Each week, students at The Galilee School eagerly await the arrival of some extra special visitors.
The Rainbow Paws ‘Reading Dawgz’ – poodles Tilly and Seeker and Robbie the westie – visit the Communities @ Work school’s Kambah campus weekly, ready to listen to a story or two so the students can improve their reading skills.
Galilee School teacher Mel Smith said she was knocked back by another organisation about implementing a reading-with-dogs program, so Rainbow Paws president Natarsha Lawrence sprang into action, despite it being outside the realm of the organisation’s usual work.
Ms Lawrence rounded up some volunteers with trained therapy dogs, and the Reading Dawgz program was born, with Tilly, Seeker and Robbie heading to the school on a one-term trial.
“The most positive thing from the students was they actually wanted to read,” Ms Smith said.
“We have a ‘stage not age’ approach in the school, so we may have students who are 12 to 17 years old, but their reading level is not yet at the age that they are and getting them to actually want to read is very challenging.
“We had some really disengaged students who would come to school just for the day for Reading Dawgz.”
The Galilee School caters for children in years seven to 12 who are considered vulnerable, disengaged or for whom mainstream schooling hasn’t resulted in positive outcomes.
The Reading Dawgz are now into their third term with the school, and Rainbow Paws recently received a grant from the Federal Government’s Stronger Communities Programme which will allow the program to continue – buying beds and uniforms for the dogs and volunteers and books for the students.
“So not only the students in the program benefit because at the end of the grant, we’ll actually donate all the books to the school,” said Ms Lawrence.
“It’s amazing how a small grant can help connect some pretty amazing services we already have in Canberra,” said David Smith MP, the federal member for Bean, who presented Rainbow Paws with their grant last week.
As well, Communities @ Work received grant funding for flags to fly outside both their school campuses in Holder and Kambah.
Rainbow Paws typically works with vulnerable Canberrans and their pets, providing services such as subsidised vet care, emergency boarding and distributing food and supplies.
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