Literacy

Building Strong Foundations in Literacy through Phonics 

In Prep, one of our key priorities is giving students the strongest possible foundation in reading and writing. This year, our Preps have been actively engaging in a systematic synthetic phonics program, which teaches sounds and spelling patterns in a clear, structured sequence. This approach ensures children can confidently “sound out” words and gradually build the skills needed to become fluent, independent readers. 

Alongside this program, we also incorporate the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness approach. Heggerty focuses on listening carefully to the sounds in words—such as rhyming, blending, and segmenting—which strengthens children’s ability to hear and manipulate sounds before they even begin to write them down. Together, phonics and Heggerty create a powerful combination: one trains the ear, the other trains the eyes and hands. 

To make learning highly interactive, our Preps use individual whiteboards every day. The whiteboard routine has quickly become a favourite part of lessons, helping children stay focused and engaged. You might hear your child talk about: 

• Park it – putting their whiteboard, marker duster down and showing they are ready to listen. 

• Chin it – holding their whiteboard under their chin to share their answer with the teacher. 

• Bin it – erasing their work so they are ready for the next task. 

   

This routine not only makes phonics lessons fun but also gives students plenty of opportunities to practise writing sounds, words, and sentences in a supportive, low-pressure way. The instant feedback children receive helps them correct errors and celebrate successes on the spot. 

We are so proud of how enthusiastically our Preps are embracing phonics. Their excitement and confidence are a wonderful reminder that strong literacy skills are built step by step—and we are laying those all-important foundations together.