Irene Terpon, Head of English

What an exciting 2024 Book Week it was in the Secondary School, culminating in a Book Week Parade that showed students’ efforts in planning, designing and collaborating to present their individual or team costume characters.

There were several opportunities during the week for students to engage with the theme Reading is Magic from Scavenger Hunts in the Library Resource Centre, to guest authors presenting writing workshops to our students to extend and enrich their use of language in a range of contexts.

Amber Moffat worked with the Year 10 Emerging Writers at the start of the week delving into her collection of memoirs, inspired by a childhood painting and a photograph of a loved pet. Students created their own memoirs, helping them connect to ideas about their own past.

Tuesday’s Scavenger Hunt in the Library was a highly competitive activity where students worked in teams of three to find a set of items within the pages of the books on the shelves to win a prize. Well done to the winning team of Kyle (Y12), Isabella (Y8) and Samantha (Y7) who managed to find all 10 items on the list.

On Thursday, the Year 9 Emerging Writers group had their turn to tap into the creative writing talents of author Deb Fitzpatrick as she focused on the importance of setting and how focusing on a place that is familiar to us makes it easier to create believable characters. Students enjoyed the freedom of working on creating a place that reflected their world and their experiences.

Finally, on Friday, the Secondary Students participated in the inaugural Secondary Book Character Parade. The variety and creativity in the costumes were outstanding and students and students really delved into the spirit of the parade, presenting themselves ‘in character’ during the procession. Prize Winner names can be found in Notices in SEQTA. Please collect your prizes from Miss Terpon before the end of Week 7.

Thank you to the English Learning Area for their Wizard of Oz themed costumes and for their support during all the events of Book Week 2024. Thank you to all staff and students for your involvement in Book Week too; you have all proven reading is truly magic!!