Two major reading initiatives have begun for all classes in the past two weeks that will make a big difference to the culture of reading in our school and to overall literacy levels and abilities in the school.

The first of these is a paired reading initiative in the four infant classes. This was spearheaded by Ms Reville who is organising the programme and Mr Garvey who sourced many of the books. This initiative involves the children taking home a new book each week that is read to them by their parents. It is a great way to boost language, literacy skills, reading abilities and also builds on the bond between parent and child. Paired reading programmes have proved hugely successful and we hope ours does the same. All the books in the scheme were newly purchased by the school.

The second initiative has involved the building up of our classroom and school libraries. This was achieved through book donations from parents and from both Balbriggan and Malahide libraries. (Please support your local library!) Every class now has a wide and varied library of books for the children to choose from. Again Ms Reville was instrumental in organising this in our school, as were the Parents Association who sorted through all the books. The children can now borrow books from their classroom libraries and read them at their leisure at school and at home. The books cover many topics and genres, allowing the children a wide-ranging choice of book to read to match their interests. We hope that access to these books will contribute to a great culture of reading in our school.