21 July 2022

Student leaders at Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Sunbury, devised an interesting way to grow a love of reading, and support sustainability and community connections at the same time. The school’s Learning and Teaching Leader Olivia Hodgetts writes about the introduction of ‘Book Bucks’:

To align with our school goal of improving attitudes to reading and learning outcomes, students were encouraged to bring in preloved books in exchange for Book Bucks. Popular series, such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or popular authors, such as Mem Fox, were considered more valuable.

The event was planned with senior students from MacKillop House and, in the spirit of the house’s namesake, aligned with the educational needs of the school community. The student-led design of the blue Book Bucks displayed the faces of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and Principal Krystine Hocking.

The popularity of the event was overwhelming, with over 1100 books exchanged for Book Bucks. In keeping with the sustainability theme, members of the local Sunbury community donated bookends, stationery items and books to this inaugural event. Students were given the opportunity to exchange their new form of currency for other preloved books. Any remaining books were added to the school library or donated to preschool providers in the local area.