Parent's+Page

Parents Page - What's happening in the Middle Syndicate?

 How can I help my child with reading?

Help your child to find a good book! Matching children with the 'right' book is an important part of inspiring your child's love of reading. Have a look at this Oxford reading site - it is full of wonderful ideas on how you can support your child at home and has book suggestions for all ages and abilities!



__Monday 8 August 2011__ What a great day we had on Friday, as we went to hear Sheena Cameron talk about reading comprehension. One of the main points that Sheena made was that the amount of time children spent reading had a direct relation to their fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. While this isn't anything new, it is a good reminder that, in order for children to get better at reading, they... need to READ!! This is where a strong home and school partnership comes in. Much of our school day is spent developing strategies they can use to improve comprehension but, in a busy school day, they don't always get the "mileage" they need for sustained quality reading time. This is why it is important children spend quiet time each night reading with family members or enjoying a good book on their own. Please encourage your children to read!!

Check out this video on the Literacy Legends page. It is really inspiring, in a fun way.

Here is a link for some great children's websites, all in one link. []

__Tuesday, 10 May 2011__ Today we looked at the Lexile Reading Programme. This is a school-wide reading programme that Weston has subscribed to. Each year we pay a membership fee for children to join. This fun, independent reading programme that teachers are able to monitor what children are reading and how well they understand what they have read.

Ever child has a user name and a password; this enables them to go online to do activities related to the Lexile books that they have read.This a fabulous site and we encourage children to be able to use this both at school and at home.

We had a wonderful website recommended to us by a parent. It has a range of stories that children can listen to, as they are read to with accompanying visuals. If you visit [|www.mightybookjr.com] and then click onto 'subscribe', type in 'learntoread' in the coupon area, it will allow you to have a year's free membership. Check it out for children that would like an alternative reading option at night.

This term our focus has been on building friendly classrooms and establishing a positive learning environment. A major focus this term has been Kia Kaha - 'Be Strong'. While this is an anti-bullying unit it also teaches children how to stand up for themselves and others.

We were very lucky to have some key figures from our Oamaru community to share their experiences and advice on this subject. The kids really enjoyed listening to our key speakers and had lots of relevant questions.



After this unit we will continue to look at our whole-school theme, Stand Up. The Middle Syndicate is looking at being proud of who we are and is moving on looking at being proud of where we are, Oamaru! We will be looking at what makes Oamaru unique and a special place to live. From here children will be able to pursue their own inquiry about what Oamaru has to offer!

If you have any suggestions or resources to support our topic, we would welcome your input. Please contact us via email or at school.

Kind regards Caroline Hope & Chrissy Allen