What better way to celebrate Book Week than by reading together?
In a magical celebration of reading, our secondary Book Club students spent a morning with our lovely Year 1 students during Book Week.
The older students read some beautiful story books aloud, using fabulous voices for the characters, and listened to the students reading their very own books about endangered animals!
It was a wholesome, fun and heartwarming morning for all our bibliophiles, including Year 9, Rahni Ingram.
“I wanted to be involved in reading to the Year 1s because they are going to come up through St Stephen’s with a strong love of reading, and I thought this was a great chance to help them discover what it feels like to visualise a story and get fully immersed in it,” said Rahni.
“It was so much fun, and I really enjoyed seeing what the kids were proud of, and their stories and perspectives. It was such a beautiful and empowering experience to see them enjoy the books.”
Year 8 Book Club member, Annemarie had an equally enjoyable morning.
“The Year 1s were such an encouraging group, asking good questions, and teaching incredible facts. I loved learning about the endangered animals and look forward to seeing the students again,” said Annemarie.
Year 9, Abigail Smith said, “Watching the Year 1s enjoy and listen to our stories was the highlight of our week!”.
“Watching them laugh and giggle as we read Hector and the Big Bad Knight and Abby put on the voices made the experience so enjoyable,” said Year 9, Seraphina Ball.
This special Book Week event is a lovely example of how all students can benefit from being part of a K-12 school environment.
“The Book Club students were extremely diligent in preparing for this event,” said Kellie Billingsley, Secondary Teacher Librarian.
“They focussed on how to select the right book to engage the age group, considering vibrant illustrations, relatable characters, and themes. Then, we began reading rehearsals, with students preparing to develop distinct voices for different characters, adjust their reading speed to match the story’s mood, and use changes in volume and tone to emphasise key moments and emotions.”
The Year 1s got a great deal out of the experience, too, according to Primary Teacher Librarian, Mrs Robyn McLoughlin.
“Our Year 1 students were SO excited for their special visitors! The high school students had them completely captivated during their picture book readings, and our ELC children were bursting with pride as they shared the books they’d been writing on their chosen endangered Australian animals,” said Robyn.
“I’m sure some of the secondary students were impressed with the information shared by our resident quoll and red-tailed black cockatoo experts!”.
