Book Week  August 8 - 12  

Our focus this year for book week is “Dreaming with eyes open…” with a multilingual focus: Considering this, you are invited to an information session. As parents you make a difference to your children’s reading journey. Your role as an advocate for your children’s reading success cannot be overestimated. It has a direct impact on the ease and confidence with which they pursue their learning. Sometimes, parents need reassurance and assistance to find ways to use the skills that they already possess. 

Our guest speaker and author Abdi Aden will inspire you on how you can be advocates for your child’s success through reading. Abdi is an author and inspirational speaker. He was just sixteen years old when he arrived in Melbourne. He had no English, no family or friends, no money, no home. Yet, against the odds, he not only survived, but he also thrived. Abdi went on to complete secondary education and later university. He became a youth worker, was acknowledged with the 2007 Victorian Refugee Recognition Award and was featured in the SBS second series of Go Back to Where You Came From. 

In addition, we also have the following authors who will be doing reading and writing workshops with the students throughout book week.

Huda Hayek is the second youngest of seven children, born to Lebanese– Australian parents. She was born in Adelaide, grew up in Perth and now lives in Melbourne. She struggled with reading and writing through her earliest years at school but knew from the time she was a little girl that she wanted to work with words. Huda has worked as a primary school teacher in Melbourne’s west and as a journalist. Huda will be involved in an interactive reading workshop with years 7 & 8.

Bernard Caleo is a performer, comic book maker, and comic book communicator. He was born in Melbourne and has worked as a projectionist, as a practice patient in hospitals, as a pirate, and at Melbourne Museum as part time programs officer. Bernard’s work mostly focusses on imagination fantasy. Bernard will be working with the year 9s creating their won stories and designing graphics for their stories.

Rebecca Lim is an award-winning Australian writer, illustrator and editor and the author of over twenty books, including Tiger Daughter, The Astrologer’s Daughter and the bestselling Mercy. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish and Russian. She is a co-founder of the Voices from the Intersection initiative and co-editor of Meet Me at the Intersection, a ground-breaking anthology of YA #OwnVoice memoir, poetry and fiction. Rebecca will be working with the years 10-12 students to create and edit their own stories.

Michael Toomey lives in Melbourne. Mike taught English and history at secondary colleges for forty years. While Dig is his first novel, he has often reviewed books for teenagers. He supports the Collingwood Football Club (Australian Rules) and loves test cricket, especially when it involves Australia and England, with the Ashes at stake. Mike hopes to encourage readers to take more risks and to find a place of deep belonging. Mike will be doing writing workshops with years 8 and 10 to increase their writing stamina