Book month has begun with a bang! On Monday 14 March, the girls giggled through the Hooked on Books and Wiggle and Woggle performances, and sped off to the library to borrow or buy copies of the wonderful titles. (A special thanks to Refiloe Shai from Exclusive Books who came on both Monday and Tuesday to facilitate this sale.)

On Tuesday, the rain did not cause too much dismay in the library, which was chock-a-block with parents and guardians reading stories to their girls.

On Wednesday, Karen Theunissen visited the Junior Primary: she read us her latest picture book Take Your Place, You Belong, and ran a brief activity with the girls emphasising the importance of inclusion - no matter what colour smartie we are on the outside, we all have a chocolate gooey inside.

On Thursday evening, the first Grade 7 timetable group entertained the Little Saints pupils with their storybook plays. The girls worked so hard in their drama lessons to perfect these plays and they should be proud of their fabulous performances! On Wednesday, 23 March, the second timetable group wowed the Junior Primary.

On Friday 18 March, we hosted an inter-house literature quiz in the Senior Primary. It was a nail-biting competition, with questions ranging in difficulty. In the end the Zebras solidified their lead with 30 points! The Lions and Springboks tied second with 26 points each, and the Hares finished third with 24 points, including a bonus point for house spirit.

Wally has also been hiding in the library all week. The whole Junior School has scoured the library each day to see if they can spot the lucrative lurker, with tiny daily prizes for each stripy success.

Birthday Books launched too! In the Junior Primary assembly on Thursday and the Senior Primary assembly on Friday, we presented the girls with the books their parents have donated to the library on their behalf. Thank you! We look forward to holding a second birthday book sale on the parent teacher afternoon - keep your eyes peeled for that announcement.

The bustle in the library, the crackle of girls turning pages, the excited squeal as pupils see their names and birthdays in their donated books, the shared cup of hot chocolate between a Grade 000 and Grade 7, remind me of Voltaire’s words, as pertinent today as they were 250 years ago:

“Let us read and let us dance” - two amusements that will

never do any harm to the world. (1764)

ROSA ELK
LIBRARIAN AND SENIOR PRIMARY TEACHER

JUNIOR PRIMARY BOOK MONTH

Throughout book month, the girls have many opportunities to participate in a range of experiences to celebrate books.

Much laughter and excitement could be heard as the girls watched the Hooked on Books cast bring books to life - finding out how the stories end meant a trip to the library to check out the book!

Our parent reading morning encourages families and children to form a love of sharing books. Reading aloud brings families together and creates and fosters a sense of belonging and well-being in children.

The girls were captivated as Karen Theunissen, author of the book Take Your Place, You Belong, read her book to them. She used smarties to explore the idea that, even though we may all look different on the outside, we all look similar on the inside.

AGOTHA CLARKE
ACTING HoD: JUNIOR PRIMARY