Dear Parents,

I love book week! I love it on a range of levels! Any event that is cross school and involves senior and junior students working together is great. These interactions are precious to the culture of the school. A�Our seniors learn empathy and pass on some of the skills that they have learned whilst the younger students are working with role models who illustrate a pathway to success.

I love the fact that we also use book week as a way of encouraging service. The High School spearheads a scheme to put books into the hands of children on remote islands that are isolated geographically and not having access to the printed word. Our school has had an on-going commitment to this scheme.

Ita��s great to see parents, teachers, alumni and senior students reading with classes and sharing their own special books. This is where the payoff lies. Being a good reader is becoming more, rather than less, as a critical indicator of success in our increasingly digital world. People must be able to successfully read information critically to gain knowledge and meaning from the vast amount of information in cyberspace. The best way to acquire a skill is practice and the best motivator for successful practice is fun. Hence the importance of reading for pleasure. Encourage your children to read. There are few closer moments than when a parent sits with a child and reads a story with them! A�

Have a great week!

Martin Blackburn

Executive Principal