At St Patrick’s School, Emerald, homework is seen as an essential part of the education of each child. Homework will be compulsory for all year levels from 1 to 6. 

It will be given to reinforcement of concepts taught in class, to develop a sense of responsibility in our children, provide feedback to parents/carers on what has been taught and it develops good study habits.
 
IMPLEMENTATION:
Homework at St Patrick’s can include: Spelling/phonics/word building/sight words, mathematics, sentences/grammar/punctuation, number facts, reading, activities to be completed from school, project work and home based activities.
 The homework will be based on the Ian Lillico grid.

How long should it take?  
Time recommended per day:
Year 6                30 to 40 minutes increasing slightly in Semester 2
Year 4/5            20 to 25 minutes   
Year 3                 20 minutes     
Year 2                 15 minutes (homework, home readers)
Year 1                  15 minutes (4 days)

 How do we evaluate homework?  
¨       Marking by teacher.  Teacher comments are important also
¨       Going through as a class
¨       Reading log
¨       Self assessment
¨       Anecdotal notes
¨       Chart/stickers
¨       Talking to parents/carers
¨       Signature and comments from parents/carers
 
Homework needs to be:
¨       Given Monday to Thursday not Friday
¨       Interesting and relevant
¨       Revision of concepts covered in class
¨       Seen as a partnership with parents/carers
¨       Matched to ability
¨       Not used as a punishment
¨       Explained well by teachers

 At St Patrick’s Emerald we believe that homework is an important part of the educational process. If problems arise in regards to the completion of homework, the child’s teacher will contact the parents/guardians. Currently, the teachers at St Patrick’s are using the Ian Lillico homework grid for the structure of homework. This will be explained during the information evenings held at the beginning of the school year.

If your children have difficulty completing homework, do not hesitate to contact their teacher.