At Tait School, we believe the main purposes of homework are:         • to reinforce and extend classroom knowledge and learning;         • to provide opportunities for students to assume responsibility for their own learning;                 and for older children-         • to develop the ability to manage time effectively Keeping in mind the diversity of our families and our students and recognizing that children learn in a variety of ways and at different rates, Tait staff will endeavour to:                 • provide meaningful, developmentally appropriate homework                 • give clear and reasonable homework assignments                 • maintain consistent communication about homework                 • help you foster your child’s curiosity and love of learning through providing informal and formal homework activities What follows are suggested time allotments and examples of activities. PRIMARY PRACTICES                                                informal                                             - discussing & asking questions about the day                            - writing for a variety of purposes              - playing games          - family outings                 formal - numeracy activities - Home Reading Programme         - spelling practice - show and tell preparation - review and practice - limited review and practice of schoolwork                 TIME: An average  of 15 min. for gr.K,/1 to 30 min. for gr. 2/3, 4 or 5 days a week can be expected. INTERMEDIATE PRACTICES informal                 - watching and discussing news       - home reading       - playing games with family              - physical activities formal - completion of work started in class - project work - studying for quizzes and tests TIME: An average of 30 min. for gr. 4/5  to 60 min. for gr. 6/7, 4 or 5 days a week can be expected.                 Please note: some nights your child may NOT have any formal homework, while at times a child may spend much longer at a chosen task. Contact your child’s teacher if homework patterns are significantly different from what has been suggested. How can parents help? • Read with your child as frequently as possible • Get to know your child’s teacher.  Keep him/her informed of important events in your child’s life which could impact the classroom experience. • Recognize the tremendous influence you have over the potential your child will have for intellectual and social success. • In your busy lives, try to build learning experiences into everyday activities. • Check your child’s agenda-or other communication tool. • Limit TV and computer game time. Regardless of how one views homework, experts say, what is most important is that parents take an active interest in their children’s learning, whether in class or at home. “You’re like a coach,” one such expert says, . “You have to cheer and support, but always remember that for your players to learn, they have to do it themselves.”