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Coomoora Primary School Reading
Knowing how to read and write can transform a
person’s life. These basic skills,
which so many of us take for granted, can change a person’s life. Literacy opens doors to employment and
economic security. Even in wealthy
countries, like Australia,
children can slip through the system and not be proficient in reading and
writing by the time they leave school.
Rotary
supports and encourages literacy activities worldwide. Did you know that nearly 800 million people
worldwide over the age of 15 can neither read nor write. Studies have shown that developing literacy
in early childhood is a key factor in developing academic achievement as well
as both intellectual and social development.
Reading
at an early age promotes a love of reading and learning in later life.
To
boost literacy rates in our immediate community, we have a partnership
program with Keysborough
Primary School,
Coomoora Campus wherein we provide reading volunteers who listen to the
children read in class.
These children predominantly come from
non-English speaking homes. Often
there is no-one at home with English skills who can hear them read. Sometimes, the parents do not have enough
basic English skills to help their child, or the parents may be working and
the children are left with grandparents who have no English reading skills
whatsoever.
Our helpers attend the school one morning a week
between 9.00 and 10.45am. The children
are beautiful well-behaved kids who are all very eager to have the one on one
reading attention that we can provide.
They are mainly Grade 2 and Grade 3 children, and since we started
helping them at the beginning of the year their reading skills have improved
considerably. We know that we are
making a difference in their future life.
We do not have enough people to help us with this
program. What is needed – some free
time between 9.00 and 10.45am one morning a week – you pick the day, which is
right for you. The only other
requirement is a Working with Children Permit, which you can apply for at the
Post Office. There is no charge for
this permit if you are a volunteer, however there is a small cost involved
for a “passport” type photo, which is used on the permit. The permit is valid for five years.
Where is the school? The Coomoora Road campus of Keysborough Primary School is in Coomoora Road,
Springvale South.
What will you get out of this project? You will see enormous literacy improvement
in the children you help. You will contribute to ensuring that Australia has
one of the highest rates of literacy in the first world. But most of all, you will be responsible
for transforming the life of a child and helping them with the literacy
skills they will need for their future intellectual and social development.
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