book week 2024

Book Week Winners 2024:

Congratulations!

The HSIE staff, dressed as characters from Wizard of Oz took out the 1st prize for best-dressed teachers and the Adaptive Ed staff, dressed as Where the Wild Things Are, were the runners-up. Honourable mention goes to Matthew Sharpe, a Demon Slayer character.  Congratulations! 

"Best dressed student" went to Ebony Barber, dressed as Mr Peabody and runner up was Dominic Woods, dressed as a character from My Hero Academia. 

The best dressed duo was Andrew Woods and Beau Glavina, who looked very dapper in their Peaky Blinder costumes. 

Best dressed groups were Ruby Foden, Jasmine Lionetti and Isla Staggs, dressed as characters from the Croaking and Jacob Smart & co, dressed as Scooby Doo and friends. Special mention goes to Thomas Bates & Co for amazing Top Gun costumes. 

The Hunger Games Minecraft Comp was won by Jax Brenton and Grace Clouten had the highest number of correct guesses in the Match Teachers with their favourite book Comp. Hannah Suthers walked away with the lolly jar having guessed the correct number of lollies. Congrats!

Short Story Comp: Rose Steward, runner-up: Jasmine Lionetti

Book Cover Comp: Channing HuangBook Trailer Comp: Max Cartner 

________________________________________________________________________________

Short Story Competiton Winner:

Little Soldier Boy by Rose Steward 

The gunshots ring through the air. The smokey air fills with pain. The mud fills my boot rubbing against my feet. The smoke covers my face. I wince in pain and stagger to the ground. I pull my body up and stare into the smoke. The mud covers my body. My throat is as dry as a desert. I stumble and trip the mud splashing my face. It drips down slowly. It's sticky and dirty.

“Willam come on,” I croak my voice cracking with each word. I slowly look behind me fearing what's behind I lug my body over to him. My head feels like a ball. Blood seeps through my shirt dripping on the mud.  I crunch my feet on a piece of barbed wire. The rain starts falling fast, freezing me.

“Willam!” I scream hearing bombs in the distance. I slide down the mud scratching my body. The hill overshadows my body. I search through the smoke for him like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

“Here!” he croaks, his voice barely above a whisper. It echos and swirls through the air like smoke in a shower.

“You are bleeding,” I say crouching down ankle-deep in mud. Slush moves around like curdled milk.

“Yeah, I'll be fine” I hold his floppy body attempting to move it. His face scrunches up in pain and I give up having his limp pale bleeding body. Blood drops on my pants.

“Stay with me,” he whispers. “Don’t leave me like my ma,” he whispers

“I'm scared of what happens when I die,” he says his eyes filling with pain.

“I don't know Willam.”

“Was I a good friend to you?” I stare at him, hardly trying to nod through my tears, my voice making noises. Tears fall on his jacket with his badges. The tears run off the badge on his clothes 

He stares blankly at me and mumbles a soft song. His French words cut in and out like a broken radio.

“Frère ‘ques Dor- ‘ous?” His French accent trying to sing a song. His voice cracks and a small, tired smile reaches his face as tears roll down.

“No Willam, you are not sleeping yet,” he smiles and winces 

“Goodbye, Willam.” His corpse flops in my arms. I don't move until I get dragged off the battle. The red blood dripping on my I see his body on the ground. I scream as I want to grab it and try to get it back. The pain pulsing through my body through every vein. I see the man who shot him shot him dead.

I arrive at the station at 8 am sharp. The cold crisp air swirling around me. The loud sound of trains fills up the empty void of pain I'm feeling. I see my little sister bounding down the station out of a crimson-red train. I inhale smoke the smell fills my lungs, and I cough it out. She jumps up and hugs me her arms tightly like she could never let go. Her heart beating in my chest. 

“Where's Mama and Papa?” She jumps up her blue scarf bouncing on her head. I look at her solemnly the words catching in my throat. I try to cry the feelings well up in my chest. I shrug. The look on her face turns into a whirlwind of sadness and happiness.

“Okay.” Her quiet voice hardly made a sound over the general noises of the station. People's bodies press up against us. My heart pounds in my chest as people swarm around me like bees in a hive. I signal to move into the train. She follows her small skinny legs walking as fast as they can. Her red coat shuffles between people as she catches up to me and hops on the train. The heat rises in the air, and I can hardly breath 

We sit down on a stiff itchy chair. Lottie pushes her pink cap up her head staring out the window to the countryside racing by. People shuffle around us like a hawk circling the sky. I feel a pain in my arm and keep staring out at Lottie. I drift off to sleep.

To relieve the pain but that was a mistake. The vivid dream swarms in my mind gunshots ring the mud on my shoe. The twisted face of the killer. I wake up to someone tapping on my arm. I hear my breath as I slowly return to reality.

“WILL WE ARE HERE!” Lottie's sweet voice bellows. She jumps up and dances her hat falling onto her face. She giggles and runs off to the station and I follow. The smell of smoke flurries into my face and the crowds push together. The loud murmur of people talking wraps around me. Lottie grasps onto my hand tightly her palms white and her face solemn. We follow through the maze of people to the village.

The sun setting glittering down on us with dotted with clouds. The pink and orange swirls around in the sky. The star and the moon creeping up the sky. We walk down the paved street of the village. Her hair flew in the soft breeze. The streetlights dot the road as we walk to our old house. The roof is half on, and the windows are slightly cracked. We walk in dust covering all the surfaces. She collapses into bed, and I do too.

I wish this was a bad dream. Thoughts crept into my mind after she slept. I am a hidden villain. The pain from the war hurts. I shouldn't have gone. I hid everything from Lottie. She doesn't deserve it. The war is over and yet I am supposed to be fine. I killed someone. I lay awake the nightmares enter my head twisted or way too real. Lottie is too little to deal with this. I roll around in the small bed in the corner of our shed-like house. The pain crawls in every night. I cry silent tears and bury my face in my pillow.

“John are you awake” She crawls into my bed and snuggles near me. She is oblivious to the fact of what life is really like.

“Don't leave me like Papa and Mama okay” She's 9 she shouldn't have to deal with this I nod. I don't let her see the tears.  She must be protected.

“Do you miss them” I whisper in her ear, and she whispers back 3 words that hurt deeper than a knife 

“All the time” she pauses and looks at me “Where are you” I shrug, and she closes her I wait until she falls asleep hopefully peacefully. She's trying to fix someone that's broken. How can you do that?

I have no job, and I get money from doing random daily jobs. The sun is high in the sky, and I sweat whilst I place down bricks. Lottie sits in a corner and stares at the bright blue sky.

“Why do you smile like you're going to cry” She comes up with these questions that hurt so bad. I look her in the eyes and chuckle.

“C’mon mate go and play” She bounds off the street dancing she flashes me a bright smile before leaving. I hear the sound of a bullet i collapse to the floor covering my ears. It was just a piece of metal. She spends the whole day dancing around and reading. She's oblivious and I love it.

“Come on John” I put on that fake smile and pick her up. Her smile brightens up the world. I spin her around and I place her on my shoulders. I place my special cap on her head. She grins at me showing off her teeth. We run to a park, and I flop down on the ground staring at the clear light blue sky.

“I love you John” She sits up abruptly “You are the best big brother” I wish I was. I never can be.

“Your hands are shaking John” I stare at her she doesn't know I hope she never does. I feel as if I am a monster. I look around and see a man I once saw in the war. I cower in fear and close my eyes and then he's gone.

“There are many types of monsters in the world John” She stares me in the eyes. Tears well up in my eyes I try to form words, but I can't.

“And you aren't one.” She hugs me like she can take away all the pain. She can't though. I wish she could. We walk home I collapse into bed and have vivid nightmares. Im back on the battlefield. I awake silently screaming, sweat runs down my face. My heart pounds in my chest like it will fall out. My stomach feels like it's on my floor. I can't do this anymore. I grab my coat and a letter and place it down on the dining room table. I walk down to the creek and take the plunge. Goodbye, Lottie. I wasn't the hero. I could never be.

Dear Lottie Smith,

I have to leave. I will be back one day. I am so sorry I have to leave. Keep my hat. Don’t lose it it's very important. When I see you, I will never leave. You know goodbyes aren't forever. I will see you again. One day, I hope. I really do love you. 

Bye Lottie 

Love you 

John

Book Week Winners 2023

Congratulations to all our Book Week winners of 2023 

Dress-up parade:

Sabah Pothof (7) and Maggie Watkins (7) - clear school favourites as The Mad Hatter and The Queen of Hearts in homemade (and self-made) outfits

Alice Pollock (7), Charlee Hutton (7) and Scarlett Ward (7) - Mad Hatter, Alice and the Cheshire Cat

Jasmine Parrish (8) and Hayley Finnerty (8) - Queen of Hearts and Alice

Ebony Barber (7) - orange Oompa Loompa

Mrs Hoffman as the Mad Hatter

Special mentions to:

Thomas Bridge (9) - A terrifying wolf

Year 11 and Mrs O’Keefee as Cruella De Vil and her Dalmatians

Anthony Iacovazzi and Jade Reaidy (12) - B1 and B2

Online Competition Winners:

Match Teachers with their favourite book: Zarah Rodgers (11)

Short Story Comp: Louma Connolly-Desquesnes (7)

Book Trailer Comp: Amelia Greeff (12), runner-up Melanie Wilder (7)

Book Cover Comp: Max Cartner (9), runner-up Jessica Pearce (7)

All winners will receive commendations and earn points for their houses. 

CONGRATULATIONS on making Book Week a fabulous event at our school!!