Library News
Symphony of stories
We have continued exploring the Book Week theme of “Symphony of Stories” with our students over the last few weeks. Primary classes have heard many music-focused stories as well as listened to and learned about orchestral music. Our Foundation students loved making their own glasses in response to the story Bella the Brave by Rebel Wilson.
Students are learning about topics we can use to help select books and also about literary genres or types of stories which have things in common. These range from Adventure to Mystery, History to Sports and of course Real Life and Humour. The students are learning to talk about preferences and share their ideas.
National Simultaneous Storytime
We are excited for NationalSimultaneous Storytime which is coming up next week on Wednesday 27th May. Our college has participated in every single one of these special days where millions of children from all over the country and world listened to the same story. This year's story is Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller. It is a wonderful and funny tale about Luna the kangaroo, a rookie captain of her soccer team who is up against Bush United in a tough match. Luna needs to trust in herself and her teammates that they can win the day. A story of perseverance, courage and teamwork.
The Benefits of Reading
This week I have had several boys tell me how excited they were about the books they were reading. One was a Year 5 student reading a series called I Survived. This series is about real events in history but written as a story of a child being there through that event. Another was a Year 4 student reading about children who take on an issue where adults tell them they are too ‘Childish’ to make a difference. They are brave and determined to have an impact.
In our world today it seems that opening a book is something that many of us don’t think to do. The brain research tells us that the process of reading something we enjoy actually has a calming, slowing down effect on our brain and body. Much like patting a loved pet, our heart rate slows and we can be so immersed, we lose the sense of time (get into the zone). Reading can also give us invaluable insights into human relationships and words to use to talk to each other, another skill vital in today’s world of technology and ‘contactless’ processes.
We are encouraging our students at school to exercise their power to choose a book they enjoy, to help give them some of these benefits as they grow their minds and bodies. This might prompt you to think about taking up a book or listening to an audiobook. It is also encouraging for our students who are learning to read to see others reading too.
Trish Baker and Jo Oliver
The Library Team
librarystaff@sakyabram.vic.edu.au