NEWSLETTER

Listening to Children Read

Listening to your child read at home is critical to their progress. Your time and effort will assist your child in developing a range of reading skills. Research shows that parents who hear their children read for a few minutes each day have children who are more successful readers. Research also shows that parents who read to their children produce more interested readers with a wider vocabulary.

Here are some commonly asked questions:

“What can I do if my child gets stuck?”

There are a number of strategies that children can be encouraged to use when they come to a word they do not recognise. Here are some of them:

•  Use the context and general meaning of the sentence to make an informed “guess” or sensible prediction

• Use picture clues

• Use knowledge of phonics (letter sounds) and common letter strings to “sound out” a word

• Read on, or reread and self-correct, in order to maintain the meaning of the text

• Break up a word into manageable parts and look for familiar beginnings such as pre, re and endings such as ing, ful etc.

• Tell them the word when, in your opinion, it will help to maintain the meaning of the passage

“What should I do if my child reads a wrong word?”

If a word is read incorrectly but still makes sense, let your child read on. For example, if he/she reads “house” for “home”, the meaning of the sentence is still maintained. Should the word not make sense, you might ask your child, “Did that make sense?” or “Would that be right? What could it be?”

“How do I know if my child has understood what he/she has read?”

It may be appropriate to ask questions about what has been read and to talk about the plot, the characters and what the writer is trying to say. You could ask questions such as:

• • “What was your favourite part?”

  • “What do you think will happen next?”

  • “Why do you think the characters did that?”

  • “Have you ever met anybody like that?”

  • “How did this book make you feel?”

  • “Did you like that book as much as the last one you read?”

If your child is reading a non-fiction book, discussion could focus on some of the facts and information contained within the text. You might like to talk about the Contents Page, Index etc.

Finally, some general points...

• Let your child see you read and realise reading is important to you.

• Remember to allow your child to take a rest! Decoding and reading aloud are both hard work, particularly for inexperienced readers. If your child is beginning to tire, offer to share the reading of longer texts.

• Offer praise and encouragement. Children are more likely to be successful if they are relaxed.

• Make sure you are both comfortable and as free from distractions as possible.

• Just a reminder, students have Reading Diaries. Please take the time to assist with recording books read each night and commenting on your child’s reading in their diaries as your thoughts and observations are greatly appreciated. Children who are consistent with their nightly reading will no doubt benefit in the long run.

Please do not hesitate to talk to your child’s teacher if you have any comments or concerns.

A Note of Appreciation

As we come to the end of our school term, it is important to reflect and appreciate the efforts of all those who have supported us, in the education of our children. The role that we play as a school community may not be realised immediately by the next generation or the ones who consume so much of our energy and resources. However, in due course, they will certainly realise the effort of their supportive parents, dedicated teachers, caring friends, compassionate benefactors, board members and community to say... “Thank You!”

Manoug Demirjian

Student Portfolios

Term 1 Student Portfolios have been distributed. Please take time to have a good look at your child’s work over the holidays. We kindly ask you to also comment, sign and return the feedback sheet at the front of the folder.

Parents are no longer required to return the folders. Please keep them, but do return the child to school next term!

Thank You

We’d like to say a big Thank You to …

• Our school mothers and volunteers for providing a great canteen facility for students and staff: Mr & Mrs Alain and Tamar Balian, Mrs Melanie Bidois, Mrs Margueritte Boyadjian, Mrs Justine Hirlian, Mrs Lisa Jebian, Mrs Nora Matvosian and Mrs Aprahamian, Mrs Sasha Mezoghlian, Mrs Zani Nazarian, Mrs Araxi Vartanian and Mrs Lilian Yessayan.

• Current members of the P&F Committee: Mrs Tamar Balian, Mrs Melanie Bidois, Mr and Mrs Herman and Alisa Mahmur, Mr Hrach Mezoghlian, Mrs Emma Marshall, Mrs Ruzanna Andreasyan and Mrs Tina Naterian.

• Mrs Alisa Mahmur for Coordinating the Canteen, including the rosters and menu through the school office.

• All school families including the P&F for organising and running the Easter Celebrations. Your help and contribution helped make the day a great success. Thank you all!

• All school families for their generous contribution to the Easter Hampers. Ensuring we had beautiful gift hampers as raffle prizes and the delicacies for the cake stall helped boost our profits for the day.

• Mr Arthur Mikaelian (Arthur's Pressure Cleaning) for washing and preparing the COLA for the Easter concert. Also for washing the school playground and outside the classrooms, for a cleaner and fresher look. Thank you!

• Mr Seroj Simony for helping with the upgrade of the school's Greenhouse.

• Mrs Liana Foudoulian for capturing memorable moments with her photography skills during special events.

• Mrs Vartni Mikaelian for supporting special events with sweets and hampers.

• All the wonderful teachers, aides and staff who look after our students socially and academically. Thank you for your hard work. Enjoy your break!

Aussie of the Month

Congratulations to Nathaniel Dixon for being nominated as the Aussie of the Month - March 2024.

Aussie of the Month is a primary school civics recognition program, delivered by the same network that presents the prestigious Australian of the Year Awards.

Aussie of the Month recognises and celebrates personal endeavour, achievement,  and contribution to the community and reflects the universal values we share as Australians, such as fair go, mateship, respect and inclusion.

Aussie of the Month has been operating for over 20 years and is endorsed by the Education Department in every State and Territory in Australia. It is a monthly student award in recognition of civic contribution, rewards behaviours that reflect our responsibilities as community citizens, and has the support of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) as a complementary program aligned to the Primary Years' curriculum. 

Uniform - The school will change to Winter Uniforms starting Week 3 of Term 2. During the first two weeks of Term 2 either uniform will be acceptable.  Please ensure your children wear the correct uniform as outlined in the uniform policy.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Uniforms can be ordered using the following Order Forms:

UNIFORM | Preparatory - Order Form

UNIFORM | Boys Winter - Order Form

UNIFORM | Girls Winter - Order Form

Label Clothing -All removable clothing including jumpers, hats, tracksuit tops and pants, must be clearly marked with your child’s name. This will assist the school with lost clothing.

Sports Day - The school's Gymnastics program will run in Term 2. 'Moving Bodies' will run the sessions on our Sports Day, which has been set for Mondays.

Students need to wear their winter sports uniform.

Students not participating in a sports session must bring a signed note from parents with a full explanation.

Sports Shoes - Students are allowed to bring sports shoes to school for play. They are allowed to leave a second pair of sports shoes at school to change into at lunchtime for play (eg soccer) then change back.

School Hats must be at school daily. One of our school rules is ...“No Hat, No Play”. Students without hats will not be able to use the playground area during playtime. They are to sit down in the shade, read a book by themselves and not play.

Students who do not have a hat break the school Uniform Code and will receive a cross in the Red Book.

CANTEEN NEWS | Lunch Orders

Parents can follow the Canteen Menu from the calendar on the website, Newsletter or through the link on the School Stream App.

Select - CANTEEN CALENDAR | MENU

Notifications for lunch orders will continue to be sent via email and the School Stream App. However, parents can access the Order Forms from the links in the Canteen Calendar for each lunch order.

Students are required to have money to purchase Morning Tea and Afternoon Treats over the counter. Please make sure your children are aware of what they want to buy and the money given to them, as credit will not be provided.