We kick off our year with our AGM this Thursday afternoon @ the University of Waikato. If you are passionate about teaching and literacy and want to be part of an amazing team come along and see what we're about- contact: waikatoliteracy@nzla.org.nz for more info.

In April, the New Zealand Literacy Association (NZLA) are hosting a webinar with three amazing presenters knowledgable on dialogic talk (registration info below). Early in Term 2 (week 2), we have Scotty Delemare from Te Tai Tokerau Literacy Council presenting his Poetry workshop- some of you may have been lucky enough to hear him at the Southland Conference last year- he is an experienced classroom teacher and Deputy Principal who knows how to connect with an audience. Our first student event (in Term 2) will be at Berkley Normal Middle School- an old favourite- The Young Authors & Illustrators Conference (Pre-register below to save a spot). In week 7 (Term 2) We have Christine Braid providing practical ideas for classroom teachers with Structured Literacy. We have our second student event in Term 3: Waikato's Book Battle- which is almost full- registrations close at the end of March!

At the end of Term 3 we come together for NZLA's Literacy Symposium on Resilience & Critical Literacy- with 2 amazing keynote speakers and a variety of workshops.

Enjoy the rest of your term.

Regards

WLA Team

So what is a Book Battle?

A Book Battle competition is an exciting and engaging literary event designed to foster a love for reading and encourage friendly competition among students.

Students are in teams representing their school and are assigned a selection of books to read. After thoroughly reading the assigned books, teams compete against each other, testing their knowledge through a series of multi-choice questions.

A couple of mystery rounds are added in on literacy general knowledge which will be unknown to the students i.e nursery rhymes, myths and legends.

The Book Battle competition not only promotes critical thinking and comprehension skills but also encourages teamwork, sportsmanship, and a deeper appreciation for literature.

It provides an opportunity for students to showcase their reading abilities in a fun and competitive environment.

Our 2023 Book Battle Champions:

Year 5 & 6 - 2023 Champions Silverdale Normal School

Follow this link to pre-register:

https://forms.gle/UZcR2XSXND9bq8hcA

If you have a hall or room large enough to seat 100-150 people, we are needing venues to host events for 2024/2025. Central to Hamilton, plenty of parking and kitchen preferred. Contact: waikatoliteracy@nzla.org.nz if you can help.