Swan Reach Primary School School No: 1631

Newsletter 08/17 23rd March,2017 Ph. 5156 4287 Mobile: 0488 693 790 E-mail: swan.reach.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

www.swanreachps.vic.edu.au

School Council Members: Executive officer - Andrew Kenyon - School Council President - Simone Spykers Vice President - Matt Rowland Secretary - Callie Young Treasurer - Jaime Savory Dept. Representatives - Tess Cloak, David Pachl & Cheryl Lieuwen Publicity Officer - Cheryl Lieuwen Grants & Community Liaisons - Simone Spykers Scholastic - Tess Cloak Fundraising Members - Claire Whitfield, Carmen Stephenson, Christina Porter,

Jo Naylor, Callie Young, Matt Rowland.

Swan Reach Primary is a CODE RED SCHOOL This means on Code Red Days our school will be completely closed and unstaffed.

- IMPORTANT DIARY DATES -

MARCH Tues 28th - SPEECH

Wed 29th - Twilight Fair Meeting.

- Special lunch order slips due back.

Fri 31st - Last day of term 2:30pm Finish

- Crazy Hair Day & casual clothes.

APRIL Tues 18th - Term 2 Starts

- SPEECH

Thurs 20th - TUBBS Cross Country

Fri 21st - MARC VAN

Mon 24th - DOXA Camp 24th/ 28th

Tues 25th - Anzac Day NO SCHOOL.

*** SCHOOL BANKING EVERY FRIDAY***

Special wishes this week toSpecial wishes this week toSpecial wishes this week toSpecial wishes this week to

Jhet Gatt for 24th March.

SCHOOL ASSEMBELY Families please be aware that we will be

holding our School assembly this Friday

morning due to the wet weather that we

had on Monday Morning.

DOXA CAMP All grade 5/6 Doxa Camp permission

slips must be returned please ASAP.

Crazy Hair DayCrazy Hair DayCrazy Hair DayCrazy Hair Day For the last day of term we will be having our

Crazy Hair Day. Students are encouraged to

come with their craziest hair styles dress in

their casual clothes and bring a gold coin

donation. A special lunch of Potato Gems &

Chicken Nuggets will be available on this day

to order, lunch order slips will be going home

with students on Monday 27th March and

are to be returned Wednesday 29th March.

From under the bridge.

“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty

and beyond.”

― C.S. Lewis

Daily Reading.

This can be a pain in the neck for some parents, but is one of the most important task for families—Reading is the

keystone for all the other subjects taught at school.

Every child at Swan Reach must attempt to read or be read to, every day.

It is better explained if I use a sporting analogy—Let’s look at two basketballers of similar abilities.

If Player A trains for 20 minutes each night, including holidays, he would have trained for more than 7,000 minutes

over the year. If Player B trains for 20 minutes per night, three times a week and doesn’t practice on weekends or

holidays, he would accumulate around 2,400 minutes for a whole year.

Who do you think would display the greater improvement?

Also, the quality of the training is important to produce positive change.

How do we ensure that we get the most out of reading?

• Set aside time to listen to your child. Even grade 6 students need that time to read aloud. Try not to have

your kids while you are doing tea or watching the telly—Try to make it a focus and your child will see the

importance of the task. If you are on Facebook while they are reading to you, they will not see reading as

being important.

• Don’t sign the book if you haven’t heard them read. In the long run, it is not helping anyone.

• Read to your kids. A study conducted by The Smith Family has found children who were read to, pick up

reading faster when they reach school. You don’t have to teach them to read, reinforce to them that reading is

important and has a purpose.

• Ask questions of what has just been read. It helps with their comprehension and shows them that you are in-

terested.

• Invest in a bedside light. Reading before going to sleep is a great way to relax.

• Let your kids see you reading. After all, if children see their parents reading, they are more incline to pick up

the habit.

• Chill out. Reading does not progress at the same, steady rate throughout a child’s education. Every child will

progress during their years at school, however, there will be improvement, with plateaus, with little dios

thrown in, depending on the environment. If a child is sick or tired, they will not read to their potential.

Sometimes they may read a book that is considered too easy or reread a book, a number of times. If these

actions are consistent, over a n extended period of time, then there is a cause for concern. If it is only

occurring occasionally, your child is showing characteristics of an independent reader—I consider myself as a

competent reader, yet I still read easier magazines or revisit my favourite books.

• Converse with your kids in complete sentences—The more they talk, the more words they use and understand

in the printed form.

• Make reading enjoyable. Don’t turn the kids off reading by applying too much pressure. Enjoy the time.

• If you have any concerns, make an appointment with your child’s teacher.

EASTER RAFFLE

Tickets for families to sell or purchase will be enclosed in this weeks newsletter.

Please remember that we are asking each school families to donate an item towards our raffle. Donations can be placed in the basket located in the front office. The raffle will be drawn on the

last day of term Friday 31st March.

TWILIGHT FAIR MEETING WEDNESDAY 29TH MARCH

3:45pm at school.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

BAIRNSDALE SPEEDWAY

This Saturday night the Bairnsdale Speedway is on and

we are after 6 adults to volunteer their time in the

canteen. Free entry to volunteers with a meal also

provided. You will be helping regular volunteers

making burgers, tea/coffee, hotdogs etc. If we can

provide the volunteers the Bairnsdale Speedway will

make a donation to our school. If you are able to help

out on the night please contact Carly Greenwood on

0407 794 557.

Attendance Award A $40 Voucher from Just Books will be

awarded at the end of the year to the

student with the highest attendance record

for 2017.