Question 1

Contact details:

Accepted Answer

Contact us through our website: www.sailawayreaders.com   Follow us on Facebook and Instagram InstagramFacebook

Question 2

What are the Locations for your Reading Ready Groups in 2022?

Accepted Answer

Albert Park:  Gasworks Arts Park, Albert Park.  21 Graham Street, Albert Park VIC 3206   Wednesday Groups - Arts and Craft Room 9.30 - 10.30am (4 year old group) 10.45 - 11.45am (3/4 year old group)   Friday Groups - Arts and Craft Room 12.45  - 1.45pm (3/4 year old group)   Armadale: Armadale Baptist Church 88 Kooyong Road.  Armadale,  VIC, 3143    Friday Groups - Blue Room 9.30 - 10.30am (3/4 year old group) 10.45 - 11.45am (3/4 year old group)

Question 3

Dates for 2022

Accepted Answer

One class per week during school terms: Term 1: Mon 7th  Feb  - Fri 8th April  Term 2: Tue 26th Apr - Wed 22 June Term 3: Mon 11th July - Fri 16th September Term 4: Monday 3rd October - Friday 9th December   *These may be subject to change   Closed on Public Holidays

Question 4

Who runs the classes?

Accepted Answer

Nat and Sarah are the lead educators responsible for SailAway Readers at Gasworks, and are also the co-founders of SailAway. Both are qualified Primary School Teachers who have a passion for Structured Literacy. Read more on the ‘who we are…’ page. Pippa is our lead educator in our Armadale classes and she is assisted by Georgia. Pippa and Georgia are also qualified Primary School Teachers.    Everyone working with the children are qualified to do so and hold a current Working With Children Check (WWCC).

Question 5

My child is already at kindergarten, will they learn anything new from coming to SailAway Readers?"

Accepted Answer

Currently there is no expectation for Kinders to explicitly teach either phonological or phonemic awareness as part of the curriculum. Children learn so many important skills in the kinder setting, but classes can be large. Our classes run for one hour and we have a max of 12 children per session. For this reason we have time to focus on explicit literacy teaching, differentiated for individual children. If we feel your child needs a little more support in an area, or extending with another aspect, the small numbers in our groups allow an educator to be able to do this. We also provide lots of opportunities for school readiness skills, encouraging listening and speaking in turn, following instructions, developing independence and taking responsibility for belongings. Each week we select two ‘helping hands’ who have the responsibility of helping to set up the activities.

Question 6

What will my child learn in Prep if they come to Reading Ready classes? Will they be bored?

Accepted Answer

Not at all! We teach phonological awareness skills and the fundamental beginnings of synthetic phonics. We want children to enter school with  confidence and have an understanding of the alphabetic code. Just like any code, children need to have the skills to crack it and we explicitly ensure there is no room for guessing!   Recent studies across the world suggest that if children do not have the knowledge and skills needed to read by age 6, then the gap will widen as they progress through school. By allowing children access to explicit literacy instruction before they start school we hope that children can begin to see and feel success, developing a lifelong love of reading, writing and spelling.

Question 7

What do you teach in the Reading Ready Group and why?

Accepted Answer

Our three year old Reading Ready Groups focus on securing phonological awareness; introducing rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, movement and play. We incorporate explicit teaching of vocabulary, oral language  and fine motor skills through multi-sensory activities.    Our four year old Reading Ready Preschool Groups are designed to introduce your child to the fundamental beginning reading skills. We use an evidence based approach that uses rhythm, rhyme, movement and play to explicitly teach the letter-sounds. We develop fine motor skills for handwriting while helping your child to build a love of reading and writing, for life.

Question 8

How many children are there in each session?

Accepted Answer

Our groups work with a max of 12 children with two educators, this gives plenty of opportunity to work with each child, both to support and extend them as appropriate. We want to ensure our programme works at the pace of our learners and we will never move on unless all the children have mastered each skill.

Question 9

My child already sees a Speech Pathologist, will coming to SailAway Readers contradict what they do at speech therapy?"

Accepted Answer

No, in fact we have had many referrals from local speech pathologists who feel that SailAway Readers complement the work that they are doing. Equally, if we notice your child is having significant difficulty with particular aspects of literacy in our literacy programme, we will approach you to discuss this and and make a referal.   In order for children to proficiently read, write, and spell, they must develop phonological awareness skills. These skills help them understand that words are made up of sounds and that sounds are represented by letters. These skills are essential for reading and are often impaired in children with speech disorders, especially phonological disorders.   Children with speech and language delays often have difficulty with literacy skills. Children who have difficulty pronouncing or understanding certain speech sounds may have difficulty with reading and writing those sounds, this can lead to trouble decoding and sounding out words.   Our SailAway Readers sessions focusing on developing phonological awareness skills by incorporating the following...                  - Rhyming             - Alliteration (same beginning sounds)             - Letter-sound correspondences              - Manipulating sounds in words             - Identifying sounds at the beginning, middle and end of words.

Question 10

If we didn’t start classes at the beginning of the year can we still join?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Ideally children will start a Reading Ready group at the beginning of a term, however it is never too late to join us. We will discuss with you the most appropriate class to join depending on age, student numbers and your child’s confidence and skills.

Question 11

Do you run sessions during the school holidays?

Accepted Answer

No, not our SailAway Weekly Program. We know that lots of people commit to other activities, family time and holidays away during the school holidays. Children need time and space to process everything that they have been learning. As educators, and parents, we use this time to reflect on the learning within sessions, plan for the following term and spend time with our own families.    Some holidays we will host a Holiday Program, though this is a standalone program designed for fun (still choc full of literacy skills).

Question 12

How do I pay for sessions?

Accepted Answer

All registration and payments can be made through our website.

Question 13

My child receives financial support, can this be used for SailAway classes?"

Accepted Answer

Allocation of funding is based on individual needs, we are more than happy to provide information required or liaise with your provider to support your request.

Question 14

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

Please see this link for our policy.

Question 15

Does my child need any special resources for class?

Accepted Answer

Through our website we sell a one off ‘essentials pack’ that includes a copy of Milo’s Birthday Surprise, a Learning Journal (to remain on site at SailAway Readers), and a tote bag for $35. These resources support the learning taking place in our sessions.

Question 16

Do you send work home for my child to practise?

Accepted Answer

At the end of each session your child will leave with a piece of craft that they have completed. Have fun chatting through what they have done with them and offer lots and lots of praise. These experiences help to create a positive mindset for your children with regards to their learning and their achievements; ready for their journey to primary school!    On Joining SailAway, each child will receive a Learning Journal. These are kept at SailAway and can be viewed throughout the year. At the end of their year with us, or earlier if they can’t complete the whole program, they will be given to your child to take home.    When we feel the children are ready, each child will take home an appropriate decodable reader to share with you at home. These are special books and you will receive more information about them when they get their first one. These are to be returned and swapped each week. There is a small charge on any book that is not returned at the end of the year to ensure our stock is replenished for all students.

Question 17

Do parents stay with their children in the session?

Accepted Answer

If required, parents are welcome to stay. However, we feel that allowing your child to learn away from you gives them independence and prepares them for school; this school readiness is another unique aspect of our programme. Most parents make the most of the hour, both our locations are close to wonderful cafes and allow time for parents to recharge before the day continues. We often find children settle a lot quicker when they are confidently left by their parents and know that they will return at the end of the session.

Question 18

If my child begins reading, where can I find suitable books?"

Accepted Answer

Through completing the Reading Ready programme with us your child will learn the skills of segmenting and blending sounds - this is reading! We have a wide selection of sound appropriate decodable readers which your child can loan on a ‘library’ system to take home. This involves a small book deposit and either Nat, Pippa or Sarah will discuss this with you when they feel your child is ready to take home a book. We do highlight the importance of sharing quality literature with your child too; studies have found that young children who are read to and/or listen to audiobooks have a significantly increased vocabulary to those who don’t.

Question 19

My child is already at school, but is finding reading and writing difficult, can you help them?"

Accepted Answer

We currently run various online and in-person, after school classes for school aged children, please contact us through our website to express an interest in these classes.    Alternatively, we work 1:1 with a number of children across Port Phillip. These sessions take place within the school day and begin with a diagnostic assessment. To find out more about these sessions please contact us.

Question 20

I think my child is dyslexic, can you help?"

Accepted Answer

Both Nat and Sarah have completed professional learning in Specific Learning Difficulties, specifically Dyslexia. If you have any concerns for your child, or simply want further advice, please contact us directly

Question 21

Why did you start SailAway Readers in the Port Phillip area?

Accepted Answer

Nat and Sarah’s paths crossed whilst working 1:1 with children with specific learning difficulties at a local primary school. Through professional discussions they realised that they both felt passionately about The Science of Reading, Synthetic Phonics and Structured Literacy. Although they believed the 1:1 work they were doing with children was hugely beneficial and rewarding, they discussed how the cycle of being asked to work with children in Grade 2 and 3, who were falling behind their peers, could be prevented? How could children who needed intervention have access to specialist support before the gap widened?    Sarah had completed her teacher training and 10 years of her teaching career in the UK, where literacy standards are internationally ranked higher than those in Australia. She had witnessed first hand the success of explicit teaching of phonics to children in their early years of school and was unsure why the same model wasn’t being taught in Australian schools? On discovering two of her four children also had specific difficulties with literacy, she decided to complete extensive training in multi-sensory learning, how to support and use strategies for learners with dyslexia, and began studying and learning about The Science of Reading through various professional development. Sarah started working with a number of children with dyslexia on a 1:1 basis, witnessing personal success with each of her students.    Nat is a classroom teacher who wondered why reading success for her students was so random. She often felt there had to be a better way that could support ALL students toward reading success. She was in the early days of parenting her two children when she decided that returning to university to take a deeper look at  reading instruction, as well as special and inclusive education, was a wise idea. Through research, post graduate study, a lot of professional development  and returning to the classroom as a literacy intervention teacher, Nat learned about evidence-based practices designed to support ALL learners, the science behind reading instruction, and best practice for children with specific learning differences including dyslexia.    SailAway Readers was born out of the strong belief that early literacy can be beneficial for learners before they even begin school. By introducing children to the explicit teaching of rhyme; rhythm; sounds and letters; using a multi-sensory, fun delivery can prepare children for the skills of learning to read, write and spell. At SailAway Readers we believe we bridge the gap between kinder and school, using evidence-based methods of literacy teaching. Our passion is evident in each of our classes. Due to increasing demand we are growing our classes in a range of locations.

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