We have had an amazing year in our Library! The Library is a dynamic resource hub catering for a variety of needs and supporting the achievement of teaching and learning outcomes. As well as supporting students during their break periods, we have seen a significant increase in the number of students visiting the Library.
Achievements 2022
The library has had another fantastic year in 2022! Our flexible, multi-use spaces are growing in popularity with lots of students gathering at break times to explore their options for creative play and interaction. Staff are continually exploring the physical and digital resources that can enhance and be adapted to promote their teaching and learning outcomes in our unique library environment.
Library Collection News
The non-fiction physical collection was genrefied during the year to attract our students and staff back to the array of good quality materials. New visually appealing labels have been added to our shelves which have certainly been gaining the students attention. This collection saw an increase in borrowing during the later part of 2022.
Chess Mania continues at WBHS
The Chess Club continued its' success during 2022 with an interschool competition every term and new players joining in and learning new skills.
The Interschool Chess Challenge local heat at Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College, organised by the Sydney Academy of Chess, was attended again by our Chess Team. A successful set of seven games of chess saw our team awarded the 1st place school trophy.
A local heat of the Interschool Chess Challenge was organised and run at our school. It was a huge success with a very diverse range of primary and secondary students attending the day. Our Chess Team were again awarded the 1st place school trophy.
Following our great success at these local heats, two teams progressed to the semi-finals and our top five players played progressing to the finals, at Strathfield in Sydney putting our players at about 6th in the State. What a fantastic team effort by all students!
NSW Junior Chess League. Our Chess Team played in the NSW Junior Chess League, Country Secondary Schools Competition in the Hunter Region. Following all the rounds during the year, our team were awarded the ‘Hunter Region Champion Runner Up’ trophy.
Big Book Week Celebrations 2022
Book Week was celebrated with a week long set of activities to which all staff and students were invited. Activities included a Mario Kart challenge, Dungeons and Dragons, Harry Potter Trivia, Minecraft challenge, learn origami, manga character drawing, speed reading ‘Green Eggs and Ham’, plus much more. An overwhelming number of staff and students attended and got involved in all the fun.
2022 saw an increase in the use of our virtual reality space with Year 7 experiencing the Amazon and testing out their survival skills in the English unit: Survive and Thrive. The solar system VR program was also incorporated into the learning in Year 8 Science. The Music team have explored our VR space with students engaging with Beat Saber as a different music experience. These were amazing initiatives.
Library Lovers’ Day 2022
Staff and students attended our annual Library Lovers’ Day, enjoying the celebrations, the sweet treats, and the colourful decorations.
Game Changer Challenge 2022
Wow, what a fantastic year it was for our Game Changer Challenge teams. We had five teams of students join the design thinking program and two of our teams progressed to the semi-finals and then to the finals. The Glorious Geese and The Solar-Powered Fridges attended the grand finals a two-day event at the Department of Education HQ, Parramatta and presented their pitches in front of a panel of industry experts. This was an outstanding achievement by this group of students.
Senior Study Hub
The Senior Study hub was re-designed during 2022 and new flexible furniture was set up to cater for the different learning styles of our seniors. This learning hub now incorporates study areas for quiet independent study, small group quiet study and a collaborative study space. The seniors are very appreciative of their new spaces.
