Ben Munday with students reading at Holy Family Primary
Do you remember learning to drive? Even if you’ve never learned, you can probably imagine the process.
At first, there is SO much to remember and it can seem overwhelming. When you try to focus on getting the clutch right, you forget about putting on your indicator. Just when you feel you’ve got the hang of second gear, your teacher says “Now shift into third”.
If you had professional lessons, your instructor’s car had a second set of pedals on their side of the car. This way, they could share some of the control just in case you were about to drive them into a wall.
So what does all this have to do with reading?
Good readers are like good drivers. We use many, many different skills and processes all at the same time without even noticing. And just like you learn to change gears and steer so you can use the car to get somewhere, when we read we use all the different skills for a higher purpose – to make meaning from written words. In other words, to understand, or comprehend what we read. ‘Getting all the words right’ is less important than understanding what we read.
Just like driving teachers, school teachers use a ‘gradual release of responsibility’ model when teaching reading.
- In Modelled Reading, the teacher is in control.
- In Shared Reading, the teacher leads and the children join in.
- In Guided Reading, the children lead and the teacher joins in if necessary.
- In Independent Reading, the child leads and is in control.
- Read to your children every day in any language – even five minutes is a good start
- Talk about what you have read
- Talk about movies and games and compare them to stories you know
- Listen to your children read their home readers to you
- Have books available for your children to read for pleasure
- Take your children to the library to borrow books, magazines, books on CDs, anything!
- Teach your children to read a menu, a shopping list, a catalogue, a bus timetable, anything!
Mr Benjamin Munday
Assistant Principal
Holy Family East Granville
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
-
17 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π»π Learning to Be Safe Online! π±π Today, Stage 1 students took part in an engaging Digital Safety incursion, exploring how to stay safe, respectful and responsible when using technology and navigating the online world. π‘οΈβ¨ Students learnt about making safe choices online, protecting their personal information and recognising situations where they may need to ask a trusted adult for help. π©βπ«π¬ It was a valuable and interactive day, helping our students build the knowledge and confidence they need to become safe and responsible digital citizens! ππ»11 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π Global Environments | Year 6 ππΏ On Tuesday, Year 6 embarked on a hands-on βGlobal Environmentsβ excursion to Clifton Gardens, exploring how climate, vegetation and human impact shape our world. π±π Throughout the day, students discovered the cultural and ecological importance of World Heritage sites and learned how deeply humans depend on natural environments for essential food and resources. ππ Students put their learning into practice through a range of hands-on experiences, including building beach shelters ποΈ, trying hand-reel fishing π£, experimenting with waterworks π§, and catching bugs π to investigate local biodiversity. It was a fantastic day of learning, exploration and discovery! ππΏπ
More News
17 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π»π Learning to Be Safe Online! π±π Today, Stage 1 students took part in an engaging Digital Safety incursion, exploring how to stay safe, respectful and responsible when using technology and navigating the online world. π‘οΈβ¨ Students learnt about making safe choices online, protecting their personal information and recognising situations where they may need to ask a trusted adult for help. π©βπ«π¬ It was a valuable and interactive day, helping our students build the knowledge and confidence they need to become safe and responsible digital citizens! ππ»
11 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π Global Environments | Year 6 ππΏ On Tuesday, Year 6 embarked on a hands-on βGlobal Environmentsβ excursion to Clifton Gardens, exploring how climate, vegetation and human impact shape our world. π±π Throughout the day, students discovered the cultural and ecological importance of World Heritage sites and learned how deeply humans depend on natural environments for essential food and resources. ππ Students put their learning into practice through a range of hands-on experiences, including building beach shelters ποΈ, trying hand-reel fishing π£, experimenting with waterworks π§, and catching bugs π to investigate local biodiversity. It was a fantastic day of learning, exploration and discovery! ππΏπ
09 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Year 2 has been exploring time in Maths! β° We looked at clocks π°οΈ learning how to read o'clock, half past, quarter-to, and quarter-past times. π Halfway through, we switched gears! βοΈ Now we are looking at the duration of different events β±οΈ and will be exploring a calendar π to countdown to different events... we might start with working out how many school days until the holidays!! πβ‘οΈποΈ π Year 3 Drama Literacy π During Drama Literacy, Year 3 explored the idea of accidents through the familiar story of Humpty Dumpty π₯β¨. Students used their bodies to embody different types of accidents, thinking creatively about how each situation might look and feel. They then explored the emotions of shock, determination, terror and pride π²πͺπ±π, using facial expressions, body movements and poses to communicate each feeling β all without saying a word! ππ
06 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Heavenly Father, You entrusted Your Son Jesus to the care of Joseph, an earthly father. Bless all fathers and father figures as they care for their families. Give them strength and wisdom, tenderness and patience. Support them in their daily work, and let Your face shine upon them with grace and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. ππ» Wishing all the special men in the Holy Family community a happy Fatherβs DayβοΈπβοΈ
04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π A special morning celebrating all the incredible people who take on the role of a father in our childrenβs lives! π We started our morning with a delicious Fatherβs Day Breakfast, bringing our school community together for smiles, laughter and precious moments shared with the special dads, grandfathers, stepdads and father figures who mean so much to our students. π³βοΈπ¨βπ§βπ¦ We then gathered for a beautiful Fatherβs Day Mass, giving thanks for the love, guidance, support and encouragement our dads and father figures provide each day. πβ¨ Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make our morning so special. π Happy Fatherβs Day to all our amazing dads and father figures! ππ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
02 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π π¦ Year 2 Goes WILD! ππ§ Today, our Year 2 students headed off on an exciting adventure to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo! ππ¦ From discovering incredible underwater creatures ππ’ to getting up close with some of Australiaβs amazing wildlife π¦π¨, our students had a fantastic day of learning, exploring and making memories together! πβ¨ What a WILD day for Year 2! ππΎπ
01 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Celebrating Our School Community, Safely π You may begin to notice some changes in the way we share photos of our students on our public social media pages. We love giving our families a glimpse into school life and celebrating the learning, achievements, friendships, faith experiences and special moments that make our community so wonderful. However, as technology continues to evolve, particularly with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and the ways images can be accessed, altered and shared online, we are becoming increasingly mindful of how we share identifiable images of our students publicly. Our studentsβ privacy and online safety must always come first. Donβt worry, our socials arenβt disappearing! We will continue to celebrate all the wonderful things happening across our school, from learning and sporting achievements to liturgies, excursions, performances and special events. You may simply notice fewer full-face or individually identifiable photographs of students appearing on our public social media pages. π± Families wonβt miss out! More photos and special moments will be shared directly with our families through Compass, providing a more appropriate space for us to celebrate and share our studentsβ experiences. The way we share may be changing, but there will certainly be no shortage of wonderful things to celebrate. π Thank you for supporting us as we continue to navigate an ever-changing digital world while keeping the safety, privacy and wellbeing of our students at the centre of our decisions. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
01 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π Support Staff Appreciation Week π Today we celebrated our amazing support staff and the incredible difference they make every day. From supporting learning and navigating big emotions to offering encouragement and care, they are such an important part of our Holy Family community. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
28 Aug 2026
Our schools are cracking the reading code
Do you remember how you learned to read? For a vital skill that is linked to all other learning, itβs surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
27 Aug 2026
From Facebook
πΆπ A SYMPHONY OF STORIES! ππΆ Today, our school was filled with characters, creativity and a whole lot of BOOK WEEK MAGIC! β¨ππ In celebration of Childrenβs Book Week 2026 and this yearβs theme, βSymphony of Storiesβ, our students brought the pages of their favourite books to life! π Just like a symphony brings together different instruments to create something wonderful, stories bring together different characters, voices, adventures and ideas to create a world of imagination. πΆππ« From magical creatures and courageous heroes to much-loved storybook characters, our school was certainly making some beautiful literary music today! π§ββοΈπ¦ΈββοΈπ»π A huge thank you to our wonderful families and staff for helping make today such a special celebration of the joy of reading. π πΆ Every story has a voice. Every book has an adventure. Together, they create our Symphony of Stories! πβ¨ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
In Maths, Year 2 has been learning about 2D shapes π. We explored the language of quarter-turns, half-turns and full-turns π. We used the Beebots π to strengthen our understanding of the language and compared it to the clock β° to discuss clockwise and anticlockwise. Check out our Year 2 mathematicians hard at work! πΊοΈ Mapping Our Way! π§β¨ Year 3 students have been learning how to draw and read maps using legends and symbols! ππ They have been practising how to use symbols to represent different features and using a legend to work out what each symbol means. ππΊοΈ Theyβre becoming confident little mapmakers! πβ¨
23 Aug 2026
From Facebook
πβ¨ BOOK WEEK IS HERE! β¨π Get ready to celebrate Childrenβs Book Week 2026 β Symphony of Stories! πΆπ We have a fantastic week ahead filled with books, imagination and plenty of fun, including our Book Performance, Book Fair, Author Visit, family picnic and our much-loved Character Parade! π π Thursday 27 August is our BIG celebration! π§Ί 1:40pm β Families are invited to bring a picnic blanket or cushions, find a spot on the grass and share a book with your child. π 2:30pm β Stay and enjoy our Character Parade on P2! Students are invited to come dressed as a favourite book character and donβt forget to bring your completed Character Profile with you! We canβt wait to see our school come alive with a Symphony of Stories! ππΆβ¨
20 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Year 1 students have been making their own promises as they begin to explore the meaning of a covenantβa special promise between God and His people. Through their promises, students are learning that covenants are about love, trust and keeping our promises to one another. π Year 5 have been exploring the world of data! π They have been interpreting a range of graphs and writing statements about what they noticed, before collecting their own real-time data by tracking how often they contributed to class discussions. π¬ They will then use their data to create their own graphs and represent their findings visually! ππ
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
β Vinnies Winter Sleepout β Faith in Action β Our students took part in a meaningful evening of prayer, meditation, learning and service as part of our Vinnies Winter Sleepout. Using Davidβs story and reflected on how quickly and unexpectedly people in our community can be one crisis away from homelessness. Students shared a simple meal of soup, a bread roll, fruit and water, before gathering in our Holy Family Prayer Garden for a Liturgy of the Word, where they led us beautifully in prayer and song. We finished the evening with a team-building challenge, constructing our own shelters. While this was a fun experience for us, it carried an important message, for many people, finding a safe place to sleep is not a game or a choice. It helped our students finish the night with a deeper sense of gratitude, compassion and responsibility to care for others. Through our Faith in Action initiatives, our Holy Family community has raised $1,277 so far to support the vision and mission of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and the important work they do supporting people experiencing hardship and homelessness. Thank you to our students, families and staff for continuing to put our faith into action.π Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese Vinnies Australia