21 APRIL 2016 Pittville School Literacy

Newsletter 2nd May Newsletter 2016: Issue 1

Loving Literacy!

“Literacy is the combination of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills we all need to fulfil our potential. These life skills are essential to the happiness, health and wealth of individuals and society.” First Story students are Developing the literacy skills of our young people has been a huge focus at launching their book on Pittville School since they started back in September and we can already see 30th June. changes in our students: they are reading more, and more students are visiting Students at Pittville the school library. Our aims are to equip each student with the literacy skills that celebrated Shakespeare they need for the future and things have got off to a fantastic start. Day on 22nd April by baking cakes and making

Literacy focuses mosaics. Each term here at Pittville we homework. “I am not very good have a Literacy Focus. This is at spelling, what can I do to Dr. Paul. Innes also came something that we expect improve?” in from the University of students to make a real effort to Gloucestershire to deliver get right in all of their subject “ I am not very good at a seminar to Year 10 areas. spelling, what can I students on ‘Romeo and Juliet’. do to improve?” The focus for this term is Winners of the spelling. Students are to ensure competition to see who that their spelling is accurate Ready to Read? could be photographed and that they are developing reading in the most certain strategies to make sure Students have been reading unusual place were: that they are learning spellings during registration time in the across the whole curriculum. morning as well as in their 1st prize - Sacha Brown English lessons. Reading more Stark HOW YOU CAN HELP: will not only develop reading 2nd prize - Sophia Encourage students to practise skills but improve vocabulary, Fountain their spellings at home. Make spelling and writing skills. It is 3rd prize - Paris Duffus s u r e t h a t s t u d e n t s u s e important that students have a Jasmine Charles, Carolina strategies that they have reading book in their bags at all Schubert and Eleanor learned at school to improve times so that they are fully Lloyd are representing their spelling, such as breaking prepared for their reading Pittville at the Poetry Slam the words into syllables, sessions. competition which took applying spelling rules, using a place on Thursday 28th dictionary and making sure that Please encourage students to April. t h e y p r o o f - r e a d t h e i r read at home as well. 2ND MAY 2016

READATHON Story’ where a group of Year 10 friends, play chess/draughts/ students have been working scrabble and read. Recently students took part in a every Thursday after school with Readathon where they set a professional and published We encourage students to read, with the Accelerated Reading themselves goals for their writer to produce their own Scheme. Our records, over the reading and were sponsored for a n t h o l o g y o f w o r k . Th i s this. Students raised a massive past four years of using this anthology is no small matter: it £630 half of which will be scheme, show that it has not is being published and put on donated to Readathon charities only improved the reading age and half will be used to restock shelves for book lovers to enjoy of the majority of students, but the library with books. up and down the country! The h a s g i v e n t h e m m o r e students involved have been so confidence, has improved their H a v e y o u d i s c o v e r e d dedicated and have loved vocabulary and helped them to Accelerated Reader yet? w o r k i n g w i t h A l i c i a achieve high grades in their Stubbersfield - our writer - and exams. All our Y7-9 students are the results are incredible. So far this year, we have 12 enjoying reading books with Students will be launching their our new system. Word Millionaires (those who books at a V.I.P invite- only Accelerated Reader finds out, have read over a million words event on June 30th where staff, with a short reading test, the since Sept. 2015) and 2 Double reading ability of students. peers, parents and local Word Millionaires (those who Students are then allocated dignitaries will get to enjoy have read over two million books that are suitable for their students read their work and words!). At this stage last year level of reading. sign copies of their anthology. w e o n l y h a d s i x w o r d millionaires! We celebrate our Accelerated Reader allows the Miss. C. Dring English Teacher achievers and encourage others students to take a short test on to read more. the book which tells us if they have read and understood it. “A fabulous WELCOME FROM PITTVILLE SCHOOL LIBRARY achievement!” With Accelerated Reader, the staff and students can see how Pittville School Library is a well- well they are progressing with used, vibrant, beneficial, vital We want every child to enjoy their reading. Their levels and much loved resource. It is reading and to achieve their full improve and they can read used as a classroom during the potential. more challenging books. school day, with many classes Pittville School Library’s motto taking advantage of the is READ TO SUCCEED! You will soon be able to access computers and non-fiction the programme from home to books available for research see how well they are doing. purposes. There is a very large range of fiction books available for ‘reading for pleasure’. At Questions that we often hear Cheltenham Festival’s First Story Project Lunchtime, it is used as a social from parents: area, where students come to At Pittville, we have been use the computers, do their How can I help my son/ involved in a project called homework, chat with their daughter to improve their ‘Cheltenham Festival’s First handwriting? READING BUDDIES My son/daughter’s handwriting To enter, students have to write a is awful, what can I do to help story of no more than 500 words Year 10 students have been helping them? mashing up two genres. The prize Year 7 students with their reading is a trip to DisneyLand Paris and during morning registration this £500 to spend on books. The first thing that you can do is term. Year 10 reading buddies are: ensure that students are Please submit entries to Mr Tamzin Smith, Freya Rogers, Ronan equipped for school. This Apperley by Friday 3rd June. For Merrick and Gosia Antosiewicz m e a n s t h a t t h e y h a v e a more information ask your English selection of pens that they can teacher. They have worked really hard to write comfortably with. help students with their reading. Further information Students need to also take time with their work; they often rush Please visit our Literacy page on “I am through it and the teacher then the school website for regular enjoying struggles to read it when updates and useful information about Literacy at Pittville School. reading marking it. with Year If you would like more information 10” about how to help your child to Extended writing improve their Literacy skills at home or you have concerns about COMING UP IN THE Extended writing gets us into their Literacy development, then SUMMER TERM: the habit of thinking and please email: Miss. Amie Mills, working independently, and L i t e r a c y C o o r d i n a t o r : thereby prepares us for an [email protected] or important life skill. It also allows [email protected], A SPELLING BEE u s t o w o r k i n a c a l m Head of Communication Studies. A YEAR 7 TRIP TO SEE ‘A e n v i r o n m e n t w i t h o u t MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S distractions. A lot of pupils find that they enjoy extended writing because it allows them to express themselves more freely, and gives the teacher the opportunity to see them at their very best.

Extended writing also prepares students for their GCSE exams, in which they are asked to work independently.

Please encourage students to w o r k a t h o m e o n t h e i r extended writing by writing Shakespeare Day cakes stories, practising essays etc in baked by Year 7: ‘A a quiet environment for longer Midsummer Night’s Dream’ periods of time. and Shakespeare himself.

WRITING COMPETITION: NATIONAL YOUNG WRITER’S AWARDS 2016.