Principal's Message

A Symphony of Stories was the theme for this year’s Book Week, and there was something wonderfully fitting about the way our Book Parade brought this theme to life.

Just as an orchestra brings together many different instruments, sounds and talents to create one beautiful performance, our students came together in a wonderful array of characters, costumes and stories. Each student added their own unique note to our celebration – from pirates to princesses, classic characters to contemporary favourites, and fantasy to fiction – creating a colourful and joyful symphony of stories across our college. The creativity and imagination on display were wonderful to see, with many students, supported by their families, putting considerable time and effort into creating their incredible costumes.

What made the day particularly special, however, was the joy it brought to our students and to the wonderful parents, families and wider community who came along to watch the Book Parade. Regardless of the amount of time or effort that went into each costume, the impact was the same – our students came together to celebrate the joy of books and the stories that inspire, entertain and connect us.

Our staff certainly embraced the theme as well, dressing as much-loved nursery rhyme characters. We had the Three Blind Mice shaking their tails, the King’s Horsemen attempting to put Humpty Dumpty back together again, an Old Lady who had swallowed some very interesting critters, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star shining brightly alongside a very special diamond, and Old MacDonald himself!

We are incredibly fortunate to have two very well-stocked libraries across our college. Lee Kavenagh and Lauren Murphy do a wonderful job of ensuring our collections remain current, engaging and responsive to the interests of our students. They listen to student requests, seek out new titles and continually add to our collections so that there is something to capture the interest of every reader. Their work plays an important role in fostering a strong reading culture across Camperdown College.

It has also been wonderful to see the commencement of our Senior Campus Book Club, led by Liam Geary. The club provides students with an opportunity to come together to share their thoughts about books, discover new authors and genres, and simply enjoy talking about reading with others. In the coming weeks, students will take greater ownership of the club and its direction, which will be a fantastic opportunity for them to shape the reading community they want to be part of.

While Book Week provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate through costumes, characters and creativity, it also reminds us of something much more important – the lifelong value of reading. Reading develops language, vocabulary, comprehension and imagination, while also providing opportunities to explore different worlds, perspectives and ideas.

Whether we are young or old, there is always another story waiting to be discovered. I encourage our students and families to continue making time for reading, sharing stories together and, most importantly, enjoying the wonderful world that books open up to us.

Vicki Angus, Principal
Friday 4th September 2026