Library News

We've Made It!

Greetings, everyone. Can you believe it? We've reached the final library newsletter for 2023 and it’s the perfect time to reflect on the incredible year that was. Here are some standout moments in the library.

Our school actively took part in national reading events such as the National Simultaneous Storytime in May. Together with schools across Australia, we immersed ourselves in the delightful tale of the 'Speedy Sloth' by Rebecca Young and Heath McKenzie, and then we celebrated the wonderful stories featured during the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week in Term 3. 112 super readers also completed the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge too.

But that's not all! The library showcased vibrant displays for Library Lover’s Day, International Women’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Refugee Week, Harmony Day, Naidoc Week, Sorry Day, Roald Dahl Day, and, of course, embraced the festive spirit of Christmas.

The year concluded with the exciting arrival of brand-new furniture, enhancing our already beautiful space for the enjoyment of both students and staff alike. Here's to another year filled with literary adventures and exciting chapters in the year to come! 📚✨

In recognition of the great times we've had in the library, here are just a few photos and highlights throughout the year. Keep an eye out for the video in the school Office also.

Thank You!

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all our parents for their continuous support of the library and their children's reading journey. Your ongoing generosity in contributing to programs like Book Club and the Book Fair, as well as diligently returning and seeking out library books that find a place in your homes, is truly indispensable. Your support means the world to us!

Special gratitude extends to the families who have graciously donated books and library bags throughout the year. These contributions are invaluable to us and contribute significantly to enhancing the resources available to everyone. Thank you for being such wonderful partners in fostering a love of reading and learning!

Premier’s Reading Challenge Certificates

What an amazing year it's been for reading at our school! A whopping 112 students completed the reading challenge, marking the highest number of special awards ever presented! We'll be handing out participation certificates and special PRC awards during this week's school assemblies and Presentation Awards.

Hats off to all the participants and their families for the fantastic support! A big shout-out goes to Jack Sinclair, Elkie Sargeant, and Hannah Bourke, who will be receiving a medal from the Premier of NSW for taking on the challenge consecutively from Year 3 to Year 9. Now, that's truly impressive!

Let's celebrate the stellar achievements with our Platinum Award recipients, who have dedicated 7 years to the challenge: Julian Collins, Monty Ehsman, Lily Foley, Josephine Harvey, Dominic Kenny, and Oliver Sinclair.

Equally commendable are our Gold Award recipients, each with 4 years of active participation: Zachary Andrews, Sienna Bourke, Peyton Childs, Percy Lee, Athena McBean, Charlotte Moore, Miette Sargeant, and Xian Zapata. Cheers to everyone for making this a remarkable year for reading! 📚🎉

And That’s a Wrap!

I always love to end the year off with some fascinating library statistics. What a year!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a safe and peaceful New Year.

Thanks again, happy reading

Mrs. Toni Fraser

A Year in the Library….

Total number of loans - 16,933 (that's a lot of scanning! My goal is to get over that 17,000 loans next year).

The top 5 borrowing classes - 1S, 1M, KS, KD, 3W - congratulations!

The top 3 borrowers (Reading Rockstars!)

Infants - Alexis O’Connell, Connor Newton & William Irwin

Primary - Savannah Bradbury, Maggie Fitzroy & Hamish Leader

Secondary - Josephine Harvey, Bethany Pearse & Locky McLennan

Most Popular Genres - Humour, fantasy, and adventure stories

The top 10 most borrowed books in 2023 were:

Pig the Winner - Aaron Blabey
Smile - Raina Telgemeier
Sisters - Raina Telgemeier
Once - Morris Gleitzman
The Speedy Sloth - Rebecca Young
Boy Crazy Stacey - Gale Galligan
Pig the Rebel - Aaron Blabey
Drama - Raina Telgemeier
Ghosts - Raina Telgemeier
Macca the Backpacker - Matt Cosgrove

Most popular non-fiction book - Minecraft Epic Bases by Thomas McBrien

Most popular Secondary fiction book - Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Some interesting observations - 12 of the top 20 junior fiction books borrowed are graphic novels, proving why they’re the fastest-growing format in literature. A quarter of these books are written by Aaron Blabey, and another quarter by Raina Telgemeier. 17 of the top 20 non-fiction books borrowed are based on gaming (Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite) and 8 of the top 10 secondary fiction books are murder mysteries (hmmm...).