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

09 Jun 2026
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22 May 2026
From Facebook
We are incredibly proud of two of our school leaders who attended the Primary School Leaders Reception in Penrith this week, representing our 14 SCR Leaders for 2026. This special event brought together student leaders from across the local area, celebrating leadership, service, and the important role young people play in their school communities. Our students represented our school with pride, confidence, and respect, demonstrating the wonderful leadership qualities we know and value.

22 May 2026
From Facebook
This term our students enjoyed an exciting and engaging World of Maths Incursion! Through hands-on activities and collaborative challenges, students explored how Maths is used in everyday life and discovered that Maths really is everywhere. Working in small teams, students communicated their ideas, solved problems together, and explored a variety of mathematical strands linked to their learning this term. It was wonderful to see students thinking critically, persevering through challenges, and most importantly, having fun while learning! A huge thank you to World of Maths for providing such an interactive and enjoyable experience for our students.