Reading and viewing

Tuesday's rehearsal I thought I knew every line of our play. At rehearsal, I spoke before Jo had finished, skipped a whole sentence and forgot to turn towards the audience. Our teacher asked us to try the scene again, more slowly. This time I listened for Jo's final word. I took a breath before answering. The pause felt enormous to me, but our teacher said it helped the audience understand the change of speaker. At home I was going to practise the speech ten times without stopping. Now I have a different plan: Mum will read Jo's part, and I will practise listening as well as speaking. Knowing my own lines is only part of the job.

The Saturday repair table A table outside the community hall used to display things for sale. Now volunteers use it to mend small items. A sign says: “Bring one broken item. We will see whether it can be repaired.” There is no promise that everything can be fixed. Last Saturday a volunteer replaced a missing wheel on a toy truck. Another sewed a button onto a coat. A cracked glass vase was set aside because no one had the right materials to repair it safely. Visitors watch the repairs and ask questions. “I thought I needed a new bag,” said one visitor, “but I only needed someone to show me how to mend the strap.” The organisers say the table saves useful objects and helps neighbours share skills.

Subject: Changes to Friday's garden visit Hello Year 4, Our visit to the community garden will still take place on Friday. However, we will leave school at 10:00 am instead of 9:30 am because the gardener has a morning delivery. Bring a hat, a water bottle and a packed lunch. You will not need a gardening tool; the garden will supply tools for our activity. Wear closed shoes. If heavy rain is forecast on Thursday afternoon, we will send another message to families and hold the planting activity in our classroom instead. Please do not assume the visit is cancelled just because it is cloudy. We expect to return to school by 1:30 pm. Ms Tran