Week 8, Term 2 2021 RSS Newsletter
From the Principal
The importance of Family Connection for Children & Adolecents
Adolescence is a critical period for brain development and the experiences of each adolescent during this time helps to shape their adult brain. Brain developments lead to both the hormonal changes and the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics of the teenage years. They drive a growth towards independence via more complex reasoning skills, increased importance of social affiliations outside the family, and an urge to experiment and explore boundaries. In the context of still incomplete inhibitory systems, a heightened sensitivity to rewards, including the need for social acceptance, can mean risk-taking or impulsive behaviour in some.
You mean the world to your child! Connection and your continued support are critical during this phase of their life. The Richmond State School junior secondary program is tailored to our students with; weekly Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) lessons, additional tutoring, regular well-being check-ins, small class sizes, rigourous transition programs and much more. We have designed, and continue to refine this program to pro-actively and positively support your children during the high school and adolescent stage.
We encourage families to remain connected, we are here to support you and your family as your children continue their education at Richmond State School.
Athletics Carnival
We will be hosting our 2021 Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 23rd June at the Richmond State School Oval. We welcome parents to attend this event in their Flinders and Mitchell Colours whilst cheering on your children.
School Camps
Richmond State School staff have been working tirelessly behind the scences to organise our upcoming camps for Year 5/6 Students and our Year 7-10 Students. Notes have been sent home in recent weeks to gauge interest and determine costings. Further information will be sent to applicable families prior to the end of Term 2. Please contact our office if your have misplaced your note.
Head of Department - Curriculum
Supporting your child’s reading in Year 1 and 2
Last newsletter we looked at ways to support and engage Prep’s in reading. This fortnight we will look at supporting your child’s reading in Year 1 and 2.
In Year 1 children will:
• increase their range of vocabulary
• explore a wide variety of listening, speaking and writing opportunities
• interpret and understand a range of reading material
• make connections and predictions when reading and listening
• create mental visualisations of the content in reading material
• use knowledge of letter and sound relationships
• use print, symbols and punctuation
• use word recognition strategies
• use decoding strategies
• hear and alter sounds
• make links between spoken words and written words
In Year 2 children will:
• use vocabulary that includes new words
• explore a wide variety of listening, speaking and writing opportunities
• talk about their thoughts and ideas to show their understanding
• talk about what has been read to them
• make connections and predictions to create accurate pictures in their head
• make summaries of what has been read
• ask questions about what they are reading
• read aloud smoothly
• sound out words
• be familiar with some words by sight
• use knowledge of letter and sound relationships in reading and spelling
Ways you can help your child’s reading in Years 1 & 2
Model reading: Let your child see you reading, read to yourself and read to your child – often. This helps children develop their reading and literacy skills from their early years right the way into adulthood!
Make time for reading: Make regular time to listen to or read with your child each day! All students in Years 1 and 2 will be sent home a home reader with their homework. Please take the time to ensure they are reading their home readers as a minimum.
Ask ‘What happened next?’ and ‘What do you think…?’: Encourage your child to retell experiences and events in sequence. You can prompt them by asking, ‘What happened next?’ Do this after reading stories with them, allow them time to retell what happened and ask questions about the characters or the plot or the setting. Or encourage your child to predict what might happen in the story, ask them ‘What do you think will happen to….?’, ‘What do you think would happen if..?’ After reading, ask questions that help your child join all the information to make judgements, generalisations or conclusions. Ask them why they think those things. This not only encourages children to think about the texts they are reading but also shows them that you are listening to them read.
Letter and word search: Allow your child to find letters on newspapers, junk mail, or magazines to find letters, for example, circle all the ‘e’s on a page. Or if you don’t have those texts around the house, hide letters and words around the house and play ‘hide and seek’ with them to see who can find all of the words or letters around the house. This works particularly well with sight words your child may not have mastered yet.
Break it up: Encourage your child to clap or tap out unfamiliar words in their reading into syllables, for example, ty / ran / no / sau / rus for tyrannosaurus.
Express yourself!: Have fun with reading by encourage your child to use punctuation to influence their reading out loud. Encourage louder and softer voices, faster and slower pace, reading with more emotion and expression.
Encourage and praise: Reading should be enjoyable for you and your child. Always encourage their attempts and praise their efforts.
Our Improvement Agenda
Achievements & Awards
Around Our School
Golden Duster
NRL Overlander Way
Officer T-Bear
P & C Updates
Hello Richmond State School community,
Thank you to everyone who has offered to help with the field days canteen and the supply of baked goods.
The Roster has been posted on the school facebook page. If you are able to offer any assitance please let us know. There are still spaces where helpers are needed.
THURSDAY SET UP/PREP
At school: Tanya, Biz, Scott, Jess
At Canteen: Liz, Rachel, Sal, Alison
Anyone who can help out for an hour or two please let P&C committee know, anytime would be greatly appreciated. Check the P&C Facebook page for updates.
SUNDAY CLEAN UP
- Liz
- Ben
BAKED GOODS
Delivered to School Wednesday afternoon and or Thursday morning
Anyone else have something they would like to bake and donate, it would be welcomed. Feel free to drop it at the canteen anytime on friday or saturday.
ALREADY DONATED GOODS
- Biscuits
- Gluten Free Biscuits
- Scones Jam & cream
- Cornflake cookies
- Chocolate Cake
- Fruit Cake
- Slice
- Melting Moments
Athletics Carnival
The P&C will be hosting a canteen during the RSS Athletics Carnival. We welcome any parent volunteers to help ensure our athletes and supportors are fuelled up for what will be a fantastic day. Contact Rachel Stenhouse or Karen Kennedy for details.
Next meeting: Monday 19th of July
Time: 2:30pm
Place: School Library
Kind Regards
Charlie Jones