Dear Families,

Firstly, I wish all of the candidates for Confirmation all the very best for this Friday. Archbishop Christopher will officiate the ceremony for this Sacrament. Confirmation is the sacrament where Catholics freely accept being full adult members of the Church. This is the time when students begin to take charge of their own faith and deeply consider Christ in their lives. Having spoken to the candidates a number of times, I can see that they are really thinking about who Jesus is for them and are very welcoming of the Holy Spirit. I thank their teachers Mrs Thomas and Mr Smith for their work in preparing them for this sacrament.

Yesterday I was interviewed by Win News about the amazing work our staff have been doing to raise the literacy levels of all students here at St Thomas Aquinas. The interview follows the release of a report by Equity Economics, ‘Raising the Grade: How schools in the ACT can lift literacy outcomes for students and the economy’. The writers of this 67 page report outline five key steps that the ACT Government should follow to ensure all ACT schools are following evidence-based practice in teaching children to read.

1. A high-quality, low-variance curriculum.
2. Professional development for principals and teachers.
3. Effective progress monitoring to support intervention.
4. A systematic approach to intervention for struggling readers.
5. High quality Initial teacher education at universities.

I am very pleased to say that, at St Thomas Aquinas, we have been implementing the first four steps since 2020 and support all of the Student Teachers who come through St Thomas Aquinas to develop an understanding of the Science of Reading while they are here with us. Since implementing the evidence-based literacy programs, including InitaLit, MiniLit, MacqLit and Reading Tutor we have noticed a significant improvement in the outcomes for all students, but particularly students in Kinder to Year 2.

We are very lucky to be part of a system of schools that promotes the Science of Reading and the Science of Learning, and that supports all of it’s staff with training and resourcing to implement these programs. We are also very blessed to have such a dedicated staff who are so committed to teaching using evidence-based strategies and who make a very real difference to the lives of every single student at the school.

Last night, Abby S in Year 6 competed at the Rostrum quarter finals. She performed incredibly well and was successful in moving to the next round. I congratulate Abby and wish her all the very best for the semi-finals to be held in August.

This Thursday I will be braving the cold to raise money for St Vincent de Paul. I, along with five other principals from Catholic Schools in Canberra, will be sleeping in the Garden of Australian Dreams at the National Museum of Australia to raise money for Canberra families. Many families rely on support from St Vincent de Paul to put food on the table, pay electricity bills, for clothing and emergency support. Even some of our own families at St Thomas Aquinas have, at times, reached out to Vinnies for a helping hand. I thank those of you who have already sponsored me. For those who would like to support the great work of St Vincent de Paul please donate via this link: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/leahtaylor/act

Take care and God bless