Each Wednesday over the past year students from Culburra Beach Public School have visited residents at IRT Culburra Care Centre.
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The students’ visit is part of their ongoing reading program.
Each week a different class from the school visit residents and reads books to them.
Sometimes they even perform the odd song or two.
This week it was the turn of Kindergarten KH.
Teacher Hayley Edwards said the program has many benefits.
“Each week the school sends down a class of students from kindergarten to year 6,” she said.
“The groups undertake a number of different projects with the residents. They read of course, but also do singing, have discussions and sometime even present the news.
“The reaction has been fantastic. I think the biggest is from the kids, they really enjoy it and often ask when it is their turn.
“The residents enjoy it as well and from a teacher's perspective we have fun too.”
Resident Flo Bloomfield said it was a wonderful program.
“My grandchildren live too far away, so this is wonderful,” she said.
Marge Burton said the program was a “jolly good idea”.
“The kids are good. We enjoy the interaction with them,” she said.
“The students read all sorts of books from dinosaurs, to up in the sky and even about sausages.”
Student Aideen Mitchell-Breakwell said she enjoys coming down.
“It’s the second time I’ve come down and read to the residents. It's great. I love it,” she said.
Steven Taylor described the program as “terrific”.
“It’s wonderful. I love the kids coming down, reading to us and interacting,” he said.
“We hear about all sorts of things. I’ve heard about chimpanzees, sausages and bears this morning.”
As a former teacher Joyce Brown enjoys the visit.
“I know how important this is,” she said “it’s great the kids come and read to us.”
Betty Hollis has two daughters who are school teachers and thinks it is wonderful for the children.
“You can see them grow,” she said.
“It’s fabulous. They [the children] enjoy it and we do too.
“I’m nearly blind and couldn’t help much but I can hear the expression in their reading.
“It is definitely a day we all look forward to each week.”