Michelle Tamaro and her daughter Aria who will start kindergarten Tuesday. Credit: Ben Symons.
Aria Tamaro can rattle off a long list of new things she is looking forward to when she starts kindergarten on Thursday.
Having watched her older siblings take the same step, the five-year-old from North Parramatta knows there will be new friends, new teachers and new activities. But, most of all, Aria is excited to have new books to read.
"I love all books, I love colourful books," she said, listing the Spot series and comedian Andy Lee's Do Not Open This Book, as among her favourites.
Almost 65,000 kindergarten students will start at NSW public schools this week as a new syllabus that mandates the use of phonics when teaching pupils to read is rolled out in all classrooms.
Most state and Catholic schools return on Tuesday, while some students at NSW's independent schools started late last week.
The new kindergarten to year 2 English and mathematics syllabuses will be mandatory across the three school sectors for the first time this year, as part of an overhaul to the NSW curriculum that places heavier emphasis on literacy and numeracy foundations in early schooling.
The curriculum has a greater emphasis on phonics, a method that teaches students to sound out letters and letter combinations when learning to read. For example, they might learn that the short "c" sound can appear as "c" as in cat, "k" as in kit and "ck" as in duck.
A statewide phonics screening check, conducted in public schools after a term of remote learning in 2021, suggested more than 40 per cent of year 1 students were not meeting benchmarks.
Trialled across 400 schools last year, the new curriculum also increases the focus on core skills such as spelling, handwriting and structuring a sentence.
In maths, lessons will shift to be grounded in mathematical reasoning, ensuring students understand how they arrive at an answer. The teaching of addition and subtraction will also no longer be separated, instead taught as opposite components of the same process.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, whose own youngest daughter will start kindergarten this week, said the first syllabuses of the state's curriculum reform were designed to build strong literacy and numeracy foundations for learners' early years and beyond.
"The students starting kindergarten next week will be the first of the 'curriculum reform generation', benefitting from these evidence-based, back-to-basic syllabuses from their very first day," she said.
Sydney Morning Herald
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04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🚀 Year 2 are FORCE-fully fantastic! 🤩 Our young scientists have just wrapped up their Forces unit in the most hands-on way—by designing and building their very own arcade games using recyclable materials! ♻️🎮 Students applied their understanding of push and pull forces to plan, create, and test their inventions. The classroom was buzzing with energy as they spent the afternoon playing, testing, and refining each other’s games. 🧪🔧 Well done, Year 2! We’re so proud of your creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork. The future of science and invention is in great hands! 🌟👩🔬👨🚀03 Sep 2026
From Facebook
A very warm thank you to all our parents and carers who joined us for our Joey’s Café last night. We were so excited to see such a wonderful number of parents and carers come together, connect and support this initiative. Your presence and willingness to engage in these conversations is a wonderful reflection of the strong partnership between our school and families. We were thrilled to welcome award-winning speaker and author, Daniel Merza, who led us through a practical, thought-provoking session focused on building resilience in our children. Daniel shared three powerful messages for raising children to thrive: - build connection by showing up, listening and investing time - build belief by encouraging effort, persistence and a willingness to step outside their comfort zone - build tenacity by helping children see challenges as opportunities to learn, focus on progress over perfection, and recognise what is within their control We hope you left the evening feeling encouraged, equipped and inspired with some practical strategies to take into your homes and conversations with your children. Thank you once again for making our Joey’s Café such a success. Your involvement matters and we are so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow together as a community. We look forward to welcoming you back to Joey’s Café in Term 4 for another opportunity to connect, share and support one another.
More News
04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🚀 Year 2 are FORCE-fully fantastic! 🤩 Our young scientists have just wrapped up their Forces unit in the most hands-on way—by designing and building their very own arcade games using recyclable materials! ♻️🎮 Students applied their understanding of push and pull forces to plan, create, and test their inventions. The classroom was buzzing with energy as they spent the afternoon playing, testing, and refining each other’s games. 🧪🔧 Well done, Year 2! We’re so proud of your creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork. The future of science and invention is in great hands! 🌟👩🔬👨🚀
03 Sep 2026
From Facebook
A very warm thank you to all our parents and carers who joined us for our Joey’s Café last night. We were so excited to see such a wonderful number of parents and carers come together, connect and support this initiative. Your presence and willingness to engage in these conversations is a wonderful reflection of the strong partnership between our school and families. We were thrilled to welcome award-winning speaker and author, Daniel Merza, who led us through a practical, thought-provoking session focused on building resilience in our children. Daniel shared three powerful messages for raising children to thrive: - build connection by showing up, listening and investing time - build belief by encouraging effort, persistence and a willingness to step outside their comfort zone - build tenacity by helping children see challenges as opportunities to learn, focus on progress over perfection, and recognise what is within their control We hope you left the evening feeling encouraged, equipped and inspired with some practical strategies to take into your homes and conversations with your children. Thank you once again for making our Joey’s Café such a success. Your involvement matters and we are so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow together as a community. We look forward to welcoming you back to Joey’s Café in Term 4 for another opportunity to connect, share and support one another.
02 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Our Year Three students enjoyed their excursion to the Australian Museum where they experienced two exciting First Nations led programs. Students explored how First Nations peoples care for Sea Country and learned about native plants and their cultural significance. Our students had the opportunity to try traditional weaving techniques through hands-on activities and games. A great day of learning and connection with Country, culture and community.
01 Sep 2026
From Facebook
We’re excited to welcome all SJK parents and carers tomorrow for an inspiring evening with Daniel Merza as he explores Raising Children to Thrive. Come along ... bring a peer parent!
28 Aug 2026
From Facebook
28 Aug 2026
Kids get creative: Book Week with a twist as local school encourages students to think deeper
For schools across the nation, Book Week was celebrated through the theme of ‘Symphony of Stories’. For St Joseph’s Primary in Kingswood, they wanted to redefine Book Week and delve into the idea of bringing words to life.
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, it’s surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
27 Aug 2026
From Facebook
📚✨ SJK’s Book Parade Comes Alive! ✨📚 Our school grounds transformed into a living storybook as students paraded in their incredible character costumes, each one a walking chapter of imagination, effort and pure love of reading. 🎭📖 This year, St Joseph’s added an exciting twist to our Book Week Parade, students didn’t just dress as their favourite characters they brought them to life with rich, powerful vocabulary! From “courageous” and “mysterious” to “mischievous” and “extraordinary,” the words they chose revealed not only their creativity but also their growing confidence as readers and writers. 🌟 It was a joy to hear them explain why their character was “brave,” “loyal,” or “adventurous,” and to witness the deep connections they’ve formed with the stories they love. This celebration is another shining example of how we set high expectations and look for creative ways to connect every celebration and experience to the explicit teaching and learning happening in our classrooms every day. 🍎📚 A huge thank you to our wonderful families for supporting this special day and to our dedicated staff for making it so engaging, fun and full of wonder. 🌈📖 Here’s to many more chapters of creativity at SJK! 🎉📚
27 Aug 2026
From Facebook
🙏✨ Yesterday, our school captains proudly represented our school at the Education Mass celebrated at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta. This special liturgy coincided with the 40th Anniversary of the Diocese of Parramatta, and as part of Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD), we are also celebrating 40 years of faith-filled education in our school communities.
24 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Due to an internet issue currently our phones are not working. If you need to contact the office for any reason please see our recent compass notification providing an alternate number. Thank you.
22 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Are you ready for our book parade on Tuesday, by bringing a word to life? Remember this year not only are we dressing up, we are also selecting a word that best describes your character or you can dress up as a word! That's right, if your favourite word is sparkle - you can come dressed in sparkles. We are looking forward to building our vocabulary through your creative ideas.
20 Aug 2026
From Facebook
20 Aug 2026
From Facebook
📜✨ Our Year 5 writers are bringing history to life! ✨📜 Our Year 5 students are researching, imagining, planning and crafting powerful historical narratives that transport readers straight into the past! With pens racing across the page, ideas bursting with energy and determination shining in every face, our young authors are creating characters who dash through crowded streets, scramble for safety, whisper urgent messages and battle against impossible odds. They are carefully weaving historical facts into dramatic stories filled with tension, courage and adventure. Year 5 is proving that history is not just something we read about, it is something we can feel, see and experience through the power of words! 🔥✍️📚