Read, Grow, Inspire..

Mad Hatters, witches, superheroes, Potters, Mary Poppins and a colourful bunch of crayons were just some of the magical characters that were brought to life in our annual dress up day that kicked off our weeklong celebrations for Book Week 2023!

Our annual morning tea which ran alongside our dress up day, saw over 100 students and staff filling the library to celebrate and share their love of books and congratulate our top borrowers, top readers and our top library helpers and supporters. Smiles and laughter filled the space while our top readers from each year level were awarded $50 gift vouchers kindly donated by Campion Books and those who came a close second received a new book each. The festival vibe created by these passionate bibliophiles as they clapped, cheered, and ate cupcakes was contagious and everyone who came went into the draw for our lucky door prizes. 

Two more morning teas were held to thank the tireless work of our Library and Chess Leaders. These student volunteers dedicate their time to help in the library, bring energy and fun to the space and we love the work and the enthusiasm that they bring. 

We also celebrated the students who volunteered to be Shadow Judges this year. These students signed up to read and meet regularly to chat about the 6 books that were nominated in the older readers category and the 6 books nominated for the younger readers category. Using the official judging criteria, students met to chat about how the books met each of the criteria before deciding which book they believed should be crowned Book of the Year. If you have not yet checked out the winners, we loved the judges' decisions this year! 'Runt' by Craig Silvey won the younger readers and 'Neverlanders' by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva that won in the older readers category.  

We also had two massive days where 18 teams and over 100 students participated in the Write a Book in a Day competition supporting The Kids Cancer Project. This event was a mammoth effort and saw 18 teams complete 5000-word books that were written, illustrated, and published in 12 hours!  Students who worked in teams of between 5 and 10 were exceptional and not only created something that will be published in hospitals around Australia and support the Kids Cancer Project but also developed their teamwork, communication, time management and creativity skills in the process. A huge congratulations to all those involved.  

And despite the intense pressure of the day, students left buzzing and exceptionally proud of what they had achieved.  Here is just some of what they had to say;

Nancy Ye – Year 8

The best thing about Write A Book In A Day is the time we are allowed to have with our friends, laughing, planning, dancing and writing. Every voice is heard, and thoroughly thought through with a light-hearted happiness. The fun I've had so far with WABIAD is absolutely indescribable, and the amount of expressiveness we've been able to display in our writing is huge. Every good idea is mashed together into one big, lovable blob, full of loving descriptions and unique characters, which will stay with us for the rest of our school years and beyond.

Evelyn Frayne – Year 8

The best thing about Write A Book In A Day is the time we are allowed to work hard and progress through a task while also laughing, singing and enjoying the time with our friends and teammates. WABIAD provides unimaginable fun, that also brings a positive experience and the yearn to do it all over again. The ideas that spawn into our minds create a story that tests your story-writing abilities, creativity and patience. Definitely a worthwhile experience, I would do it all over again if I could.

Tehreem Humayum – Year 8

The most important part of Write A Book In A Day was brainstorming the plot and making the chapters come together to create a creative story. But the best thing was doing it with my friends, which made completing the book possible. Working with your friends makes the process more effective, and your ideas come quicker and are celebrated.  Having my teammates with me as I did my favorite hobby in the world (writing), made the day incredible and special.

Grace Barling – Year 12

Something that was great about write a book in a day was the sense of achievement as a team - it was wonderful to see how quickly we could all get the story's characters, plot, and chapters pieced together, even though we didn't know each other beforehand. Being able to bounce ideas and suggestions off each other was also incredibly helpful in improving our ideas and the flow of the book. I would love to be able to do it again!

Alex Robb – 8Z

The most memorable part of working with friends during Write a Book in a Day was just that: working with friends. Coming up with ideas that fit together perfectly and executing them so that a completed book was staring back at you after twelve hours was extremely rewarding. Write a Book in a Day was an unforgettable experience of having a common goal and working towards it and I will always remember this opportunity!

Our very clever students' stories are attached below.  Why now grab a cuppa and enjoy some holiday reading?

This term we also want to thank the following students who have designed and painted the outside to our new Street Library. These exceptionally creative artists have spent most of this term tirelessly working throughout their lunch breaks to create this masterpiece and we cannot wait to install it and share it with our community. 

By Kylie Pearson

Library