Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Great Ryrie Primary School is excited to be participating. A new application is being used this year that offers a range of exciting features including:

access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
a modern user-friendly interface
rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review

The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 4 September 2020.

Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.

All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.

To view the book lists and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: www.education.vic.gov.au/prc

Logging in with a Challenge password

Your teacher will give you a Challenge username and password. Keep them in a safe place. Go to the Challenge application.

Select the School/Student button.
Select the VPRC login option.
Enter your username and password.
Select Login

Supporting students at home to participate in the Challenge

Reading during this time is more important than ever to develop literacy skills. With trips to the library becoming a thing of the past, here are some tips to help students enjoy great reading:

Re-read favourite books from your home collection
Borrow eBooks from your local library
For young children, search YouTube for 'read a picture book', and listen to dozens of children's books like The Lorax, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Rainbow Fish
Watch your favourite authors read their books at the The Big List of Children's Authors Doing Online Read Aloud and Activities
Watch astronauts on the Space Station read children's books at Storytime from Space
Stream videos of authors reading children's books with illustrations at Storyline Online
Listen to David Walliams audio books
Download a free classic children's or young adult's book from International Children's Digital Library or ManyBooks.net.

Yours sincerely,

Sharon Jacobs

Gifted & Talented Co-ordinator

All enquiries to Ms Jacobs : jacobs.sharon.l@edumail.vic.gov.au

2020 ICAS ASSESSMENTS

We are delighted to inform you that Great Ryrie Primary School will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney, with over 35 years’ experience in educational assessments.

ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies.

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child/ren will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.

ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to computer-based assessments. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.

Learn more about ICAS here: https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au/

In 2020 students have the opportunity to participate in the following subjects:

Subject	Grade Level	Sitting date
ICAS Science	Years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Monday 17th August at 11.10 am in Room 12
ICAS Writing (Year 3 & Year 4 will be paper tests)	Years 3, 4, 5, 6	Wednesday 19th August at 9.00 am in the Library
ICAS Digital Technologies	Years 3, 4, 5, 6	Monday 24th August at 11.10 am in Room 12
ICAS English	Years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Wednesday 26th August at 9.00 am in the Library
ICAS Mathematics	Years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Monday 31st August at 11.10 am in Room 12
ICAS Spelling Bee	Years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Wednesday 2nd September at 9.00 am in the Library

Cost per test: $15.95 including GST

If you would like your child to participate in any of the subjects listed above, please visit the new online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global.

Online payment closes Friday 17th July, 2020.

Your school access code is: NPJ723

Your parent page links is: https://shop.unswglobal.com.au/pages/pps

Privacy notification:

UNSW Global stores, uses and modifies the ICAS Assessments data in order to generate reports, conduct research and analysis, and improve its products and services. UNSW Global will not hold or use ICAS Assessments data that constitutes personal information for longer than 15 years. As the parent or guardian of a student who intends to sit ICAS Assessments, you consent to the school collecting the ICAS Assessments data that relates to the student, disclosing it to UNSW Global and to UNSW Global’s use of it in the manner outlined above. You also consent to the school assigning this consent to UNSW Global.

Practice Tests:

Specific preparation for ICAS tests is not required as the assessments are skills-based. However, to support your child/ren there is a suite of practice materials. Click on the link below. The tests with answers are organised in to Year levels i.e. introductory = Grade 2, A = Grade 3, B = Grade 4, C = Grade 5 and D = Grade 6.

Mathematics:

https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au/hub/educational-assessments/reach-and-icas-assessments-mathematics-sample-questions/

English:

https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au/hub/educational-assessments/reach-and-icas-assessments-english-sample-questions/

Spelling Bee:

https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au/hub/educational-assessments/reach-and-icas-assessments-spelling-sample-questions/

Great Ryrie Grapevine

We are a Respectful and Responsible Learning Community.

Issue 13 · 29 May 2020

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