Beerwah Library Refurbishment: Have you seen the new look Beerwah Library? During March the library underwent refurbishments to create a revitalised space which meets community needs and changing library trends. The refurbishment celebrates the local landscape by integrating hinterland themes and colour palettes. A great venue to explore during the holidays!

At the Sunshine Coast Libraries membership is free and anyone can join, get access to free WiFi, the latest books, movies, music and a huge array of free educational content for children and teens. For location details and opening hours go to Beerwah Library. For a full list of Holiday Activities at the Sunshine Coast Libraries go to this link. Holiday activities requiring registration will open on Monday 26 March at 9:00am.

Story Seats – 10 seats, 10 stories, 10 parks…

The Sunshine Coast Council have designed and constructed 10 innovative Story Seats, located in 10 of the Coast’s most stunning local parks, incorporating 10 fabulous children’s stories into the seats’ designs. These eye-catching pieces of art have been purpose-built with the intention to promote the importance of reading with your child and offer spaces that actively encourage you to talk, read, sing and play with your child every day.

Story Seats have been funded by First 5 Forever, a Queensland State Government funded universal family literacy program aimed at supporting strong language and literacy environments for young children from 0–5 years and their families. Later this year, a map of the Story Seat locations will be made available. For now, families are encouraged to find all 10 story seats, take a picture with the seats and share on the Sunshine Coast Libraries Facebook page using the hashtag #Storyseat.

Story seats are being rolled out progressively across the region in the following parks:

• Pioneer Park, Landsborough
• Nelson Park, Alexandra Headland
• Power Memorial Park, Mudjimba
• Muller Park, Bli Bli
• Russell Family Park, Montville
• Kenilworth town park, Kenilworth
• Maroochy Lions Park, Maroochydore
• Shelly Beach Park, Shelly Beach
• Grahame Stewart Park, Currimundi
• Brightwater Community Lake Park, Brightwater

Holiday Writing Workshops with Brian Falkner

Does your child love to write stories? Do they dream of being an author? We are excited to let you know that students will have the opportunity to attend a school holiday camp for young writers, called “Write like an Author”. It is an internationally acclaimed writing course that teaches young writers the skills and techniques that professional authors use to create their stories. During the camp, each participant will develop and write an original creative story under the guidance of well-known author and writing coach Brian Falkner. Brian is an internationally published children’s author with eighteen books published in more than thirteen countries.

The camp will be held at Immanuel Lutheran College during the school holidays, starting on Wednesday 4 April and running until Friday 6 April. The camp is for enthusiastic young writers to develop their natural writing and storytelling talents. It is ideal for young people who have a dream of becoming a published author or anyone who wants to improve their writing skills.

The number of places on the camp is strictly limited, so it’s recommended that you register early if your child is interested in attending the camp. The camp is non-residential and students will need to bring their own device (a laptop or tablet to write their stories on). For more information and to register, please visit www.writelikeanauthor.com.

Future Author Boot Camp
Location: Immanuel Lutheran College, Sunshine Coast
Facilitator(s): Brian Falkner
Length: Three days
Cost: $200
Times: 9am to 4pm
For ages: 10 – 14 years
(This is a suggested age range. Younger and older students are also welcome.)
Meals: Students to provide own meals and snacks
Dates: Wednesday 4 April – Friday 6 April
(Book by 28 March for $40 early bird discount).

Junior Author Writing Camp
Location: Immanuel Lutheran College, Sunshine Coast
Facilitator: Brian Falkner
Length: One day
Cost: $70
Times: 9am to 4pm
For ages: 8 – 12 years
(This is a suggested age range. Younger and older students are also welcome.)
Meals: Students to provide own meals and snacks
Date: Wednesday 4 April
(Book by 28 March for $20 early bird discount).

Gondor Writing Centre Holiday Workshops
Here are more local workshops students may be interested in:

FAN FICTION – Writing and Art Fun!
Bring your favourite book and write a scene from the story. Students will then create groups to act out your scene. Students will receive writing workshops on story structure, character and story development and art lessons on drawing their scene.
Location: Gondor Writing Centre, Landsborough
Facilitator: Elaine Ouston
Length: One day
Cost: $40
Times: 8:30am to 4pm
For: For children aged 7-15 years
(This is a suggested age range. Younger and older students are also welcome.)
Meals: Students to provide own meals and snacks
Date: Thursday 5 April and Thursday 12 April
Limited places: 10 students.

ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOP
For children who love to draw or who are looking to develop their drawing skills, spend a whole day exploring the world of drawing and illustration! The emphasis is on creating a visual story.
Location: Gondor Writing Centre, Landsborough
Facilitator: Kerry Ide
Length: One day
Cost: $50
Times: 8:30am to 4pm
For: For children aged 8-15 years
(This is a suggested age range. Younger and older students are also welcome.)
Meals: Students to provide own meals and snacks
Dates: Tuesday 3 April: Exploring composition using storyboards.
Tuesday 10 April: Character Design – People
Limited places: 12 students.
 
Audiobooks

Great stories captivate our imagination whether it be in print, audio format or on film.

A selection of audiobooks are now available for loan for Secondary students via our ePlatform  There are over 250 audiobooks to choose from, including adventure, classics, mysteries, and more! Some of the great stories include:

Secondary students can also access a wide range of eBooks from the ePlatform These titles can be downloaded and read on any device at any time. Students login using their school login details.

Primary students are encouraged to explore audiobooks through the Sunshine Coast Council Libraries free eAudiobooks. To access eAudioboooks all you need is an Internet connection, library card and some free software. Students can enjoy titles on a computer, tablet, mobile phone or MP3 player. For more details and to access the help pages go to eAudiobooks.

We encourage students and families to take some time over the holidays to settle into a great story!

See you in the library.

Vanessa McKellar and Beryl Morris, Teacher Librarians