LIBRARY NEWS

Welcome to Term 2. I hope you had a relaxing break and are looking forward to the term ahead. We have a busy time planned in the library, starting with loaning English texts to every secondary student, reading some special Anzac stories last week, and some fun Mother’s Day books this week, too.

This Week's Reads

I’m always amazed at how students engage with Anzac stories, and this year was no different. Kindergarteners enjoyed reading Belinda Landsberry's ‘Anzac Ted’ and sharing stories about the special things that remind them of home and their families. 

Stage 1read ‘Anzac Biscuits’ by Phil Cummings about a young girl who baked some Anzac biscuits to send to her father. What makes this book even more interesting is that the young girl’s story is told in parallel with that of her father, prompting students to find things in common between the two. Students then enjoyed discussing and drawing foods that were special in their families.

Stage 2 focused on animals in war and enjoyed the incredible story of John ‘Jack’ Simpson and his donkey Duffy, in ‘Simpson and his Donkey’ by Mark Greenwood. Students heard that Simpson and Duffy were responsible for transporting over 300 wounded soldiers to medics at Gallipoli in under three weeks. Students also discovered other animals that served in war (did you know a cat, bear, and even a pigeon have?). They also enjoyed reading about them on the Australian War Memorial website.

Finally, Stage 3 read one of the most fascinating Anzac stories, ‘Midnight’ by Mark Greenwood. This story tells us of a young man from the Hunter Valley and his horse Midnight, who served in the Australian Light Horse Brigade and participated in the cavalry charge at Beersheba. Students are always interested in this book as it’s a true story, and it highlights the bravery shown by our soldiers against the odds. Stage 3 also enjoyed reading about the Light Horse Brigade from the Australian War Memorial website.

If you want to listen to these and other Anzac stories, visit Storybox Library and enjoy their great Anzac collection. Go to the website here, log in using username htsinverell, and the password Inverell2360. Once logged in, scroll down the home page to the Anzac collection.

National Simultaneous Storytime 2025 - Coming Soon!

Once again, our school is participating in the annual National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) campaign to encourage young children to read and enjoy books. Every year, a picture book written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops, and many other places around the country. This year’s story, ‘The Truck Cat ' by Deborah Frenkel, will be read on Wednesday, 21 May, 2025. If you want to join in at home, visit the NSS website and register for the online reading.

The Australian Library and Information Association says:

The Truck Cat is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found. Along with his human, Yacoub, Tinka travels roads wide and narrow, near and distant. But no matter how much they travel, home feels very far away, for both of them. When Tinka and Yacoub are unexpectedly separated, they are determined to find their way back to each other – and, in doing so, might find more than they expected 

SORA Books of the Week

This week, SORA celebrate mums and other significant women in our lives with some wonderful books for students to read. To enjoy these and other stories, your child can use their school username and password (available from their teachers) and follow these instructions. Happy Mother’s Day to families at Holy Trinity School!

New Books

It’s a new term and we have new books to enjoy!

Quick Bits:

• Don’t forget that students need a library bag to borrow books
• The Premier’s Reading Challenge is still going - it’s not too late to join, as the challenge's end date has been extended to Friday, 19 September 2025 (Week 9, Term 3). For more information, please see your class teacher or email me at invlibrary@arm.catholic.edu.au
• Many students have overdue books from last term - I’ll send home reminders this week. It would be appreciated if you could assist your child with finding these books. Thank you.
• The library is open for borrowing during snack breaks and before and after school. Primary comes from 1.30-1.50 pm Monday to Friday (closed Thursday) and Secondary from 2-2.20 pm (closed Wednesday).

Library Borrowing Days

Don’t forget to bring your library bags for your library day.

Monday - 5F, KM, 1W

Tuesday - KD, 1M, 6D

Wednesday - 2M, 4L, 6G

Thursday - 3M, 3S, 4L, 5B

Friday - 5M, 2D

Meet the Reader

Meet Roxy, the first borrower of the new Hunger Games spinoff book, 'Sunrise on the Reaping' by Suzanne Collins, set 24 years before the Hunger Games. I can't wait to hear what it's like!

Kindergarten was hard at work in the library last week, decorating their Anzac Ted.

Happy reading,

Mrs Toni Fraser