From the Library

A Joyful Start to the Year in the Library!

What a wonderful way to begin a new academic year at St Mary’s College! One of our favourite moments so far in Term 1 was welcoming our new Foundation students into the Library for the very first time. There is something truly special about watching our youngest learners step into this shared space—wide‑eyed, curious, and ready to listen to a story.

This year, our Year 12 students Oliver Kingston and Oliver Fulton enthusiastically stepped in to read a hysterical Aaron Blabey story featuring a desperate kid searching for a discreet place to have a wee! The laughter that followed said it all. This is what St Mary’s is about—the littlest members of our community forming connections with our oldest young adults. It was a beautiful example of friendship, leadership, and shared joy across year levels.

Lunchtimes: The Heartbeat of the Library

Lunchtime continues to be the busiest and happiest hour of our day. Regulars and newcomers alike make the most of the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere—finishing tasks, reading quietly in the Reading Cave, playing games with friends, or creating elaborate railway tracks, doll houses, Lego builds, and Clicko masterpieces.

We are especially grateful to the many students who “bog in” at the end of lunchtime to help tidy the space so it is ready for classes and study in Period 5. That strong sense of shared responsibility for a communal space is heart‑warmingly evident every day. No wonder teachers are keen to do lunchtime duties in the Library!

Growing Our Collection Together

We remain deeply grateful for the generous donations of outgrown books, toys, and games from our community. If you do donate items, please leave a note with your name and email so that we can properly acknowledge your generosity.

This year we are placing additional focus on strengthening our Secondary and Senior Fiction collections. This does not mean we are neglecting Picture Books and Junior Fiction—far from it—but with the average cost of individual books sitting around $20, our budget does limit the breadth of what we can provide.

One practical and powerful solution is enrolling your child in your local public library. Families in Mitchell, Murrindindi, Strathbogie and surrounding council areas have access to an extraordinary range of books, eBooks, audiobooks and electronic reference resources—far beyond what a school library alone can offer.

Mitchell - https://www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/residents/libraries/library-membership

Murrindindi - https://www.murrindindi.vic.gov.au/Services/Libraries-and-Customer-Service-Centres/Library-Catalogue-and-eResources

Strathbogie - https://www.gvlibraries.com.au/apply

We strongly encourage families to register their children with their local library service. This ensures that every student can always have a book ready for our Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) focus, supporting the College’s commitment to improving literacy across all year levels.

By using the rich resources already available within your local community, you help us stretch our Library budget further and support the College during this exciting period of growth. In time, we look forward to an even grander Library and Information Hub to serve our expanding community—but for now, we encourage you to make full use of the wonderful public resources at your fingertips to help grow your young readers.

Celebrating Reading Together

We recently recognised Library Lovers’ Day on 14 February by giving away special bookmarks to celebrate the joy of reading. It was a small but meaningful way to honour the role that books play in our daily lives.

Looking ahead, we are excited about National Simultaneous Storytime 2026. The selected book is Luna Roo: The Kangaroo Baller, a story about a young kangaroo captain leading her team to victory, celebrating courage, teamwork, and determination. We will join schools and libraries across Australia on Wednesday 27 May 2026 at 12:00 pm AEST for this wonderful shared reading experience.

We are also beginning conversations with staff to create an exciting Calendar of Events for Book Week in August—so watch this space!

Here’s to a Wonderful Year Ahead

The Library continues to be a vibrant hub of laughter, learning, creativity, and connection. Thank you to our students, families, and staff for helping to make it such a welcoming shared space.

We look forward to a year filled with stories, imagination, and growing readers together.

                                                          Linda Hevern  /  Lorna Hooper