student2student READING BUDDIES PROGRAM

The volunteer student2student Reading Buddies program, run by the Smith Family Foundation, is a peer-to-peer reading support program that matches older buddies with a younger reader to help improve their reading skills, confidence and enjoyment. The young readers come from a wide variety of backgrounds that have seen them fall far behind in their reading which often leads to a downwards spiral in their education as reading is such a foundational skill of all learning areas. 

Seven buddies from Sacred Heart were selected to help these young readers. Testing is completed before and after the program and the readers who were supported by our students showed an average improvement of 15 months, with our highest improvement at two years and two months over the four month program.

I would like to publicly acknowledge the efforts of our 2022 reading buddies:

• Tom Bailey (Year 12 Barlow)
• Ella McAfee (Year 11 Carden)
• Bridie Peady (Year 11 Kimberley)
• Madeleine Budas (Year 11 Normandy)
• Ashton Lewis (Year 10 Kimberley)
• Christina Edwards (Year 8 Carden)
• James Ryan (Year 8 Kimberley)

Details about the 2023 program will be made available to students later this term.

Mr John Ryan

Science Teacher and student2student Reading Buddies Coordinator