Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Term 3. I trust that everyone has enjoyed a restful and safe holiday period. During this term, we will have many new and exciting events and activities taking place.

Tank installation – During the school holidays our new water tanks have been installed and they look fabulous, once rain arrives they will come into their own.  Thank you to all who were able to help with the installation process – huge amounts were achieved over a weekend that was very cold!

The next phase of the project is to get the irrigation serviced and then look to begin the process of replacing lawn on the oval where needed.

Professional learning for staff – on Monday, staff travelled to Temora to work with schools from across the Western Region.  Fr Richard Leonard, who was a very interesting speaker, led the day.  His input was both thought provoking as well as entertaining.  He spoke about the challenges that are currently being faced by the education system, and provided thought provoking suggestions for how we can address these challenges.

Yesterday we hosted Steph Cook our local Member for Cootamundra.  Steph visited all classrooms and enjoyed speaking with the children about writing picture books, swimming, fruit break and the different ways that we can celebrate Australia Day.

As you can see, both Mrs McInnes and I tested our photography skills.

School photos –This year, our school photos will be taken on Monday August 6.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone looking very smart in their winter school uniform on this day!  The personalised envelopes for photo orders were sent home on Tuesday –all envelopes should have been returned to school by Friday August 3, even if you DO NOT wish to purchase photos.

Family photos are only available for children attending school (no younger siblings, parents etc.) Please ask at the office for a family photo order form.

Website – please be aware that our new website is now up and operational.

 www.stjosephsgrenfell.nsw.edu.au   

This new site allows us to streamline several of the different programs that we have been using to date.  Over the coming months we will migrate from Skoolbag and school interviews etc. to the Schoolzine platform, which incorporates these processes.

Book Week – Book week is coming…

The theme for 2018 is Find your treasure…

Now is the time to start thinking about the Book Character parade and what characters we might be seeing on the day.  Remember to bring a copy of the book that your character appears in to the parade.

Changes to routines – thank you to those families who are keeping us informed when there is a change to the routine at the end of the day.  This helps to make departures flow smoothly.

If there has been a change to the regular routine, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Term 3 has begun with the children and their teachers looking at a range of new topics this term.

Year 5/6 have begun working on picture books, with some research about the different characteristics that make up a picture book, and how these features can change the purpose or intended audience.

Year 3/4 have been looking at history and the different ways that we can celebrate the same event.

Kinder/1/2 have begun looking at the STEM unit of Sounds and Music.

“Books should go where they will be most appreciated, and not sit unread, gathering dust on a forgotten shelf, don't you agree?” 
― Christopher Paolini

Good books make reading fun

Stories for young children should be of all kinds – folktales, funny tales, exciting tales, tales of the wondrous and stories that tell of everyday things.

What you'll need:

A variety of interesting books

What to do:

An essential step in learning to read is good books read aloud. Parents who read aloud to their children are teaching literacy concepts simply by sharing books. Encourage your children to listen, ponder, make comments, and ask questions.

Be flexible enough to quickly abandon a book that does not appeal after a reasonable try at reading it. No one is meant to enjoy every book. And no one, especially a child, should be forced to read or listen to books that bore.

Even after children have outgrown picture books they still enjoy hearing a story read aloud. Hearing a good story read well, especially if it is just a little beyond a child's own capabilities, is an excellent way to encourage independent reading. Not all books are best read aloud; some are better enjoyed silently.

There are plenty of children's books that are twice as satisfying when they are shared a chapter at a time before bed or during long car rides. There are some books that children should not miss, books that they will want to hear many times and ultimately read for themselves.

Young children want to read what makes them laugh or cry, shiver and gasp. They must have stories and poems that reflect what they themselves have felt. They need the thrill of imagining, of being for a time in some character's shoes for a spine-tingling adventure. They want to experience the delight and amazement that comes with hearing playful language. For children, reading must be equated with enjoying, imagining, wondering, and reacting with feeling. If not, we should not be surprised if they refuse to read. So let your child sometime choose the story or book that they want you to read to them.

Give your child many opportunities to read and write stories, lists, messages, letters, notes, and postcards to relatives and friends. Since the skills for reading and writing reinforce one another, your child's skills and proficiency in reading and writing will be strengthened if you help your child connect reading to writing and writing to reading.

Adapted from readingrockets.org 

Helping children understand money

Information from the Money Smart website

In a rapidly changing world, teaching your children about managing money has never been more important. Here we explain how to raise money smart children.

Why teaching financial skills is important - If children develop good financial skills from an early age they'll be ready for the financial challenges of adulthood.

Giving your children a good foundation and teaching them about money matters is critical for their personal development. Showing children the basics such as how to budget, spend and save will establish good money habits for life.

When should you talk to your children about money? - Teaching younger children the value of money through real life situations and examples will help them understand where money comes from and how it is earned. Here are a few examples of how you could approach this with your kids.

At the ATM - The ATM is a great place to start teaching children about money. You could explain to your child that the ATM holds the money you have made by working hard and saving. It is not just a hole in the wall where money comes out.

When you take money out of the ATM it is taken from your bank account and you'll have less in your account to spend later.

At the supermarket - When buying items at the supermarket, you can explain to your children how items are priced and that you can get cheaper or more expensive versions of the same product. This is also an opportunity to discuss how you can shop around for the best price.

You could get them to compare prices for you and pick the cheapest one. If they want a particular brand then explain the price difference to them.

Paying bills - If you receive bills in the mail or online, this can be an opportunity to explain that electricity or your internet connection costs money. You could explain that to pay a $150 power bill it took you so many days at work to earn the money. This will help create a connection between time spent at work and money, as well as the fact that electricity and the internet cost your family money. It might also make them think twice about leaving lights and appliances on.

Doing a budget - Involving your children in discussions about your family budget is another way you can talk to your children about money. This helps give them the big picture about costs and spending.

By explaining how much money your family has to spend every week and how this money is spent your children will better understand the costs of family life and how much can be saved for other things.

For more information, visit the Money Smart website at the following address.

https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/life-events-and-you/families/teaching-kids-about-money