Educational fads might come and go but reading still underpins everything, and at Waima School, west of Kaikohe, reading has become something that whole families are doing together.
Board of trustees chair Dallas Williams said staff were driving a real focus on literacy following the success of their numeracy evening
in the first term. 'Reading Together' was a four-week course designed by education researcher and writer Jeanne Biddulph to create positive reading experiences in the home and increase student achievement and confidence.
And the community had welcomed the programme.
"Parents have been treated to demonstrations showing how they can support their child's reading, tips on how to create the right environment, how to choose reading material that will appeal to their child, and are given the opportunity to discuss any problems they may have with reading at home," Ms Williams said.
"New entrant teacher Catherine Bawden has been facilitating the evenings, which have seen more than 70 per cent of the school's families attending and participating in an unprecedented level of support for this kind of 'parent learning' initiative.
