Literacy Update
St Fidelis' Catholic Primary School
Live author webinar with Will Kostakis
On Wednesday 26 August, our Year 3–6 students had the exciting opportunity to participate in a live author webinar with Australian author Will Kostakis. Will was engaging and entertaining as he spoke about his books, his experiences as an author, and his upcoming book, Otis Ottley and the School in the Sky, which he described as an Australian version of Harry Potter. Students enjoyed hearing about his writing journey, learning more about his new book, and even meeting his very cute cat! It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to connect with a real author and be inspired by the world of books and storytelling.
Book Week Parade 2026
What a wonderful morning we shared at our Book Week Parade on Friday! It was fantastic to see our students come dressed as characters from a wonderful array of picture books, novels and even some sporting heroes. The creativity and enthusiasm on display made the morning such a special celebration of reading and books.
A very big thank you to all our families for the time, effort and creativity that went into preparing the costumes, and for coming along to support and celebrate with the students. Your involvement helped make the parade such a memorable and enjoyable experience for everyone!
The winning books in each category are:
| THE PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR | THE BOOK OF THE YEAR: YOUNGER READERS | THE BOOK OF THE YEAR: EARLY CHILDHOOD | THE EVE POWNALL AWARD | CBCA AWARD FOR NEW ILLUSTRATOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Once I Was a Giant by Zeno Sworder | Inked by Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A. Minton | The Emperor's Egg by Rae Tan | Peculiar Parents by Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak
| A Loo of One's Own by Eleri Harris
|
Here are some of our Year 4 reading responses, showcasing their favourite Book Week shortlisted books and why they chose them. Students shared their ideas through writing and drawing.
St. Fidelis’ library has three copies of each shortlisted book, so our students will have the opportunity to borrow and enjoy these wonderful stories. These books will be available from our library very soon.
Premiers’ Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge has now closed for 2026. Congratulations to all the students who participated and challenged themselves to read over the last few months! No further entries can be submitted as we now finalise the results. Well done to everyone who took part!
Bernadette Parnis
Literacy Leader bparnis@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au