Kia ora koutou and welcome to Term 4 at Cashmere High Library: Te Whare Mātauranga.

It has been another busy and successful year in the Library. The periods of home learning over the last couple of years have allowed us to showcase our digital collection which is a valuable resource for students. The ePlatform by Wheelers is available to all CHS students and contains thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks. It can be accessed through our library homepage (www.cashmerehighlibrary.com) and is also a downloadable app.

During library sessions Mrs Tapsell, our fiction specialist, encourages ākonga to try different formats as part of their reading journey. Exploring different ways of reading will help individuals work out what their preferences are and therefore increase their chances of having positive reading experiences.

Reading digitally is a great way to avoid the well documented ‘Summer Slide’. This loss of skills and knowledge can occur after long periods away from learning. Students who have not engaged in reading or other activities that require a ‘brain workout’, are more likely to experience a slide in academic progress. This is not a fun-park ride we want our rangatahi on, so reading books, magazines, newspapers, online blogs etc. over the holidays, will likely keep your children on track.

Audiobooks are a fabulous way of reading. Research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, has shown that regardless of whether people are listening or reading, our brains create meaning from the words in the same way. Therefore, reading a physical book and listening to an audiobook are different ways of reading that lead to the same destination.

Another digital format is eBooks. One of the major benefits of eBooks is that Readers can adjust the settings to best suit their needs. Font type, word spacing, background colour, text size can all be tailored to create a more enjoyable reading experience. This is particularly important for people with specific learning differences, such as dyslexia, because some of the barriers to reading can be removed with the click of a button.

One of the main focuses of the Reading Engagement programme is to encourage students to read in their interest area, whether it is Tolstoy, NBA player profiles, light hearted romances, or an in-depth analysis of the global financial crisis. It is all valid reading and should be celebrated and encouraged.

If you have any further queries about helping your child on their reading journey please contact Claudine Tapsell (tac@cashmere.school.nz).

We wish our senior students well for the end of year assessments and exams. The library is available for quiet study during exam time and we look forward to supporting students. Just a reminder to senior students to bring your Department textbooks back on Sign Out Day.

Ngā mihi maioha
Claudine, Asher and Saskia
Cashmere High Library Team