Monday, June 13, 2011

Face your facebook fears and find a balance.

This edition of the Parents magazine has much to offer concerned parents of young children. It is well worth browsing through and considering some of the recommendations for your family.


 Every family is different, so you need to develop an awareness and an action plan that your family are happy with. There is no one glove fits all for this wide ranging area.


It includes a section on: DIGITAL PARENTING CHECKLIST                                                                                            HOW TO SET UP FACEBOOK® PRIVACY CONTROLS


Further support and advice:
Facebook Pages Manual

Safety on Facebook


It comes down to trust


Sunday, June 12, 2011

Let them play......let them spread their wings.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words...


I think that this little animation speaks volumes...
Give them the opportunity!!


What do you think? Are we heading in the right direction?

Born to Learn from Born to Learn on Vimeo.

Born to Learn (Teaser): Adolescence is an Opportunity from Born to Learn on Vimeo.

Born to Learn is a fascinating series of animations narrated by Damian Lewis providing easy-access to the exciting new discoveries being made about how humans learn.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Sessions for little ones and their parents & carers.


 Come along and join the fun
EARLY LITERACY EXTRAVOGANZA
WITH “MR JIM”
Coffs Harbour14 – 19 June 2001
Presented by Coffs Harbour City Library.

Dr James Thomas has over 20 years’ experience teaching and working to promote early literacy awareness with adults and their little ones.  He specializes in developing activities that encourage language and early literacy skills in under two’s. Coffs Harbour City Library is pleased to facilitate the following workshops & information sessions being conducted by “Mr Jim”. Parents, Carers, Community Workers, Child\care workers and Educators are most welcome to attend.


·         SESSIONS FOR LITTLE ONES & THEIR PARENTS / CARERS

Young & the RestlessFor Children 12 -24months and parent / carer.
Tuesday 14 June 2011 – 10.00 – 10.30 Coffs Harbour City Library
Language based program for Adult  caregivers and 12 – 24mnth old child. Adults will learn how to engage with their child in early literacy activities that foster development and understanding of concepts, language, movement, exercise, signing and interactive social play. (30 minutes parent/carer& child session)  Refreshments to follow

Itsy-Bitsy Babies (for mothers and others)For babies 0 – 12mth and their parent / carer.
Tuesday 14 June 2011 – 11.00 – 11.30 Coffs Harbour City Library
Unique language play program for adult caregivers and their newborns to 12 months The 30 minute activities demonstrate age-appropriate finger plays, songs, signing, body movements, and books for babies. (30 minutes parent/carer& child session) Refreshments to follow

Man in the Moon  (for male carers) For babies 0 – 12mth and their parent / carer.
Saturday 18 June 2011 10.00 – 10.30 Coffs Harbour City Library
Unique language play program for adult caregivers and their newborns to 12 months The 30 minute activities demonstrate age-appropriate finger plays, songs, signing, body movements, and books for babies. (30 minutes parent/carer& child session) Refreshments to follow

·         HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS FOR ADULTS – Suitable for parents, caregivers and child care workers

Language Play for Infants – WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS Suitable for parents, caregivers and child care workers
Tuesday 14 June 2011 – 12.30pm – 2.30pm – Cavanbah Centre, Room A & B
Activities and ideas for captivating and communicating with one year olds. This is a fast paced program of body movement, songs, yoga, and signing, demonstrated can be adapted to any home, library or childcare environment.  Participants will learn ways of organizing a setting that will be interesting & engaging for little ones.  Refreshments included.

Ready to Read early literacy workshop.WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS Suitable for parents, caregivers and child care workers.
Tuesday 14 June 2011 – 5.30 – 7.30pm– Cavanbah Centre, Room A & B (Also on Saturday)
Saturday 18 June 2011 – 11.00 – 1.00 – Coffs Harbour City Library
Early Literacy, what children need to know about reading and writing before they actually learn to read and write is crucial to success.  Participants will learn about the six early reading skills, how they relate to brain development, and how to integrate them into daily routines.

·         INFORMATION SESSION FOR ADULTS – Suitable for parents and educators.

Boys, Books and Reading:The REAL ChallengeSuitable for parents and educators.
Thursday 16 June –5.30 – 6.30 Cavanbah Centre, Rooms A & B
An informative one-hour presentation about ways to engage boys with reading including lots of recommended titles. Discussion will include the various genres that hold the greatest appeal, and identify appropriate programming ideas for boys.Refreshments to follow.


BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL for all sessions.
Reserve your place early to avoid disappointment.
All sessions are FREE.
Please contact Judy Atkinson for additional information.
Phn: 66484900

Mr Jim’s Web info 
itsybitsybabies.pbworks.com; 
rtor.pbworks.com
2s3s4s.pbworks.com
boysbooksreading.pbworks.com 
toddlericon.pbworks.com

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

School Libraries now on facebook....


 Very exciting news!! 

The report on the Inquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians in Australia has been tabled in Parliament. 
You can take a look at the Federal Government’s new report on school libraries and teacher librarians in Australian schools on the House of Representatives’ website http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/ee/schoollibraries/report/fullreport.pdf.

Launching the report in May this year, Amanda Rishworth MP said: “The committee was struck by the passion and enthusiasm that teacher librarians have for their profession. We hope that this report goes some way toward highlighting the issues faced by school libraries and teacher librarians, and showcases the valuable contributions that they make to educational outcomes in schools across Australia.”

The Australian Library and Information Association and Australian School Library Association have created a Facebook page  where we’d love you to express your support for school libraries and share any stories about how a teacher librarian has helped you, your family or your class. 

What a difference a school library makes

This is the basis for a campaign by library associations and teacher librarians to bring parents into the discussion about the future of school libraries.


The 10-point checklist for parents

There is a qualified teacher librarian managing the library
The library is open whenever the school is open
Students learn information processing skills in the school library
Students can borrow the resources they need, when they need them
There aren’t long waiting lists for popular fiction
There’s more than enough space for a whole class to fit into the library
There is high speed access to the internet
Students are encouraged to use online electronic resources, not just Google
There are special activities eg for Book Week, the Premier’s Reading Challenge
Your child thinks the library is ‘awesome’

Although the report spoke very positively about the benefits of employing qualified teacher librarians in school libraries, the sad fact is that not all schools are prepared to make the investment and even if they were, there are aren’t enough of us to go round.  We need more people coming into the profession and more principals and school boards of management as enlightened as our own.

Media Release: 



If you’d like to find out more, please visit http://www.schoollibraries2011.wikispaces.com