At Pembina Hills we believe that reading and writing are vital skills in a child’s life. We also believe that EVERY child can learn to read and write. How are we making that happen? 

“Literacy is one of the main priorities in our Education Plan and the role of the Literacy Coordinator is a critical part of our strategy to support professional learning.  We are working toward a common, evidence-based approach to literacy instruction”, says Assistant Superintendent Mark Thiesen.

To find out more, we sat down with the division Literacy Coordinator and Reading Specialist, Paddy Zadunayski. With a masters degree in elementary education, Paddy brings an extraordinary passion for literacy instruction.

Building teacher capacity
Paddy works with teachers in several ways. She may be asked to assist with a reading assessment and then collaborate with the teacher to determine what’s best for individual students. She can also work with small groups of teachers or the staff of a particular school to explore useful instructional strategies.

At the division level, she facilitates a professional learning series with each grade group of teachers, Kindergarten to Grade six. This initiative consists of three half-day sessions where teachers focus on finding ways that they can support reading, word work and spelling with their students.

“We know that when a teacher finds ways to deal with student diversity in all aspects, every child in the classroom benefits,” said Zadunayski.

Strong Leadership is Key
Although reading and writing is Paddy’s personal quest she says, “My work in this area has been supported extremely well by our division leaders. I’ve been able to build my expertise because of the strong vision and leadership at the division level.”  

“The current literacy strategy is the result of a concerted effort of all the members of the literacy committee. Furthermore, my work is fostered by strong leadership in our schools, from our principals,” said Zadunayski.

Paddy has also been asked to lead professional development sessions for teachers in other school divisions. This is a reflection of our division’s dedication to improving learning experiences for our students. She said, “Pembina Hills is recognized as a strong literacy division, and the message has reached other school divisions – that means we must be on the right track.”