An unusually long first term of the year ended with a little extra celebration when Stanmore Public School’s principal, Fran Larkin, executive staff, representatives of Stanmore’s Parents & Citizen’s Association and local Councillor, Anna York, joined Year 1 students to declare the new attraction open.
Located near the school’s main gates at the corner of Cambridge and Holt Streets, the street library is dedicated to the sharing and reusing of children’s books. To reflect this, it was painted by a group of kindergarten students, who decorated it with self-portraits.
Suzy Leslie, secretary of the Stanmore P&C, said that the new library allowed locals to share second hand books and brought the community together: “School holidays are an ideal time for families to look at their book collections, donate books their children have grown out of, and swap for something new.”
For the school, the street library is an opportunity to expand its support for literacy outside its gates, by giving the local community access to free books. At the launch, students, Noah, Rachel and Mia added a selection of kids’ books.
Stanmore P&C president Jackie Greenwood said that the P&C intended to install a second street library next term, which would feature books for all ages.
Literacy beyond school gate
Suzy Leslie, Noah, Rachel, Mia and Kym Ferrario at the new street library.
Photo: JOHN ROPER
IN a delightful demonstration of how a school enriches the lives of its students and the wider community, Stanmore Public has become the latest recipient of the Inner West Council’s Street Library Grants.