Home Learning

We’re sure you know the scenario, you have just arrived home, it’s late, bedtimes are looming, you have been on the go all day as well as all those other commitments, and all you can think is ‘get the kids to bed and have a moment of peace……’

Not to be!

There is home learning, mysteriously leapt from the bag, never mentioned before, due tomorrow, no details provided by your child – HOME LEARNING!


How do we avoid this parenting trap, whilst still developing the self management skills that home learning is essential to help your child’s learning?


Introduction:

We are pleased to be able to share with you our school expectations for Home Learning. As you will know, this is new for HPS and your feedback as the parent/whānau community have raised this as an area of importance. Now more than ever, that home school partnership is paramount to success. Covid has caused interruption to learning and we need to work together to accelerate your child's learning!

We understand that many homes are very busy places in the afternoons, so home learning - whilst this is something new we are introducing at HPS, it should not cause any stress or frustration for any members of your household. Please communicate any challenges directly to your child’s whānau teacher (either by adding a note to your child's Home Learning book or send ing them an email) and be assured that there will be some transition issues as we embark on this together, so communication will be very important to ensure we all understand what is expected and can support each other through the transition phase.


Our advice for getting started with Home Learning is:


• Set the time for home learning each night and work it in around your family schedule.


• Make the time appropriate to the child’s age and concentration span. If you are uncertain, see your child’s teacher. No more than 25 minutes up to Year 4 (unless your child’s LOVING it).


• Reading is a given! Even when your child no longer comes home with school readers, it is essential that 10 - 15 minutes is set aside for either individual reading, reading to or reading with your child/children, which can be a multitude of text types/events. For example: helping with dinner, by reading the recipe out while you are making it is counted as part of that reading time.


• Mathletics is making up a large part of our home learning as its success is proven. Even 10 minutes a day will have an impact on your child’s understanding.

If your child has an inquiry learning project that spans the week or more, sit with them on the first evening and plan what they will do each day to work around other events or activities.


• Don’t get into a battle with your child over home learning as it turns home learning into a negative that may last for years. STOP if you find you are getting frustrated, you don’t understand or they don’t understand and write a note in your child’s home learning book, send an email or pop in to talk to the teacher about the situation to try to find a solution. You can always come back to it the next day, or after you’ve all calmed down perhaps!


• Home learning includes talking about your child’s day with them, asking them about the kindness they showed someone, what made them laugh today, what are they most prud of today?


Purpose:


Home learning serves different purposes at different stages. In the early years the focus should be on the development of basic skills and should encourage children to share what they are learning in class with their parents. As they move up through the school the basic skills they have learnt must be maintained through regular activities such as Reading, Spelling and Maths basic facts practise. A component of inquiry based work will be introduced to support class learning and to encourage the development of skills such as research and presentation. Completing home learning also develops good habits for the future, such as time management, breaking tasks down, problem solving, awareness and selection of effective presentation methods.


Key Points home learning:

  • Should be completed regularly

  • Is for the child to do, not the parents

  • Develops good habits for future education

  • If causing stress and arguments - STOP and send a message to your child’s whanau teacher.

  • Reading and Mathletics each night

  • Expectations will change as your child moves through school


Make life easy for yourself:


  • Try having a set time to do home learning

  • Have a set place or desk setup with everything that might be needed

  • Eat first, home learning second

  • If one day is very busy, do extra on another day to fit around out of school activities

  • Have a quick look at the home learning and help your child to plan the week

  • Communicate with your child’s teacher so that you are both working together to help your child to meet the home learning expectations, and making the most of all learning opportunities this year


School wide expectations for all students at Hingaia Peninsula School:

The following activities are set to give the students opportunities to practise and maintain important basic skills in the core curriculum areas

- Reading every night (either a book/reader/poem which has been set by the classroom teacher, or reading material that the student chooses independently)

- Phonics tasks or Spelling words (individual to each student/group within a studio)

- 1000 Mathletics points each week, this will include basic facts practise and key curriculum tasks set by your child’s Maths teacher


Year Level Information:

As students move up through the school their home learning needs change and teaching teams work together to ensure that what is set is relevant to the needs and abilities of their students, as well as providing a strong link to what is being taught in the studio at that time.


Our teaching teams have collaboratively established the expectations for each of our year groups.

Please see the information below...

HPS Home Learning