LIBRARY NEWS
As we reach the end of Term 1, it’s hard to believe how quickly the term has flown by. The library has been a busy and happy place, with students across the school engaging in a wide range of reading and learning activities.
Kindergarten students have made an incredible start to their library journey. They can now confidently borrow and return books, follow library procedures, identify the parts of a book, explain the roles of an author and illustrator, and even share their own opinions about books by explaining why they like or dislike a story.
Stage 1 students have loved exploring the work of the incredible Australian author Pamela Allen. We read 17 of her books this term and saved the best for last, The Big Fish, which was voted the class favourite, closely followed by the Mr McGee series. Students particularly enjoyed listening to her playful rhyming language and learning about sound words, also known as onomatopoeia.
Stage 2 students laughed their way through a unit on Australian author and illustrator Leigh Hobbs. They loved discovering the humour and irony in his books, where the illustrations often show the opposite of what the words say. Students also had great fun learning to draw in Leigh Hobbs’ cartoon style, creating their own versions of characters like Mr Chicken and Old Tom. We finished the unit with Horrible Harriet, although students were reminded not to get any ideas about keeping their teachers in a cellar!
Stage 3 students have been busy learning about visual literacy techniques used in books. This week they extended this knowledge by analysing scenes from films, looking closely at how colour, camera angles, lighting and character expressions help tell the story. Scenes from Inside Out, Up and Harry Potter provided some fantastic examples for discussion.
This term has also seen some changes in the library, with our Year 11 students regularly using the space for their classes. It has been wonderful to share the library with our senior students and see it used as a place for collaboration, study and learning across different year levels.
It has been a busy but rewarding term in the library, and wonderful to see students developing their love of reading and storytelling.
Sora: Holiday Reads
Even though the library is closed during the holidays, students can still enjoy borrowing books online. All primary and secondary students have access to the Diocese’s digital library, Sora, where they can read eBooks and magazines or listen to audiobooks anytime over the break.
Students can access Sora by downloading the Sora app or visiting the website. To log in, students will need their school username and password, which can be obtained from their classroom teacher if needed (library staff do not have access to these details). Please note, when searching for the school name, it is ACEN (The Australian Catholic Education Network), NOT Holy Trinity School.
Instructions for logging in to Sora are available here. This week’s SORA Books of the Week are perfect timing!
Visit the Inverell Town Library
During the holidays, families might also enjoy visiting the Inverell Town Library. They run an exciting holiday activities program for children, and you can view what’s on by visiting their website here.
Meet the Readers
Meet our final two readers for the term, Hallie and Maddi, who snapped up our new joke books. The only condition for borrowing a joke book is that the borrower must tell the class a joke when they return it. I can’t wait to hear what they enjoyed later in the week!
Thank you!
As we finish a wonderful Term 1 in the library, I would like to thank all students and families for their support and enthusiasm for reading this term. I wish everyone a safe and happy Easter and a relaxing holiday break. See you in Term 2!
Happy reading,
Mrs Toni Fraser