Book Week
Book Week 2023! Read, Grow, Inspire.
Book Week is an exciting opportunity to remind us all that books are more than just words on paper. They’re gateways to knowledge, imagination, and connection. The event itself aims to celebrate and promote the joy of reading, while highlighting the importance of books and literature in our lives. At Magill School, we brought the magic of books to life through a number of engaging and unique experiences throughout the week.
Story Time Visits for the Reception to Year 2 students:
A select group of Year 6 students treated our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 students to daily readings of different books, showcasing the magic of storytelling. They came prepared to deliver an interactive experience, and were dressed up in characters from the books to further immerse the students in the story. The result? Wide-eyed wonder, ear-to-ear grins, and a whole lot of story time camaraderie. Well done to Jayden, Hajirah, Vindula, Amelia D, Yubin, Danielle, Hannah C, William, Eliza, Pranav, Issac and Charles for their hard work with this initiative. They spread a great deal of joy to our R-2 students and helped ignite a passion, curiosity and joy for reading. That is what Book Week is all about.
Story Time for the Year 3 to 6 students:
Adding a dash of whimsy and literacy flair to our festivities, members of our leadership team donned costumes from Roald Dahl’s beloved tale, “Fantastic Mr Fox,” and delivered a reading to our Year 3 to 6 classes. Mr Iannunzio and I shared the role of the cunning Mr. Fox, whilst Mrs. Teumohenga played the rough, devious farmer. We were further supported by Year 6s Hugo, Cooper and Jonathon, who also voiced the ‘three nasty men’, and Rachael, who wonderfully narrated the story. We hit the audience with a ‘to be continued’ in the midst of an exciting moment, passing the ‘literary baton’ onto our eager readers, and encouraging them to borrow the book themselves and continue the story. This experience not only made the pages of the book come alive, but also empowered our students to be active participants in their literary journey, adding an extra layer of excitement to our Book Week celebrations.
Classroom Activities:
Classes found a number of ways to embrace the spirit of Book Week. We had students engaging in real-life ‘Where’s Wally’ Hunts, writing book reviews, making personalised bookmarks, rewriting classic tales, buddy reading, and countless other experiences. Our students explored literature in unique and engaging ways that mirrored their diverse interests and reading preferences. These activities celebrated the individuality of our students while collectively celebrating the magic of books.
Polaroid Station:
We want our students to know that Book Week is more than just a dress up day. Much more. It’s about creating connections, sparking a love for reading, and nurturing curiosity. Making sure the magic of Book Week lives on after the costumes are tucked away is the goal. That being said, there’s no better way to culminate the end of the week than with a celebratory dress up day. To preserve and capture these awesome moments, we set up a Polaroid station outside the library during lunch and recess. Candid, quirky, colourful, classic, and unique … our photo pin board is now a mini-museum of Book Week excellence. It is currently on display in the front office.
Lastly, I want to say thank you to all the parents and families for embracing the magic of Book Week with such enthusiasm. Your invaluable support at home in encouraging reading, creativity, and a love for story telling is a huge piece of the puzzle. For more highlights on book week, make sure you catch the next episode of Inside Magill when it releases in Week 10.
Until the next chapter unfolds, keep those pages turning and let the adventures continue.
Mike Shortt
Assistant Principal
