St Joseph’s is committed to improving writing outcomes across the school.  Staff identified that we wanted to develop a consistent approach and process of teaching writing throughout the school.  On Friday, 24th May all teaching staff are attending a Professional Development day learning how to implement Seven Steps to Writing Success. 

The Seven Steps to Writing Success program has been very successful in developing students’ writing skills as it focuses on the craft of writing by breaking these skills into manageable chunks. 

What is the Seven Steps Program? 

The Seven Steps to Writing Success program was created by Australian author and teacher, Jen McVeity in 2004. Her Seven Steps to Writing Success program has proved to rapidly improve students’ writing skills and get students engaged in writing. The program is being successfully used in hundreds of schools across Australia. 

Pedagogy behind the Seven Steps to Writing Success Framework 

The Seven Steps to Writing Success program is underpinned by the principle of chunking writing into discrete, teachable elements of which students attain mastery through repetition. Emphasis is given to the importance of talking, brainstorming and planning before writing and the program encourages group and paired activities. (Jen McVeity, 2015). 

The program is based on the following pedagogical principles: 

• Chunk learning (… “for any learning activity to be effective it has to be taught step by step”, John Fleming) 
• Repetition and practice reinforces learning (… “we have to process new material in order to transfer it from our working memory to our long-term memory”) 
• Brainstorm first – write second (…the prewriting stage involves brainstorming, planning and organising) 
• Verbal is Vital (…verbal language is critical for the development of literacy skills; it develops engaged, responsive and reciprocal learning relationships with children; all the research shows students learn better when they are active participants, not just passively listening) 
• Consistency creates change (… change can’t happen in a day, but by being consistent, change can happen in a term, Jen McVeity) 

The Seven Steps is a unique system that chunks writing into seven main techniques. 

 The Seven Steps are: 

1. Plan for Success
2. Sizzling Starts 
3. Tightening Tension
4. Dynamic Dialogue
5. Show, Don’t Tell
6. Ban the Boring
7. Exciting Endings 

For more information please visit 

We hope in the near future you will hear your children coming home talking about all the great writing they are doing in class. 

NAPLAN

During Weeks 3 and 4 all students in Year 3 and Year 5 completed NAPLAN testing. All students appeared very settled especially considering it was the first time these tests were administered online. A very big thank you to Miss Laura Slattery who coordinated NAPLAN Online testing here at St Joseph’s.  Laura’s knowledge, organisation and ability to communicate the process to both staff and teachers has been invaluable.  Thank you Laura! 

It is important to remember that these tests only give us a snapshot of where the students are on their learning journey. Teachers analyse the results to assist students to continue to grow in their skills and understanding of the curriculum. This is only one tool teachers use to measure progress. Students are also regularly assessed within the classroom activities. The data collected regularly by staff, enables the teachers to help develop your child and target their individual needs, through appropriate planning and curriculum delivery, to improve the learning outcomes for each child.  

 If you have any concerns about your child’s progress, appointments to discuss the issue with your child’s teacher can be made through the school office. Official parent / teacher interviews will be conducted later this term. This is an opportunity which is offered by the school for you to discuss your child’s learning. Details on how to register for this will be given in the school newsletter closer to Week 10, the interview week.