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Home Reading
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18 August 2000 No. 25
From the Head of Junior SchoolA very special week has now concluded and our very own '16 Days of Glory' will come to an end on Monday. I extend congratulations to all boys who have participated so enthusiastically over the past few weeks and trust that each boy has achieved the goals with which he set out. On Monday, our Year Three to Six Assembly received a special visit from 'Ollie M Pic', a not so well known torch bearer in the 2000 Torch relay. Ollie learned about how easy it is being kind to others and how that even the littlest things you do can make such a difference. This established our theme for the week of 'Being Kind to Others.' Parents of boys in Year Three to Six will need to ask their sons for more information about our special guest! John Landy, the soon to be Victorian Governor and renowned Olympian spoke with all boys at a special Assembly on Wednesday. John focussed around the Olympic Creed and talked about doing your best under any set of conditions or circumstances. He reflected on his own Olympic experience and highlighted the notion of nations coming together in the name of sport as a most important facet of this wonderful event. Today we shared in our own 'Olympic Day' and while at the time of writing this activity had not occurred, I am confident that the many hours of preparation behind the scenes by Ms McBride and her team of staff will have led to a most memorable day. Stay tuned for a full report next week, but I hope all had a wonderful day! On Tuesday of next week, our Choir will be performing at the Junior School Heads' Association of Australia's 2000 Music Festival. This festival is held over six nights and involves just under five thousand children and 57 schools. I extend very best wishes to the Choir and to Miss Allen and Mrs Piggin for a successful, but more importantly, an enjoyable performance. My thought for the week is the Olympic Creed which was used as a part of our Olympic Celebration this morning... The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to winbut to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not to triumph but to struggle. The important thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. (Baron Pierre de Coubertin) Guy B MasonHome ReadingIn the Early Years classroom your son is reading a wide range of exciting materials. These may include non fiction texts, diagrams, instructional/procedural texts, charts, songs, poems, maps, posters and stories. When selecting texts teachers take into consideration the boys' interests, background knowledge and use a variety of monitoring and assessment strategies to guide them in their decision making. The material your son will be bringing home to share with you in his reading folder will include material that is at an easy or instructional level. This level will be determined by your son's teacher. The purpose of our Home Reading Programme is for your son to celebrate the success he is achieving and to practise the skills he has learnt in the classroom during his reading workshop session. Material that is hard will not be sent home. Home reading is to encourage a love for books and reading. Children need to have confidence in themselves and see themselves as readers. Struggling with books that are too hard does not instill confidence in beginning readers or improve their reading ability Boys are encouraged to select reading material from the Resource Centre. During their Library lessons and other times of opening. They are learning a select material that is of a suitable reading level and a suitable level of interest. It is important they enjoy the non-fiction and fiction material they borrow. When sharing reading material with your son you can enhance the reading experience through:
Thank you for your ongoing support with the Home Reading and Literature Programmes
Miss Larissa Raymond - Early Years and Numeracy Coordinator
JSPAI look forward to seeing many of you at the Cabaret Night tomorrow evening at the Australian Club. Remember:
This will be a great night. Susan Hughes - President JSPA The Day of ExcellenceThe Day of Excellence was again a great success. During our evaluation sessions the boys who attended different activities were able to tell their models, silk screen prints or reports of their philosophical discussions with their friends The lively conversation highlighted just how much fun and learning took place last Friday. Many competitions are coordinated through the Access Unit for boys in Year Five and Year Six and the following results have just arrived. Maths Talent QuestCONGRATULATIONS to Thomas Gin Year Five and Andrew Prowse Year Six. Both boys gained MTQ 2000 - AWARDS at the State level for their recent Maths Talent Quest entries. Tom explored the mathematics in music with his 'Twang Goes the String' and Andrew took a more engineering approach with 'Bridging the Gap'. As a judge at the MTQ, I was aware that many of our other entries where in the 'to be considered for awards' section - obviously they just missed out. It was a great effort by all the boys whose entries were submitted to the State finals. Please consider taking your son to view the Final Award entries on display at the University of Melbourne, the Conference Plaza, 9:00am - 4:00pm on 4-7 September. (Map of venue available at Scotch College Reception) Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians - 2000.Congratulations to the boys who received Distinctions and Credits for their participation in this extremely challenging, national problem solving competition. Farewell Ms HarrisIt is with mixed feelings that we are saying farewell to Ms Michelle Harris prior to the end of Term Three. She will be greatly missed by her colleagues, parents and all the boys in her sessions. However, our best wishes go to Ms Harris and her husband, Stephen, as they eagerly await the arrival of the first child. Ms Marcia Bacon - Director Educational Support Forthcoming Events
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