I can hardly believe Term 3 has already drawn to a close. Over the past seven weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with our school community and spending time with students both in classrooms and out in the playground.

It has been a privilege to work alongside staff in strengthening our approach to teaching phonics for reading and spelling, and a delight to hear students proudly share their learning. Thank you to Trinity and Skylah for proudly sharing their awesome writing with me (check out the photos). I have also appreciated the opportunity to review our systems of support, helping students recognise their current emotional state within the Zones of Regulation and develop effective strategies to manage and regulate their emotions.

I hope you all have a wonderful spring break, and I look forward to reconnecting again in the future.

Shellie Pursey

Acting Deputy Principal

Curriculum Newsletter

Hello amazing families!

We’re buzzing with excitement as we wrap up another incredible term filled with learning, growth, and a whole lot of fun!

Individual Curriculum Plans Complete
Our dedicated teachers have finished creating Individual Curriculum Plans for every student! This tailored approach means we’re reporting on each student’s individual learning level, not just their year level. It’s all about recognising where each student is at and giving them the perfect opportunities to demonstrate their learning.

Book Week Bonanza
What a magical Book Week we had! A huge shout-out to all the families who supported us through Scholastic purchases. Thanks to your amazing efforts, we’ve earned credit to add fresh new books to our school library.
Well done, Team, your commitment to reading is truly inspiring!

Soccer Stars in Action
Our weekly soccer sessions with Coach Tim have been a massive hit! The energy on the field has been infectious, and we’re thrilled to announce that some of our Secondary students have been selected to compete in an interschool soccer tournament in Maryborough. Go Team!

Looking Ahead to Term 4
We’ve got more sports coming your way with Coach Tim

• Secondary & Senior Students: Get ready to dribble, shoot, and score with basketball skills next term.
• Early Years & Primary Students: Start swimming lessons in week 2.

September Holidays
What an amazing way to close out the semester. Take this well-deserved break to rest, recharge, and enjoy the sunshine. We can’t wait to see you all back, refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4 of learning and discovery!

Have a wonderful break

Warm regards,
Karen Abt
Head of Curriculum

Dear Families,

We’ve had a very exciting few weeks in Early Years! The children have enjoyed soccer sessions with Coach Tim, showing great teamwork and ball skills. Our Book Week parade was such a highlight, with everyone looking wonderful in their costumes. We also had a visit from the Bubble Man as part of our PBL rewards, which was a fun and magical experience.

In our learning, we have been exploring mathematics through hands-on activities, including counting, number recognition, and creating patterns. In literacy, we’ve been revising our letter sounds, and some students are beginning to blend sounds together to read simple words.

Looking ahead to next term, we are excited that swimming lessons will begin each Friday, and our much-loved RDA sessions will continue.

Thank you for your ongoing support - we look forward to another term of fun and learning!

Warm regards,

Miss Cassie, Miss Lynne, Miss Claire, Amity, Donald, Elena, Eve and Matthew 

Wow! Time flies when you are having FUN. I can’t believe we are at the end of term 3

EY2 has worked so hard this term and have made excellent progress on so many levels.

This term we have looked at very humorous books with rhyming elements. Our favourite so far has been The rhyming dust bunnies where we used Velcro letters to create new rhyming words in order to avoid being sucked up in the vacuum cleaner.

It was great seeing all the fun and creative costumes during book week. We had fun dressing up as our favourite book characters and decorating our classroom door. EY2 really enjoyed Aliens love underpants. We designed our own pairs of undies and decorated the door.

In maths we have been exploring number, creating quantities and connecting them to numerals; and in HPE we have been enjoying visiting Coach Tim for weekly soccer skill sessions.

Next term horse riding will continue on Wednesday and swimming will commence starting Friday week 2.

I hope that everyone has a great holiday, a time to rest and enjoy the fine weather.

See you all in Term 4

Miss Erin, Miss Kelsey and EY2 students

The last few weeks have flown by as we have had our heads down busy engaging in all of our wonderful learning.

Some students are entering the world of creating and reading 3-letter CVC words like cat, mop, tin, pig and this is has been a very exciting time! The students have been using a variety of manipulatives, visuals, games and tactile experiences to explore CVC words and begin their meaningful reading journey.

In Science, we have continued discovering the weather and learning about different clothes that we wear in a range of weather types. In Maths, we have continued our patterning using colours, pictures, shapes and sensory items. The students have been practicing copying, continuing and creating their own patterns. There has also been great success with subitising collections, counting and matching numerals with quantities.

We had an amazing, bubbly time with the Bubble Man for PBL Rewards Day who put on a fantastic show and blew our minds with some magic and lots of different types of bubbles.

Next Friday afternoon, we have our ‘Dress Like a Pirate’ Parent Engagement Day. Parents and carers and invited to join their child for some pirate themed rotational activities and lots of fun! Have a great last week of term and Happy Spring Holidays!

EY3

Monique, Kate, Jaidyn, Sophia, Marky and Indiana

Striving for more in EY4

Well, Me Hearty’s – third term is crossing the finish line and we’re walking the plank into spring break! In science this semester we are exploring the sky and the land. This time of the year, as daylight hours increase and the season brings new growth, is an exciting time to notice how the earth is waking up after its winter nap. There have been lots of opportunities to watch cloud formations respond to wind patterns as we bring out a kite to fly at play time – it is much harder to keep it in the air than it looks but we still have fun chasing it. Miss Rachel and Miss Nairda helped us to trace our shadows, and we will do this again at a different time of day to observe how they change with the movement of the sun.

We have learnt a lot about taking turns and waiting for the goal space to be clear before kicking with Coach Tim each Tuesday morning and laughed our way through the Bubble Man’s visit.

In literacy we have tried reading short texts to each other in pairs with an adult supervising. This helps us to practice pausing at full stops and commas and exposes us to public speaking. We have added a lot of new words to our reading lists and practice blending sounds together every day. Midterm we were learning words that started with th, sh and ch and have ended the term exploring the two sounds of “oo” – long “oo” as in moon and short “oo’’ as in look, as well as the sound of “ee”. We will start term 4 with a review of sounds we have learnt before moving on to the next one in the sequence of learning.

Patterns remain our Math focus this semester and Miss Rachel has been showing us patterns in number by introducing skip counting by 2. We continue to experiment with number and quantity because it is so easy to count the same item more than once! Some of us like to line things up in a row and others find that moving an item to the side tells us that we have already counted it. Another thing we are learning and practicing how to do is to check our work to see if the answer is the same.

Take care of you and yours.

Until next time

Miss Jodie, Miss Rachel, Miss Nairda and students of EY4.

What a fantastic term three in Early Years 5! We have been involved in many great learning activities working on our goals. Our Book Week parade was such a highlight, with everyone looking amazing in their costumes. We also had a visit from the Bubble Man as part of our PBL rewards, which was a magical experience.

EY5 have continued participating in rhymes, chants and songs. We have looked at more rhyming stories ‘Poems of the Week’ together. Some of these poems have used ‘at’, ‘ap’ and ‘an’ words which we have focused on in more depth with blending and segmenting the words. We have also played lots of fun rhyming word games.

We have learnt more nursery rhymes throughout the weeks. We have learnt the rhyme and incorporated movement, games, craft and even cooking! Our letters of the week have involved many songs and craft. We are revising our sounds and focusing on letter formation and pencil grip.

Within mathematics, we have continued looking at patterns. We identify the repeating parts of the pattern and continue the pattern. Students have also been creating their own patterns using concrete materials. Some of these created patterns are also helping with their fine motor skills. In number, we have been making collections and working on one-to-one counting. We have continued our addition stories using hands on manipulates.

In Science we have been looking at the weather and how it influences their daily lives. We have been tracking the daily weather and learning about the seasons. 

Coach Tim has been further developing our soccer skills. The students are much better at only use their feet. Students skills are improving! We are looking forward to swimming next term. Swimming lessons commence in week 2.

Thank you for your fantastic communication in our diaries. Your commitment, communication, and support are genuinely valued and greatly appreciated. Thank you for a wonderful term! We hope you have fun, restful and safe holidays and look forward to seeing you in term four.

Thanking You from Miss Renae and Miss Codie

Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser – Saturday 20 September

This fundraiser will be raising money for Scripture Union (SU) Chaplaincy in the Gympie region. I’m an SU Chappy, and there are several other chappies at local primary schools. Funds raised will be used to help us continue to support local students and families.

RSPCA Cupcake Day

Thanks to everyone who bought cupcakes and supported RSPCA on Thursday 21 August. We sold over 70 cupcakes and were able to donate $85.50 to the Gympie Shelter, along with some fabulous handmade rag rugs for animals to lie on. Thank you also to the Girls’ Group students who helped ice the cupcakes.

Brekky Club

Brekky Club has been running most days this term in Clyde’s Corner and Early Years. Students have been treated with Vegemite, jam and marmalade toast, fresh fruit, french toast, cheese and spinach slice, and (healthy) cakes and muffins. Offering our students food in the mornings helps them to be well-fed and ready to learn, and we also have some great conversations along the way.

Essentials Hampers

We are still giving out hampers of pantry and household essentials to school families, with all families having a chance to receive one. In the last few weeks, Danny and his family have been the lucky recipients. Thanks to Vinnies Gympie for providing us with these hampers at a low cost. 

What’s on these School Holidays

• The Gympie Disability & Aged Care Expo – 25 September, 10am to 3pm, Gunabul Homestead. This free expo will showcase supports available and is by locals, for locals. The event is being run on the school holidays so everyone can attend, including young people who might require support, so you can see how services interact with your child or loved one before signing up.
• School Holiday Code Club – 29 September to 1 October. Kids in Years 5 and 6 can participate in hands-on sessions to explore coding, problem-solving, and creative tech challenges. No experience required. For more info, contact mindset-do@usc.edu.au or https://mindset-do.edu.au/community/code-club/
• Paint, Plant and Play: A Grandparents Day Event – 3 October. Grandparents and their grandchildren can share a creative journey, painting a teacup or plate and planting a seedling inside. For more info, contact Gympie Regional Gallery (5481 0733).

Gympie Region Support Services

The school has a directory of support services available in the Gympie region if you are needing assistance, advice or information. It has listings for:

• 24-Hour 7-Day support
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• Carers
• Children and young people
• Children’s and youth activities
• Disability
• Disaster management and recovery
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Families
• Domestic and family violence
• General
• Grief and bereavement
• Health
• Homelessness
• LGBTIQ+
• Mental health
• Migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers
• Sexual assault and violence
• Things to do and see in the Gympie region.

All staff have online access to the directory and a hard copy is available at the office.

My role is to support the wellbeing of staff, students, parents, and others in our school community. If you ever need to have a chat or help with something, please contact me on the school number – 5480 2333. My work hours are Tuesdays (7.30am-10.35am) and Thursdays (7.00am-12.05pm), and I can also be contacted via email – rsdri0@eq.edu.au.

Chappy Rachel

It has been a term where we have worked very hard in P1. Some of our students moved up a year level and have greater expectations that they have risen to meet. We have really enjoyed the Poetry exploration in English and some of our chosen Books of the Week have had us in stitches, poor Lou who needed the loo in ‘Busting’ was a big favourite. The class is getting very confident identifying rhyming words, writing rhyming sentences and have begun exploring alliteration.

In Maths our patterning is fantastic and we are working on counting patterns. Any practice at home counting in 2’s, 5’s and tens is encouraged.

Explorations in science around the sun and the moon and the effect they have on the Earth have opened up several fun lines of enquiry. Tracking the sun’s movement throughout the day led to images attached to the classroom floor and ceiling which proved a big talking point to anyone who came to visit the room. We also got to try out some sun dials that were 3D printed on our excursion.

Speaking of our excursion, we had a fabulous time. The library visit was great fun and Curtis held all student’s attention focused on the great books he chose for us. He also explained the many creative and interesting things available in the Maker Space at the library, by far the most popular were the Robots and the 3D Printers. Bowling was also great and the team work evident in all student interactions was a joy to behold.

Jo, Bree and Declan

It’s the end of Term 3!!! So much has happened in P2, learning, socialising, exploring, communicating etc. It’s been a busy term.

On Thursday of week 9 we had a fabulous excursion to the Gympie Regional Library and Tenpin Bowling. The students all did well across the Primary sector, and we are very proud of them all. We read some books and did some craft and learnt all about 3D printing and watched some things being printed.

For PBL Rewards day we had the Bubble Man come and our students had a great time watching small and BIG bubbles popping and even disappearing into a mega big bubble. A great activity for all.

Our weekly soccer practise has gone well with coach Tim. It has been great to see the students improving their ball skills and learning to participate in a safe and respectful manner. Next term we will be swimming on Fridays.

In our daily Literacy program, the students had fun listening to and participating in our Shared Reading books. A few of the books we explored were, Oi Frog, The Winky Wonky Donkey, Busting and Pig the Pug. Letter sound recognition and revision of all are part of our daily routine.

In our Maths program we have explored recognition and continuation of patterns. Number work is done daily and the students are working on their number manipulation skills.

In Science we looked at Day and Night, what we see and activities we do at different times. We are beginning to explore shadows.

Have a great holiday and we will see you again in Term 4.

Sarah, Kruze, Elliot, Isaiah and Naomi

Hello from P3

Here we are, at the end of Term 3, wow!!! So much has happened in P3, learning, socialising, exploring, communicating etc. We had a few students and both teacher and teacher aide being off sick which is often the case in Term 3, battling with viruses and common cold symptoms. Hopefully we will have a healthier Term 4 to end off our year on a high note.

In week 9 we had a successful excursion to the library and Tenpin Bowling. The students all did well across the Primary sector, and we are very proud of them all. The Bubble Man came to GSS and our P3 students had a great time watching small and BIG bubbles popping and even disappearing into a mega big bubble. A great activity for all.

Soccer practise went well with couch Tim, and it was great to see the students improving their ball skills and learning to participate in a safe and respectful manner. Next term we will be swimming on Fridays.

In our daily Literacy program, the students had fun listening to and participating in our Shared Reading books. A few of the books we explored were, Moose’s Loose Tooth, The Kangaroo of Humpty Doo, Busting and Pig the Pug. Reading, word building and letter sound recognition and revision of all are part of our daily routine.

We have explored recognition of patterns in nature and in our school community and students applied understanding to formal activities. Number work is done frequently and the students are working on their number manipulation skills.

In Science we looked at all aspects of Day and Night, what we see and activities we do at different times. Seasons, we explored how nature and humans respond to it and how it effects our daily lives.

Have a great holiday and we will see you again in Term 4.

Carina and Andrea

Hello from P4,

Term 3 is finishing with a bang. The year seems to be going way too fast and we have packed so much into this term.

Book Week was a great success with students dressing up, along with many staff. I came as Miss Frizzle from the Magic School Bus series. We were also fortunate enough to have some families visit to help celebrate this wonderful week. We also had a butterfly (Trinity), Dalmatian (Skylah), werewolf (Koby), Spiderman (Taten) and Wonder-woman (Rose).

Taten has continued to wow us with more medals for his athletic ability, including cross country and track events. Sixth in Australia in Cross Country, very impressive. Well done, Taten!

Our students have continued to increase their soccer skills with Coach Tim on Tuesdays. Rose is kicking more accurately; Skylah is kicking further. Both Trinity and Koby are getting very good at blocking and kicking goals as they sometimes practise at playtime as well.

We also had a science incursion where the students made slime other fun chemical Science. To top it off, we had a visit from Mr Bubble who amazed all students as he covered them in bubbles in a range of fun ways.

To top it off, we had our excursion on Thursday in week 9. We visited the Gympie Library and thoroughly enjoyed the Makerspace with Curtis (Librarian) reading several texts. My favourite was Mopoke. We created flying birds and flew them around the room. We finished with 3D printers in action making sundials for our classrooms and a demonstration of several robots driven by an iPad. We headed back to school for some food and a play. Next step was Ten Pin Bowling for a couple of games, then back to school. We had a play and spaghetti bolognaise with ice cream for dessert.

Yes, we did throw some schoolwork in along the way with all students increasing their knowledge and skills.

Enjoy the break,

Koby, Rose, Skylah, Taten and Trinity, Steve and Deb.

Qkr now available

Gympie Special School is excited to offer all parents the ability to order and pay for your child’s school items using your smartphone, tablet or computer. The new Qkr (pronounced ‘quicker’) by MasterCard application is a secure and easy way to make school payments at your convenience. We encourage all parents to use Qkr as it reduces the need to send cash to school or attend in person, and receipts are automatically generated that can be easily retrieved on the app or sent to your email. Apart from making life easier for families, it also significantly streamlines operations with the school.

What can be ordered and paid for via Qkr?

• School fees, charges, levies
• Uniforms
• Camps, excursions, incursions
• Fundraisers
• Event tickets

The Qkr app can be downloaded for free from Apple’s app store for iPhones (iPads to download iPhone version) or from Google Play for Android phones and tablets.

The Qkr ‘How-to’ Guide from the school shows you how to download the app, register yourself and your children, and pay for a variety of school items.

There will be more items available for payment over time. We will be providing additional information to families over the coming months as we move to online payments within the school.

Exploring the Cosmos and Celebrating Growth in Literacy & Maths ?✨

This week in class, we’ve been busy creating a mini solar system as part of our exciting exploration of space! Students have worked hard to make colorful planets that are now hanging around the room. As we learn about how the movement of the planets creates the changing seasons and day and night, these hand-crafted models are a great visual aid to help everyone understand these important scientific concepts.

In addition to our space-themed activities, our students have been making wonderful strides in their literacy and mathematics skills. Whether it's reading, writing, or number work, we’re seeing great progress across the board. Our communication goals are also flourishing as students continue to grow more confident in expressing themselves and working together in class.

It’s been an exciting week full of creativity, learning, and achievements. A big shout-out to our students for their continued hard work and enthusiasm!

What an exciting term we’ve had! Students have loved their weekly soccer sessions with Coach Tim. They have been so engaged, working hard on their cooperation with others and their soccer skills. In week 8 the parents were invited along to join in the soccer fun. Families joined in the soccer activities before enjoying a delicious morning tea with fresh pikelets cooked by our students.

A highlight this term was the Bubble Man’s visit, where students watched as bubbles of all shapes and sizes were made. We had bubble hairdos, people inside bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles and even a bubble on fire!

Book Week was full of creativity with our Toy Story “To Infinity and Beyond” door design, which featured our very own paper mâché planets linking with our science unit. Students had a blast dressing up for the parade and visiting the library to explore the Book Fair and join in “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” activities.

Finally, we farewelled Miss Amy as she heads off on maternity leave for the remainder of the year. S2 students are excited to meet their new teacher who they welcome into the room beginning Term 4.

Well, I can’t believe it’s the end of term 3 already!  Thank you to all the parents who joined us for the Father’s Day “Soccer with Tim” parent event. It was a wonderful morning, followed by a delicious morning tea prepared by our secondary students. S3 was proud to contribute by baking scones and making fresh lemon cordial for everyone to enjoy.

In English for poetry, S3 have been listening to and co-creating silly poems.  Some have been typing their poems on laptops and adding images on powerpoint; some students have been choosing sounds and images to accompany their poems on powerpoint.  They have enjoyed reading these funny poems together, especially focusing on the catchy ending phrases.

SCIENCE FROM ABOVE! During the last five weeks, the students have been busy completing their diorama Solar System and they look amazing. They learned all about the rocky and gas planets. Planet Earth and the understanding that this was where we all live, took a lot of convinving….so we used Google Earth to zoom in and out of space and see where we all live, places we had been to and of course our school…. all from above!

The clouds have also kept students busy. We were able to identify the different types of clouds and what they mean when predicting the weather. The students learned that clouds are made up of tiny drops of water or ice that are suspended on tiny pieces of dust or salt particles…amazing! They observed the sky on an hourly basis, taking photographs and predicted the change in weather. The students even used their own wind vanes to look at wind direction.

Discovering how shadows are made and that they change depending on the direction of light was the aim of one of our experiments. We also went outside, and the students had fun playing with and making shadows. They conducted another experiment where they tracked the Sun’s shadow hourly to collect information to make a sundial. For extra fun, the students made shadow puppets and created some cool aliens.  All this and we are only halfway through our unit! Science is FUN!

We hope everyone has a safe and relaxing break. 

From Sabana, Gaelle, Maddie A, Maddee S, Arley, Baxter, Leni and Andy!

We have had a very busy last few weeks of term. In Week 6, we celebrated Children’s Book Week with the theme, ‘Book an Adventure.’ As we have been studying the Solar System in Science, the theme we chose for the Best Dressed Door Competition was, ‘The Moon,’ highlighting Neil Armstrong’s landing and his famous words, “That’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.” It also depicted Earth, the Milky Way, the sun, asteroids and stars. It was a very colourful mural, which our class created together and are very proud of. The Book Week Parade was fun and it was lovely to see lots of our favourite characters represented. Max won a book prize for his interpretation of a black spider!

In the meantime, we have been working hard on our literacy skills, punctuation, spelling, reading and writing. We are studying poetry texts and looking at their rhyming patterns, how poems tell a story and features, such as alliteration. We have analysed them for meaning and created our own poems as a class and individually. In maths, we continue to partition numbers in many ways and are practising counting in number patterns. Meanwhile in science, we are creating our own Solar Systems, painting Styrofoam planets around a sun and learning about day/night and the seasons.

We would like to thank our dads for being part of our Parent Engagement Day and enjoying soccer and morning tea with us, during Week 8.

Hoping you all have a safe and happy holiday,

Warmest regards,

Libby, Michelle, Leah, Chris, Thomas, Daniel, Max and Heath

Hello Families!

The past five weeks in our secondary 5 class have been nothing short of extraordinary, filled with creativity, learning, and plenty of fun. In our Earth and Space Science unit, students have been hard at work designing and constructing solar system dioramas. Their projects are really coming to life, with each student adding their own unique flair and attention to detail, making the classroom feel like a miniature galaxy. Alongside this, our mathematics lessons have been running full speed ahead, with a strong focus on number and algebra, where students are developing their confidence and problem-solving strategies. In literacy, we have been diving into poetry and rhyme, exploring different poetic styles, experimenting with language, and learning how to express ideas in creative and imaginative ways. Beyond the classroom curriculum, we’ve also had some exciting whole-school events. Our Book Week parade was a highlight, where our classroom door was transformed into a vibrant Charlie and the Chocolate Factory display, capturing the magic of Roald Dahl’s story. To top it all off, students enjoyed our PBL rewards day with a visit from the Bubble Man, which brought laughter, amazement, and a chance to celebrate their hard work and positive behaviour.

Warm regards,

Miss Riane, Miss Naomi, Miss Tracy and the Secondary 5 Class

S6 has had an exciting and action-packed time recently, filled with fun, learning, and creativity! We had a blast with Glenn the Bubbleman, who amazed us with his incredible bubble tricks what a magical experience! Our class also enjoyed a friendly soccer match with our parents, followed by a delightful picnic morning tea. The treats were extra special because they were made by our very own classes!

In the classroom, we’ve been exploring the wonders of the solar system as part of our science studies. One of the highlights was creating our own sundials and using the sun to tell the time a fascinating and hands-on way to learn about how the Earth moves. In Art, we’ve been diving into portraiture, using creativity to express our inner selves through thoughtful and imaginative artwork. We also celebrated Father’s Day with a special stall and enjoyed making heartfelt cards for our dads and father figures it was a lovely way to show our appreciation. Some students enjoyed a soccer match against Maryborough Special School. It’s been a vibrant and joyful time in S6, full of discovery, connection, and creativity. Don’t forget to check out our class photos!

Linda, Chrissie, Dante, Ky, Locklan, Laila, Rebekah, Azalia

Senior Newsletter

We’ve reached the end of another incredible term, and what a journey it has been! From action-packed excursions to the unforgettable senior camp, our students have embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm and courage. At Chaverim College, they showed amazing resilience-conquering challenges, facing their fears, and cheering each other on every step of the way. We are so proud of this remarkable group of students!

In Literacy, our focus on rhyme and rap has sparked creativity and sharpened listening skills, with students even recognising rhythm and rap in today’s music. Numeracy has come alive through hands-on learning with money, highlighted by the fantastic Father’s Day Stall where students put their knowledge into action.

Our Café has continued to thrive, with students gaining valuable real-world skills, and we’ve also launched an exciting new gardening project that’s already blossoming with possibilities!

It has been a term full of growth, learning, and joy. We hope you enjoy a well-deserved holiday filled with rest, laughter, and adventure. We can’t wait to see everyone return, refreshed and ready for an amazing Term 4!

Kate, Liz, Gavin, Dana, Kerri, Jane and Jack

Reading Update

Literacy Matters: Supporting Your Child Over the Break

As Term 3 wraps up, teachers are busy using literacy screening data to plan for Term 4. While many students have made great progress, we know that a two-week break without regular revision can make it harder for some children to pick up where they left off.

Learning to decode and encode the 26 letters and approximately 44 sounds of the English language is not a natural skill—it takes repetition, practice, and ongoing exposure to reach a functional level of literacy.

Fun Ways to Support Literacy at Home

Level Up “I Spy”

Ask your child to find and bring you household items that start with a specific letter.
Example:

• - “P” for paper towel
• - “S” for soap

Letter Scavenger Hunt

Hide post-it notes with letters around the house (in plain sight). Start with the letters s, a, t, p, i, n—these are great for building early words.
Extend the game by asking:

• “How many words can you make?”
• Rearrange letters to form: VC words: in, it, is, as, an
• CVC words: sat, tap, pat, pin, nip, sit, tin

Audio Books & Sensory Support

Visit your local library or explore free online access to audio books.
If your child uses headphones for sensory processing, try introducing audio books featuring their favourite characters.

Songs & Rhymes

Songs are a fantastic way to reinforce literacy skills and support our current classroom focus on rhyme. Sing together, make up silly rhymes, or explore rhyming books and games.

Final Tip

Consistency is key. Even short, playful literacy activities during the break can make a big difference when Term 4 begins.

Thank you for supporting your child’s learning journey!

Jodie Sargeant

Expert Reading Team Leader