Literacy for Life at St Clair's

Students are catching the book worm at Holy Spirit St Clair’s, by being a part of its Early Bird Reading Program.

Designed to support all students by promoting the importance of reading and writing in our daily lives, this program offers more than basic literacy skills.

While improving their ability to read and write, the children spend lots of time with their peers in becoming more aware of others’ emotions, feelings and perspectives. It’s also offers a great opportunity to build positive relationships.

Reading is a major focus at Holy Spirit, as they believe success in life comes from the ability to read and understand complex concepts.

They take a whole-school approach to the teaching of reading, having strategies taught in English, as well as all key learning areas and other aspects of school life beyond the classroom.

In the classroom, children are encouraged to become active in the reading process by talking about what they are reading before, during and afterwards.

They are encouraged to understand the texts at a deep level, rather than just at the surface. This helps them develop life skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, analysis, and justification of their point of view.

Holy Spirit students and families know and understand the importance of reading at home too.

6 Tips for helping your child when reading at home

Every child reads something he or she chooses… let your child choose the story.
Every child reads accurately… be encouraging while helping them read the words correctly.
Every child reads something he or she understands… make sure the story is relevant to his or her experience.
Every child writes about something personally meaningful… encourage your child to write about his or her interests, or something they care about.
Every child talks with peers about reading and writing… try to have a conversation with your child about what they learnt from their homework.
Every child listens to a fluent adult read aloud… try to make time to read to your child or spend some time reading as a family.

(Based on six elements of literacy instruction – Richard L. Allington & Rachael E. Gabriel, 2012)

Written By

Holy Spirit Primary St Clair
www.hsstclair.catholic.edu.au

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11 May 2026
From Facebook
🌿 A Special Visit from Jarara! 🌿 Our Kindergarten students had a wonderful time working with our long valued partners from Jarara! at Holy Spirit, we are incredibly proud of our ongoing commitment to embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the heart of our learning. This visit was all about bringing the Early Stage 1 Syllabus to life through authentic cultural connection and creativity. Our Kindergarten team collaborated closely with Jarara to ensure that every activity, ncluding beautiful traditional art aligned perfectly with our learning outcomes. 🎨✨ Click here for more photos https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vRS5aLSLOk9q4mZuBWhNrUFFSmM_5g2_?usp=drive_link

10 May 2026
From Facebook
🔟 Friends of Ten in Year 1! 🔟 Our Year 1 mathematicians have been busy mastering their Friends of Ten! 🧠✨ To help these number pairings stick, we’ve been put to the test with some friendly competition. Students have been using tens frames to challenge their partners, racing to see who can be the first to call out the matching ""friend"" to make ten. Whether it’s 6+4 or 8+2, our learners are getting faster every day! It’s been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and growing confidence with their mental math strategies. Ask your little mathematician tonight: ""I have a 3, who is my friend of ten?"" 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ #Year1Maths #FriendsofTen #ActiveLearning #FutureMathematicians