Enter the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee

Schools in Bonner can get involved in this year’s Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee to promote literacy in an entertaining and engaging way.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said this year the spelling bee would be hosted by Kids News and conducted through a digital format rather than face to face.

“Not only will the three national winners win the chance to meet the Prime Minister with return flights to Canberra with a parent, accommodation, an iPad and $250 book pack, but they will also win a $1000 voucher for their school to spend on books, technology or other equipment,” Mr Vasta said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged all schools to get involved and register.“Literacy is so critical to a young person’s education in Australia. It provides the fundamental base to develop other skills, and the tools to embrace the joy of reading and writing,” the Prime Minister said.

“This is free competition that is fun and exciting and will help students learning literacy build their confidence.”

Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge said the spelling bee would help nurture a love of words in students.

“Spelling bees are not only great fun, they have wider benefits like helping kids develop confidence and discovering new ways to learn,” Minister Tudge said.

“I urge parents, teachers and our young people to get behind the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee and I encourage all schools to take part.”

The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee was due to commence in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.

The Morrison Government has provided over $345,000 of funding to support the initiative.The national spelling bee will run in Term 1, 2021 for children in Years 3 to 8 and schools can now register.

It will be held at school level in March, with finals for each state and territory taking place in April.Schools can register and find more information on the Kids News website.

Registrations will close on Friday, 5 March 2021.

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New reading resources for families and teachers

Families and teachers in Bonner can now access free online resources to help their children learn to read.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the Morrison Government had launched a free phonics check for teachers and a simple reading awareness check for families.

“Literacy and numeracy are the fundamentals of a successful education, and our Government is giving families free tools to ensure their children’s reading is on track,” Mr Vasta said.

“We have provided $10.8 million to develop resources for families and educators to assess the language skills of students to help them better understand a child’s reading level.

“By checking on the language skills of our youngest students we can ensure that no one is left behind and every student has the building blocks to develop strong reading, writing and speaking skills.”

Mr Vasta said he encouraged all local schools in Bonner to take advantage of the free phonics check to help teachers determine a child’s reading progress and what additional support they may need.

“Literacy and numeracy are the absolute fundamentals of a world-leading education, and studies have shown phonics is the most effective way of teaching children to read,” Mr Vasta said.

“Our Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a voluntary phonics health check for Year 1 students.

“Our Government has also released a new reading awareness check and literacy resources for parents to help their children learn to read.”

The phonics check and reading awareness check are available with more resources to support literacy development on stage one of the new online Literacy Hub at www.literacyhub.edu.au

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