LIBRARY NEWS

This Week in the Library

Welcome to week 4, it’s been another busy week in the library and I've got lots to tell you. This week we are moving on to looking at the features of non-fiction texts, comparing them to fiction and enjoying reading some of our newest information books. One, in particular, is ‘Pet Cats Up Close’ by Gillia M. Olsen. Students are loving learning about cats and the extreme close-up photographs are fascinating; ask your children if they can tell you what the ##### reflex is. To compare and contrast fiction and non-fiction, K-2 is also reading a fictional cat story, ‘Splat the Cat’ by Rob Scotton, there have been many laughs!

National Simultaneous Storytime Day

This Wednesday, Holy Trinity School will be joining schools, preschools, and homes across Australia to participate in the National Simultaneous Storytime Day reading Matt Cosgrove’s, ‘Alpacas with Maracas’. This initiative aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 6. Primary students will get to enjoy reading or listening to this book and complete a variety of activities to engage them in this story. Keep an eye out on the school’s Facebook page for pictures of the day.

New Books

A new week sees new books come to our library. Each year the Armidale Catholic Schools Office generously pay for a wide and varied collection of great books from Scholastic to be delivered to all schools across the Diocese. Picture books and fiction and non-fiction texts are provided to engage children across all stages of learning and we are lucky to regularly receive these new books. I have them displayed on the the New Books stand and students are welcome to borrow them.

Premier's Reading Challenge

I have had four students complete the challenge so far and return their reading records for me to validate with the PRC website. The challenge ends on the 31st of August 2019, so there is still plenty of time to read the books. When your child has finished the required number of books and you have logged them on the PRC site, please print this list off and return them to the library. Congratulations Thomas P, Sophie F, Liam G and Ella M.

CBCA Book of the Year - Junior Readers

This week I will preview the shortlisted Book of the Year entries in the ‘Younger Readers’ section. While the CBCA judge at the Teacher Librarian conference I recently attended felt that the books in this section were quite ‘dark’, he did recommend ‘Leave Taking’ by Lorraine Marnwood. Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers from the middle to upper primary years (ages 7-12 years). For more information about these books, please visit https://cbcacloud.blob.core.windows.net/documents/National/BookOfTheYear/2109/2019%20Short%20List%20poster%20YR%20category.pdf

Brindabella - Ursula Dubosarsky

Leave Taking - Lorraine Marnwood

Black Cockatoo - Carl Morrison & Hakea Hustler

The Slightly Alarming Take of the Whispering Wars - Jaclyn Moriarty

The Peacock Detectives - Carly Nugent

His Name Was Walter - Emily Rodda