Library News
A Busy and Brilliant Start to the Year
The O’Connor College Library has launched into the year at full speed, and it has been wonderful to see the space buzzing with energy from the very first weeks.
Your Library team, Carla Holmes and Alicia Wicks, are currently enjoying two very different but equally compelling reads: When Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei Yin, a powerful work of historical fiction, and the classic gothic tale Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Our reading choices mirror the shelves themselves—rich, varied, and full of stories waiting to be discovered.
The library has been a busy, busy place and we are off to a great start to the new year. Towering piles of brand-new books have been arriving, and while they may look a little chaotic at the moment, they are truly lovely treats that will soon find their homes on the shelves. This continues to be a welcoming space for both learning and reading.
Already, we are seeing lots of focused study happening, particularly from our Year 10, 11 and 12 students. It has been a pleasure to hear about the many future pathways and careers students are imagining for themselves—there is no shortage of ambition or curiosity here.
Reading Renaissance is also off to a strong start for Years 7 and 8. Reading Renaissance is a structured reading programme designed to build reading stamina, confidence and enjoyment by giving students time to read widely, choose texts that interest them, and respond thoughtfully to what they read.
Each session begins with our “Dare You to Dewey” challenge, where students are encouraged to read across all ten non-fiction Dewey sections. So far, the most popular zones have been:
- 000s – World Records
- 500s – Natural Science and Mathematics
700s – Arts and Recreation, with a strong focus on sport
Alicia and I are working collaboratively to bring to life the O’Connor Catholic vision for an engaging, thoughtful library space that supports our young people academically, creatively and personally.
Finally, a big thank you to our wonderful library regulars who lend a hand each morning—you are very much appreciated and help keep everything running smoothly.
We look forward to another exciting year of reading, learning and discovery in the library.
Library Lunchtime Activities
- Mindful Monday – Unwind with calming mindfulness activities.
- Tech-Free Tuesday – Take a break from screens and enjoy board games, crafts, wordles and more!
- Wednesday Lunchtimes – The Library will be open for study and homework help.
- Lego Lunchtimes (Thursday) - Take a break and get building! Lego Lunchtimes are here – fun, creativity, and a bit of friendly rivalry await.
- Friday Book Club – Dive into bookish fun with nothing short of dramatic charades, fantasy map-making, and more! Please note that on Friday's the Library will only be open to book club members. So let Miss Wicks know if you would like to join!
Deep Time
Please check out the link for Deep Time a new resource that has been developed by the ABC, offering an exploration of First Nations histories and stories pre-colonisation.