Warialda Public School has come up with a novel way to foster a love of reading and encourage students and parents to include bedtime reading in their everyday routine.
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Thanks to the use of social media, videos of teachers, students, parents and even community members reading bedtime stories in their pyjamas are gaining attention from near and far for all the right reasons.
It all started when Warialda Public School principal Dan van Velthuizen began posting videos of himself reading picture books on the Warialda Public School Facebook page.
It didn't take long before the videos became a popular tradition for students and families, with a new story posted three nights a week.
Many of the videos have been seen thousands of times - one video racked up more than 60,000 views on the NSW Department of Education page.
"The other day I had parents from another school come up to me and say 'you're the teacher who reads the storybooks online'," Mr van Velthuizen said.
Other teachers and parents have popped on their pyjamas and had a go in front of the camera, reading classics including Pamela Allen's Who Sank the Boat? and Aaron Blabey's Pig the Pug.
"The number of kids bringing in books and asking if they can read them is amazing. I've had students bring in thumb drives they filmed at home," Mr van Velthuizen said.
He said year five student Mia, year three student Ava and kindergarten student Lacie had already taken a shot at stealing the spotlight.
"A lot of them have been practising reading because of this; practising their expression, making sure they know the words," Mr van Velthuizen said.
The videos started as part of the school's strategic plan to encourage active participation of parents.
Mr van Velthuizen's end goal was now to make reading part of his students' everyday routines - evidence shows reading at home can have benefits to all areas of children's learning.
"The ideal reaction is that it starts a culture and a habit for those families - whether they watch the videos and talk about the stories, or if our kids follow up by reading with their parents," he said.
The videos for the rest of term two were already planned, but Mr van Velthuizen said the story scheduled for July 1 would be "really special".
The school's itinerant support teacher (hearing), Tamara Doyle, will read the Mem Fox classic, Time for Bed, while also signing the words in Auslan - helping make the videos accessible to all students.
