BOOK WEEK 2021
IT’S one of the biggest events on the school calendar and this edition of Inspire is dedicated to showcasing how schools across Townsville celebrated Book Week 2021.
Celebrating and promoting reading and children’s literature, Book Week also encourages students to use their imagination, with thousands of students across the city dressing up as their favourite characters.
Schools held parades, events, activities and competitions throughout the week, embracing the theme “Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds”.
Students at St Joseph’s Catholic School The Strand took part in literary quizzes and book character treasure hunts, and parents
were invited to read books and enjoy a coffee before school.
St Joseph’s assistant principal Trina Neilson said the entire school came together for its annual parade on Wednesday.
“The school hall was filled with excitement and many, many wellknown book characters,” she said.
“All had a wonderful time. The morning ended with buddy reading, with our older students reading books to our younger students.”
Kirwan State School decorated its Library and Resource Centre in the old, the new and the other as part of its Book Week celebrations.
Kirwan State School principal John
Kratzmann said students really got behind Book Week each year and loved the displays.
“Our resource centre is the best in town, providing an awesome space for students to be surrounded by quality texts, bright, eye-catching displays and, importantly, learn to love literacy and literature,” Mr Kratzmann said.
“In the library, in the weeks leading up to Book Week, students share books short-listed by the Children’s Book Council of Australia and then vote for their favourite book.
“A winning vote for each book is selected and students win the book they voted for.”
The school invites children from nearby kindergartens to its parade and during the week the older students share stories with the school’s younger students.
“Our teachers dress up as well,” Mr Kratzmann said.
“As principal, I was Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. After the Prep to Year 3 students parade for each other and families, they walk the paths of the senior school. Students from Year 4, 5 and 6 line the paths.
“Our younger students have a blast high-fiving and our older students enjoy the amazing costumes and guessing the book characters. It is a wonderful whole-school event.”
St Clare’s Catholic School also celebrated Book Week with a parade.
Teacher librarian Naomi Dollisson said the students were very excited to showcase the costumes they had prepared. “They also had two special guest readers, Stephanie Reid from the Townsville Fire and Gavin Cooper from the NQ Cowboys,” Ms Dollisson said.
“They also had a whole school readout, where the classes went outdoors to read.
“The Year 1 classes were extra lucky and had Gavin Cooper read them a dinosaur book.”
Ignatius Park College celebrated the week with a challenge to get caught reading, no matter where.
The boys had a lot of fun with it, taking photos of students reading books underwater, upside down and wearing camouflage.
“It’s great to see our older boys modelling to the younger students how important books are,” Ignatius
Park librarian Pudy Timbs said.
“The opportunity to participate in Book Week is one invaluable way of passing on our library motto that ‘Readers are Leaders’.”
Iggy student Luke Kinsey said his entire school got into the spirit of Book Week this year.
“Book Week 2021 at IPC was lots of fun because there were so many boys getting into the spirit, especially with their dress-up costumes on Wednesday,” he said.
“Mrs Timbs also had lots of cool competitions and activities running which made the week great.
“Our library is awesome and next year’s Book Week is promising to be even better with our new Learning Resource Centre being built.”