WEBSITE (1800 x 600 px) (1800 x 350 px).png

Reading Revolution read-a-thon & expert panel session

Home > News & Events > Reading Revolution read-a-thon & expert panel session

At St Raphael's School, literacy is the foundation of all we do.

This annual event showcases our commitment to fostering a love of reading and highlights the reasons behind our focus on literacy.

We aim to inspire our wider community to embrace the simple yet powerful act of reading a book. 


PXL_20241104_095353953.PORTRAIT~2.jpg

Expert panellists included:

The expert panel will feature renowned authors and literacy specialists, including:

Year 5 to Year 6 Parents: Tania Ingram, Children's Book Author: "Literacy is a doorway to effective communication, empathy, wonder, and possibility. Reading with your child is the greatest gift you can give them."


Reception to Year 2 Parents: Mandy Foot, Children's Book Author and Illustrator: "Children learn to read pictures well before they learn to read their first word. Picture books play an enormous role in opening up a young child's world and introducing them to literacy."


Year 3 to Year 4 Parents: Andrew Joyner, Children's Book Author and Illustrator: "Get your child a library card and visit your local library regularly. There's a whole world of reading in a library... and it's all completely free!"


Pre-school Parents: Karyn Stephens and Caitlin Hadrill, Youth and Children's Coordinators, Unley Libraries: "Reading to babies and young children exposes them to varied and rich language that boosts their brain development and prepares them for future learning."

St Raphael’s Reading Revolution Week: A Bold Step Towards a Screen-Free, Literate Future

Are you ready to challenge the dominance of screens and ignite a lifelong love of reading in your family? The award-winning Reading Revolution, a transformative event that redefines how we engage with books and literacy. Winner of the prestigious Australia Day - Community Event of the Year Award and nominated for Innovative Event of the year with Catholic Education S.A., this initiative promises to inspire families to embrace reading as a cornerstone for mental wellbeing, creativity, and future success.

Why This Matters:

  • Break Free from Screens: Books offer a healthier, more enriching alternative to excessive screen time.
  • Boost Mental Wellbeing: Reading enhances creativity and emotional resilience.
  • Empower Future Success: Literacy is the key to unlocking academic and future life opportunities.

Event Highlights:

  1. Week-Long Read-a-Thon: Dive into books with your family—independently or together—and win exciting prizes. Let’s make reading irresistible!
  2. Literacy Panel & Workshops: Hear from renowned experts like Tania Ingram, Mandy Foot, Andrew Joyner, and Bec Hughes. Gain practical tips and insights during tailored breakout sessions for parents of children in Pre-School through Year 6.
  3. Family-Friendly Fun: Bring your kids along! Choose between supervised playtime in the school playground or quiet storytime activities in our library.

A Movement for Change:

Principal Emma Fowler puts it best: “Just because children can read doesn’t mean they want to read. We must fix this.” Be part of a bold movement that tackles overstimulation head-on by fostering a love of books and creating tomorrow’s thinkers today.

Let’s revolutionise reading together. 

Use our hashtag #ReadingRevolution to share your experience and inspire others.

To us a child lost in a book is a child found in success.

Register your interest for our next event by scrolling all the way to the very bottom of this page to fill out the form please and join us in shaping brighter futures for our children.

Insights and practical tips

PXL_20241105_232147769.PORTRAIT~2.jpg

Key Strategies

Picture Books: Essential for learning through images and words, enhancing comprehension and vocabulary. Children often see the image before the words. 

Bedtime Reading: Encouraged as a routine to foster a love for books and improve sleep habits. 

Repetition: Allowing children to read the same book repeatedly helps deepen their love for reading. As they grow older, they'll find favourite books and read them repeatedly, gaining new insights each time. 

Digital Literacy: Emphasised the growing importance of literacy in navigating digital technology. 

PXL_20241105_231044707.PORTRAIT~2.jpg

Resources and Accessibility

Library Resources: South Australia's interconnected library system offers 8 million resources (not including their digital catalogues), promoting accessibility and literacy growth. Libraries also provide kits with books, toys, and props to enhance reading and childhood development, eliminating the need for expensive purchases. 

Interactive Reading: Using props, toys, and sound-enhanced books like Mandy Foot's "The Hip Hop Barn" makes reading engaging and interactive. Comparing books to their movie adaptations and sharing personal anecdotes while reading also enhances literacy skills and storytelling appreciation. 

PXL_20241105_231159582.PORTRAIT~2.jpg

Diversity and Imagination

Inclusion and Diversity: Andrew Joyner's “Roar for Reading” advocates for diverse stories reflecting various identities and is in support of American author Beth Ferry's efforts against book banning in the US, where currently 4000 books have been banned. In Australia roughly one book a week is submitted to the censorship board to be banned but as, yet none have succeeded. 

Imagination Expansion: "The Storyteller's Handbook" by Elise Hurst was recommended as a tool for expanding imagination. The book is wordless inviting readers to produce their own story to go along with the illustrations. The idea of cutting out pictures and sticking them to a page that then your child is invited to write the story for is also a great activity.  

Illustration Skills: "Animation” by Preston Blair provides opportunities for aspiring illustrators to develop skills through copying images. This book was gifted to both Mandy Foot and Andrew Joyner as children, and they spent hours copying the illustrations thus teaching themselves to draw. This book is now out of print – however Preston Blair has worked on numerous other such books including his 1994 book “Cartoon Animation.” 

2020-12-09.jpg

Engagement Techniques

Reading Strategies: Techniques such as "Think Aloud," "Turn & Talk," and "Act It Out" were recommended to engage children actively in reading. 

Community Engagement: Encouraged attending library events and using resources like toy libraries to make reading a shared family activity. 

Incorporating Reading into Daily Life: Suggested reading in small chunks, carrying books in bags or cars, using books to distract kids or while waiting for appointments or siblings to finish sporting games, and using everyday signs on streets or in shops as great reading opportunities.

PXL_20241105_234008248.PORTRAIT~2.jpg

For Big Kids

The strategies and resources mentioned above are equally applicable to our older children in upper primary and secondary school. The main difference is that they can now enjoy books without pictures. This presents a wonderful opportunity for the adults in their lives to share novels together. 

Consider selecting a novel such as Tania Ingram’s “The Other Shadow” and taking turns reading a chapter aloud to each other before bed. This practice not only enhances the joy of reading but also nurtures a love for literacy, setting your child on a path toward a bright and inspired future. 

These strategies aim to create a lifelong love of reading, improve literacy skills, and prepare children for future challenges. 

For practical tips and advice, and to learn how we foster a love of reading at our school:

We invite you to visit our Literacy Focus page here.

 

Below you will find our registration form. Please fill this in to be invited to our future events. 

Untitled design (7).png

“Reading Revolution” won the Community Event and Innovative Event of the Year!

 

We’re thrilled to announce that St Raphael’s School’s “Reading Revolution” has won two major awards!


We were honored with the prestigious Community Event of the Year Award at the Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards with Unley Council.

PLUS

We were honored with the Innovative Program Award at the Catholic Education South Australia's awards this year.

This recognition is a testament to the creativity and dedication of our students, staff, and community who made it all possible.

* Required Fields