) sessions, including AFL and Softball/T-Ball. It has been great to see students building confidence, learning new skills, and demonstrating excellent sportsmanship throughout these activities.
IPSSO Sport Program
Our Wednesday IPSSO Sport Competition continues to provide students with great opportunities to represent the College and develop teamwork, resilience, skill and sportsmanship.
Week 7 – Wednesday 18 March (Home Match)
- Opponent: Mount Annan Christian College
- Venue: Clarke Reserve – 13 St Lawrence Ave, Kearns (Oz-Tag & Cricket)
- Venue: OPAC (Soccer & Basketball)
- Juniors: 11:20am
- Seniors: 1:00pm
Week 8 – BYE
Representative Sport Pathways
From time to time, the College is able to nominate some of our exceptional athletes to trial for CSSA or CIS representative teams. These teams are selected for high level representative competitions, drawing from almost 100 schools across NSW. If you would like the College to nominate your child for one of these events, please follow the procedure below:
- Go to CSSA website to see the list and dates of these trials (cssa.net.au)
- Email Mr Cleur’s email jcleur@opac.nsw.edu.au, expressing your child’s interest, background and skills in the sport
- If they fit the requirements of the trials, they will be nominated to attend
- Attend the trials with your child
Note: if your child is currently a representative-level player in any sport and wishes to nominate themselves to represent Oran Park Anglican College, please get in touch with Mr Cleur (jcleur@opac.nsw.edu.au) to discuss the next steps.
God bless,
Mr Judah Cleur
JS Sports Coordinator