Time to break out the whoopee cushions, food colouring, superglue, false moustaches, rubber chickens and poker faces… It’s April Fools Day!
To learn more about the origins and traditions of this droll day, read more..!
The CAMI Express has a different type of staff member to profile in this edition. Ellen is our technical expert who plays a major role in supporting our families with their CAMI Educational software. Read on to find out how she came to work at CAMI and some of her unique experiences in between! Read more…
Maths Corner – Pi - remember it, use it and celebrate it!
Written by Kimberley Pounder
This special number is essential when you are working with circles. In this quarter’s CAMI Express we look at who discovered Pi, a neat trick to remembering it to 30 decimal places, using it to find circumference and area of circles as well as the traditions of Pi Day!
English Matters – Creative Writing – Short Stories
Written by Kimberley Pounder
Ok, so you have a short story assignment due… and soon! You need emergency assistance to disencumber* yourself of the dreaded ‘writer’s block’! Read on for some practical tips to get you started…
For our latest CAMI Tip on keeping your tutors up to date with your schoolwork, read more!
LOL
Here are the names of fictitious book titles and authors. Read the book title and author’s name to see how they are related. Can you make up a similar funny book title and author?
“To Right the Wrong” by E. Raser (Eraser)
“The Arctic Ocean” by I.C. Waters (Icy Waters)
“Crime Does Not Pay” by Lauren Orda (Law and Order)
Did You Know?
One quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet!
Things We Think Are Awesome
The children at Ambleside C.E. Primary School in the UK create their own Maths online games during their Numeracy Hour. Here are some of the programs made by the pupils either individually or as a group.
Your Number's up! -This is a four player game (5 if someone is in charge of the mouse). Made completely by Callum, Jennifer, James, Alex, Pieran (and play tested by Jonathan)!
THE TABLE TREES - Practise your tables with this great activity designed by Tarn and Alex in Year 4.
THE TOTALLY MENTAL MACHINE - challenging mental arithmetic "real world" problems! - Thanks to the children who invented the questions and defined the random number ranges to create just the right amount of challenge!
There are many National and State tests and competitions that your child may have entered or may consider entering in the future.
Closing Dates
- International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) – Registrations close around the second week of May.
- NSW Opportunity Class Placement Test (for high achieving students in Grade 4 to enter selective classes in Grade 5) – Registrations close around the third week of May.
- Victorian Selective High School Test – Registrations close around the third week of May.
There is also a special day on August 25 for families as part of the National Year of Reading.
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Date in 2012 |
Event |
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June 16 |
VIC Selective High School Test |
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June 18 |
National/International ICAS (UNSW) Writing Competition |
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June 19 |
National/International ICAS (UNSW) Spelling Competition |
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July 25 |
NSW OC Placement Test |
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July 31 |
National/International ICAS (UNSW) English Competition |
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August 14 |
National /International ICAS (UNSW) Maths Competition |
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August 25 |
The Reading Hour http://www.thereadinghour.org.au/ |
For more information on the National Year of Reading go to: http://www.love2read.org.au/
If you know of any special educational events that are coming up in your area in the months of September to December please drop us a line.
What They Are Saying - Prof. Matt Sanders on Homework
Written by Kimberley PounderAccording to the Director of the University of Queensland's Parenting and Family Support Centre, Professor Matt Sanders, you can start encouraging your children to learn (and enjoy it!) very early in their lives.
On the subject of homework, experience would suggest it pays off. "There's controversy about whether homework actually promotes learning and achievement," Professor Sanders says, "but it's interesting - you'll often find in cultures where there is a lot of homework being done and kids do plenty of study, that these kids are often achieving at fairly high levels of academic accomplishment."
The perseverance required for homework may help kids develop other important skills. "Sometimes, some of the hardest lessons in life are that some of the most important things are not simple and straightforward and you do need to be prepared to put in a bit of extra effort and time in order to master something," says Professor Sanders.
He recommends that parents help with their children's homework, but never take over.
To read the full article on or listen to Professor Sanders talking about encouraging good learning habits in children go to: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/01/19/2795921.htm
CAMI Worldwide is proud to support CanTeen, a fantastic organisation which provides support to young people living with cancer. If you would like to learn more about CanTeen and the important work they do please visit their website www.CanTeen.org.au or click here for a list of their 2012 fundraising events.
In each newsletter we provide you with tips on using CAMI to help make your life plain-sailing, at least when it comes to using our software! In this edition we provide advice for multiple-computer households and the best way for them to approach working on CAMI as well as sending in their reports. So to ensure that you’re on smooth waters, read more…