Primary Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE:
News from the Classroom
Birthdays
Student Achievements
Dear Parents and Caregivers, From excursions, to a highly successful Athletics Carnival, to the challenge of ICAS tests, the exuberance of the Music Studio Recitals, and everything in between – it was certainly a busy and fun-filled week that the students and their teachers had in the Primary School! Amongst all this busyness, there were also moments of calm. And quite often, the calm was accompanied by an escape to another place, to a different time, with fascinating individuals. I am, of course, referring to the wonderful world of reading. The teachers often comment on the special times they have with the students as they read together. Nothing has the ability to transport us to magical worlds quite like reading. This is particularly so in the earlier years of the Primary School, where the adventure of learning about letters, word and sentences is still in its infancy. I always refer to the these as the miracle years, as there is probably no other time in a child’s education that they learn quite so much in such a short space of time. And at the heart of it all is reading. We all love stories. We are in the midst of writing our own stories in the lives we lead, and we love hearing stories about others, especially if they take place in interesting locations, with tantalising plotlines. Stories engage us and capture our imaginations. They also help us to see that other people overcome challenges similar to those we might face inn our own lives. Last week, the Year 6s were privileged to meet Holocaust survivor, Dr Dasia Black. That experience will make the novels they read and study in English, which deal with the Second World War, so much more powerful. Research has often shown how stories are able to develop children’s social-emotional skills, because they present real-life situations, but within the ‘safe’ context of a book. They also often show the protagonist overcoming challenges similar to those which children might encounter.
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue Friday 12 August 2022
Page 1