A message from the Principal

Bringing Stories to Life

There are few weeks in the school calendar that generate quite as much excitement as Book Week. In fact, at SKiPPS we love Book Week so much that we seem to have gradually turned it into Book Month!

This year’s Children’s Book Week theme, “Symphony of Stories,” celebrates the many different voices, characters, ideas and experiences that come together through literature. Like the instruments in a symphony, every story has its own rhythm and character, but together they create something even richer.

Across the past few weeks, our students have enjoyed a wonderful range of activities designed to bring stories to life. Every class has received copies of the books shortlisted for the 2026 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, and students have been sharing, discussing and thoroughly enjoying these outstanding Australian books.

Our students have also had the opportunity to become literary judges themselves, voting for their favourite shortlisted picture book. We will announce the SKiPPS winner at assembly tomorrow and discover whether our students’ choice matches that of the official CBCA Book of the Year judges. I am looking forward to seeing whether our young readers and the expert judging panel reached the same conclusion.

We have also been fortunate to welcome authors to SKiPPS, giving students the opportunity to meet the people behind the stories they read. Author visits help children understand that books do not simply appear on shelves. They begin with an idea, are shaped through imagination and persistence, and are brought into the world by real people who love words and storytelling.

This week, our Year 2 students took part in a particularly exciting live online event with acclaimed Australian musician and author Josh Pyke. Joining students from schools across Victoria, they explored this year’s Symphony of Stories theme by combining music, storytelling and creativity to help create a unique song together in real time. It was a wonderful example of the many different forms a story can take.

Another highlight was the return of Meerkat Productions, who presented two energetic theatrical adaptations of books shortlisted in this year’s CBCA awards: Dear Broccoli by Jo Dabrowski and Inked by Karen Wasson. These performances allowed students to see characters and stories leap from the page and come alive through acting, music and movement.

We were especially honoured to have Jo Dabrowski join our younger students to watch Dear Broccoli being performed. It was a real thrill for our students to sit alongside the author as her creation was transformed into a live performance. It was also a lovely reminder that a story can continue to grow and take on new forms long after it has been written.

We know that rich and exciting literature does much more than help children learn to read. Great books invite children into new worlds, introduce them to unfamiliar perspectives and help them understand experiences beyond their own. They build vocabulary, knowledge and comprehension, while also encouraging imagination, empathy and curiosity.

Stories are also a powerful driver of creativity. When children encounter interesting characters, beautifully crafted language and compelling ideas, they are inspired to imagine, discuss, draw, perform and write. Most importantly, enjoyable experiences with books help children see reading as something they want to do, not simply something they are required to practise at school.

Tomorrow, our Book Week celebrations will reach their colourful conclusion with the Book Week Dress-Up Parade at 9am. We are looking forward to seeing our students bring their favourite book characters to life and to welcoming families to join us for the parade.

After weeks of reading, voting, author visits, performances, music, discussion and creativity, tomorrow’s parade will be a fitting finale to our own wonderful Symphony of Stories. We cannot wait!

Neil Scott

Principal