Students have been busy in the library, borrowing books, reading and completing book activities.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge has started. Your child should be borrowing and reading Premier Reading Challenge (PRC) books at home or in the classroom every week. Remember K-2 is blue PRC stickers, 3-4 is Yellow PRC stickers and 5-6 is orange PRC stickers.

Students in 3-6 are keeping a record of their PRC books they have read at school. If you would like one to complete at home, please tell your child to ask Mrs Yeatman for a PRC reading log.

This challenge needs to be completed by 22nd August this year. Students who complete the reading challenge will receive a certificate from the Premier of NSW at the end of year Presentation Day. Students will also receive a school merit certificate once the challenge is completed.

CLASS LIBRARY DAYS

Listed below is the day your child’s class comes to the library to borrow. Please help your child to remember to pack their library bag and books on their library day.

Wednesday – S3L, S3T, S3B and S1C

Thursday – S1W, S1O, S1M, S2G, S2R, S2B and S2K

Friday – KT, KM, KF, KV and S3J

Reading for Pleasure

PLEASE HELP YOUR CHILD TO REMEMBER THEIR LIBRARY BAG AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO BORROW AND READ BOOKS.

READING FOR PLEASURE IS SO IMPORTANT IN OUR LIVES.

Reading is not just something that children should do in school, it needs to be an everyday part of our lives and something we choose to do at all ages! Research proves that Reading for pleasure is positively linked to the following, 

• Improved Reading and writing ability.
• Improved comprehension and grammar
• Improved spelling and vocabulary
• Positive reading attitudes
• Greater self-confidence as a reader
• Pleasure reading in later life.
• Greater all-round academic success
• Improved social skills and mental wellbeing.

How to encourage your child to read for pleasure?

Encouraging reading for pleasure for children opens a world of imagination, knowledge and joy. Here are some practical tips to help ignite a passion for reading:

• Create a Reading Space at Home: Designate a cosy, inviting spot in your home just for reading, equipped with good lighting, comfortable chair or sofa and ideally quiet.
• Read books together.
• Discuss What They Read: Talk about books during dinner time or morning drives to school. Ask open-ended questions about the stories or book characters.
• Connect Books with Activities: Pair reading with fun activities like movie nights based on the book.
• Variety is Key: Keep a wide range of books accessible, featuring different genres and topics to match your child’s interests.
• Remind your child to pack their library bag and encourage them to read. If you don’t have many books available at home, sign your child up to the local Cessnock library and encourage them to borrow books from the school library every week.
• Lead by Example: Let your child see you reading regularly. Your enthusiasm can show them what reading for pleasure looks like.

These strategies can help turn reading into a joyful and regular part of your child’s life.

BOOK CLUB

Bellbird Public School participates in the Scholastic Book Club.

Parents can buy new books and gifts from the Book Club online catalogue twice per term.

(One is available at the start of each term and another catalogue will be available around week 5 of each term)

ALL ORDERS ARE ONLINE

HOW TO ORDER

Please view the catalogue and complete the Book Club order online at www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP Please add your child’s name and class.

If it’s your first time to order you will need to register online to create an account.

If you have any issues placing an order, please phone me at school.

LIBRARY HELPERS NEEDED

BOOK COVERING

All new library books need to be covered before your children can borrow them. If you can spare some time to help with covering library books, please contact me by phoning the school. The contact I buy is very easy to use.

NATIONAL FAMILY READING MONTH is an initiative that represents the heart of our business— literacy being the key to learning and achievement. We believe that all children, with the help of their families and reading role models, can benefit from a lifelong love of reading.

This year marks the 29th Scholastic’s National Family Reading Month (NFRM), which encourages families to read together on a regular basis to create strong reading habits. Most of us know how important reading together is and its long-term value to our children’s success in school and in life. However, we also know it is not always that easy to put into practice with our busy schedules and increasing competition with screen time.

That is why we ask you to take the 31-Day Challenge— to inspire you to make reading together for at least 10 minutes every day a focus, to create positive, long-lasting reading habits and lifelong readers!

NFRM will launch on, THURSDAY 1ST OF MAY 2025, AT 11AM AEST AND 1PM NZST where it will be livestreamed all across Australia and New Zealand via Facebook and YouTube. Mr Luke will read his book Guess What We Are Doing Today? together with illustrator Chris Kennett and kick off the 31-Day Challenge, as we
READ EVERY DAY! READ MORE IN MAY!

You are invited to go to our website to download more assets and join the 31-Day Reading Challenge with us. Visit www.scholastic.com.au/nfrm for downloads, reading tips and exclusive content from Mr Luke.

Let’s encourage the 31-Day Reading Challenge and celebrate National Family Reading Month together!