Reading 

I have spoken a lot about the importance of reading and how supporting, valuing and sharing reading with your children at home is the best way you can help them with their learning. 

It is really exciting to hear that the Department of Education and P&Cs Queensland are holding community twilight information sessions for parents and carers to provide information on Queensland’s Reading Commitment and supporting reading at home.  

• Topic: Supporting children’s reading at home 
• Dates: 21 February and 13 March 2024 
• Time: 6:30pm – 7:15pm 
• Audience: Parents and Carers of Prep to Year 2 students  
• Registration: https://www.ivvy.com.au/event/KLCA5Y/ Click on the following link.

When registering, parents will be provided with the opportunity to submit questions they would like answered.  

For more information, please contact Reading.Curriculum@qed.qld.gov.au     

I would encourage as many of our Prep to year 2 parents to register and log-in for this on-line Zoom twilight session. 

Setting Homework Routines 

The beginning of each year is a fantastic time to re-establish some routines for homework and home revision. Having a clear homework expectation and a set place and time to complete homework is the most effective way for children to develop long lasting habits. I encourage you to sit with your child/children and work out the best time and setting for them to complete their homework and also what you expect they get done in that time. 

Perhaps in the morning when eating breakfast at the bench might be the best time. 

Maybe as soon as your child comes home from school, they complete their homework at the table before they play. 

At Dayboro SS, we ensure homework that is set is directly related to the learning that is taking place in the classroom for that week. This means that the work students are bringing home is meaningful and helping to consolidate current teaching and learning. It is possible that students may feel they are unsure about the work without the support of their teacher at home. We ask that you have a go at helping and then write a quick note on the homework, saying your child found it difficult and could the teacher please explain it to them again to have another go the next night. It’s really important this does not become a stressful event and that your child can see that even if they are having difficulty, you can simply reach out to the teacher for help. I often hear parents say that we teach things so differently now and how they help their child does not actually ‘help’. The way we teach some concepts has changed over time, but mostly you will find that when we think back to our school years and how we were taught, we don’t tend to remember what was taught in primary school but more how and what we were taught in early high school. The important thing to remember is to keep homework and the environment around it as positive as possible. No teacher or parents or students want tears and trauma over homework. 

It is also important that students in year 6 start to think about their study habits and what ‘revision’ may look like at home so they can learn to ‘go over’ the things they have learnt that day in order to prepare for high school. I encourage year 6 students to spend approximately 5 minutes per subject each night, revising what they learnt that day, taking notes in their own words and reading over these. So, in a day, students may be taught English, Maths, Science and HASS which would be twenty minutes of revision for that day. 

Any questions, please feel free to e-mail me: dmath9@eq.edu.au 

Dee Mathiesen  

Head of Curriculum