Parents and guardians
A letter from the Premier
Dear Parent/Guardian
The 2009 Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge is underway and I invite your child to participate.
Now in its fifth year, the Challenge encourages Victorian students to read more frequently and more broadly. Last year over 117,000 students met the Challenge and I encourage your child to join in on what promises to be an even bigger and better year.
Those of you with children who are new to the Challenge will soon discover that it is an event that captures the imagination of students. It is held over three terms, during which students read a number of books to reach set targets. Students in Years 3 to 10 are challenged to read 15 books, while students in Prep to Year 2 are challenged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books by 31 August 2009. If your child is just learning to read, you can help them ‘experience’ books by reading to or with them and talking about the story, words and pictures.
Those of you with children who have participated in previous Challenges will know that there are many benefits in taking part. As well as the intrinsic rewards of reading, each student who completes the Challenge will receive a certificate from me.
In the meantime, I encourage all parents to support their children in this endeavour by helping them search for books. You can search the Challenge booklist with your child to find fiction, non-fiction, plays, poetry, short stories and graphic novels. Among the very wide range of books there are titles to cater for children who enjoy reading adventure books, fantasies, stories about sport, myths and legends, science fiction, humour or suspense novels.
For more information about the Challenge, contact your child’s school or visit the pages of this website.
The Challenge is a great way for Victorian students to improve their reading. I look forward to working with parents in supporting their children make the most of this opportunity.
Yours sincerely
John Brumby
PREMIER OF VICTORIA
Premier's letter
The letter from the Premier inviting participation in the 2009 Challenge is available for download here Premier's letter to parents (PDF - 145Kb). You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.
The letter is also available in portable document format in the following languages:
Consent form (for school based students)
Consent is required for a student to participate in the Challenge.
Parents must sign Section 1 of the Consent form (Word - 33Kb) to participate in the Challenge.
Parents must sign Section 2 of the Consent form (Word - 33Kb) for the names of successful Challengers to be published in the Premier's Reading Challenge Achievers Honour Roll.
The consent form is also available as a portable document format in the following languages:
Home-schooled students and home-based readers
A student who is home-schooled or whose school is not participating in the Challenge may register as a home-based reader. Parents should download the registration and consent form (Word - 38Kb) and return it by mail to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Registrations close on 26 June 2009.
Choosing books for children
Booklets providing suggestions for books for children in the Early Years and Middle Years of schooling are available for download.
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