At the beginning of each school year, I make a point of sharing the following quote with staff and students: ‘The limits of my language are the limits of my world.’ This assertion by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein has become an important mantra for the English faculty at Mount Carmel and as a result, many students have come to appreciate its significance over the years. The one hundred and more Year 7 parents and carers who attended our first literacy conversation last Monday morning, were also privy to this powerful statement.

Language shapes our understanding of ourselves and our world.  Literacy – the ability to use and interpret language – involves reading, writing, viewing, speaking, and listening for different purposes in a range of contexts. Given literacy’s profound impact on student learning and wellbeing, it is timely to revisit the literacy landscape at Mount Carmel – a landscape central to the intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual development of all students.  The five literacy focus areas for 2023 are reading, writing, vocabulary, background knowledge and note making.

Parents are a vital part of the literacy learning process. Parent engagement in learning is known to lead to improved outcomes for students of all ages. The role of parents and other adult carers is therefore critical. Connecting learning at home and learning at school in the form of a literacy partnership is an exciting initiative at Mount Carmel. The Mount Carmel Home-School Literacy Partnership is a commitment to joint action in which parents and teachers work together to improve student learning outcomes. This partnership recognises that parents and carers are the first and continuing educators of their children, that learning is life-long and occurs in multiple settings, and that schools and communities flourish when the diversity and strengths of families are valued and privileged. As part of this literacy partnership, Mount Carmel is committed to engaging with parents and carers to explore ways to support learning at home, offering development and training opportunities that bring teachers and parents together, and providing resources to support and facilitate home-based learning.

I look forward to working with parents and carers throughout the year to maximise student learning. I’m confident this partnership between home and school will result in positive and beneficial outcomes for all – students, parents, and teachers.

Clare Murphy

English Coordination and Literacy Instructional Coach