Division-Wide Remedial Reading Camp for Grades 1 to 3
The Department of Education Division of Ozamiz City has rolled out a structured remedial reading camp aimed at learners in Grades 1, 2, and 3 who need extra literacy support. The four-Saturday programme recognises that early intervention is far more effective than waiting for gaps to widen, a principle that resonates with educators from Perth to Brisbane.
Many Australian teachers working with EAL/D students, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners, or remote community cohorts will recognise the same challenges. Children who can decode letters yet struggle to read fluently, who have limited vocabulary, or who fall behind after extended absences are exactly the group this camp is designed for.
This guide walks through the full schedule, daily routines, materials, and reporting expectations so anyone coordinating across schools has a single reference point. It also flags a few practical tips for handling substitutions, attendance gaps, and parent communication.
Camp Duration and Daily Structure
The remedial reading camp runs over four consecutive Saturdays, beginning the second week of January and wrapping up before regular classes resume. Sessions start at 8:00 a.m. and finish by 11:30 a.m., which suits families who would otherwise need full-day care and mirrors the timing of many "brekkie club" literacy programmes operating across regional Queensland.
Each day is broken into three blocks: a phonemic awareness warm-up, guided reading with a small group of four to six learners, and an independent reading corner where children choose levelled texts. A short nutrition break sits around 9:30 a.m., keeping the energy up for the final stretch without dragging the morning out.
Grade-Level Grouping and Weekly Focus
Learners are clustered by current reading level rather than age alone, mirroring the differentiation approach common in NSW and Victorian mainstream literacy blocks. The table below summarises how each Saturday is structured across the three grade levels.
| Saturday | Grade 1 Focus | Grade 2 Focus | Grade 3 Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Letter-sound correspondence, first 20 sight words | CVC words, short decodable sentences | Multi-syllable words, short narrative passages |
| Week 2 | Blends and digraphs, guided picture books | Reading for meaning, sequencing events | Comprehension questions, fact vs. opinion |
| Week 3 | Vowel teams, fluency drills | Cloze procedures, simple paragraphs | Inference and prediction tasks |
| Week 4 | Mixed review, celebration reading | Mixed review, oral retelling | Mixed review, short book reports |
Group sizes stay small so facilitators can give individual feedback throughout each block. Teachers in Sydney and Adelaide schools often use a similar four-week rotation when running holiday catch-up programmes, which keeps the format familiar for any Aussie educators who collaborate with Ozamiz counterparts.
Materials, Assessments, and Home Practice
Facilitators use the division's official Marungko approach books alongside supplementary readers supplied by participating schools. A pre-test on Day 1 and a post-test on the final Saturday measure progress, with results entered into the division reporting template and shared with each learner's homeroom teacher.
Learners receive a small take-home folder containing a practice sheet, a parent letter, and a recommended home reading routine. The folder also lists a few optional Australian-style resources, including the ABC Reading Eggs free trial and the eSafety Commissioner guidance for parents managing screen time, both of which Ozamiz families have asked about in past consultations.
Teacher Roles, Substitutions, and Reporting
Each cluster is led by a designated reading teacher supported by a co-facilitator, often a school reading coordinator or a parent volunteer. If a teacher cannot attend, the cluster head must arrange a substitute and notify the division office at least 24 hours in advance so transport and snack counts stay accurate.
Daily attendance and lesson delivery notes are logged in a shared spreadsheet. Any learner who misses a Saturday is contacted by phone the following week to set a make-up plan. Final reports are uploaded through the division's document tracking system by the Monday after the camp ends, giving principals enough time to review before the next planning cycle.
Coordination With Schools and Parents
Schools nominate learners based on classroom reading assessments and parent recommendations. The list is finalised a week before the camp starts, then shared with transport coordinators so learners from outlying barangays can be picked up at the usual community drop-off points.
Parents receive a welcome text a day before each session, with the venue, start time, and what to bring. For any clarification on attendance, substitutions, or learner welfare, the division can be reached through the contact page on the official portal.
Schools across the division should begin gathering nomination forms now so the cluster lists are finalised on time. Reading coordinators are encouraged to confirm facilitator pairings, print the take-home folders, and brief parents on the home practice routine before the first Saturday rolls around.