LITERACY /

LEARNING & TEACHING 

Mrs Maria Lontos 

Classroom Helpers

Thank you again to those parents and grandparents that have put their hand up to be a classroom helper. The teachers are getting their timetables together, and they will be in contact with you over the next week. 

 

We have added one more training session added for today, Friday 2nd March, upstairs in the shared learning space, at 3pm.

 

It is school policy that all classroom helpers hold a current Working with Children card. These forms are downloadable from the Department of Justice website (http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/)

Please note that as you are a volunteer, your card is free. 

Home Learning at Holy Name

The following information has been taken directly from our Home Learning Policy, which can be seen below, and is also on out school's website; https://hnpe.catholic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021-HOME-LEARNING-POLICY.pdf

At Holy Name, we believe that parents are the strongest influence of their children’s learning and development during the school years and beyond. This is why it is critical for parents and schools to work together in partnership.

 

Our Home Learning Policy aims to reflect the importance of families working together with the school to provide meaningful learning experiences that contributes to a student’s development of skills and knowledge as well as dispositions of responsibility and independence. Although the topic of homework is clouded by arguments for and against with relation to its impact on student achievement, we at Holy Name believe that the benefits outweigh the costs. 

 

We fully understand that many children have a variety of other activities that they are involved in after hours and this impacts on the times where formal home learning tasks can be completed. The home environment and extracurricular activities offer many different learning experiences and we want to maximise these opportunities for our students. We also want to give families the flexibility to cater for all the activities and spend time learning with their children in a relaxed and comfortable way without the anxieties of homework getting in the way of quality family time. 

 

Home learning will look different in Years Prep to 2 and Years 3 to 6. 

Tasks that are sent home reflect one of the following:

  • Reinforce what has been covered at school
  • Provide opportunities for family time and collaboration 
  • Include nightly reading with evidence recorded in student diaries (Years P-6) 
  • Include a matrix of activities spanning over a fortnight giving children voice and choice (Years 3 - 6)
  • Have a balance of activities that are and are not corrected 
  • Give the children an opportunity to reflect on their learning
  • Encourage discussion and problem solving with others
  • Involve research and preview learning activities
  • Include basic number facts and mental math skills practice 

We ask that all parents

  • Communicate directly with their child’s teacher about the needs and circumstances of their individual child when situations arise
  • Respectfully follow the instructions set out on each class’ home learning matrix (Grades 3-6), and sign student diaries or reading logs
  • Encourage their children to take responsibility for their own learning and complete tasks to the best of their own ability
  • Remember that home learning isn’t a competition or a test, we must continue to focus on developing learning dispositions, organisational skills and responsibility

We ask that all students

  • Read every night and record this in their reading log or student diary
  • Follow the instructions set out on each class’ home learning matrix (Grades 3-6), and complete tasks in a timely manner
  • Communicate directly with their teacher about their needs and circumstances when situations arise
  • Remember that home learning isn’t a competition or a test, it is about developing learning dispositions, organisational skills and responsibility
  • Work together with their families, but remember that their work must be their own

The following grid summarises our school expectations. 

Year Level

Suggested time limit per day

Recommended screen time after school

For ages 

Non-negotiables 

 

(Reading practise is not an optional extra at Holy Name and must be completed every night from P-6)

Possible extra tasks

 

(These might be set by the teacher, or simply skills practiced at home with parents)

Prep 10-15 minutes 

In Years Prep - 2 students must: 

  • read every night, preferably with an adult
  • ask an adult to record this in the reading log
  • SMART Spelling practice (5mins)

In Years Prep - 2 students might: 

  • regularly practice high frequency/common words
  • regularly practice number skills 
Grade 115-20 minutes

5-17 years – 

 

Less than two hours p/day.

Grade 220 minutes
Grade 3/4

30 minutes

 

In Years 3-6 students must: 

  • read every night 
  • personally record evidence of nightly reading in their diary
  • SMART Spelling practice (5mins) 

In Years 3 - 6 students will get a fortnightly matrix with these possible activities: 

  • targeted spelling
  • practice of basic number facts 
  • mental maths skills practice 
  • maths games
  • completing unfinished work 
  • projects to complete over time Mental maths computation games 
  • preview learning to prepare for an upcoming unit
  • tasks that reinforce learning that they did in class, or didn’t complete in class time
  
Grade 5/640 minutes 
  

NOTE: 

  • Screen time includes the use of phones, tablets, watching television, electronic media, DVDs, computers and electronic games, and the above is only a recommendation taken from relevant department websites.