Sophie Emerson awarded for teaching excellence

THE Catholic Schools in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese have an annual celebration to acknowledge excellence in education.

This year, local St Joseph’s Primary School teacher Sophie Emerson was awarded the prestigious Emmaus Award in  recognition of her outstanding contribution to education in her first five years of teaching.

Recipients of the Emmaus Award are nominated by peers and school communities and according to the Diocese, the award reflects the respect and admiration these teachers have earned through their dedication, leadership and service.

“Sophie has demonstrated exceptional creativity, leadership and commitment to student engagement through the ‘Growing Minds Inspiring Readers’ initiative,” said Amy Maslen, St Joseph’s Principal.

“Her pedagogy and ability to transform learning into a community-wide celebration of literacy and culture are truly remarkable.”

“I love creative writing, and when the opportunity came to run a creative writing project, I immediately put my hand up,” Ms Emerson told News Of The Area.

She explained that Growing Minds Inspiring Readers is a literacy project where students, guided by a published author, research, write, and illustrate a book.

At St Joseph’s, the project was a K-6 learning experience focused on the unique flora and fauna of Barrington Tops.

“Preparing for the book took months.

“We visited Barrington Tops to study the flora and animals [and] we researched the characteristics of each animal to enable students to create animal characters.”

Ms Emerson coordinated an Author in Residence week with award-winning author and illustrator Sami Bayly.

“The ‘Fire In The Tops’ project pushed the students outside their comfort zone and built their confidence in writing,” she said.

“It was exciting to watch students develop their skills and realise the possibilities that writing could open up”

Ms Maslen noted that, “The students were empowered to become confident authors and artists, producing their own illustrated book and improving their understanding of the Barrington Tops environment.

“Education is the key to helping students become confident adults who are open to the world and able to contribute meaningfully to their community.”

By Wendy BUSWELL