Access to Carparks

All gates along Hamilton Road will now be closed at 9.15am each morning. The pool carpark gate will be opened at 2.30pm to assist with student end of day collection. All other gates will be opened at the usual time of 2.45pm. We appreciate your understanding with needing to keep our school gates closed throughout the day.

If you require access to the school during school hours, you will need to park along Hamilton Road and enter through the student gate near the flagpole.

Reading

At our school, one of our priority goals this year is to continue improving reading and literacy outcomes for all our students. Reading is such an important life skill, and like any skill, it becomes stronger with practise, consistency and encouragement.

We’d love your support in helping your child grow as a reader. Reading together at home, even for just a few minutes each day, can make a huge difference to your child’s confidence, accuracy and understanding.

Your child can read with any adult in the household who can read, an older sibling or even over facetime to a grandparent.

Here are a few ideas you might like to try:

If your child is still developing their reading skills:

• Shared reading – You read 1–2 pages, then your child reads 1 page. This helps them follow the story, build understanding, and gradually read for longer stretches. Provide corrections for errors.
• Repeated reading – Read a short section aloud to your child (2 minutes), then have them read the same part back to you. Take it in turns.
• Celebrate effort – Reading can be hard work, so setting small goals and celebrating when they achieve them (like a special outing or playtime together) helps build motivation.
• Book choice – If your child’s library books don’t feel like the right fit, please contact their teacher so we can help them find books that are better suited.

If your child is a more fluent reader:

• Listen to your child reading or take turns reading pages from a more challenging novel.
• Pause often to chat about the story: why characters make certain choices, what might happen next, or new and interesting vocabulary.
• Encourage them to make connections between the story and their own experiences.

Other fun ways to build reading into daily life:

• Have your child read recipes aloud while you cook.
• Play card or board games that involve reading.
• Keep a shared diary where you write to each other.
• Involve them in writing and reading shopping lists.
• Write and exchange letters or emails with family members.
• Read comics, magazines or song lyrics together.

I encourage all parents to find 10 minutes, five nights a week for reading aloud, as this can make a big difference to your child’s reading fluency, stamina and enjoyment.

Thank you for working with us to help your child become a confident, lifelong reader.