Book Week Activities

We have certainly been busy in the library hosting an array of events for students of all ages to enjoy. This month we have had Perform Education, and authors, Lucinda Gifford, Ren Alessandra and soon, Will Kostakis. They have all been interesting and engaging for our students and hopefully they got a lot out of the experiences.

Perform Education

This is a musical theatre group that performs a play based around a selection of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) shortlisted books. These are books written and/or illustrated by Australians and are considered the best books this year. This was a show for our Foundation to Grade 2 students. All groups gathered to hear how Henry and Marley cope when their friendship is put to the test. Henry starts thinking he is ‘way too cool’ to do what he used to. He starts changing the way he acts, dresses and speaks to Marley. The answer to help Henry might lie in the books they used to like to share. With the play providing a moral along with exposure to the books they have been reading in library classes, it is an entertaining way to explore the CBCA shortlisted books.

Lucinda Gifford

The author and illustrator, Lucinda Gifford, shared her process of writing and illustrating, and how she has worked with many different authors to develop books and her own approach to writing. She shared her illustrating methods with students in Years 3–6, developing ideas and moving to a completed image. Students were also provided with time and guidance to develop their own images which morphed multiple animals into one. The pictures were very creative and Lucinda spent so much time with the students engaging in conversations about their work and praising their efforts before reading some books she had worked on and taking photos with everyone. 

Ren Alessandra

Slam poetry and the spoken word incorporates writing, performance and audience participation in a full experience. It is more than just the poetry on paper. Students in Year 9 were treated to a talk in which Ren explained what slam poetry is and how she got into it in the first place, coming from not liking or understanding its relevance in today’s world, to seeing how it is a powerful form of communication which is so much more than just the Shakespeare she was exposed to at school. She has since been able to work in a wide variety of spaces to create a career out of poetry, showing students that an artist can make a living and a difference. But more than that, poetry helped Ren find herself and understand her place in the world. Selected students from Years 7–11 were then able to participate in a workshop where Ren walked them through some brainstorming to produce group poems that they then chose to perform to each other. They were a mixture of heart and soul about nan’s kitchen and a cultural exploration of rice dishes, and humour about chicken nuggets and doughnuts. All the poems created left everyone feeling warm and proud of their efforts.

Book in a Day

On 10 August, a group of students from Years 7 to 10 embarked on a day of writing. They arrived at St Peter’s College in Cranbourne along with other schools in the SIS competitions. All groups were provided with some prompts on the morning and expected to produce a novella (4,000–6,000 words with images throughout) by 5:00 pm that same day. Students worked exceptionally well to brainstorm ideas and divide tasks to get this done. The book is now undergoing a judging process that allows students from other schools to read their work. Ultimately the books will go to Scholastic for final judging and an awards presentation day will announce the winners in October. All students involved should be very proud of their efforts. We will await the presentations with bated breath.

Pictured below is the team consisting of (back row) Manraj S, Mia B, Scarlet M, Sophie B, Johanna J, (front row) Ronit S and Sienna P after a very exhausting day of writing but very proud of the final product they were able to submit.

Diana Thompson

Head of Joan Reid Resource Centre