Buddy Reading with Year Ones

Good Afternoon!

We wanted to share an exciting new collaboration that we have started this term with the Year One Neighbourhood. Every Tuesday after Assembly at 9.30am-10am the Year One children and teachers are joining us in the Year Two Neighbourhood for buddy reading.

Year One and Two children have been paired up and the children select a book to share together. The purpose of such an initiative is to not only foster positive relationships between children in different Neighbourhoods and introduce the year ones to the Year Two Neighbourhood, but also to build upon the benefits of collaborative teaching that we as teachers experience when working with each other in new contexts.

There are children of such diverse reading and comprehension skills between the two neighbourhoods that quite often we find a year one child sharing new concepts and ideas with a year two as well as vice versa. The children really capitalise on peer scaffolding whereby a slightly more advanced child can 'scaffold' the learning of another child and make the learning accessible where it may not have been independently. This is Vygotsky's 'Zone of Proximal Development' (or at least our interpretation of it) if you wanted to share in the lingo :)

So we are excited for new possibilities and growth as a Prep-Two team and wider Junior School Community and are seeking more of these opportunities to learn from each other.

See you all very soon,

The Year Two Neighbourhood Team

Term 3 events

The year 2 whole school assembly date is Tuesday August 13th  9:00 in the gym.
Children's Book Week is August 17-13 with the theme of 'Read across the universe'
A joint celebration is being planned for the Junior School.

Responible kids-at home and at school

 

 

NWVR 038–2013 Seminar: Responsible kids – at home and at school

 

Main points

·         Professor Ramon Lewis, from the La Trobe University Faculty of Education, is conducting a seminar exploring the use of different forms of power to gain responsible behaviour from children and to foster a sense of responsibility.

·         Professor Lewis has worked with many Victorian schools, especially in the former northern metropolitan region, and is well-known for his research and writing on child behaviour.

·         The seminar – in an interactive workshop format – is suited to parents, carers and educators (primary and secondary) and is a free event with limited places. Bookings are required.

 

·         Event details: Alumni Seminar: Responsible kids – at home and at school

Date: Thursday, 25 July 2013

Time: 6.00pm start followed by drinks and canapés at 7.30pm

Venue: Mezzanine Level/The Spring Street Conference Centre

Address: 1 Spring St., Melbourne (enter via Flinders Lane)

RSVP: by 19 July 2013 to k.micallef@latrobe.edu.au

 

Book Talk reminder and Library Times

Hello friends,

We would like to extend an ongoing invitation to you, to grandparents and other family members to join us on Wednesday mornings at 9.15am-10am for Book Talk.

Book Talk is a very valued hour of our week where we move into small groups, led by a teacher, parent, or student and read beautiful literature books and non-fiction books. We often have a focus for the day like characters and setting, author's voice, descriptive words, imagery, sentence beginnings etc.

We would love to have you whenever you are free, you can just show up on the day, sign in at the office and share your love of reading with the children. We would even love for you to share your storytelling skills and tell the children a story from your wandering mind.

NEXT WEEK'S THEME: BRING YOUR FAVOURITE SHORT STORY BOOK (chldren and parents to bring in their favourite from their childhood).

Hope to see you soon.


LIBRARY TIMES:
2KS: Tuesday
2RJ: Tuesday
2SK: Friday

The Year Two Neighbourhood Team :)

Welcome back Term 3 AND Premier's Reading Challenge ACTION REQUIRED

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to Term 3, which has brought with it beautiful spring-like days already (touch wood)!

It was such a pleasure for us to have the opportunity to meet with you all individually during the Parent/teacher/child interviews and we look forward to building on these relationships and sense of community during semester two.

PREMIER'S READING CHALLENGE INFORMATION

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/prc/

Thank you for supporting your child in their reading toward the Premier's Reading Challenge.

The final cutoff date for completing the required reading is Friday 30th August. When your child has completed the challenge, please ensure you have helped them enter all of their books online using their username and password.

The booklist then needs to be printed, with your child's name and homegroup and signed by a parent and returned to their teacher by Monday 9th September.

Once this has been returned, the books will be verified on the system by the coordinators and your child will receive their certificate when they are printed by PRC.

Please remember: Children in Prep-Two must read 30 books in total with at least 20 from the Challenge booklist; Years 3-6 must read 15 books with at least 10 from the Challenge booklist.


Thank you,

The Year Two Neighbourhood Team