We are thrilled to share the photos of our Book Week events in this issue of the Eaglet. The theme for Book Week 2017 was ‘Escape to Everywhere’. During Book Week we held our annual Secondary Character Day and Primary Book Week Parade, where an amazing array of book characters came to life. We were in awe of the colour and creativity on display and the level of participation across the College.

This year the library team came dressed as characters who had escaped or who had helped others escape from difficult experiences and places. We were inspired by real and imagined characters straight from the pages of books in our library collection. Mrs McKellar was dressed as Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker and Christian who, along with her father and family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II, Mrs Murray, was dressed as a refugee escaping war torn Syria on a boat which was heading for Greece, Mrs Seymour was Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist who helped many women escape suppression in their own country, Mrs Swanson was dressed as a migrant moving to a new land, from the book The Arrival, written by Shaun Tan and Mrs Ison was dressed as Mai Ho, a migrant who left Vietnam after the war. Primary Book Week photos here.

The Middle School assembly showcased Character Day with a character and book quiz followed by Mr Ware’s hilarious interviews with various characters, putting them in the spotlight at our ‘red carpet event’! Senior students stepped into role during assembly sharing with us their character and enthusiasm. The photos tell the story of the participants and onlookers at this fun event. You’re never too old for a great story or to be inspired by the creativity and fun of another fantastic Book Week.  Character Day photos here.

The sea of books that the Primary students held up at their Parade was a highlight this year and showcased their diverse reading interests. It was a wonderful reflection of the reading culture we are continuing to build at the College. Staff members again wowed us with their creative costume designs and teamwork skills. Special thanks to our judges; Pastor Joc, Mr Bennett and Mrs Ison who had the difficult task of choosing our best dressed classes and staff members.

Following the parade, Prep – Year 2 classes were spoilt with a visit from Jo the Storyteller. Jo brought songs, stories and fractured fairytales to life and kept the children on the edge of their seats or rolling with laughter, as staff members took on character roles in her humorous tales.

Special thanks to the many students who participated in our Book Week activities and competitions. The winners are noted below, as well our Character Day and Primary Book Week Parade winners.

Middle School Relax and Read Day

Middle School students participated in ‘Relax and Read’ Day as part of last week’s Book Week celebrations. Comfy clothes, a hot chocolate complete with marshmallows and a biscuit set the scene for an ‘escape’ into a great plot during a lesson in the Library amphitheatre. Extended opportunities to read for pleasure make a significant difference to student learning and also the building of compassion, empathy and interesting conversations. Take some time out to relax and read…Bliss!

Book Fair Success

We achieved amazing results at our Reading Rainforest Book Fair, selling $8902 worth of books. Special thanks to our College community who faithfully support this annual event and three cheers to our volunteers! This year’s Book Fair volunteers included; Deb James, Shondra Briton, Leah Roulston, Lisa Ellis, Maria Harper, Jenny Prentice and Joa Kruger. Every purchase at Book Fair directly profited the College and allowed us to receive $1810 worth of books and prizes, including all our Teachers’ Picks, as well as $876 worth of Book Club commission. Special thanks to families that donated books. A commemorative book plate will be added to the books purchased to signify your generous contribution to our library collection. Reorders were submitted throughout Book Fair and will be passed on to students as soon as they arrive.

Year 9 Readers Cup

On Thursday 24 August, our Year 9 Readers’ Cup Team – Bakani Kombanie, Madeleine Roulston, Steffi Twidale and Patrick McKenzie joined more than 70 Year 8 Students from 18 different schools across the Sunshine Coast to test their knowledge of young adult literature for the prestigious Interschool Readers Cup Competition at Chancellor State College. The annual event required students to read six books in 10 weeks before competition night where they had to test their knowledge on each book. Students had 20 seconds to answer each question and were given points for each correct answer. Bakani, Madeleine, Steffi and Patrick have been part of a Readers’ Cup team each year during Middle School and are commended for their enthusiasm and commitment to the competition. They are congratulated for their team effort to place second in their heat in this year’s competition that proved to be one of the best and most highly contested.  

MS Readathon – Reading can change your life and the lives of others

The MS Readathon finished on Thursday 31 August. Thank you to the families who encouraged their children to participate this year. As an optional fundraiser, we are always thankful for any contributions large or small. We had the greatest uptake of participants at the College this year who raised a total of $1040. This is an outstanding result and will help to give care and hope to over 23,000 Australians, their families and carers, who are living with MS. Students who complete the program and return their fundraising by 31 October will receive a Certificate of Appreciation for their fundraising achievements.

See you in the Library.

Vanessa McKellar and Beryl Morris, Teacher Librarians