And I’m not talking water slides! The “summer slide” is a well documented decline in reading achievement that children can experience while they are away from school over the long summer break.

Continuing to read through the holidays will help set your child up for a great start to the new school year by maintaining or developing their reading skills. It doesn't matter whether they are reading books, magazines or graphic novels, or whether they are reading print books or digital. 

Year 7 students who are returning to Heaton next year are encouraged to borrow as many books from the LRC as they think they can read over the summer holidays. Last year we had students taking home 20+ books! Year 7 students can borrow from the LRC right up until the last day of the term, 16th December.

For ideas of what to read, check out the Heaton LRC "Top Picks". These list 20 of the best books from our 6 most popular genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Funny, Futuristic, Mystery & Action and Realistic stories.

Audio books via the Heaton Wheelers ePlatform will continue to be available to students over the holidays. Perfect to listen to on a long car trip! Students will need to login to the ePlatform using their Heaton username and the password Heaton1.

While Year 8 students can no longer borrow from the LRC, they can of course use their public library. Christchurch City Libraries are running a Summertime Reading Challenge over the holidays, open to kids and teens up to age 18. Prizes include electronics, vouchers, and more.

I wish everybody very happy holidays and I hope you all find at least one great book to read over the summer!