2019 has been another year of development and innovation in our Learning Commons. Throughout the year, it has been very rewarding to see our students fully engaged and embracing their learning while working in this space. Part way through the year we welcomed Melissa Olliver to assist in the Learning Commons area.

I would have to say the Learning Commons is still the most popular space for students to interact and socialise over interval and lunch times. Our literacy board and card games have been a huge success and it’s wonderful to see students interacting positively with these as an alternative to burying their heads in devices. We have increased our range of board games throughout the year (student driven, due to high use over break times). Our break out/think tank room has proved to be in high demand for groups to study, play team board games, engage in chess tournaments or to seek a quiet space for solace.

It has been gratifying to see Book Club numbers increase during the year and students attend fortnightly with excitement and enthusiasm to share their latest reads in a warm and inviting environment. Students have the opportunity to express reviews on current reads and participate in quizzes. They also discuss upcoming new releases and share current English text materials. Students also have the opportunity in Book Club to be the first to read new releases introduced into the library collection.

Our library collection continues to increase with the students’ input into new initiatives and relevant topics.

This space continues to encourage social engagement, collaboration, entertainment and reading. It can be seen hosting sphero maze races and showcasing students’ interests and initiatives on a regular basis. All bodes well for continued development and activity in 2020.