Nicholas Library

Book Week festivities at St Catherine’s this year can be best characterised as a joyful celebration of books and words. This year’s theme, ‘Reading is My Secret Power’, was celebrated with writing workshops, a book trivia competition, a graffiti wall containing the titles of our best loved books, and culminated in the Staff versus Students debate.

During the week, our Years 7 and 8 English classes each enjoyed a writing workshop with guest authors Shivaun Plozza and Nova Weetman. Shivaun Plozza is an award-winning children’s and young adult writer. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Frankie, was a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book, shortlisted for the Inky Awards and Highly Commended at the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Nova Weetman is the author of three books in the Choose Your Own Ever After series – Change of Heart, A Hot Cold Summer and Play the Game. One of her young adult novels, Everything is Changed, was a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book, and was shortlisted for Best Young Adult Novel at the Davitt Awards. Both authors shared their ‘tricks of the trade’ with our students, talking them through key steps and strategies to change the way they view and use language to write a story.

Author Nova Weetman conducts a writing workshop for Year 8 students.

Our book trivia competition was a highly competitive affair and, after eight rounds of book themed questions, our Year 11 students – Lucy Croft, Astrid Low, Georgie Moors and Laura Glaspole – pipped the ‘Asimovs’ (staff representatives from our Science Faculty) at the post by one point, to become victors of this year’s competition.

Finally, our Staff versus Students debate was a fitting finale to our Book Week celebrations. The Library was full to capacity with staff and students from all year levels eager to witness the inevitable exchange of intellect, rhetoric and banter between our student and staff teams.

The Staff versus Students debate was a fitting finale to the Book Week celebrations at St Catherine’s.

We were not disappointed. The topic for the debate was ‘Reading Gets You Nowhere’ and the audience relished watching the staff team argue with enthusiasm, and some conviction, for the affirmative! Particularly amusing was watching our beloved Literature teacher, Ms Vicky Spanos, methodically and emphatically denounce the relevance of the written word.

The Library was full to capacity with staff and students eager to witness the Book Week debate.

With equal passion and eloquence, our finest Year 12 debaters argued emphatically that reading in fact, does get us somewhere. The staff team won this debate; however, it was the power and eloquence of the spoken word that emerged as the overall victor. Huge thanks to Kavina Kalaichelvam and her team of student debaters, Flynn O’Brien and Sophie Turnbull, as well as our superb staff members, Ms Vicky Spanos, Mr Dylan Licastro, Mr John Novak and Ms Mary-Anne Keratiotis (Adjudicator), who gave up their time so willingly to participate in this event.

The Year 12 debaters argue that reading does get us somewhere.

Barbreck Library

Barbreck celebrated Book Week on Tuesday 20 August. We started our celebration with a fun dress up day following the Book Week theme ‘Reading is My Secret Power’.

The girls enjoyed reading many of the shortlisted picture storybooks in their classes and with their Early Learning Centre buddies. Visiting Author and Illustrator Kylie Dunstan worked with the Years 5 and 6 students to make woven mats like the ones she made for her book Collecting Colour. Her book is based on her work with an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory.

Author and Illustrator Kylie Dunstan with the Years 5 and 6 students.

Meerkat Productions performed for Years Prep to 4 their interpretation of Room On Our Rock by Kate and Jol Temple and illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton, exploring themes of communication, sharing, compassion, empathy, fitting in, fear and refugees. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the book and the production.

Barbreck students read shortlisted picture storybooks with their Early Learning Centre buddies.

Our Barbreck Book Bingo is still in progress with points for every book read going towards our Barbreck Cup, to be announced in the last week of Term 3.