Book Week

On Friday, the Robert Henshall Sports Centre was alive with the sound of music, in a collaboration of literary, musical and artistic pursuits. A stunning artistic backdrop set the scene to the parade, along with a flashmob singing performance by junior school students. Year 2 students contributed a beautiful reading of Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony and we celebrated the books recognised by the Children’s Book Council for 2026. The parade itself was led by the voices of Patrick Longden and Polly Schubert and, as the students paraded, the creativity and effort that had gone into the development of costumes was evident. It is wonderful to see that the enthusiasm for Book Week continues to grow each year, with such high levels of engagement by the children and big children alike.  This celebration marked the culmination of a series of activities which included special guest readings across classes by many staff and senior student volunteers, the Perform Education performance of Something Special!, which included old scholar Jordan Bender in a dynamic performance of several of the books in this year’s CBCA Awards. Junior school classes were also involved in focussed class activities around the nominated books, while senior students participated in tutor class quizzes, library book tasting sessions, and literary puzzles.

This week, the Junior School are excited to welcome South Australian author Phil Cummings to work with classes over two days, with a focus on developing positive reading and writing habits. He will take the children through the writing process, sharing his insights as a professional author.

And, with that, we tie a bow around Book Week 2026. We extend our thanks to the staff, students and wider community for making the week such a success, and look forward to celebrating with you again in 2027.

Happy Reading!

Georgie Buenfeld and Nicole Maxwell