31 August 2022
It was such a treat to be able to celebrate Book Week with a full program. COVID has certainly had an impact on the celebrations for the past few years. The week began with our annual Book Week Parade, costumes were impressive, and it was amazing to see so many homemade costumes. Thank you to all families who supported this event. Following on from the parade was classroom story reading with parents and then a morning tea for parents hosted by the Junior School Friends of Saints.
Various daily lunchtime activities in the library were enjoyed by many boys in Years 3 to 6. The highlight for many was the newly introduced live book cake decorating event which was held over two days during lunchtime. Boys in Years 4 to 6 were invited to use a book theme to decorate a naked cake in front of a live audience. It was great watching the cakes come to life. A total of 51 boys took part in this event, the standard was high and the competition was fierce. Some of the cakes that came to life included Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Minions, Pickle Farm, Monsters, The Richmond Cake, The Beasty Builders, Willy Wonka – the Edible Room, Dead in the Water, Harry Potter and Dragons Bedtime Story. A special thank you goes to Mrs Bartholomaeus and Mrs Medlin who participated in the event and brought the ‘How the Birds got their Feathers’ to life. The best three cakes on each day were awarded a small prize at Assembly on Friday.
On Friday, the library became a delicious temptation as families arrived with their Book Cupcakes for display, we had over 70 cupcakes on display. There were so many amazing creations, and it was certainly an event enjoyed by both boys and families.
In the lead up to book week students were invited create a book in a box / jar. A total of 47 families participated in this activity and it was inspiring to see so many books come to life through these displays. During library lessons boys explored the shortlisted books and many rich discussions were held about the big ideas in each book. Students were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite book from the shortlist. This year the Year 3 students studied the Picture Book category and for the first time in many years agreed with the official judges that ‘Iceber’g’ was the standout title. The classes in ELC to Year 2 studied the Early Childhood books and chose ‘Walk of the Whales’ as their favourite. The classes in Year 4 studied the Information Book category and chose ‘Curious Birds’ and the Year 5 and 6 classes studied the Younger Reader category and chose ‘Rabbit, Solider, Angel, Thief’ as their favourite.
The conclusion of Book Week was at Assembly where the Year 6 Library Leadership Group (Freddie Sils, Matthew Tran, Oscar Brook, Amit Bhat, Ranulaka Hattotuwa, Benjamin Gill, Ted Adams and Abiel Wong) presented a Dreaming with Eyes Open poem, announced the award-winning books and showcased various events which had been held during the week.
A big thank you must go to Jason Hall and the Memorial Hall staff for setting up various events, the Junior School Library Staff for their awesome efforts in the lead up and throughout the week, the Junior School Staff, the Year 6 Library Leadership team and all the parents who helped put costumes together, create models, bought cake decorating supplies and inspired boys with their Book Cupcakes. All of this helps enthuse our students to read and explore passions through books.
Click here to see a highlight video of the week (must log into Keystone to view).
Alison Winter
Teacher-Librarian