News From Mr Smith

Dear School Community Members,

Mano is a great place to be!

On Tuesday, I attended the ‘Chill’n with Kevin’ session with Cyndee and 25 excited Prep to Grade 4 students. The atmosphere and vibe was incredibly inviting, warm, safe and inclusive. Students were enjoying their cup of warm milo, chatting and playing a range of indoor games. The theme of the session was ‘Everyone Belongs’. The manners and interactions of the students and Cyndee were incredibly warm and pleasant. Students expressed to me how valuable the experience is to ‘Chill with Kevin’ and Cyndee. Comments included, “these mornings are one of my favourite times at school”, “I like getting to school a little bit earlier to hang out with Cyndee and my friends”, and “the milo warms my tummy”.

Mano is a great place to be!

Why Cant I Skip 20 minutes of Reading Tonight:

 A study conducted by highly regarded scholars, Nagy and Herman, highlights the power and impact of a regular Home-Reading program.

Student ‘A’ reads                Student ‘B’ reads               Student ‘C reads

20 minutes each day         5 minutes each day         1 minute each day

3,600 minutes in a               900 minutes in a                 180 minutes in a 

school year                           school year                           school year

1,800,000 words                 282,000 words                   8,000 words

90th percentile                    50th percentile                   10th percentile

By the end of primary school, Student ‘A’ will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. Student ‘B’ will have read only 12 school days. 

Which student would you expect to have better vocabulary? 

Which student would you expect to be more successful in school….in life?

Recently, our staff conducted a ‘health check’ of our home-reading program across the school. 88% of students have an embedded home-reading program in place. The expected amount of minutes per week is: 

Prep – Grade 2

• At least 10 minutes per night (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sun)
• Reading log completed, including signed by parent/guardian, by each Friday morning

Grade 3 – Grade 4

• 20 minutes per night (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sun)
• Reading log completed, including signed by parent/guardian, by each Friday morning

Grade 5 – Grade 6

• 20 minutes per night (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sun)
• Submit reading log via SeeSaw, including signed by parent/guardian, by each Friday morning

We are committed to assisting the 12% of students (or approx. 58 students) who have not developed a regular home-reading program. Please contact your child’s teacher, Mrs Geary or myself if you would like to discuss your child’s Home-Reading program further.

Education Week: 

Like all schools across Victoria, Mano is celebrating Education Week in the week of Monday, 19th May.

This year’s Education Week theme is, ‘Celebration of Cultures’, which highlights the diversity of our communities and the importance of every child feeling safe and welcome at their school. Our activities throughout the week will be aligned to this theme.

Education Week is an opportunity for Mano to showcase our wonderful school and the opportunities and experiences that take place every day.

Events include:

• Education Week launch at assembly:                    Monday, 19th May 9:05am
• School Tours for Prospective Families:                 Tuesday, 20th May 9:30am                                                                                                               Wednesday, 21st May 12noon
• Open afternoon for current families:                      Wednesday, 21st May 2:30pm

We warmly encourage all families to join us at any of the activities throughout the week. Further information will be provided over the coming weeks from our Education Week committee.

Thank you Parents and Friends Committee: 

A huge shout out to our amazing Parents and Friends Committee for coordinating our Election Day BBQ and bake sale. We are so fortunate at Mano to have such a committed and dedicated Parents and Friends (P & F) Committee, who once again coordinated this fundraiser that will support our School Grounds Improvements program. e were able to raise $3,411.00. Thank you to our incredible P & F Committee and all the wonderful parent volunteers for your time, dedication and commitment to Mano.

Curriculum Day (Pupil Free) – Friday, 16th May: 

As communicated, Friday 16th May is a Pupil Free Day. Led by consultant, Rachael Buck, our staff will engage in a professional learning day focussed on our teaching approaches of reading and writing. Rachael will model to staff reading and writing practices aligned to the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model. VillageOSHC are offering care for this day. Registration for this care is available via the VillageOSHC website.

Mother’s Day: 

This Sunday is a wonderful day of the year when we acknowledge and thank our mums or special person for everything they do. I wish all mums in our community a very Happy Mother’s Day for Sunday. I hope you all get spoilt! Our Mother’s Day stall is being held today where our students are able to purchase special treasures for their mum or significant person in their life. Thank you to our wonderful group of helpers for providing this opportunity to our students.

Thank you for supporting our school and have a great week.

Christian Smith