Book Week is always a highlight on our calendar, and this year’s theme “Book an Adventure” inspired children to immerse themselves in the wonder of storytelling. The atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation as children arrived for our much-loved Book Week Parade. Dressed as their favourite book characters, they lit up the School with colour, imagination, and delight.
The Parade brought books to life, with children proudly sharing who they were dressed as, embodying the characters they admire and weaving themselves into the world of storytelling. The joy was palpable – as Florencia from the ELC reflected, “When we walked for the celebration, I felt happy,” while Regan beamed with pride, declaring “I liked being a race car driver. I’m happy.” For others like Kalameli, it was “the princess parade” that captured her heart, and Zara found magic in the entire experience: “Having the walk was my favourite part and sitting on the grass and watching the grown-ups. It made me happy.”
Their joy and pride served as a powerful reminder of how stories connect us, inspire us, and ignite curiosity. Through their own words, these young storytellers showed us that Book Week is more than a celebration – it’s a moment where imagination comes alive and every child becomes the hero of their own adventure.
In the Early Learners Centre, Book Week provided opportunities to highlight the significance of literacy in the formative years. The EYLF emphasises that “encouraging children’s positive attitudes and competencies in literacy and numeracy are essential for all children’s successful learning. The foundations for these competencies are built in early childhood.” (EYLF, V2.0, 2022). Reading in the early years nurtures connections, builds vocabulary, develops memory, and strengthens both listening and thinking skills. Importantly, it also fosters a love of learning that extends beyond the classroom.
In the ELC, we view books not simply as teaching tools, but as powerful provocations for inquiry and imagination. They spark children’s questions, encourage collaborative thinking, and ignite creativity. We also nurture children as authors, supporting them to capture their own ideas through words and illustrations. In this way, literacy is experienced not only as the decoding of print, but as a meaningful process of constructing understanding, identity, and voice.
Throughout the week, we welcomed special visitors across the School who enriched our celebration of literature. Our School Principal, Ms Cherlyn Skewes, alongside Deputy Principal Ms Lauren Sutton, Head of Junior School Ms Marika Taylor, Deputy Head of Junior School and PYP Coordinator Ms Shelly Hampton, and Head and Deputy Prefects Molly Kennett and Olivia Park, shared stories with the children, demonstrating that a love of reading extends across all ages.
We were also privileged to welcome Old Scholar and Author, Bronwyn Lindsay (née Clarke, Patteson 1995), who read her book to the children. Bronwyn, who also penned “I Can See a Saints Girl”, inspired students by sharing the power of storytelling.
Our RAP (Reconciliation Action Plan) Ambassadors joined the ELC to share How the Birds Got Their Colours, a story that invited children to engage with Aboriginal perspectives and highlighted the importance of storytelling as a way of passing on knowledge, culture, and identity across generations. In the ELC, children explored Mandarin texts brought in by our Chinese Language Teacher, offering another layer of richness to our literacy environment and celebrating linguistic diversity.
Book Week highlighted the importance of a literacy-rich environment that extends beyond one celebration. Our learning spaces are filled with books that spark inquiry, imagination, and creativity. They support children to explore vocabulary, develop comprehension, and discover new worlds. Equally, when children create their own books, they step into the role of author, learning that their voices matter and their ideas are worth sharing.
As a community, we were reminded this week that stories have the power to shape us, connect us, and inspire us. Book Week is a joyful tradition, but more importantly, it reflects our commitment to fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning for every child, from the earliest years.
Liz Schembri
Director of Early Learners’ Centre
