Library news

Reading Adventure

Every year we try and think of new ways to promote reading. This year we are running our 2025 Reading Adventure – Read Your Way. This is a combination of the themes from the Children’s Book Council Awards 2025 and the 2024 World Book Day. The Reading Adventure offers 3 levels of challenge to students: Mini for students who want to read 4-6 books across the year, Intermediate for students who want to read 6-10 books and Ultimate for students who want to go for 10+ books.  

To promote and launch the Adventure, we secured the first slot in the 2025 series of English Masterclass events which meant in early February, a synopsis of this event was posted on Compass and Teams, and students from Years 7-12 plus staff could sign up.

This sign-up method meant that we could make it extra-special and cater for the Masterclass event with cupcakes. After the Masterclass, we have continued to promote the challenge through the English department offering to visit classes to promote the challenge and modify the presentation to suit the teacher, the time restraints and the year level.  

We currently have 84 students who have signed up to the challenge and who are actively sharing the books they are reading on our dedicated space in Microsoft Teams. Each subject of the challenge has its own channel and when students/staff finish a book, they post an image of the book cover, provide their rating and their thoughts on the book. It has been so lovely to see readers share their love of books and promote great books to each other. We will meet in person once per term and all students will meet for a final award ceremony in Term 4.   

Photo (left): Writing Club; Photo (right): Library staff Ying, Emily and Kylie

Library Loyalty Cards

Another initiative that supports and rewards our wonderful reading community is our Library Loyalty Cards. A massive congratulations to Irene G, Stephanie H, Jabez Komal S and Lutfie W who have been actively reading and were our Term 1 winners! 

The Library Loyalty Cards, which are offered to students at the borrowing desk and issued in their House colour, are stamped each time a student borrows a book. When the card is completed, it is placed into a draw to win a prize, and these are drawn twice termly.  All students who complete a Library Loyalty Card also receive a positive Compass post visible to parents and staff.  

Student leaders - thank you!

A massive congratulations and thank you to our wonderful Library Leaders and Chess Leaders who are critical to supporting the daily operations in our wonderful space. Despite our best efforts, we could never meet the demands of the clientele without the support of these incredible student leaders. 

See the header image with this article for a photo of our Chess Leaders!

These students apply for the role, outlining their leadership skills and why they want to be part of our team and, once a member, sign up in a weekly roster to do a large range of different jobs including desk duty, refilling the sticker book, cleaning and restocking our community library, reshelving books, recommending books and marking the Gauntlet puzzles.  

We also wanted to thank our wonderful Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh volunteers who choose to dedicate their volunteer time to working with us. While they do learn many skills including how to catalogue books, covering new books, promoting various library events, laminating and creating resources for the library as well as supporting daily operations, their dedication and commitment to making the library a fabulous space for all of Box Hill High School’s community is to be commended.  

Clubs

While the Library hosts a myriad of lunchtime clubs including Photography, Chess, Knitting and Crocheting, Writing, Board Game and Puzzle Club, our wonderful Library Assistant, Ying Yu, has been running a flower making workshop. This club, which students needed to sign up for, aimed to teach students who wanted to learn how to make these beautiful, colourful flowers that decorate our library.     

To end this busy term, the Library is hosting two big events; the Adobe Film Workshop and the Interschool Chess Tournament.  

The Adobe Film Workshop that will run from Tuesday 25 through to Friday 28 March will be attended by all Year 9 students studying Geography this term. The workshop will allow students to develop their storytelling techniques, their group work skills and their editing skills in Adobe Express as they create a one minute film centred on the 95th celebratory year of Box Hill High School.   

And on Wednesday 2 April we will end the term with our highly anticipated Interschool Chess Tournament where students will battle on the board with Doncaster Secondary College and East Doncaster Secondary College.