Clare Aramakutu

Clare Aramakutu visited the school on 9 June as part of the Storylines Story Tour. Clare was down to earth and really comfortable with the children. She told us about her writing and publishing journey, and showcased some of her wonderful books. 

I later purchased some Lucy Loopy books for the school library, as they looked like engaging science fiction books, with educational space themes about the Hubble Telescope, etc, which tied in with our Space Inquiry. 

Clare also read to us from Koro's Star, which won the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon award in 2023.

Here is a write up on Koro's Star: Set in the 1960s, Koro’s Star is a heart-warming, exciting, adventure story.

It’s the beginning of the summer holidays in 1967 when 10-year-old Atama moves with his family into a new army base. His father, Atama’s hero, departs for Vietnam, asking Atama to look after his mum and his younger sister, Maia, while he’s away.

Atama is nervous about making friends at the new camp, so his dad leaves a surprise under his pillow: Koro’s 1939-1945 star medal, handed down to Dad after his own father died during World War II. Atama finds new friends but has to undergo an ‘initiation’ to become part of their club.

Wearing Koro’s medal around his neck, Atama hopes it will give him courage … but is unprepared for what lies ahead, deep in the tunnels beneath the army base.

Thank you so much for visiting our school Clare, you were wonderful! Thank you to Storylines for another fabulous author visit!

Not long until Book Week!

 

Book Week

We are so excited about Book Week which will be running in week 3. 

There will be a Scholastic book fair running in the library, guest readers, a book character dress up day, and Sally Sutton is our visiting author - to name just a few of the bookish activities coming up. 

More info to come soon ...

Colouring competition winners!

Well done WPS children for your amazing entries in the recent FIVE GO on an ADVENTURE colouring contest. 

I am delighted to share that Freya won 1st place in the 8-year + category and her prize is a family pass to see the show! 

Yiyi won 2nd place in the 8-year + category and her prize is a $30 Dorothy Butler book voucher!

Sorcha won 3rd place in the 8-year + category and her prize is a $20 Dorothy Butler book voucher!

Here are their colourful entries.

  

Thank you to the Tim Bray Theatre Company and Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop :)

Aki Fukuoka on the Storylines National Story Tour

We were so excited to learn that we had won another Storylines National Story Tour visit! On Monday 17 June, Aki Fukuoka visited our school. The year 3/4s (whanau pohutukawa) were treated to a lively presentation in the hall.

Aki Fukuoka is the talented illustrator the famous Billie B Brown series and the Lily - the littlest angel series, both of which are really popular at our school. She also illustrated the Sam Kerr series, and picture books like Witchy goes shopping and Giraffe attack.

Aki showed us the many versions of Billie B Brown that she created for the publisher. There were around 100 versions before they decided on the perfect character. Billie B Brown has sold over 5 million copies worldwide!

We learnt about the publishing process, and how a drawing goes from a pencil draft, to "inked" to shaded and then to full colour. After that we enjoyed a drawing demonstration. Aki asked us to select two volunteers. I selected a girl and a teacher selected a boy. She created adorable 'book covers' of them and asked us to come up with the title. It was a wonderful, interactive time. The children were engaged during the Q&A time and asked thoughtful questions.

Thank you so much to Storylines and to Aki Fukouka for an inspiring morning! Afterwards the children told me they were "hooked in", Aki was "inspiring", "an amazing artist", and a teacher told me that many children started their own books after the visit. Once again, we are most grateful for the time and energy that goes into these tours!

 

Samoan Language Week

 Talofa Lava,

We have enjoyed Samoan Language Week at WPS. In the library I have been reading stories to the children from the Children of the Pacific series. 

I love the theme of this year's Samoan Language Week, "Serve in love for a blessed future".

Authors around the alphabet

We have finished going from A-Z in the authors around the alphabet display shelf. It is definitely a shelf theme that I will return to at some point, but for now, after Samoan Language Week, I have a new shelf theme coming up... Watch this space for more details. I think the children are going to enjoy this one!

Colouring competition winners!

Congratulations to the following children who entered the Tim Bray colouring competition (via the school library), and won prizes!

Sofia: 2nd place in the 6-8 age group

Sorcha: 2nd place in the 8+ age group and Freya, 3rd place in this age group.

The lucky winners have won book vouchers from the wonderful Dorothy Butler Childrens' Bookshop. As they are all keen readers, they are delighted.

Thank you to all the sponsors of this competition. I hope the Great Piratical Rumbustification will be a rip roaring success.