It’s April already! How quickly time flies. It may seem too early, but if your child is in Year 5 or 6, preparing for High School can never begin too soon.
High School is a fast-paced learning environment with a much bigger workload. There is a different teacher for each subject and students are expected to be able to work more by themselves. High Schools also tend to split their Year 7 classes into high and low achievers. Sadly, the lower classes usually have the less motivated to learn and more disruptive students in them. So it is more important than ever to be fully prepared to give your child the best opportunities possible.
The transition to High School is both exciting and scary for children and parents. Here are a few suggestions, which may help:
- Visit the high School. Most schools have orientation days for Year 6 students to attend.
- Keep the lines of communication open. Ask your child how they feel about going to High School. If they are feeling anxious, reassure them that everyone is probably feeling the same, but they just don’t show it.
- Choose a High School that friends or relatives attend. Hopefully, they will look out for each other.
- Keep their self-confidence high. If children do well in the last few years of Primary School, they will be placed into the highest class possible in Year 7.
At Kip McGrath we will be working hard on suggestion number 4. If you have any concerns, please talk to us. We are here to help.
Teachers Tips : When does a “C” sound like an “S”?
Letter ‘c’ followed by ‘i’, ‘e’ or ‘y’ makes the sound ‘s’.
Try it out. Here are a few to get you started:
city, concentric, bicycle.
Monthly Joke
Q: What happened to the wooden car with wooden wheels and a wooden engine?
A: It wooden go!
Q: What do you call a bee from a America?
A: A USB
Q: What do you call having your grandma on speed dial?
A: Instagran
Q: What do Alexander the Great and Winnie the Pooh have in common?
A: They have the same middle name
This Month
9th April
Last day Kip McGrath Tutoring
25th April
ANZAC Day Holiday
26th April
First day Kip McGrath Tutoring
Popular Books for Young Readers
One of our parents requested we include a list of children’s chapter books in our Newsletter. So here it is. Take this list along to your local library, or browse the web, and have fun finding the books you enjoy. If you know of any ther books you have enjoyed reading, we would love to hear about them.
Humour: ‘The Treehouse’ series by Andy Griffiths; ‘The Croc Who Ate My Homework’ by Stephen Pastis; ‘Origami Yoda’ series by Tom Andleberger; ‘The Tinklers Three’ series by M.C. Badger; ‘Captain Underpants’ series by Dav Pilkey
Adventure: ‘Time Hunters’ book by Chris Blake; ‘Zac Power’ books by H.I. Larry; ‘Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja’ by Marcus Emerson (the main character is female)
Mystery: ‘Billie B Brown’ series by Sally Rippin; ‘The Curious Cat Spy Club’ by Linda Joy Singleton; ‘Secret Agent Stalward’ by Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Realistic: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ series by Jeff Kinney; ‘Ivy and Bean’ series by Annie Barrows; ‘Everyday Angel’ by Victoria Schwab
Mythology: ‘The Olympian’ series by George O’Connor
Fantasy: ‘Diary of a Minecraft Zombie’ series by Herobrine Books; ‘Whatever After’ by Sarah Mlynowski; ‘The Green Ember’ by S.D. Smith; ‘Story Thieves’ by James Riley; Any book written by Roald Dahl.
Word Brain Teaser
To help you get started the 4th one is “Just Right”
Daily from Monday 11th April we will post answers at:
www.facebook.com/KipMcGrathHunter
Student of the Month
“Kip McGrath has helped me improve so much in my Maths work.
I am now in one of the top year 10 Maths classes at School.”
-Gillian
Award for Outstanding Improvement in Maths
Child-made School Lunch
Black Bean Tortilla Rolls
Tortilla spread with spicy canned black beans (add cheese if you like)
Fresh salsa for dipping
Carrot sticks & sugar snap peas
