Tumbarumba Community Reading Day Sparks Joy and Learning
Published on 15 April 2024
Young people from across the Tumbarumba area celebrated the joy of reading and learning at a Community Reading Day event held on Monday 8 April.
Over 300 children from Tumbarumba Public School, All Saints, Carcoola Children’s Centre, and Humula Public School gathered at the Tumbarumba Library and surrounding Bicentennial Park for a day of fun and education.
During the day the children were divided into year groups and rotated through different planned activity stations that ran for around 20 minutes each. The stations included arts and crafts, interactive reading, and games.
Snowy Valleys Councillor Julia Ham was the MC for the day and the Snowy Hydro Education team travelled from Cooma to provide STEM activities.
KidsXpress sponsored local organisations Inner You and Studio Drew to provide a mindfulness exercise and students from Tumbarumba High School helped run the other activities and read to the children.
Everyone also enjoyed a delicious lunch cooked by the Tumbarumba Rotary Club.
The main aim of the reading program is to promote literacy and STEAM activities and provide a platform for students from smaller schools to come together. It also serves as an opportunity to showcase the array of Library programs and facilities that are on offer to the community.
Snowy Valleys Council hosted the event with support from Tumbarumba High School students and teachers, Tumbarumba Public School teachers, KidsXpress, Snowy Hydro, Tumbarumba Rotary Club, Riverina Traffic Services, DuFruits, Tumbarumba Tennis Club, IGA-Tumbarumba, Inner You and Studio Drew.
In 2004, Julia Ham (now SVC Councillor) started the "Birth to Kindergarten- Spread the Word" campaign at the Goldfields Heritage Park in Tumbarumba. Over the years the event became the Community Reading Day and now includes students up to Year 6, as well as High School students who volunteer to help on the day.
The event was moved to the Tumbarumba Library and Bi-Centennial Park in 2012. This is its 17th year following a four-year hiatus.
-ENDS-