Week 4 Term 2

Happy Mother's Day to all of our 

wonderful mums and grandmas.

MONDAY 11TH MAY.

TUESDAY 12TH MAY.

WEDNESDAY 13TH MAY.

Just a reminder that there is a healthy lunch presentation for ALL parents on Wednesday at 1.30 - 2.30 in the hall.  

THURSDAY 14TH MAY.

2.00pm Kapa Haka

FRIDAY 15TH MAY.

Lunchtime. PI practice. Please encourage your children to attend.

Library Day

Golden Time

Reading

This term the junior teams are involved in an inquiry into literacy learning.  Each research report that I have read so far has highlighted the importance of the learning support you give your children at home.  So, I plan to put up 1-2 tips and tricks each week to give you a hand. This week the focus of my study has been improving fluency (i.e.  rather than lists of words pulled painfully from some corner of their poor wee heads - reading should sound like talking).  Two of the strategies for improving fluency are repeated reading and choral reading.  

Repeated Reading = reading the same books over and over again. 

If it's a book they can probably rattle off without looking ask them to run their finger under the words they are reading.  Read a page each and point to the words for each other.  

Choral Reading = reading at the same time as someone who is a good model.  

If you read each page at a manageable speed for your child they learn to read with a better pace AND they get the help they might need with a few tricky words along the way.  Seeing those high frequency words (a, and, little...) read correctly over and over again is really good for helping to build a bank of known words. The secret word this week is: fluency

Both of these strategies are easy to employ at home, speed up the reading homework AND make it a bit more fun.  You're welcome!

Healthy Lunches

I think we all know the connection between healthy food and a healthy brain.  This week Mrs Todd has organised a speaker for the Senior school, and any parent who is interested, about Healthy Lunches.  If you are interested and available just turn up to the school hall at 1:30 on Wednesday.   There is some basic information about Healthy Lunches on our Need to Know page.  The Healthy Food Guide website also has loads of links, tips and ideas to help busy parents build healthy lunches.