St Patrick’s Primary School

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Carers,

At St Pat’s we are committed to making every minute count for learning. As you have heard, and read many times, our approach to literacy and numeracy is built on evidence-based teaching practices. The InitiaLit, Reading Mastery, Spelling Mastery, and Connecting Maths Concepts (CMC) programs continue to transform student learning and engagement. These direct instruction programs provide structured, explicit teaching that builds foundational skills step by step, ensuring we close learning gaps. By systematically guiding students through carefully sequenced lessons, we continue to create an environment where student confidence can flourish, and mastery becomes achievable for all.

Direct instruction is about clarity and precision to provide students with the tools they need to succeed. InitiaLit strengthens early literacy foundations, Reading Mastery accelerates fluency and understanding of texts, Spelling Mastery sharpens skills for written communication, and CMC builds essential numeracy and mathematical knowledge and skills. Students engage deeply with these structured lessons, benefiting from clear explanations, immediate feedback, and opportunities to practice and apply knowledge in meaningful ways. The result? A noticeable improvement in student outcomes, stronger academic confidence, and, we hope, a love of learning that lasts beyond the classroom.

As part of this instruction, we follow the 'no hands up' rule. Teachers use pop sticks to choose students in a random manner. This ensures all students are listening and engaged, they know their name may be called. We do this for minds on learning and to create inclusive learning environments. Instead of relying on the traditional method of students raising their hands to answer questions, using random selection encourages all students to participate, think critically, and share their ideas.

We are inspired by the learning growth we see daily—the small victories that lead to lasting progress. If you are curious to know more about these programs, we encourage you to ask your child’s teacher or a member of the school leadership team. You may like to do this at the upcoming parent teacher interviews in the last week of term.

Blessings