Last week, our school came alive with the excitement of Book Week, a celebration of stories, imagination, and the joy of reading. Each day was packed with fun and engaging activities that encouraged students to connect with books in new and creative ways. 

Every morning, students took part in GEM competitions designed to challenge their book knowledge and teamwork. These included guessing book titles from emojis, answering book trivia questions, and identifying popular book covers with the titles removed. 

Lunchtimes featured extra special activities that kept students engaged and excited. On Tuesday, we hosted a fast-paced Blooket competition focused on books that have been turned into films. Wednesday offered a unique opportunity for students to go on a Blind Date with a Book, borrowing mystery novels wrapped in brown paper to surprise and delight readers. During Recess, Year 7 and 8 students also had the chance to participate in the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee, putting their spelling skills to the test.

Our Year 7 cohort also had the pleasure of participating in an exclusive Author Talk with Bilal Hafda and Ela Pinar. These fantastic poets engaged our students in how they came to be writers themselves and wowed them with their own performances of slam poetry. Students also tried their own hand at crafting a group poem with spectacular results!

On Thursday, students roamed the school grounds for a Scavenger Hunt, following book-based clues to solve puzzles and complete the challenge. Then, on Friday, creativity took centre stage with our Write a Book in a Day event. Students worked collaboratively to plan, write, and illustrate an original story in just one day—a true showcase of imagination, teamwork, and storytelling talent.

Adding to the fun, teachers embraced a different book-themed dress-up each day, bringing characters to life in the hallways and classrooms. On Tuesday, Hogwarts came to school as staff dressed up as Harry Potter characters, with Mr Malone roaming the school dressed as Albus Dumbledore. Other costume themes included Where's Wally, 101 Dalmatians and fairy tale characters.

Book Week was a wonderful celebration of the love of literature. Thank you to all the students and staff who participated with such enthusiasm. We’re already looking forward to next year! 

Sarah Twal

Leader of Learning English