Literacy

Book Week – Book an Adventure

Book Week is coming up! Our Book Week Parade will be held on Monday 18th August. The theme this year is Book an Adventure. Students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character. We encourage creativity and the use of items from around the house or recycled materials to make costumes. We can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

On Thursday 21st August, we will welcome Mark Wilson, an award-winning author and illustrator, to speak with students about reading, writing, and the inspiration behind his stories. Mark has won numerous awards, including ten CBCA Awards, four Wilderness Society Awards, the C.J. Picture Book International Award (3rd place), and the 2011 Dromkeen Medal for Services to Children’s Literature. Most recently, he won the 2023 CBCA Award for Votes for Women! The Story of Nellie, Rose and Mary.

If you would like to purchase one of Mark's books, the QR code to buy them is below. Mark will be able to sign any books purchased on the day. 

MS Readathon 

This year, Vermont Primary School is proud to be participating in the MS Readathon, a fundraiser that has been supporting people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 45 years. The MS Readathon combines the joy of reading with the mission of making a difference in the lives of those affected by MS. The event runs for the entire month of August.

If you would like your child to take part in the MS Readathon and represent Vermont Primary School, you can register by following these steps:

1. Visit the Readathon website: https://www.msreadathon.org.au/join/vermontprimaryschool
2. Select ‘Register’
3. Click ‘My children to read’
4. Fill in the contact details of a parent/guardian
5. Enter your child’s details and add Vermont Primary School
6. Follow the prompts until registration is complete

Important: Please do not include your child’s surname. Only their first name (or first name and surname initial) and their grade are required — for example: Jimmy S 2JH.

If you have any questions about this year’s MS Readathon, please contact:

John Hoskin (john.hoskin@education.vic.gov.au)

Fortnightly Segments 

Writing Challenge

If your child enjoys their writing and is keen to write for enjoyment at home, below is a prompt that you could ask your child to write about. 

If you could invent anything, what would it be? How could it benefit people? 

Comprehension Question 

This fortnight’s questions are:

• How does this book relate to your life or the world around you? 
• What is the author's purpose? Why do you think he or she wrote the book? 

Grade 1 Writing Update

Over the past two weeks, our Grade 1 writers have been learning how to persuade through writing by focusing on strong ideas and using their voice to express opinions clearly and creatively.

Using Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type as a mentor text, students wrote letters from the point of view of animals asking a farmer - or even their teacher - for something they truly wanted. They had to think carefully about what was needed and how to use voice to sound convincing and expressive.

We also explored the text Why I Love Summer, which supported students in writing about a favourite thing - like a toy, season, or food - using reasons, descriptive language, and personal experiences to strengthen their ideas.

Through these fun and meaningful tasks, students have grown in their ability to focus their writing, support their thinking with details, and write with a voice that sounds uniquely their own.