Library News
Our library is open from 8.30 am until 3.15 pm each day. We look forward to students coming in and spending some time in the warmth of the library. We have lots of activities on offer.
We are encouraging students to come in and borrow their holiday reading for the upcoming Winter break. If you need help in choosing a book, come and talk to the library staff, and we can assist you in finding something that interests you. New items are being added to the catalogue, and new displays are advertising some of the hidden treasures on offer.
The Renaissance Reader Program in Stage 4 is seeing some great success and results. The Library has been supporting classes with reading materials. Every Thursday, students across the school participate in reading time within their mentor groups. In our library, we have many fiction and non-fiction resources to explore a plethora of topics, themes, genres, and ideas. There is something for everyone!
The Premier’s Reading Challenge 2025 for Years 7-10 has started. The Challenge is open from the 24th of February 2025 and has now been extended until the 19th of September 2025. The library staff have been busily meeting with students and registering them for this.
If you are looking for books or SORA e-books to read for the Challenge, come to the library counter and ask the library staff to assist you in finding the right materials.
You can also access and search the McCarthy Library from home. We have the 2025 Challenge Reading lists in our Oliver Library Catalogue for students to browse. To access these lists, you will need to: Log into McCarthy Library Oliver as usual, Select “Reading Lists” from the top tabs, Scroll down the lists to the Premier's Reading Challenge 2025, select the lists you wish to view.
The cooler weather calls for activities to keep you warm. Students have been playing Uno, colouring, reading, playing chess and more in the library in the last few weeks. We have also incorporated some tech-free sessions during breaks to allow students an opportunity to connect and practice mindfulness.
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) is celebrating its 80th year in 2025. Children’s Book Week is from Saturday, 16th August to Saturday, 23rd August. This falls in Week 5 of Term 3. The library staff are busy preparing some activities to celebrate this important event and promote the theme within the school. This year’s theme is ‘Book and Adventure’. We look forward to making further announcements in the coming weeks about how McCarthy will be celebrating the role of books in our community.
Libby Laird
Teacher Librarian
Teacher Librarian
Bec Hannan
Teacher Librarian
rhannan@arm.catholic.edu.au