Tag: high school

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News

5 Reasons why you need Twinkl membership

I’m a Twinkl Ambassador

I’m so excited and proud to announce that I am a Twinkl Ambassador….yep what great news. As a parent, I am passionate about kids’ education and anything that I can do to support my children I am doing. This is why I love the tools and resources that Twinkl offers to allow all children to thrive in their educational journey.

What is Twinkl?

Twinkl is a resource for teachers and parents. They have resources that support all levels from Kindy to High School that is aligned to the Australian Curriculum.

Twinkl is an online educational resource platform that provides a wide range of educational resources, activities, and lesson plans for children of all ages. It was founded in the UK in 2010, and since then, it has expanded to serve educators and parents around the world, including Australia.

Here is an overview of the foundation to year 2 level on Twinkl – So many resources available.
I am very proud and excited to be a Twinkl Abassador
Treasure words and Fake Words Phonics Game

Why Twinkl membership is a must

Here are some ways Twinkl can help parents support their children at school, as well as how it helps teachers and homeschooling parents:

  1. Educational Resources: Twinkl offers a vast library of educational resources that align with the Australian Curriculum, from kindergarten to high school. Parents can access materials that cover a wide range of subjects, including mathematics, science, English, and social studies, to support their child’s learning at home.

  2. Printable Worksheets: Twinkl provides printable worksheets that parents can use to help their child practice their skills at home. These worksheets cover a range of topics and are designed to be engaging and fun for children.

  3. Interactive Activities: Twinkl offers a range of interactive activities that parents can use to engage their children in learning. These activities include games, quizzes, and puzzles that help children learn while having fun.

  4. Lesson Plans: Twinkl has a variety of lesson plans for teachers that cover a range of topics and subjects. Parents who are homeschooling their children can also use these lesson plans to structure their child’s learning.

  5. Homeschooling Resources: Twinkl offers a range of resources for parents who are homeschooling their children. These resources include lesson plans, worksheets, and activities that are designed specifically for homeschooling families.

Twinkl is a valuable resource for parents who want to support their child’s learning at school, as well as for teachers and homeschooling parents. With its extensive library of resources, printable worksheets, interactive activities, lesson plans, and homeschooling resources, Twinkl provides a comprehensive solution for parents who want to help their children succeed academically.

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Categories
Family

I Hope The 2022 School Year Is Unbroken

Tomorrow my little boy starts grade one and then the next day my twin girls start grade eight, yep they are growing up fast.

The last two years have been up and down with lockdowns and schools mandating learning from home. I do hope that schools stay open and that kids will have an unbroken school year. Not only is it a struggle when kids are learning from home, it is a huge strain to help kids learn while you are also working full time.

Getting ready for back to school

My children do much better when they are at school for face to face lessons. I am also not cut out for homeschooling anyone. Although last year the kids had four months learning from home, the twins got awards from school and glowing report cards. Even the youngest got awards too.

It is sad to say goodbye to the holidays and will be back to the weekly schedule yet again. There are a few things I do like when school returns, the quiet time during the day that will finally allow me to think and get a few things done. I also love the fact that all kids will be with friends, learn new things and grow.

One other good thing about kids going back to school is that they will be so tired and sleep well. Yep, too much info and to do, so mentally and physically exhausted. A win win for mummy!

The youngest is super excited to be entering stage one, now grade one. He is keen to see his mates but not keen to go to school. He told me that he wants to stay home and play with mummy. I do hope that he changes his mind and has a good day tomorrow.

The thirteen year olds were not that keen to go back but it has grown on them. They have a good group of fiends and are keen to see them again at school (although they have been hanging out during he holidays). The girls also have been lucky to get their first choices for their starter electives and are excited to experience these subjects and get a taste of what high school is really like.

The girls also have some good mates that are starting grade seven as well and I hope that they welcome them warmly to the new school and help them feel at home. When the twins started high school some of the kids that they were friendly with were not very nice at all, due to the twins being the older kids in their year they are the same age as some kids in the year above but now they are a year apart the kids in the year above didn’t want to be friends. Which of course upset my girls no end.

So as the girls know how it feels, I hope they don’t do the same to their mates that are the year below them.

As long as the schools can stay open and we don’t have homeschooling it will be a better year than the last two.

Are your kids looking forward to going back or starting school?

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Categories
School

March is too Early for High School Enrolment!

Studying - Maybe this will be the twins next year.
Studying - Maybe this will be the twins next year.

Last night I attended “Meet the Teacher” at the twin’s school.

The last one I attended was when they were in Kindy and then moved into stage 1.

I decided to attend the one last night since it is the girl’s last year of primary, they are getting ready for high school and I wanted to understand how the school is preparing them for the next step.

It was great to hear all the wonderful things that the teachers and the school have organised. It was also good to meet one of the new teachers and hear from another that the kids have known forever but have never had as a teacher.

One thing that amazed me was that next week the whole year six are visiting the local high school. They are spending a full day there to experience what it is like to be at high school. On the same day, there is an information session for parents about the high school.

Hopefully, this will be my girls soon. Looking up stuff in a dictionary.
Hopefully, this will be my girls soon. Looking up stuff in a dictionary.

While at the Meet the Teacher event it was told to all parents that there will be forms sent out for registering at the local high school in March.

March! What the????

The girls just started grade six and now we are talking about racing off and enrolling at the high school!

So getting back to how the school prepares the kids for the transition to high school.

There are a few more events that the kids attend at the high school and we also got told that some of the teachers come to the primary school to help the kids to deal with the fact that they will be dealing with timetables and how they will have different teachers for each subject.

As you can imagine the girls are super excited about going to high school and at times a little scared but mostly excited.  Both girls have been wanting the year six hoodie jumper last year, however, they were technically in grade five so that was never going to happen. Now they now officially grade sixers they will be getting their grade six hoodies soon.

Soooo all teachers told all the parents that the kids need to do the following each night:

  • Read aloud to mum/dad
  • Practice their spelling words
  • Do their mathletics homework

Ever since the girls have moved into stage 3, which is grade five and grade six, they have told me that they don’t need to do any homework as it is all done at school.

As a mum that wants to prepare her children for the soon to be the first day of high school. I am trying to get my kids to practice their reading, spelling, comprehension, maths and so much more. I want them to be ready and not freak out if they get asked something or have to do a task for their new teachers.

Studying - Maybe this will be the twins next year.
Studying – Maybe this will be the twins next year.

After learning about all the wonderful things planned and how it aligns with the syllabus I asked a question.

“If you expect the kids to do about 30mins of practice each afternoon, can you please tell the kids that they need to do the work.  I find it extremely difficult to get my girls to do any practice when they tell me that they don’t need to do homework.”

Many other parents said the same thing and the teachers understood the issue.

If teachers want kids to do work they need to tell kids that homework is due, rather than say you don’t need to do it. How do you enforce a little bit of homework each day when the school says you don’t have to!

I’m really struggling to get my kids to understand that the only way they can get better is with practice. Are you in the same situation as me? I know that too much homework is bad and not good, however, a little bit of something each day I believe is a good idea, it helps kids practice and know their work and therefore develop more confidence.

I am still in shock that I am off to the high school next week to find out more. I am also in shock that the kids are off to the high school so early in the year. And yes, a little amazed that the high school wants you to fill out forms for enrollment in March!

My tactic to get the kids to do some work is to take their technology off them during the school week, do a bit of work when they come home from school. I get both kids to read a few pages of a book they are reading, do some spelling, any maths work that is needed to be done, and some quick practice for their times tables.

Getting ready for high school - Pity the girls have a school uniform and cannot wear these fun shoes.
Getting ready for high school – Pity the girls have a school uniform and cannot wear these fun shoes.

 

I know it is a bit harsh to take technology off them but I have found that this makes them focus and once the work is done I let them play outside or do something creative, or even keep reading the book they are reading.

What do you do to help kids practice or do homework for school? Let me know.

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