The Summer Slide
What happens to children's reading levels over the summer holiday break?
Dear Parents and Caregivers
The recent weather over the last week reminds us that the summer holidays are nearly upon us. While the holidays give children a much needed break from the routines of weeks of school it is important to consider the value of keeping up with their reading over the six weeks away from school. Research shows that literacy levels in children can drop over the summer break. This can have long-lasting effects on future educational outcomes such as NCEA results. The anxious public discourse about children's literacy often focuses just on the role of schools but parents have an important role to play at home and during the holiday weeks. Halting the summer slide (the slump in reading and learning levels in children over the summer break) can be as simple as encouraging chidren to read five books during summer. Paste the links below into your browser to find out more about the summer slump. There is also a link to the parent pages on the Ministry of Education website which gives some ideas about how to survive the holidays.
http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/reading-club
http://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-and-development-at-home/school-holidays/
Yesterday I dropped into the school hall to check out the first day of Thorrington’s Got Talent for 2015. This student led talent quest is part of a year six legacy that evolved as part of the student leadership programme back in 2013. Apart from the level of talent that graced the stage during the lunch hour, what impressed me the most was the level of organisation and attention to detail that these students had put in place to make this run smoothly. There wasn’t one teacher there in charge of any aspect of this event (including crowd control). The audience (half of the school students and some parents) was attentive, enthusiastic and respectful, and the three judges, the presenter and the technical team had everything in hand. This is a wonderful example of purposeful learning. It involved the students who organized this event in high levels of oral and written communication skills, problem solving, creative thinking, integration of digital technologies all while relating to others in a respectful and caring manner. Aside from the fact that this was completely student led it was also an example of collaborative ubiquitous learning where students have worked together to create this event outside of the normal school hours.
This term we are reviewing our policy for improving educational outcomes for Māori Students. We are seeking feedback from the Board, the staff and parents.
To register your feedback please follow the directions below (username : thorrington Password: learning ... lower case)
Improve Educational Outcomes for Māori Students
http://thorrington.schooldocs.co.nz/index.htm?toc.htm?392.html
1. Follow the link to the policy above.
2. Read the policy.
3. Click the Policy Review button at the right hand top corner of the page.
4. Select your role (board member, staff member, or parent/caregiver).
5. Enter your name (optional).
6. Submit your ratings and comments
Nā reira, noho ora mai rā
Look after yourself
Christine Harris
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