Life in the St Catherine’s Libraries continues to be busy, bustling and ever changing. For the first seven weeks of the Term, our Barbreck Teacher Librarian, Mrs Victoria Baldacchino, will be taking some well-deserved long service leave. In her absence, we welcome Mrs Jan Barlow into the role. Mrs Barlow is no stranger to St Catherine’s School, having worked as a replacement Library staff member on two occasions for both the Nicholas and Barbreck libraries over the past two years. She has quickly settled into Library classes in the Junior School and we are grateful for her expertise, her warmth and sense of calm.

Our youngest members of the St Catherine’s community, the three year olds of ELC, have been introduced to the Barbreck Library this Term, beginning a weekly schedule of Library visits that will last throughout the year.  As always, it is wonderful to see the Barbreck Library abuzz at lunchtime with a variety of self-directed activities, including some very popular Mother’s Day themed artwork. Both Library branches play host to a range of co-curricular activities and clubs that have really begun to swing into gear in Term 2. ‘Write on Wednesdays’ is back at Barbreck, and the Nicholas Library has played host to the Environment Club and the A-Team (Wellbeing Club), who have been making paper stars to support the ‘One Million Stars’ project.

The Library staff endeavour to keep the connections between the Library and the broader curriculum strong, and Term 2 has begun with a strong crossover with the Performing Arts. Barbreck Library has embraced the theme ‘Imagination Runs Wild’, focusing on books and stories about animals. This has been a wonderful tie-in with the excitement that is building around our upcoming Junior School production of ‘The Lion King Jr’. In the Nicholas Library, there has also been a strong connection to the Performing Arts. Our annual celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday has been especially significant as our Senior students rehearsed for the wildly successful production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Special ‘dream pods’ popped up around the library and have been a wonderful place for students to read, relax and be mindful.

Our lunchtime celebration of Shakespeare’s Birthday saw over 70 students and staff gather in the Library to read sonnets, perform scenes, and generally revel in the wonder of the Bard’s language. Highlights included members of the Year 12 Literature class performing a scene from Twelfth Night (the text they are currently studying), and Mr Cross’ ‘alas poor Yorrick’ monologue – complete with skull.

During this celebration, we also announced the winners of our Term 1 Poetry Competition. Angela Yu (Year 7) and Lillian Lu (Year 8) were both awarded a highly commended prize, and our winner was Flynn O’Brien (Year 10) with her poem ‘No One is Born Racist’.  You can read her poem below:

No One Is Born Racist

When someone is born everything is new

They see black they see white, everything is new.

One can be raised to see different things

Believe different things and say different things.

A newborn child is a blank white canvas,

Awaiting the artist to create their mark.

If a parent says something then a child believes it

No doubt in their mind because they know nothing else.

If harsh words are said then harsh words are learnt

If violence is used then that too is learnt.

What one sees is what one trusts

What one hears is what one knows.

When one grows old, outsiders may influence

Their views on the world in which they live.

At the end of the day home is where they come

Because home is where it all began.

Home is where all perspectives begin

And home is where prejudice commences.

The harsh words they use and the violence they show

All began where they were born and raised.

Raise a child with acceptance

That child will flourish with greatness

Raise a child with segregation

That child is racist.

A child is a blank canvas

Awaiting inspiration

A child can learn much

From a single conversation

No one is born opinionated and influenced,

No one is born with predispositions,

No one is born with their views and values,

No one is born racist.