From the Principal 

The Gift of Reading 

Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.

Kate DiCamillo 

Like many, some of my fondest childhood memories involve reading. I delighted in the playful rhymes of Dr Seuss and was captivated by Anne Shirley’s adventures in Anne of Green Gables. Those stories and others opened worlds beyond my own and sparked my curiosity and imagination. 

Today, my reading looks quite different. Alongside books by remarkable women whose stories continue to challenge and inspire me, much of my reading as Principal involves diving into research that explores leadership, innovation, wellbeing and how we can continue to optimise teaching and learning. Whether for pleasure or purpose, reading remains one of the most powerful ways we learn, grow and expand our understanding of the world. 

This week, I had the pleasure of reading to our Reception classes, something I look forward to each semester. Watching our youngest girls become completely immersed in a story and seeing our Reception to Year 6 students proudly bring their favourite literary characters to life in the annual Book Week parade was a wonderful reminder of how stories deepen a child’s engagement with their learning. 

Perhaps this is the enduring power of reading. It takes us beyond what we know, introducing us to unfamiliar ideas and perspectives we may never encounter in our everyday lives. A good story can make us more curious about the world and, importantly, provide a greater understanding of the people within it. 

As we know, reading also has a profound academic value. It strengthens vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking, while building the capacity to communicate with clarity and confidence. 

At Loreto, we want our students to become not only capable readers, but curious and lifelong readers. Whether it is a novel, a newspaper article, a biography, a poem or something that simply catches their attention, there is value in making time to read. 

So, this Book Week, my invitation is simple: just read! Read widely. Read curiously. Read for pleasure, for knowledge, for escape or simply because a story has caught your attention.  Because every page we read has the possibility of challenging what we know, how we think and, ultimately, how we see the world, and that is a gift!

Kylie McCullah 

Principal