Educational Resources for Parents to help their Children - Letter to Parents

Dear Parents/Guardians,

      Did you know, that there a number of resources, tools, and websites that you can access throughout the year to help your child with their studies, and their understanding of new concepts and ideas?  The ministry as well as the Halton District School Board offers several links that you can access, to help your child in the development of their language, math, and other curriculum strands.  Below, I've listed a few that you can use to support your child's educational experience.

At the Ministry level:

Ontario Ministry of Education - Resources to Help Your Child
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/howcanihelp.html

     This website, sponsored by the Ministry of Ontario, provides a variety of links that you can start with, when attempting to gain additional resources for your child.  It provides a variety of links, e-resources, publications and websites that you can access to support your child's learning.  At the start of the school year, I would recommending visiting this site first, and then visiting some of the links to see what they have to offer for your child.

The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents

http://ontariohomeschool.org/internetresources.shtml

      This website, sponsored by the Federation of Teaching parents, provides links to all strands of the curriculum.  The site is organized according to strand, and then provides links to a variety of websites that features information and online games for kids.  A great site to visit when reinforcing new concepts at home, and useful for tutors as well as home schooling instructors alike.  

The Ontario Association for Mathematics Education

http://www.oame.on.ca/main/index1.php?lang=en&code=links

      Mathematics has always been a struggling area for many students in our schools.  Problem solving continues to be a focus within the board, attempting to give students the strategies and tools they need to successfully solve word problems.  This website, sponsored by the Association for Mathematics Education, supplies numerous links for parents and students to access, for additional support in math.  Many of the sites feature math games that will keep the students motivated, and will help them with skill development, and word problem strategies.

Education Equality and Accountability Office
http://www.eqao.com/Parents/Elementary/036/036.aspx?Lang=E&gr=036

      The EQAO website provides lots of information for students in grades 3 and 6 to prepare for the provincial testing that awaits them near the end of the year.  The site provides links to previous year's tests, so teachers and parents can access the type of questions that students will see when it is time to take the test. Also, the website provides scoring guides and leveled answers, so students can understand the differences between a level 1 answer, and a level 4 answer.

At the Board Level:

Elementary Internet Tools
http://www.hdsb.ca/library/pages/elementaryinternettools.asp

        The Elementary Internet Tools is a link sponsored by the Halton District School Board, that provides access to a variety of websites, databases, and publications that students and parents can access to support learning.  Students can access their own school's library resources, their school's website, a large variety of databases, audio, video, eBooks, online atlases, maps and images, online encyclopedias, and much more. This website provides numerous links organized by grade level, across all strands of the curriculum.  It's a great place to start, when completing research or looking for games and activities to support learning.

      Any of these websites can assist your child within their studies.  Have fun exploring each of these sites, and if you have any questions regarding them, feel free to contact me at the school.