Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs The sky's the limit for Angel
03 November 2023
Angel is a shy student who loves to draw and play sport. She has big goals for her future as all children do. Angel hopes to one day have her work on display as a famous artist and take her athletic skills to the top as a superstar Oztag or netball player.
Her adoring grandmother, Margaret, wants to make sure 11-year-old Angel has all those opportunities and more.
Angel’s family went through an unexpected change in 2016, when she and her four siblings went into Margaret’s care. Margaret suddenly had five children to put through school and was desperate to make sure none of them were missing out. That’s when she connected with The Smith Family.
The generosity of donors helped remove the barriers poverty placed in Angel's way. This created access to the learning essentials and additional support she needed to chase her artistic and sporting dreams.
Through programs like The Smith Family’s student2student, children experiencing disadvantage explore books and develop their reading skills beyond the school classroom. This buddy program is a way for students to take the lead, building their literacy skills in an engaging environment. For Angel, it means the weekly fun of reading books she enjoys.
The generosity of donors helped remove the barriers poverty placed in Angel's way. This created access to the learning essentials and additional support she needed to chase her artistic and sporting dreams.
Through programs like The Smith Family’s student2student, children experiencing disadvantage explore books and develop their reading skills beyond the school classroom. This buddy program is a way for students to take the lead, building their literacy skills in an engaging environment. For Angel, it means the weekly fun of reading books she enjoys.
“I like to read picture books with my reading buddy because the pictures help me read the words that are tricky,” says Angel.
Margaret says, “student2student has been very important for Angel. Angel and her buddy get to select what books they read based on what they’re interested in, and it’s much easier for Angel because she gets individual attention. She’s getting a lot more reading done under the program, and I definitely think it helps her at school.”
Margaret says, “student2student has been very important for Angel. Angel and her buddy get to select what books they read based on what they’re interested in, and it’s much easier for Angel because she gets individual attention. She’s getting a lot more reading done under the program, and I definitely think it helps her at school.”
Catch-Up Learning is another out-of-school learning program that’s helped Angel to come out of her shell. During the program, Angel receives tailored one-on-one tutoring with a trained teacher. This helps her to learn in ways that recognise her vision impairment and effects of ADHD.
“The tutoring program was designed to be specific for Angel to meet her needs. She gets one-on-one attention where there are no distractions. They covered maths, reading, and writing,” says Margaret.
“She started asking more questions at school and putting her hand up more to answer questions. She is gaining a bit more confidence.”
Angel’s siblings share her commitment to learning. To make sure the whole family had the connectivity they needed to get the most from their education, our Smith Family Coordinator helped the family access free internet provided by Optus. Margaret says having this data access is giving the family the tools they need to participate at school.
“The tutoring program was designed to be specific for Angel to meet her needs. She gets one-on-one attention where there are no distractions. They covered maths, reading, and writing,” says Margaret.
“She started asking more questions at school and putting her hand up more to answer questions. She is gaining a bit more confidence.”
Angel’s siblings share her commitment to learning. To make sure the whole family had the connectivity they needed to get the most from their education, our Smith Family Coordinator helped the family access free internet provided by Optus. Margaret says having this data access is giving the family the tools they need to participate at school.
“With the SIM card and data, the older kids are able to log on and do different things. Being able to keep in contact has been a godsend to me. I wouldn't have been able to afford that for five kids."
Margaret believes in her grandchildren and continues to do all she can to support them to get the most from their education. She’s delighted to see Angel taking the opportunity to grow, supported by her family and with people like you in her corner. She says, “Thank you. Without your generosity my grandchildren and other children may not have access to things they need for their education. They might not fit in as well. They might not have the same opportunities.”
Margaret believes in her grandchildren and continues to do all she can to support them to get the most from their education. She’s delighted to see Angel taking the opportunity to grow, supported by her family and with people like you in her corner. She says, “Thank you. Without your generosity my grandchildren and other children may not have access to things they need for their education. They might not fit in as well. They might not have the same opportunities.”
