How is it possible that another year is nearly done? We know that many of you will be starting to get busier with end of year activities, Summer sports starting up and copious after school activities. We hope that the term progresses well for you all, despite the craziness that it sometimes brings.
2023 Tutoring
Tutors have all sent out a letter of intention to parents about tutoring for next year. If you are unsure if your child needs to continue tutoring, please chat to your child’s tutor as they will be able to chat through where your child is at in regards to their learning and if they are ready to graduate from our programme.
If your child is finishing up with us at the end of 2022, we would firstly like to thank you for trusting us to support your child with their learning journey. Secondly, we are always excited when students graduate, but equally sad to see them go, as we get very attached to our LS students! We wish your child all the very best for 2023 and know that they will continue to thrive with their learning in the coming years; please stay in touch and let us know how they are getting on!
Recruitment
We are on the hunt for some amazing educators to join our team, particularly in Wellington, Nelson and Dunedin branches. If you know someone who might love to work one on one with kids in a part time role, please have them touch base with us on admin@learningsupport.nz and we can send them some information.
NZ Documentaries
Many of you will have already seen or heard of the recent documentaries that were released by TVNZ in the past couple of months. We’ve linked them below if you have not already seen or heard about them.
“Kids Wired Differently”- Hosted by Sonia Gray, it is an interesting insight into the lives of NZ families who have children with autism.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/kids-wired-differently
“You, Me and Anxiety” is a documentary hosted by Robyn Malcolm and talks us through her personal battle with anxiety and panic attacks.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/you-me-and-anxiety
The Summer Slide - Learning regression over the Summer
We often chat about the ‘Summer slide’ in regard to learning and this is evident in many students, regardless of whether or not they have a learning difficulty. The National Library has a great website that summarizes some NZ and international research about the “Summer Slide”. You can read more about it here https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/reading-engagement/summer-reading/summer-slide-and-summer-reading-research
Summer Reading Ideas
Following on from the Summer Slide research (above) are some suggestions to support reading practice during the summer!
Summer Scavenger Hunt - Another way to encourage reading is to do an outdoor scavenger hunt together. You could leave it in the car and take it with you to the beach, park, playground, grandma’s etc! This is one we like!
Online Reading - Read theory is a website that we have suggested before. It is FREE, can be accessed via a tablet, smartphone or laptop and involves short pieces of text and 4-5 comprehension questions.
Reading Scavenger Hunt - A fun way to encourage your child to read a variety of books. There are many free downloads on the internet, but this website has a range of free downloadable ones that will suit a range of different readers!
Send an Email - Kids love technology and having them write an email to a friend, family member (or their tutor) could be a good way for them to practice writing/typing. They can also re-read their email to check if it makes sense and then read the reply!
Caldecott Reading Challenge - Find the Caldecott winner book for each year that someone in your family was born and read them. You can see the Caldecott winners list here. Borrow the books from the library and read them together!
Postcards - are a great way to encourage short bursts of descriptive writing, kids like them, because they are short and quick to complete and depending on who the postcard recipient is, they may even get a reply too!
NZ Rugby World Kids Magazine - How about purchasing a NZ Rugby Kids Magazine for a Christmas present? Published by an ex-teacher, it is full of educational reads for your rugby-mad child. An affordable and ongoing gift to give! Click this link to purchase the magazine and also use the code: KIDSRUGBY for $5 off the subscription.
Thank You
Finally a HUGE thank you for all of the hard work you have put into your child’s learning this year. We have LOVED working alongside you to support your child and their learning and are so proud of them for everything they have achieved this year.
Have a wonderful and safe Summer break and we look forward to seeing many of you again in Term 1 2023. Your tutor will be in touch to confirm a start date for tutoring.
The Learning Support Team x
