From the Catherine McAuley Library

Book Week 2023 – Read, Grow, Inspire

Our Book Week celebrations began with a visit from guest speaker Marina, from award-winning Matilda Bookshop in Stirling. Marina gave a book talk on a range of new fiction and graphic novels to our Year 6 students, inspiring them to read and challenge themselves to try something different. She had lots of fantastic recommendations and connections with other familiar titles to share with us, and students enthusiastically lined up to reserve their favourite titles.

During the first half of the week, Year 4 and 5 students were able to choose a creative and mindful activity related to this year’s theme of ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’, including upcycling old book pages into origami flowers, creating Little People Big Dreams-style book covers of an inspiring person, or story writing.

Receptions, Year 1s and 2s were immersed in using their senses and imagination, in creative and sensory activities inspired by some of the shortlisted books, including creating waterhole stories using their knowledge of the book Bev and Kev, creating patterns and shapes with fruits and vegetables in response to Market Day, and a listening challenge, where they identified different sounds that connected with Where the Lyrebird Lives. They also used their problem solving and recall skills to identify dog-related objects in various mystery boxes from one of this year’s favourites, Lionel and Me.

Year 3 students also had fun with playdough, shaping very creative bread rolls in the spirit of Market Day, and inspired by Frank’s Red Hat, made collage hats using a range of materials in different colours and textures.

Year 7s had to use collaboration and problem-solving skills to solve the ‘Great Book Week Mystery Book Mystery’. Juggling clues from mystery texts and hidden words, the students showed persistence as they worked together to crack the code!

Throughout the week there was a lunchtime book hunt with clues around the school, and this year’s bookmark competition was of a very high standard. Congratulations to all our winning entries –

• Reception – Kiera E RSB
• Year 1 – Ava E 1EG
• Year 2 – Lyra F 2SC
• Year 3 – Mila F 3ID
• Year 4 – Clarisse C 4NP
• Year 5 – Lily N 5AV
• Year 6 – Jarran R 6SD

The much-anticipated Book Parade on Friday morning, arguably the highlight of the week, was colourful and high energy! We loved the wonderful, creative range of characters and costumes on show from both students and staff. Huge thanks to Ms Poppy Garner who compared the parade, and her co-hosts Kiara Lens and Emma Hudson. On a quieter note, our annual Read-In following the parade was a lovely way for older and younger students to connect with each other over a story. Stories are, after all, what Australian Children’s Book Week is all about.

Ms Ali Ripberger, Ms Jessie Wildenauer & Ms Sara Gorroick
Teacher Librarians

Click here to watch a short video of This year’s vibrant celebrations of Book Week at sac!

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