Positive Learning Partnerships at St Patrick’s Primary School, Macksville

St Patrick’s Primary School, Macksville, has engaged their K-2 families in learning about the new curriculum and the new approach to teaching reading. (9 May 2023)

Families from the St Patrick’s Primary School, Macksville, community came together for an engaging night of learning at the K-2 Reading Workshop.

Students in Kindergarten to Year 2 are the first to experience the new curriculum reform, benefitting from the evidence-based and back-to-basics syllabuses. This is the first comprehensive review of the NSW primary and secondary curriculum since 1989.

The workshop was aimed at providing the latest research into learning how to read and the complex skills involved in mastering reading. It was also an opportunity for parents to have an understanding of the new curriculum and experience some of the activities that the children participate in each day.

Together the families and children explored practical reading activities to practise and master the different components of reading. The event focused on parents' understanding of how learning and teaching have changed since they were at school and targeted key areas such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

‘Having the activities and games broken down into the different reading components really helped me understand how I can help target each area at home,’ said one enthusiastic parent.

Many parents who attended have since been in contact with the school to collect resources and games from the night as their children are eager to continue this learning at home.

‘The family reading night was a great opportunity for parents to come together and learn about the way we now teach reading. The night was informative and engaging, and it was great to see the parents interacting with each other while learning with their children,’ said Principal Julie Ryan.

Congratulations to St Patrick's Primary School on collaborating with families to develop positive partnerships and learning experiences for students.