Literacy News 

Over the past few years our school has been dedicated to enhancing literacy instruction to best support our students' learning journey. Based on thorough research and educational trends we've made some significant transitions in our approach in Foundation and Level 1.

One notable shift has been our move away from Levelled Cued instruction towards Synthetic Phonics, grounded in the Science of Reading research. This change has been carefully implemented, starting with our Foundation and Intervention Program in 2023, progressing to Level 1 in 2024 and is set to extend to Level 2 in 2025.

As part of this transition we've evaluated various resources to ensure alignment with our updated instructional strategies.  One such resource, Reading Eggs, unfortunately did not align with the Science of Reading research or Synthetic Phonics strategies. Despite its previous use as a homework tool, it became evident that Reading Eggs wasn't effectively supporting our literacy goals. 

Instead, we've embraced Synthetic Phonics instruction supplemented by decodable readers. These decodable readers are utilised in the classroom during whole class instruction and sent home with students for child-parent reading sessions. Additionally, we continue to provide Levelled reading texts for enjoyment at home, parent-child.

We understand that the discontinuation of Reading Eggs may raise concerns for some families who relied on it as a homework resource. However, it's crucial to prioritise consistency and alignment with our school's instructional methods. We encourage parents to utilise the decodable texts sent home as the most effective resource for supporting their child's reading development outside of school.

We're excited about the positive impact these changes will have on our students' literacy skills and look forward to continuing this journey together!

Nadia Costabile

Literacy Coordinator