At Alexander Stirling, we are a school of Academic and Personal Excellence.

We value ALL student successes and will strive to provide the best educational experiences grounded in Academics, Arts, Sports, Clubs, Stem and other extra curricular activities.

We are a school of High Expectations founded on Safety, Respect, Responsibility, Well-Being, Kindness and Caring.

We value ALL voices and respect the contributions of all members of our school community.

At Stirling, Our school is our Family – Student Success will be the by-product of our commitment to working together and respecting each other.

At Stirling, Our school will be a place where students, parents, staff and community partners work together and take ownership in developing and maintaining a dynamic and vibrant student-centered learning environment.

We will prepare our students for the competitive 21st Century Global Environment by ensuring they have access to technological resources and are provided with the Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills.

We will celebrate our successes!

I often hear parents say that their children can read the “text”. While this may be the case, it is important to ensure that children understand what they are reading at a level where they can develop their higher thinking and critical skills. We continue with this practice by providing you with the following tips for reading with your children

Tips for Read-Aloud at Home

Research in the field of reading is dramatically clear on one point. Reading aloud to children is the single most important thing a parent can do to ensure reading success for their children.            

A good read-aloud session includes the reading of a good story and some quality talk about the story. Alexander Stiirling has a healthy representation of reading materials in our school library, literacy room and classroom libraries. Teachers send home these resources on a regular basis so that parents can take the opportunity to read with their children.  The local Malvern Library is also well stocked with a variety of reading materials.

The following suggestions are meant for parents to generate a dialogue with their children about the books they read together.

General Information

1. Read-aloud to your child at least once a day.
2. Set aside regular reading times.
3. Share in the choice of books. Allow your child to choose books and  you choose a favorite at other times.
4. Read with enthusiasm. Enjoy yourself.

Talking About What is Read

Before Reading

• Look at the title, cover pictures, title page.
• Encourage your child to make predictions. What might the story be about? What might happen in the story?

During Reading

• Stop occasionally to check predictions. Is this what you thought would happen? Do we need to change our predictions? What new predictions can we make?
• Don’t forget to talk about the pictures. In picture books, illustrations play a central role in telling the story. Talk about the illustrator’s style, the detail, the use of color.
• Discuss meanings and connotations of unfamiliar words and phrases