Pedagogy & Learning New

Life Education - Let’s Talk About it Program (Year 5 & 6)

This week our year 6 students had a visit from Samantha from the “Life Education - Let’s Talk About it” program to learn about changes associated with Puberty. Learning about the changes associated with puberty is in the Australian Curriculum for upper primary school (Health and Physical Education). Life Education delivers this information in a sensitive and age-appropriate way. I received very positive feedback from the presenter about the types of questions and discussions our year 6 students had, and we look forward to having Samantha back next week for Year 5.  

The first conversations about Relationships and Puberty should start at home. 

Children are entering puberty earlier, with the average age between 10 and 12 years. Early discussions can: 

• Prevent Misunderstandings: Separating fact and fiction and correcting any rumours or false information they have heard from friends or read online

• Promote Safety: Educate them about consent and how to seek help, reducing the risk of sexual abuse

• Normalise the Conversation: Reduce stigma, making it easier for your child to approach you with questions as they grow  
  (Life Education: Tips for Parents)

Pupil Free Day - School Improvement

We hope your children had a fantastic holiday and pupil free earlier this week. While our students enjoyed their extra day off, our dedicated teachers and school officers were engaged in professional development activities, aimed at enhancing their knowledge of curriculum and teaching practices. The last 2 Pupil Free Days have been focused on new and relevant policy documents and how they may impact our school. The policies include the ‘Better and Fairer Schools Agreement 2025-2034’, and the ‘Non-State Schools Accreditation Board Guideline for Educational Programs 2025’. These 2 documents immensely influence our Pedagogy, Assessment and Curriculum Excellence Requirements, advised through our System - ‘Catholic Education Townsville.’ Over the next 10 years, the Federal and State Governments have agreed to focus on the following three reforms: 

• Equity and Excellence
• Wellbeing for Learning and Engagement
• A Strong and Sustainable Workforce

Our Governments will measure outcomes by increasing the number of students obtaining a year 12 certificate or equivalent; Improving NAPLAN results in Reading and Numeracy; increasing student attendance; and increasing the number of people studying Education at universities. 

At St Benedict’s, we are continuing to focus on strengthening our practices in Literacy to ensure consistent, evidence-based practices, while supporting teacher workload. In doing so, it is our students who greatly benefit from consistent practices to support their literacy development. It is very exciting to continue to work together to help our students succeed as proficient readers and writers! 

Yours in Learning, 

Aleesha Rockemer 

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning (APPL)