It was great to see CDC groups in C Block making such a positive start to the day last Friday morning with their usual Friday CDC reading. CDCs were reading the carefully chosen texts and students were following along with their BMS Bookmarks, stopping to discuss the occasional word or talk about the context of the passage.

Our continued focus on reading is effectively supporting the continued development of literacy across the school and the achievement of all students in curriculum areas across the school.

As parents and carers do continue to encourage your children to read regularly because research shows reading does really support the development of many cognitive and academic benefits including brain function, concentration and memory, critical thinking, as well as expanding vocabulary and knowledge and improving academic performance. Reading also boosts many personal and social benefits through fostering imagination and creativity, developing empathy, reducing stress and improving communication skills.

Regular reading requires focus and helps improve your ability to concentrate on a single task; it also strengthens memory as the brain works to remember characters, settings, and plotlines. Reading exposes you to new ideas and different perspectives, which develops analytical skills and the ability to make connections and predictions.

Studies show a correlation between regular reading and higher academic achievement across different subjects and a larger vocabulary and a better understanding of language structure, learned through reading, leads to improved writing and communication skills.

All in all, reading is very important!