Library News | Preparatory School
Farewell from Mrs Nel
As some of you may know, I am going to be leaving for a short while as I go on maternity leave to care for my first child. Hopefully I will be around in the first week of next term to finish up my teaching, organise Library tasks and say goodbye to the boys. I plan to resume work at Trinity in 2024 but will not be returning to the Library space. I have loved working with the boys to support their units of inquiry and help them develop their love of literature, but as my focus shifts towards raising a family, it is time to pass the role on to someone new. It will be wonderful to have a new person in the Library along with all of the new ideas and enthusiasm that comes with a fresh start! As I will no longer be around, if you do have any questions, please forward them onto Mrs Bruscino at jbruscino@trinity.nsw.edu.au or to our Library email preplibrary@trinity.nsw.edu.au.
Updated Library Opening Times – Term 4
We have had some small changes to the times we are open for parent borrowing next term. Please make note of these times and join us to borrow books together whenever suits you.
Holiday Reading
Please continue to read over the term break. If you have read any books you thought were wonderful (both parents and students), please let us know. It is great for recommending texts and generally creating joyful discussions about quality literature.
Book Review by Mrs Fiona Evans – Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty & Illustrated by David Roberts
Ada Twist is a book of conundrums…. when I read it aloud it sounds like a poem, but when I follow along it’s absolutely a story. When I look at the illustrations, I’m caught thinking it’s a science book that belongs in non-fiction, but the drawings are so detailed it could be all about searching for missing objects!
For those of you who haven’t read it: Ada is a little girl who doesn’t talk until she turns three. From that point on she becomes the ultimate inquirer by asking questions constantly – especially ‘Why?’ Her parents try to answer her and gradually the house becomes super chaotic as it fills with all her experiments and projects. At school, her teacher quite rightly understands Ada has the makings of a great scientist as she investigates what could be causing the stink she can smell! Could it be the cat? Could it be cabbage stew? Ada develops hypotheses and works to test these out, creating havoc as she goes and even turning her walls into a notebook as she jots down her ideas, results and thinking. She is great at using her Research Skills and likes to collaborate with others using her Social Skills too!
At Prep, I love to use this book when explaining the power of our questions and wonderings to drive our units of inquiry. It is perfect for modelling how scientists work to test their ideas and record their thinking. And the best bit? It reminds us that the power of our inquiries is in the process (what we do on the journey) not the final answer!
Abigail Nel | Inquiry Learning Integrator
