Community

LITERACY NIGHT AT KEYSBOROUGH COLLEGE

Celebrating Reading and Writing with Families

On 13th May, Keysborough College proudly hosted its very first Literacy Night. It was an exciting event designed to engage families and support the literacy development of our junior school students.

The evening featured a captivating presentation by author Danielle Binks, who shared practical strategies for supporting reading and writing at home. The presentation was followed by a book signing session. Families who registered early received a free book upon arrival which they were thrilled to have signed by the author. The event buzzed with energy as parents and students came together to celebrate their shared love of books. A huge thank-you goes to Ms Naganivatu, Ms Savran and Ms Talbot for their hard work and dedication in making the night such a success.

The response from families was overwhelmingly positive. The attendees appreciated the opportunity to explore the Junior School library and connect with the school community through a shared focus on literacy.

One of our Year 8 students shared her personal reflection:

Literacy night was an educational and inspiring night for me. I really got to know more about books and people’s mindsets, focusing on reading, how people act if they read for a certain time, different physiological explanations about why and why don’t people read. Literacy night opened a new perspective for me about reading and made me want to read more. The author, Danielle Binks convinced me to read a poem every night to sharpen my mind on English skills which so far, I’ve come to see some improvements! Danielle Binks is a very fun person. She seems very happy talking about reading and writing. I could see her passion, so much that she really does inspire me to set my mind on one thing and challenge myself. Thank you for hosting that amazing night it was a great experience!

Thank you 😊,

Mercedes

Literacy Night was a wonderful celebration of the power of reading and the joy of learning together. We look forward to making it an annual event!

Top Reading Tips from Danielle Binks:

• Make books more visible: Keep them in accessible spots like coffee tables, kitchen benches or bedside tables. Visibility encourages spontaneous reading.
• Encourage a range of formats: Reading isn’t just about novels. Audiobooks, graphic novels, poetry, short stories and even wordless picture books (visual literacy!) all count. Let readers explore and enjoy different formats.
• Model reading behaviour: Children and teens are more likely to read if they see adults reading regularly. Let your reading habits be visible to others.
• Start with shorter texts: Short stories and poems can be more approachable and offer a great way to try different genres.
• Use public libraries: Libraries provide free access to a wide range of books – a fantastic resource for all readers.
• Create regular reading habits: Set aside a consistent time for reading each day or week – before bed, during commutes or after dinner are great options.

CHAI AND CHAT

In week 5 we hosted the inaugural Chai and Chat event at the Acacia Campus, led by Mrs Aruna Malhotra.  This new College wide initiative is supported by the Connecting Schools with Indian Communities program from the Department of Education, with a view to bringing school community members together in an informal setting to network and discuss various topics.  This time we were visited by Mr Kalapi Trivedi from Elite Insurance and Financial Planning, who provided some general advice on financial planning and offered a free 30-minute personal financial planning session for all attendees. Mr Trivedi has also kindly shared his presentation with us, which is now available to all members of the College community.

We look forward to this program growing throughout the year. Future sessions will feature expert advice on topics such as Health & Well-being for Parents and Raising Rethinking Teens.  Keep an eye out for details of the Term 3 event through Compass and our socials.