Here we are in Term 2! We have had lots of exciting things happening this term and are looking forward to more over the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, 6th May, we welcomed staff from surrounding schools as we hosted the termly Community of Practice meeting. It was a pleasure to have fellow library professionals visit our space, fostering a collaborative environment where ideas, experiences, and insights were shared among the group.
On Wednesday, 7th May, we had the pleasure of hosting author Ernie Rijs, who worked with approximately 40 students, sharing valuable writing techniques and suggestions to support their creative development. The incursion was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from students, who were engaged and inspired by the session.
We look forward to seeing the impact of this workshop reflected in the quality of our students’ writing. This event also serves as encouragement for students to participate in the upcoming Short Story Writing Competition, hosted by the Melton City Library. Our school has experienced great success in this competition in the past, and we are excited to see what our talented writers will produce this year.
Andrea has been busy, as usual, working on the homepage for the AccessIt library system. Andrea keeps the homepage fresh and interesting creating a variety of themed pages linked to school or library promotions such as the recent Manga page and the themed Anzac Day page. Don’t forget, to access student accounts use the QR code and sign in with the student code, for example (ABC0001) using the password ‘student’.
To join or access our Google Classroom use the QR code or the classroom code to join 5d7qree. We look forward to continuing to work with the students, finding ways to engage them with the library and their reading journey.
We are currently preparing for Education Week, which runs from 19th to 23rd May. This year’s theme, Celebration of Cultures, emphasizes the right of every student to have a place where they can learn, feel safe, and thrive. It also highlights the rich diversity within our communities and the importance of fostering a welcoming environment for all.
To celebrate, we’ve created a special display showcasing the countries of origin represented in our school community. We invite you to visit the library and explore the wonderful selection of books on display.
Book of the Month
Our Book of the Month for May is The Crossing, written by our visiting author, Ernie Rijs. A long-standing educator and local Victorian author, Ernie brings a rich background in the arts—having performed in and directed numerous stage productions. He also writes 10-minute plays, short stories, and maintains a blog featuring a mix of opinion pieces, reflections, and fiction.
Ernie is currently working on his second novel, with plans underway for a third—set to be a sequel to The Crossing, making this month’s selection especially exciting.
The Crossing is the story of Tim, a secondary school student whose only ambition is for school to finish. “Two months and it will be done”, he tells himself! Against his better judgement, Tim agrees to buddy up with Gabriel, a refugee from South Sudan. When Tim and Gabriel’s fathers make one simple but momentous decision the boys are propelled in directions they never imagined they’d go.
Look out for the Bookshelf Bulletin in the next newsletter for more of our events and recommendations.
Melinda, Will and Andrea.