School News

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Lexile Reading Program 

St Mary's has embarked on an approach to reading to ensure that students are reading at the appropriate levels. We now have a very special section in the library where students can select books that have been scaled within their Lexile range, which will help to ensure that students are able to get the most out of their reading. These books help students to grow their comprehension skills and the range of titles ensures that students are reading books that they are interested in. 

You will notice that the library books your children are bringing home now have a coloured circle on the back with a number. This means that the book they are reading has been matched to their current reading and comprehension level. 

You can help support your child's reading and comprehension by asking questions like these.

Before your child reads a book, ask:

• Why did you select this book?
• What kind of characters do you think will be in the book?
• What do you think is going to happen?

While your child is reading a book, try asking:

• Will you catch me up on the story? 
• What do you think will happen next?
• If you were that character, what would you have done differently in that situation?
• What does the place look like in your head as you read? Would you want to visit there?

After your child has finished a book, ask questions like:

• What was your favourite part of the book?
• What was the most interesting thing you learned from the book?
• Would you have ended the book differently? Did it end the way you thought it would?
• If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be?

Students can also access an online collection of books within their Lexile range through Literacy Pro. This website can be accessed anywhere, and all you need is your child's login information.

See the Link below to log in.

Study Ladder 

Some families have asked for additional work when their child has extended absences due to being unwell or going on holiday. St Mary's has been using Study Ladder to help students keep up with or extend their learning and would like to remind parents that this is available all year long. Students have their login information in their diaries. If this has been lost, staff are happy to give this information to parents. The login page is below.