Helping your child at home
Your child will bring home a number of things each day. These may include books, completed work, art work etc. This is all sent home for a reason – to help you understand what your child is doing each day and to share their excitement of learning. Please set aside some time each day to talk about these things and where appropriate:-
Listen to your child read
- Help with learning of new words
- Talk and display any art work
- Read to your child if a reader or a library book is brought home
- Please don't ignore your child's efforts. Children often so look forward to taking things home to show you and be admired. You will find it easier, quicker and more enjoyable to stop your chores and spend this short time each day with your child. It will prove so valuable in helping with his/her progress. Your child's teacher is more than happy to help you with strategies for learning at home.
"What else can I do?"
The school is only part of your child's learning. If you want your child to really succeed there are many other ways you can help:-
- Read to your child/children lots of stories
- Encourage him / her to use the Library – school and Public
- Encourage writing( letters, stories etc ), drawing, making things, colouring in at home. Have a place to display work
- Play games together
- Sing and say rhymes together
- Don't panic or worry if your child seems to be taking a long time to learn things
- Don't compare your child's progress with that of other children (even brothers and sisters) as they all develop at different rates
- Don't send tired children to school. Remember, early to bed, school in the morning
Homework
At St Mary's school, homework is set to allow children to practice and consolidate skills previously taught at school and to develop personal research skills.
The school will encourage and assist each child to:
″ develop a positive attitude towards learning"
″ develop positive work patterns and habits particularly self discipline,
independence, responsibility, and perseverance."
Purposes
1. To define or supplement work already covered
2. To develop children's ability to organise their time
3. To afford parents the opportunity to observe children's work habits and
attainment
4. To communicate to parents programmes of work currently being studied
within the classroom.
Guidelines
1. New concepts will not be introduced as homework
2. Work set will be within the child's capability and well understood
3. Homelearning will be relevant to class work being studied
4. Goals will be attainable
5. Resources required will be available to students
6. Motivation will be positive