Building Confident Readers:
The Importance of Fluency

Developing reading fluency is an essential part of learning to read. A fluent reader can read accurately, at a natural pace, with expression, and understand what they are reading. Fluency matters because it enables children to fully participate in learning, experience success at school, and enjoy reading for pleasure.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Learning to read well is one way children can practise giving their best. Approaching reading with focus and persistence builds resilience and responsibility, which honours God. It also reminds students that every skill they develop can be used to glorify Him and serve others.

Fluency has three main parts: accuracy (reading words correctly), automaticity (reading smoothly at a conversational pace), and prosody (using expression, phrasing, and tone). These skills develop in sequence, beginning with accuracy, which lays the foundation for automaticity, and building toward prosody.

How We Build Fluency at Northern

We follow a structured, evidence-informed approach to developing fluency for all students. In whole-class lessons, students practise through daily activities such as choral reading, paired reading, and repeated reading. For those who need extra support, programs such as MiniLit, MacqLit, and Repeated Reading offer one-on-one and small-group instruction with frequent opportunities for practice. These approaches strengthen decoding skills, accuracy, and confidence. Students who are ready for extension are given more challenging texts and passages to further develop their skills.

We track student progress in fluency using the DIBELS assessment - a
one-on-one, standardised, evidence-based check conducted three times a year with every student. Our results show encouraging growth across the school, with fluency rates improving at each assessment point. Regular, structured assessments allow us to tailor support for each student, providing extra help or extension as needed, and ensure that we respond promptly to the insights the data provides.

How You Can Help at Home

Parents and carers have an important role in helping children become fluent readers. If possible, spend a few minutes each day listening to your child read. If that is not always practical, you can still support them by reading together, revisiting favourite books, or modelling expression and tone when you read aloud. These simple, regular moments can make a big difference to your child’s confidence, enjoyment, and reading skills.

Kerrie Prentice - Head of Teaching and Learning Enrichment

Back in the classroom, we have been busy diving into our new Science unit on circuits. We’ve begun exploring how electricity flows, and students are eagerly preparing to design and build their very own circuits in the coming weeks.

In English, we have been developing our writing skills by crafting our very own epic adventure stories. It has been such a joy to watch the class grow in confidence with their writing, particularly in using compound and complex sentences, rich detail, and descriptive language to make their stories engaging and imaginative. We can’t wait to share some of these incredible tales later in the term!

Luke Lamont - Year 6 Teacher

Year 5 Economics and Business
Coffee Van Visit

As part of their Economics and Business learning, Year 5 students are exploring the resources needed to run a business: natural, human, and capital.

Next week, they will meet Shalom Devenish, an 18-year-old local business owner who operates her own coffee van, Estro Coffee. She will share her story of starting a business at a young age, including the challenges, responsibilities, and rewards of being self-employed.

Shalom will set up her van at school for staff and parents to
purchase drinks from 8.30am - 9.00am (Eftpos available).

This incursion provides a real-life link to classroom learning and will hopefully inspire students to see how ideas and resources work together in business.

End of Season SALE!

Long-sleeved polos have been reduced to $20! Purchase via QKR or the office.

Join our Northern community for a relaxed, casual Father's Day morning with a sweet donut and a barista-made coffee for adults to enjoy with their children in the PAC. There will also be plenty of sweet donuts for students to enjoy.

The aim of the occasion is to create a happy time for children to share with the adult men in their lives, whether it be their dad, big brother, uncle, grandad, stepfather, or friend. We look forward to hosting you! 

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We would love to have some Mums help us serve for this event. Please email the CEC if you would like to help. 

Community Engagement Committee

After the success of ‘Faces of Calvin’ last year, we are excited to be running this competition in Term 3 at Northern.

All students are invited to create a portrait of someone in our school community (this could be a self-portrait, a student, a teacher, etc.), following the guidelines provided. Entries are due by Friday, 19 September and will be judged by a panel. One portrait from each class will be selected as a finalist, with a winner then chosen from each stage group: K/P, Years 1/2, Years 3/4, and Years 5/6. These winners will then represent Northern in the upcoming ‘Faces of CST’ competition.

As part of Visual Arts, Miss Ling will be teaching portrait skills over the coming weeks, so students will have plenty of opportunity to practise before creating their entry. They may submit a portrait they have completed in class or one created at home.

See the FLYER for all the details.

The Dentist is visiting Northern!
Tuesday 23rd & Wed 24th September

If you would like your child to participate, a REGISTRATION PACK has been sent home with your child and must be returned to the office by Monday, 1st September, or register online HERE. If you require a replacement Registration Pack, please contact the office.

Building Challenge:

• Each Lego display is to be no larger than 52cm x 52cm x 52cm, or no larger than four 32x32 lug Lego baseplates.

• Each Lego display must be an original or freelance design and not made from a Lego kit.

• Some adult help is allowed, but the Lego design should mainly be the child’s own design.

• Each Lego entry is to be completed and displayed at your school, in-house or virtually, by no later than Monday, 8 September 2025.

• Lego submissions to be taken to the Learning Enrichment Room for display from Monday, 1 September or virtually as a photo emailed to myself. Students are to be holding or positioned next to their creations. Photos will also be displayed in the Learning Enrichment Room.

• All Lego Challenge Overall Winners will be judged by Tasmanian Brick Enthusiasts Inc. members, to determine the Grand Prize Winners by bringing their model (or photo) to South East Sports Complex, Montagu St, Sorell to be on display at the Brixhibition Hobart 2025 event on Saturday, 4 October and Sunday, 5 October.

• Grand Prize winners will be announced at 3.20pm on Sunday, 5th October, during Brixhibition Hobart 2025 at Sorell.

Luke Lamont - Year 6 Teacher