Deputy News:
Book Week Round Up
What an extraordinary Book Week we had at St Joseph's.
This year felt especially meaningful as the Children’s Book Council of Australia proudly marks the 80th year of the Book of the Year Awards. Since 1946, these awards have celebrated the incredible talent and imagination that fuel the books our young readers cherish, recognising the creators who shape our understanding of childhood, curiosity, and compassion through story.
Our school was buzzing with that exact same magic all week long.
We'd like to thank our Year Six Book week leaders, Emma, Imogen, Maya, Allegra, Harriet, Zoe, Morgan and Domenica for working so hard in the lead to make Book Week such a success!
Here is a look at everything our students did to celebrate this milestone event!
Happy Reading,
Alannah Harrison & Claire Dusting
English Leaders
Perform Book Week Show
To launch Book Week, our Prep to Year 3 students had the opportunity to be a part of a live performance showcasing the CBCA Shortlisted Books.
Here is what some of our Year Three students had to say...
"The production was very good and very funny, especially the songs. The big star was crazy! I liked it when they made up a song. It was awesome to get up and do a dance with them. It burned all my energy!
It was a good introduction to Book Week. My favourite book was Dear Broccoli. This book is hilarious because it is all about a boy who writes angry letters to broccoli, and it always writes back. When we got back to class, we were so excited to write our own letters to vegetables and fruits that we didn’t like. We wrote to tomatoes because they have seeds, and the juice stays in your mouth, which makes your breath stink!"
Written by Thomas & Kael
Snuggle Up and Read
On Thursday, students form Prep to Year Four had the opportunity to 'sit back and relax' while enjoying some chocolate milk and a good book! Snuggle up and read sessions allow our students to truly immerse themselves in a book, assisting in developing the love of reading we all yearn for.
What's more, these sessions create opportunities for discussion about characters, setting and the plot of a range of texts. In our Junior Years, students enjoyed mixing with students from Prep to Year Two, having stories read to them by the Year Six Book Week Leaders and selecting favourite characters and illustrations.
In the Middle Years, students were participating in what could only be described as an impromtu bookclub! giving one another recommendations on texts they may enjoy, books they have not been fond of and rating their own books out of 5 stars.
Classroom Activities
Across the week, children were immersed in a range of literature shortlisted for the CBCA. Children had the opportunity to respond to text in a variety of ways, through art and written work. Worth noting is the relationship between the Prep and Year Five buddies and how events like these provide such valuable time together.
The buddies read the text Derek, by Anna Donaldson
"On Monday for our first day of book week we (the Year 5’s) had the pleasure of helping our little buddies (the Preps) make various types of fish.
We all read the book ‘Derek’ learning about his wonders and all of his questions. After we had finished the book we had helped our little buddies outline, colour and decorate the different types of fish our teachers had given out. Afterwards the Year 5’s helped cut them out and now they are on display!"
Evie M - Year 5
"On Monday the 17th of August during Book Week we saw our buddies. We made a fish from a book called 'Derek' the Fish. We had lots and lots of fun making our fishes with lots of glitter. We were very sad to leave our buddies."
Ned - Year 5
Dear Broccoli
No doubt a favourite from book week... classrooms were also filled with passionate debate as students across the school put their persuasive writing skills to the test. Inspired by the hilarious picture book Dear Broccoli, students wrote formal letters of complaint to their least favorite fruits and vegetables, laying out detailed arguments against everything from slimy textures to questionable colors. Teachers were extremely impressed by just how convincing the students can be when they truly care about a cause!
Book Week Parade
What a fantastic Book Week Parade! A huge congratulations to all our students and families for making this year’s event our best one yet. The creativity, effort, and enthusiasm on display were absolutely outstanding. We extend a special thank you to our wonderful staff for getting into the spirit with their incredible costumes, and to our dedicated Book Week judges for taking on the tough task of selecting this year's 'Most Creative Costumes!'.
A sincere thank you to everyone in our school community for bringing such energy and joy to a memorable celebration of reading!