“Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” Voltaire
As a French writer who lived in the 1700’s, Voltaire’s words ring true when it comes to Mrs Minchington (known to the KCS community as Mrs ‘M’) who does exactly that; she reads, and she dances – often at the same time!
Young students at Kalamunda do not study the word ‘library’ until it appears on a spelling list in Mrs Hopper’s Year 1 Class, but Mrs M ensures that even the youngest of KCS students have the most positive experience when they enter the halls of reading on the Hallendale Road campus in Walliston.
“My goal is for children to come in here and really enjoy the books, the experience, and to learn all about the different genres on offer in our library,” says Mrs M as she puts together a series of books on the same topic for a teacher.
“When teachers are working on a theme, be it ‘Outer Space’ or ‘Imaginative Writing’, I help select groups of texts that their classes can come in and study. It’s just a little help that I can give to enhance the experience for the students.”
Hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand, Shona originally began volunteering at KCS in 1997 when her two children, Rory and Georgia, were in the early years of schooling under then Principal Mr David Skipworth. The Kindergarten/Pre-Primary class where Shona was helping was the beginning of more than twenty years of sustained service for Kalamunda Christian School – and she continues to serve each day with a giant smile and skip in her step!
Tertiary studies through Edith Cowan University (Churchlands) only broadened Shona’s knowledge of primary education, and her entry into the Teacher Librarian role at Kalamunda was fuelled by a desire to be a part of Christian schooling in the Perth Hills:
“I had an absolute passion to see children happy, growing and enjoying everything around them. My greatest joy is seeing students come into the library, and their eyes light up because they see a new book or new author that inspires them,” says Shona.
As the Library Lunchtime Club shuffle quietly into the room, Mrs M has to lower her voice to an enthusiastic whisper:
“We do the clubs like Lego, Animal Play, Chess and of course, staff love it in here too!’
Anyone who has worked in a thriving school will tell you that librarians are the ‘heart and soul’ of the school, bringing life and energy each day. Every SCEA school is blessed with long-serving, bubbly librarians who brighten the day for students and staff. Some of the longest-serving SCEA staff members are librarians, and their contributions across our schools are significant.
What a wonderful legacy that Mrs M is creating at Kalamunda Christian School – a love for reading, a thirst for knowledge and a passion to know more about the world that God has created for all of us.