We Have Plants!

The Library is extremely lucky to have huge windows that afford wonderful vistas – the Quadrangle on one side of the space, and Number One Oval on the other. We often see students look up from their work to gaze out the window at the green expanse before them. This makes us very happy! Studies have shown that feeling connected to nature, which can come simply from looking at a natural landscape or, in this case, a beautifully kept playing field, relieves stress and boosts concentration. This is why the Library has brought more of the outside into the space with some potted plants by Polly and the Wren. We hope they provide some of the aforementioned benefits, or at least make students and teachers very happy too!

Image: http://www.clipartkid.com/images/417/17-cartoon-plants-free-cliparts-that-you-can-download-to-you-computer-ATjLjF-clipart.gif

Library Bingo

Get your stamps at the ready, Library Bingo has arrived at Arthur Holt Library! This is a great way for students to extend their borrowing across our huge range of genres and take up the challenge of reading beyond their comfort zone.

While we won’t stop anyone from choosing books from their favourite genres, why stop there? What about listening to an Audiobook through the Bolinda app, reading a book with a female protagonist, or even tackling a whopping 300+ page read? Not only will your brain thank you for broadening its horizons, but you’ll increase your vocabulary and improve your writing skills. And as if that wasn’t incentive enough, recording five books on your Bingo card entitles you to a Library Departmental Award.

So how do you get involved? It couldn’t be easier:

• Grab a bingo card from a librarian and check out the book categories,
• Borrow, read and finish a total of 5 books, each from a different category,
•  Get a Departmental Award! 

Library Bingo will run until the end of the semester, so there is plenty of time to rack up those points and collect awards. Not sure where to start? Check out the posters on the windows in the Lounge for some suggestions. Reading has just become even more satisfying - is that even possible?

Ms Yates and Mrs Paterson

We Got These Hats!

Along with the Junior and Preparatory School Libraries, the Arthur Holt Library participated in National Simultaneous Storytime on Wednesday. NSS aims to promote the value of reading and literacy amongst young Australians in a unique way - every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in schools, libraries, bookshops and other locations across the country.


The book for this year was I Got This Hat by Kate and Jol Temple with illustrations by Jon Foye. The illustrations appeared on the big screen as our School Captain John Bechara read the story to a crowd camped out on cushions including a Year 3 class, the AHL Monitors, teachers and librarians. Everyone was encouraged to wear a hat and there was no shortage of interesting headwear to look at. Thanks to everyone who participated in this feel-good event to highlight the importance of books and reading!

Your Ultimate Reading List! Part 4

Ms. Anagnostopoulos' Top 5 Books To Read Before You Leave School

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 
It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS--a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be. Wade dreams of finding the the series of fiendish puzzles that lie concealed within this virtual world - and the massive fortune and untold power that awaits should he solve them.

2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Once again, the Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who? Ender Wiggin is a brilliant, ruthless, cunning, a tactical and strategic master, and a child. Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game. Isn't it?

3. The Hobbitt by J.R.R Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services - as a burglar - on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon. Bilbo's life is never to be the same again.

4. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
A high-ranking member of a secret organisation that battles supernatural forces wakes up in a London park with no memory, no idea who she is, and with a letter that provides instructions to help her uncover a far-reaching conspiracy.

5. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
Could you share a haunted house with eight strangers and a talking pig? Well, sometimes you don't get a choice.

TED Week - The WeekThat Was!

The Library hosted this fantastic event this week. Its mission was to promote curiosity, provide entertainment and inspire each of us to “think outside the box”. There was a different theme every day.

Monday was all about positive inspiration with Talks for When You’re Just Done with Earth;

Tuesday provided motivation (and cupcakes!) with Talks to Watch during Breakfast;

Wednesday passed on amazing facts and discoveries with Talks to Inspire Smart Conversation;

Thursday provided (weird) food for thought with The Apocalypse Survival Guide;

Friday promoted a sense of wonder and curiosity with Where Do Ideas Come From?

The guessing competition saw boys developing complex mathematical theorems and asking philosophical questions about just how many snakes can fit into a jar! The TED photo booth was a hit and we had some live TED-talks too. Mr Barnes passed on the secrets of ten-minute meditation, leading students in some effective de-stressing techniques. Ms Anagnostopoulos shared her extensive knowledge of manga, a hugely popular yet often misunderstood art-form. Mr Dixon encouraged students to think outside the box. His selection of weird and wonderful items from some of his many collections were held up for analysis and boys were asked “What on earth is this?”

Overall TED week was a great success, enjoyed by teachers and students alike.  Many thanks to Ms. Mileto who organised the week.

Blackout Poetry

There are some pretty amazing things being done with blackout poetry at the moment. This was inspiration enough to feature blackout poetry in our World Poetry Day displays.

Popularised by writer and artist Austin Kleon, blackout poetry comes about by searching for stand-out words in a previously published work and emphasising those words by crossing out the unneeded text with a permanent marker. Crossing it out can mean just that, or it could get quite a bit more creative.

Students and teachers have been having fun this week creating poetry using these techniques and we have been building up a pretty decent display as a result.

World Poetry Day March 21

This week we will be celebrating all things poetry to commemorate World Poetry Day. Visitors to the Library are invited to contribute to our displays of book spine poetry and blackout poetry – both innovative ways of taking existing works of literature and creating something new. Plus, they are heaps of fun to do.

So why have a day of recognition for poetry? In celebrating World Poetry Day, UNESCO

“recognises the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.”

The collaborative displays are proving popular with English classes and the lone poet alike. Come for a visit and create some poetry - unleash your creative spirit!

Look out for more posts this week with the results of your creative labour!

Your Ultimate Reading List! Part 3

Still looking for things to read? Here we have Mrs Paterson's picks. You'll recognise themes of survival, power, and destiny running through all these books. The characters in these stories overcome fear, learn the importance of curiosity, and search for truth. 

1. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
Not long after Lyra Belacqua witnesses a plot to poison her uncle, the adventurer Lord Asriel, her friend Roger is kidnapped by the "Gobblers". These events lead Lyra on an epic adventure that enters parallel universes and spans three amazing books! 

2. The invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick 
Orphaned Hugo lives an anonymous life within the walls of a train station, until his biggest secret is jeopardised by his relationship with the cranky old man who runs the toy repair booth.

3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak 
Liesel Meminger is a nine-year-old girl living in Nazi Germany during World War II. Her family hide a Jewish man named Max, who teaches Liesel to read in secret.

4. The curious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon
When Christopher Boone discovers the neighbour's dog speared by a garden fork, he decides to investigate the dog's death and record his experiences as a murder mystery novel.

5. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Young Pi Patel survives disaster at sea only to find himself sharing the lifeboat with an assortment of zoo animals, including a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.