Library Week 2025

Library week was huge this year. We had hundreds of free books given away, dress-up day, staff wearing a picture of their favourite book, as well the annual inter-house quiz and author visit.  Congratulations to ATEA house for winning the inter-house quiz.

Our visiting author this year was Tim Tipene. He has written Kura Toa and White Moko and Mrs Battleship. In Te Horo, to a rapt audience of 150 juniors, he told his story of overcoming extraordinary trauma as a boy to being a successful writer. All juniors in Waiōrea have read his book Kura Toa and they were so excited to meet him. Inspiring! Tim also ran creative writing workshops for our ākonga. He made is so easy to discover a way into writing.

Librarians and Literacy

In a recent great article in The Sapling, literacy expert Samantha Montgomery makes the case that reading for pleasure is a vital seed to sow in building literacy. Numerous scientific studies back this up.

“A thriving, literate nation requires a culture that loves books. The most vibrant seed to plant for young readers is that books are fun. Reader engagement has long been cited as influential in building capable readers. Matching a young reader with an engaging title which resonates with them can be the pivotal point in hooking them onto books for life. This is where our school libraries and our passionate librarians come to the fore.”

Conference

Andrew, our library manager, recently travelled to the Australian National Education Summit to participate in a conference on the latest in library initiatives. Lots of talks were on the impact of AI on libraries, how to use marketing strategies to boost student engagement with books, reading for pleasure, and ways to develop young people’s self-identity as readers. Stay tuned for how these initiatives will come to Springs.

If you would like any personal recommendations to help get your kids reading please reach out to rabaa@wsc.school.nz and redgwellc@wsc.school.nz

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