Literacy

St Roch's Reading Challenge is Underway!

Our 5th annual St Roch’s Reading Challenge kicked off last fortnight, and it's already off to a fantastic start—with an impressive 507 books read so far!

It’s been exciting to watch the leaderboard change as different classes take the lead in the number of books read. The friendly competition is well and truly alive!

We encourage all students to escape into a good book each day and keep track of their progress by logging their reading using the link provided below or on their Google Classroom page.

Let’s keep the momentum going—how many books can we read by the end of the term?

Happy reading!

St Roch’s Reading Challenge Link to Register Books Read

Book Week Celebrations

It’s time to start planning your costumes—Book Week is just around the corner! One of the most anticipated days on our school calendar, Book Week is a favourite for both students and staff. We love dressing up as our favourite book characters and sharing our creativity in the Book Character Parade. Last year, the teachers had a lot of fun bringing Possum Magic by Mem Fox to life, dressing up as Hush and Grandma Poss. We wonder... what will the teachers be dressed as this year?

Book Week at St Roch’s will be celebrated on Tuesday 26th August.

The day will begin at 8:50am with our Book Character Parade, and we warmly invite parents and carers to attend and join the fun. Our celebration will conclude with a whole-school incursion at 2:20pm in the Hall. Students will enjoy an engaging educational musical performance called ‘Treasure Hunt’ by Perform Education. This exciting show has been specially created to complement the 2025 Book Week theme: “Book an Adventure” and features several of this year’s CBCA shortlisted books.

Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Shortlisted Titles

Throughout the term, students will explore and enjoy the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s shortlisted titles—books chosen for their literary excellence. Across Australia, schools, libraries, and early childhood settings will come together to celebrate the imagination and creativity of Australian authors and illustrators.

One of the featured shortlisted books this year is Don't Worry, Felix by Katharine Alice and Yohann Devezy. This heartfelt picture book uses a red balloon as a metaphor for anxiety and follows young Felix as he learns to manage his worries with the help of his dad. It’s a powerful resource for fostering emotional literacy, resilience, and starting important conversations with children about feelings. You may like to share this book at home with your child.

We can’t wait to see all the wonderful costumes and celebrate a love of reading together. Let the adventure begin!

Rachel Gray

Literacy Leader