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: 

School libraries A+ for passion but funding must 

improve

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

NAPLAN testing is almost here....Help your kids

The 2011 NAPLAN tests will be held on Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 May

NAPLAN is a valuable tool for governments, schools and parents to understand and improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes of Australian students.

NAPLAN provides parents with a report on how well their child is performing in literacy and numeracy against the national average, and schools and teachers use NAPLAN data to improve teaching and learning in the classroom.

NAPLAN is not a pass/fail test. It is one of a number of important tools used by teachers to measure student progress.

As a parent or carer of a student participating in NAPLAN, you can best help your child before the tests by ensuring they have a good nights sleep.

 Most children need 10-11 hours sleep a night. They’re usually tired after school and might look forward to bedtime A good night’s sleep is important for school children’s growth and development.
Sleep deprivation has serious consequences. This is because a lot of activity takes place in the body and the brain during sleep. For example, when it’s dark, our bodies produce extra melatonin to grow and repair cells and muscle tissues. Our bodies start to feel sleepy in response to the melatonin. It is really helpful to have a bedtime routine.For advice on how to achieve this visit School-age sleep: in a nutshell.

WI - Free Gifs and Animations

Wherever possible, schools will organise for individual students who are absent at the time of testing to complete missed NAPLAN tests at another time during testing week. Individual students are not permitted to sit tests after Friday 13 May.

A 2011 NAPLAN information brochure for parents is available. Visit the glossary to check out any terms you are not familiar with or the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Kids' who read, succeed!!! 
Cheers :-)

Keep up with the latest news!! Read the May P&C e-bulletin.

Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations 

of New South Wales

e-Bulletin

Wednesday, 4th May 2011 – Term 2, Edition 1

Kids' who read, succeed!!! Cheers :-)

Like Father, Like Son.....

Are you influencing your child well? What you do matters.A lot. 



Kids' who read, succeed!!! Cheers :-)

24 Free Kindergarten.com Apps

If your family has an iPod or and iPad there are many terrific learning apps available to enable your children to learn.

Just for April...Don't miss out There are many free early learning apps for your iPod or iPad from:

24 Free Kindergarten.com Apps

You can also visit MOMSwithapps Moms With Apps is a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking

to promote quality apps for kids and families. Their app catalog is now available on iTunes.

If you have trouble getting your iPhone or iPad back off your kids you could try this handy app:

Screen Time is a simple app that allows you to set limits on the amount of time you children use an iPhone or iPad. Set a time length, press start and pass it to you children. After the time expires, a series of notifications will prevent your children from using the  device until you enter the correct passcode.

Protect yourself and your family

Be informed! Don't get tricked.

The ACMA's media release - The ACMA targets computer virus telemarketers - 24 March 2011
‘Scams beware’ on Microsoft Australia’s Government Affairs blog - GovTech or contact Microsoft Customer Service on 13 20 58.
The ACMA’s consumer alert: Computer virus scam calls 
SCAMwatch radar July 2010: Telemarketing scam: your computer has a virus!


You can list your number on the Do Not Call Register, or make a complaint about a telemarketing call or marketing fax you received, by calling 1300 792 958 or visiting www.donotcall.gov.au.


Kids' who read, succeed!!! 
Cheers :-)

Start early...finish strong

Why Your Child Should Read at least 20 Minutes Every Night 


Let's figure it out--mathematically!
At the start of school:
Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!


1st: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.


Student A reads 20 minutes x 5 times a week = 100 mins./week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes


2nd: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.


Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.


3rd: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year.


Student A reads 3600 minutes in a school year.
Student B reads 720 minutes in a school year.


Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.


By the end of 6th grade, if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits,


Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days.
Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.


One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?


Think about it:


Which student would you expect to...


read better?
know more?
write better?
have a better vocabulary?
be more successful in school....and in life?


Source: U.S. Dept. of Education , America Reads Challenge. (1999) "Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader." Washington , D.C.

Kids' who read, succeed.

More PowerPoint presentations from AudreyNay

Kids' who read, succeed!!! Cheers :-)

4th Annual World Autism Awareness Day

Message for 2011

WelcometoAutismSpectrumAustralia(Aspect)

Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) is the country's largest not-for-profit autism specific service provider.  Our vision is 'to overcome the isolation of autism' and our mission is to 'build confidence and capacity with people who have an autism spectrum disorder, their families and communities by providing information, education and other services.'

Information Sheets & Brochures  

Information for Parents and family

Welcome to HandLand-a safe virtual world for your children to explore.

Handipoints (HandiLand) is a virtual space for families where kids' everyday ‘real world’ chores earn them big prizes and new adventures in a safe online environment that is controlled and monitored by parents.  

Virtual worlds are online spaces where kids create avatars (kind of like cartoon characters) through which they communicate, socialize, learn, shop, play games, and generally express themselves. There are hundreds of virtual worlds on the Web aimed at users of all ages. Some aimed at young children have controlled text chat, "profanity filters" to block offensive or sexually related chat, and staff or contractors moderating user behaviour – you'll want to check for these safety features. Parents also need to know that there are worlds kids can find and access which are not designed for them.



Unlike other children’s Web sites, Handipoints joins offline tasks, such as cleaning their room and brushing their teeth, with online entertainment and games to teach children the value of their work and foster good behaviour. While they’re having fun, children learn about saving money and building responsible habits - and parents get a helping hand with positive reinforcement that is educational at the same time.”


Kids can walk around the virtual world and talk to each other using canned chat- they choose statements from a list instead of typing them. This stops inappropriate or bullying behaviour. The graphics are impressive and the functionality is rather sophisticated. In addition to buying items and socialising, kids can play in-world games and watch movies -being rewards these require points to be earned, too. http://techcrunch.com/2008/03/27/handipoints-thinks-a-virtual-world-could-make-kids-better-in-the-real-one/

HandiLand combines a fun virtual world for children with tools to teach responsibility, which should make it a favorite with the parents who actually decide which sites to introduce their young ones to. Parents maintain lots of control over what behaviors to encourage in their children, and how to reward them. The site is free to use and parents who don’t want to spend money can choose to only use only virtual rewards.
Adapted from Killerstartups.

Read more about Handipoints at CrunchBase

School Banking starts this week-Have some fun with Coinland.

With Coinland, children can have fun learning money management skills including how to earn money, saving and the consequences of spending in a safe, virtual world, and then start applying their new found skills as they start to use money in the real world.



Read this Media Release for more information on Coinland.
For further videos that outline Coinland.
For more tools to help your children develop financial literacy: Teaching kids about money

School Banking - starts this Tuesday

Our School Banking program offers a Rewards Program that’s designed to teach kids about money, help them develop good saving habits and give them the confidence and independence to make sound financial decisions. With hands-on learning experience, we can help children grow into financially savvy adults.

There's a new My School Site

The NSW Department of Education and Training Director-General, Michael Coutts-Trotter, explains what's new in version two of the My School website.

The new site provides more information about Australia's almost 10,000 schools, including financial details such as income and capital expenditure.

It will also provide information about student progress based on the results of the 2008 and 2010 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests.

My School, which is administered by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), was first released in 2010.

 (ACARA) is the independent authority responsible for the development of a national curriculum, a national assessment program and a national data collection and reporting program that supports 21st century learning for all Australian students.

ACARA’s work is carried out in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including teachers, principals, governments, State and Territory education authorities, professional education associations, community groups and the general public.

Image via Wikipedia

 To find your school  visit the MySchool find a school

To understand some of the vocabulary on the MySchool site visit the glossary.

Parents resources to help keep you in the picture.

These parent materials include a range of brochures, audio files, videos and resources that provide information about helping your child with literacy. Some of the materials provide information for parents about specific things such as, how to help your child with spelling, whilst others provide more general information about literacy.

 A range of vidcasts and audiofiles are available for parents support and teacher professional learning @ Celebrating Literacy and Numeracy 

  What is NAPLAN?

Everyday numeracy K-4 (for parents) A series of numeracy-related activities to enjoy around the home is presented to develop deeper understanding and awareness of: shape, pattern, counting and number, measurement and calculating. (4 mins)

Why use maths?

Supporting young children's literacy development

Dr Paris shares rich insights into how literacy teachers and parents can support young learners, particularly in the important aspect of comprehension. Accompanying this video is a short interview wherein Dr Paris discusses such things as comprehension, reading assessment and ways to encourage children to read. (7 mins)

Critical numeracy in context

Teaching writing.

School Parents -Helping Mums and Dads with school life. e-zine (online magazine)

Check out the most recent and past issues.




Kids' who read, succeed!!! Cheers :-)

Are you interested in saving a tree or two?

 Image via Wikipedia
 If you are comfortable searching for information online at White Pages including Postcode finder. and   Finding world times you might like to cancel regular deliveries of White Pages and Yellow Pages directories.
Further information about Sustainability and the directories  

Today is a good day

The wrong type of praise can be detrimental to your child's future.

 The #1 mistake parents make with praise (VIDEO)

Does your child give up easily? It could be because of a common parenting mistake. 

"The New York Magazine articles on parenthood Ashley Merryman coauthored with Po Bronson have been linked to by over 1,000 blogs. These articles have in turn helped form the foundation for NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, published in September 2009, an exploration of cutting edge research in child development and parenting that overturns many cherished myths about kids and what’s best for them."  http://www.poptech.org/ashleymerryman

Ashley Merryman talks at Poptalk 2009 

Are you concerned about your children's internet safety?

The Australian Government has a parent section with many support materials for your information.

If you are not sure of many of the terms used on the internet check out the glossary

Cybersmart CyberRules Poster 

THINK before you post Poster

How to Set Common PC Safety Settings including YouTube, Facebook, Yahoo and Google.

New interactive resource for parents now online available from October 27, 2010

An interactive cybersafety guide for parents is now online on the Cybersmart website bringing parents the information they need on current topics such as cyberbullying, sexting and protecting personal information.
The cybersafety guide for parents is a time effective resource with each video running for less than two minutes.

My School Library-What every parent should know.

Be informed! Be aware! Find out why we really need school libraries these days.


Kids' who read, succeed!!!
Cheers :-)

RSA Animate – The Secret Powers of Time

RSA Animate – The Secret Powers of Time
Professor Philip Zimbardo conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being.
Time influences who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world.

"Kids are different than we are......" How do we manage this?






Can this video help you understand your children's needs?


Kids' who read, succeed!!!
Cheers:-)

Help make your kids strong and resilient.

'In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings." - Ann Landers

14 ways to teach your kids resilience,.....




Kids' who read, succeed!!!
 Cheers :-)

Ethics Debate

For further information on:
Ethics Debate: Special Ethics Education should be allowed for children not attending scripture classes;

http://www.pandc.org.au/latest-news.seo

P&C Meeting this Monday at 7pm

Kids' who read, succeed!!!
Cheers :-)

Parents are urged to get their childrens eyes checked.

Carmel Tebbutt MP, Minister for Health, Deputy Premier  released this Media Release 29 September 2010.

Kids' who read, succeed!!! 

They need good vision to read.

Do You Know What Your Child is Doing Online?

This video illustrates the dangers of cyber bullying and offers solutions to the problem.

Kent from Kls Support Services In cooperation with Childnet International asks: - Please watch this video and please comment. Cyber Bullying has got to stop. So many awesome young people and adults, go thru this every day.

Please Help Stop this activity. 

If you know someone doing this type of bullying, Please get involved and Stop the Madness!!

Internet Safety Tips to help avoid cyberbullying 

Stay Smart Online-Protect Your Children

 

 Stay Smart Online-Teens

Protect yourself online

The Australian Government’s publication, Protecting yourself online: what everyone needs to know, contains important information on how to stay safe online.

It combines cyber security information from different government agencies and departments in the one publication, making it easy for you to access information on how to stay secure when using the internet.

Children need to develop resilience. It makes them safe.

 This post: Are you robbing your children of their resilience? by Mr Mead caught my attention and I just had to share it with you for all of your children.

The old quote "You have to be cruel to be kind" comes to mind here. Being a parent is not easy-being a parent who grows a strong, educated and resilient child is harder but far more rewarding for all!!

Kids' who read, succeed!!!

Do you get confused when you try to help your child with handwriting?

Not sure how to help? 

This NSW Foundation style handwriting information sheet might help.

The three basic movements:
1. clockwise ellipse
2. anti-clockwise ellipse
3. downward diagonal stroke

NSWDET presents a NEW parents page on the NEW NSWDET website

 The NSWDET parent's page contains highlights and a sampling of links to up-to-the-minute information about your child's education and school life, from preschool through Kindergarten to Year 6, and transition to high school.

It covers the following areas:

Curriculum and activities

Caring for students and families

This section provides insight into programs to support the individual needs of students and their families throughout their education with us.

 School life- the school handbook contains useful information about day-to-day practicalities, school routines and requirements, with topics ranging from homework to attendances and absences and school uniforms.

Transition to high school

 Visit the NSWDET Parents page

and their facebook page: 

 MySchoolKids Facebook Page

Important announcement-SBPS fete is fast approaching

 "The SBPS fete is to be held in December...It is getting closer now....As this is one of our most successful fund raisers it is so important to get as many parents as possible involved and organised early on."

I found this great post with some fabulous ideas you might like to consider........

Some Great Fete Ideas