​Parents/Guardians,
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Your child’s class is starting a new reading scheme called ‘Lift Off to Literacy!’ It is being implemented in your child’s class from today for the next six weeks. Your child will be getting a new reading book sent home 4 evenings a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). You will need to listen to them read every night and then sign and date the Reading Log. We would encourage you to use the helpful tips that are written on the back of the reading log to help your child progress. The reading folder, that contains their new reader and reading log, will need to be in their bags everyday as they will be needed to complete the class work.
Thanks to the Parents Association and the Board of Management we have been able to buy the new graded reading books for this scheme. Without them it would have been impossible as it is a major expense. With this in mind we will have to say that if a book is lost or damaged the bill will be sent out to the parents to replace the book and the books can only be bought in packs of 6. So please keep this in mind when looking after the books.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
The Staff at St Daigh’s


What is ‘Lift off to Literacy’?

“Lift off to Literacy!” is an intensive programme of Reading and Writing, which gives the pupils lots of opportunities to read books at their own level of competency. It gradually lifts the complexity of what they can do in both reading and writing by equipping them with the necessary problem-solving skills. The aim of Literacy Lift-Off is to make pupils constructive learners. It teaches them ‘how’ to problem-solve independently. It is implemented in blocks of 6 weeks.
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Diverse activities are essential for extending literacy processing power. Hence, the pupils work in ‘stations’ to carry out a number of activities in reading and writing, under the guidance of teachers and Special Needs Assistants. The programme uses specially graded “Springboard Connect” readers. Pupils are assessed and grouped according to their reading ability prior to the commencement of the programme.

Our Stations/Activities work as follows:

Station 1: Familiar Reading
Pupils read previously seen Connect Readers.
Purpose: Development of enjoyment, fluency, comprehension and speed.

Station 2: Word Work
They use magnetic letters and whiteboards to make and break words.
Purpose: To show children how words work, so that they can make a fast visual analysis of their reading.

Station 3: Writing
Pupils write sentences based on their own experiences, using words that they encounter in their readers.
Purpose: That they will learn how they can write their own messages by hearing and recording sounds in words, using analogy and learning unusual words.

Station 4: New Reading
Encountering new texts each day, challenges the pupils to discover new ways to go beyond their current operating ability and lift their literacy processing.
Purpose: Pupils learn to use strategic activities to read new texts.

Station 5: Listening
At this station, the pupils listen to a variety of audio stories.
Purpose: To develop their listening abilities and imaginative use of words.

Station 6: Independent Reading
Using this time to read silently and think about parts of the book that they enjoy.