One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role as Head of Nicholas Library is engendering and supporting a love of reading in the students.    

Having the opportunity to engage with students of all levels in the School and discuss books with them is both a privilege and a joy, and the best time of the year to celebrate the importance of reading in our lives and the creativity of Australian authors is Book Week. 

In the fortnight preceding Book Week, a busy team of volunteers helped organise activities and decorate the Nicholas Library to match this year’s theme – Reading is Magic.  

It is wonderful to be able to provide opportunities for students in Years 9 and 10, completing their Light Blue and Dark Blue Leadership Diplomas, to volunteer and show leadership in the Library. Together, we designed and constructed magic-themed displays, including an entrance arch inspired by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a dragon snaking its way up a pillar, and genre-based displays for the Library shelves. 

To mark the start of Book Week, students and staff were invited to decorate the Nicholas Library’s main windows with the names of favourite books. During the week, we ran several competitions including Lunchtime Lucky Reading, a literary escape room, and bookmark-making.  

The high point of Book Week is always the costume day, when the whole School community can come together to share their love of books. At lunchtime, Junior and Senior School students and staff who were in costume joined together for a photo opportunity and to share the books that were ‘magic’ for them.  

My thanks go to all those who helped make this year’s Book Week special, whether helping with the preparations, assisting with activities, or participating enthusiastically in celebrating everything that is magic about books.