Author Archives: Mrs Kindness

Holyrood Library, Spring Update

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March has been an exciting month in the Library, with celebrations for World Book Day, International Women’s Day, Ramadan, and World Poetry Day.

For World Book Day, we welcomed author Victoria Williamson for a brilliant workshop on ‘War of the Wind’. S2 pupils discussed the book, practised some BSL fingerspelling, had a wind-walker race, and cracked some codes using ciphers. Victoria’s books are extremely popular, and her visit sparked even more excitement around which title to read next. Well done 2L and 2M, and huge thanks to Victoria, and Scottish Book Trust – Live Live Literature funding – for making this possible. We also held a Coffee Morning, Book Swap, Scavenger Hunt and S1/S2 Read Around the World challenge, so the fun lasted for most of the month.

S2 enjoying workshop with Victoria Williamson

International Women’s Day, Biographies display

The Duke of Edinburgh volunteers created a book display of biographies for International Women’s Day featuring : Sabrina Cohen-Hatton (fire-fighter and homelessness campaigner), Indra Nooyi (former CEO of PepsiCola), Malala Yousafzai and Taylor Swift.

 

 

Our Book Group members were happy to see International Women’s Day, and Ramadan falling on the same month – he perfect opportunity to chat about our favourite female Muslim authors. These include Zanib Mian, Hafsah Faizal, Intisar Khanani, and Tahereh Mafi. We found out some fun facts, and looked at what inspires these fantastic authors.

Celebrating Muslim authors

  • Zanib Mian wrote the ‘Planet Omar’ books because she wanted to see more funny books for children about an everyday Muslim family. She also launched her own publishing company with a commitment to publishing inclusive books.
  • Iranian- American author Tahereh Mafi –  best known for the Book-Tok sensation ‘Shatter Me’ series – has now sold over 10 million copies.

 

 

Our Book Group is always a welcome space to chill out and share some quiet time together at the end of the week. For World Poetry Day, we watched a poetry video from Nadine Aisha Jassat  ‘Prayer and Breath’

Nadine’s poem ‘Breath and Prayer’

This was so relaxing, we loved the calmness of Nadine walking through Glasgow Womens’ Library, and also the nature imagery. Imaan and Fatima were inspired to write their own nature poetry.

The Librarian is listening to : My Dear Kabul (BBC Sounds)

While we are encouraged to read books and enjoy creative writing in Glasgow schools, it’s important to remember that women in other countries are often denied basic human rights such as education and freedom to express themselves or even to leave the house. ‘My Dear Kabul’, tells the story of Women Writers who risk everything after the Taliban invade Kabul, using a WhatsApp group to keep in touch, as every book and piece of writing they own has been destroyed. Available on BBC Sounds.

 

Holyrood Library Round-up

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Spring is fast approaching. Time for a quick round-up of what we’ve achieved so far this year.

In January, library activities focused on the Sustainability Team’s Reduce, Reuse and Recycle campaign. First up was our pop-up Eco Library in the fuel zone. We like to make books accessible to everyone, so even if you can’t make it to the library – the library will come to you! Library Helpers made a fantastic effort to transport this brilliant selection of books to the fuel zone, and a lunchtime of browsing and borrowing was enjoyed by many.

Next up was our extra special Book Swap, rounding off January in style.

The aim of these two events was to encourage everyone to borrow and recycle books instead of buying. It’s an absolute pleasure to be part of the school’s programme of Eco- events, led by the Sustainability Team & Miss O’Donnell. Holyrood has just been awarded a second Eco-Schools Green Flag, a fantastic achievement by all.

‘Book Valentine’ display, by Hajrah, Hania & Umme

 

In February, we got romantic, with a Who Will Be Your BOOK Valentine? event. Nominations for favourite books included : Twisted Love, Diary of a CEO (which Umme has just finished reading – great choice), Harry Potter, Timmy Failure, Dear Evan Hansen, and A Girl Called Owl. Well done to our Duke of Edinburgh Volunteers for organising this.

 

 

Date or no date on Valentine’s Day? It doesn’t matter – you’re never alone in the Library : “No matter what happens this week; No matter what you see or feel or think or do: I want you to know that in this World – you will always be loved” (exerpt of poem by Ana, S5).

The librarian is reading :

Does public speaking send you into a frenzy of worry? Stay cool, calm, and collected with ‘How to Talk so People Will Listen’ by Lizzie Waterworth, and remember – we’re all rooting for you and want you to succeed.

Happy reading, and have a fantastic World Book Day on 6th March!

Ms Kindness

New Books at Holyrood Library

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We’re off to a great start in 2025, with a treasure trove of new books to enjoy, and expert helpers on hand to sort through deliveries, and create beautiful book displays.

Thanks to Angel and Zurie from the S3 Writers’ Group, who selected their favourite Young Adult novels, focusing on diversity and Inclusion  (complete with Christmassy tinsel)!

Recommended By Us, Diverse & Inclusive fiction

They labelled the books with a ‘Recommended by Us’ slip, as this works well in bookshops, and we like to guide readers to choose books that they will love.

 

 

 

 

Recipes from around the World

 

 

We also have a fantastic selection of cookery books featuring recipes from around the World, reflecting the wonderful multiculturalism of Holyrood. Two favourites are A World of Flavour and Recipes for Change

 

Volunteering at Holyrood Library, December Update 

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Our Library Volunteers have been working hard on some great projects to brighten these dark, Winter months. 

Reader of the Month notice board

Rand and Tafsirr created a Reader of the Month noticeboard, to recognise enjoyment and effort in reading.

This month’s award winners – Balint (S2), Egbert (S1) & Melissa (S3), will each receive a book of their choice from the book vending machine.  

 

Book Swap here!

Thanks to Filza, Gia and Izza who created this beautiful giant sign for our Book Swap table during Book Week Scotland. They used the lighthouse logo to represent ‘Hope’ and added their own style and flourish. The Book Swap was a great success. 

 

 

Book swapping at interval

Enjoying books together at the Coffee morning

Our Staff Coffee Morning was a hoot (thanks to Ms Ford for bringing Hedwig along), and S3 Volunteers helped serve refreshments, and gave out copies of ‘Hope’ kindly gifted by the Scottish Book Trust. There was plenty of great chat between staff and young people, who love sharing book recommendations together .

 

S4 Volunteer Lucy, working at the issue desk

Our 14 Volunteers, ranging from S3 – S6 have a lot of fun, but there’s also a goal to achieve, which is completing their Duke of Edinburgh Award at either Bronze or Silver level; or for S6 – their Caritas or Leadership Award.

 

 

 

Like all school librarians, I’m always proud to support our young people with their volunteering, and see this is a key aspect of our School Library Service, offering  “a wide range of interesting and fun volunteering experiences that help others develop new skills and make new friends”. A Vision for Glasgow Life Libraries, April 2023

Our October Volunteers’ Survey asked –  What is your favourite thing about volunteering?

“Meeting new people and becoming friends. The Library is a really inviting space and the people I’ve met are all amazing.” (S3 Volunteer)

“I really enjoyed the creative tasks like wrapping a gift and putting up the posters. But also the less creative tasks like taking record of newly ordered books so all in all I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything!” (S6 Volunteer)

In the survey, our young people agreed that they had achieved some, or all of the following outcomes through volunteering :

1. Of benefit to the school community 2. Teamwork 3. Helping other people 4. Learning new skills 5. Good for my mental health 6. Good for my confidence

 We’ll have more projects and book recommendations to share in 2025. Happy Reading!

October @ Holyrood Library

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We’ve had a busy month so far, with plenty to celebrate in the Library.

October is Black History Month, so our S3 Duke of Edinburgh Volunteers -Tafsirr, Rand and Lauren created this fantastic book  display. 

They wanted to highlight books that were joyful and celebratory, so included biographies of famous actors, sportspeople, scientists, musicians and World leaders. And some history books, celebrating art and culture, but also remembering the sad and unjust parts of Black history in a respectful way.

 

In Holyrood, we feel that it’s very important to provide diverse and anti-racist books.  So in a survey, when asked what they would like to see in the library, our Senior pupils made these suggestions :

  • A section focused on highlighting ethic minorities like biographies or books on cooking
  • More books in different languages, and also books to encourage people to learn more about other cultures
  • Scottish brown and black boys/girls everyday experiences
  • Maybe more history books on Scotland’s involvement in the slave trade.

Some of the books purchased so far:

 

Higher ESOL requests

Our readers are passionate about seeing voices of all different nationalities and cultures represented on the library shelves. Mrs Cooper’s Higher ESOL class asked for a selection of books by black authors for the classroom. Here are some of the authors they are currently enjoying: Malorie Blackman, Jumata Emill, Sharon Flake, Danielle Jawando, Shade Lapite, Jason Reynolds, Efua Traore, Alex Wheatle.

And we often like to discuss favourite authors and poets in our library Teams chat. We thought these words were very inspiring: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive: and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style”. Maya Angelou

At the start of October, we also celebrated Dyslexia Awareness Week with a pupil-led outreach library in the Fuel zone.

This showcased the books we have available in a dyslexia friendly format; and Mr. Lang provided a Quiz about famous people.  We also had a Design Your Own Superpower competition, to show that all skills and talents are valued, such as super strength, invisibility, telekinesis, talking to animals, being kind, helping one another, and putting your rubbish in the bin. So many skills – what a talented bunch!

Well done everyone

Miss Kindness

 

 

 

You Said – We Did @ Holyrood Library

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It’s been an exciting first month back – getting to know our new S1pupils, ordering new books and sorting through deliveries. Best of all has been seeing our keen readers borrow their first books, and the delight when they realise there is no limit to the number of books that can be borrowed (other than what can fit into your schoolbag)! With new books arriving regularly, there will always be great choice of both old favourites, or something completely new to try.

In June, 70 members of our outgoing S1 took part in a Library Survey. This was a goldmine of information, showing what’s been going well, and where improvements could be made. Here’s some examples from the survey:

You said Get more Dork Diaries & Wimpy Kid. More comics.

We did Ordered more comics, including Marvel, DC, Bunny vs Monkey, Star Wars.     

Our funny Diary & Joke books are now all shelved together in a clearly labelled special section to make them easier to find.

You said Have a rule to get people to talk quieter. No loud music. Have more of a chill out spot.

We did  Our quiet, Autism – friendly lunchtime now runs on Wednesdays. No phones, low lighting and quiet activities only. On other days, Librarian & Pupil helpers do a walk round and make sure everyone is being considerate and mindful of noise levels.

Quiet time to chill out

When asked ‘What do you like to do in the Library?’ the most popular answer was Chill out with friends, closely followed by Read, and Do Homework.

 

S1 Helpers planning activities

 

“The library is already amazing and I love spending time there”

All your comments are so valued! We’ll continue to have regular customer surveys to keep improving, and display all your suggestions and the corresponding actions taken on our ‘You Said – We Did’ giant whiteboard.

The librarian is reading …..

Apple and Rain, by Sarah Crossan 14 year old Apple is having a difficult time with bullying, and events at home. A favourite teacher encourages Apple to read poetry and write her own poems. Writing helps her to find her voice, face some really difficult family problems and bravely seek help. I loved this book.

Reading can sometimes seem trivial when you’re faced with difficult events, but the right book, at the right time can be a lifeline. Any time you’re feeling a bit down, why not pop into your school or community library and have a browse. There will always be friendly staff on hand to chat, and you’ll not leave empty-handed. Happy reading!

Ms Kindness

Summer Reading at Holyrood

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Reading Challenge

The S2 Library Helpers were so keen to encourage reading over the holidays, that they made up a Holyrood Reading Challenge. They chatted about this over a few lunchtimes and came up with a giant whiteboard of ideas. We then wrote the challenges on post-it notes that went into a lucky dip jar for participants to choose from. Here are some of the challenges:

  • Read in bed for 10 mins. every night for a week
  • Read in your garden or in a park
  • Read a page out loud to your pet
  • Read while you’re waiting for your toast to pop up
  • Listen to an eBook on the Libby app

It was a lot of fun, and we all enjoyed choosing a challenge and receiving a bookmark and merit for taking part. I’m now looking forward to hearing how everyone got on, and also what ideas the Helpers will have for our new term.

S2 Helpers came up with ideas

 

 

Seniors enjoyed the Challenge too!

While school’s out, school librarians continue to carry out essential work, joining up hundreds of new members arriving into S1, re-organising and improving collections, ordering new books, creating resources and planning projects and activities for the coming year.

I’ve been reviewing some of the pupil feedback from throughout the year, and noticed how much S1 enjoy their lunchtimes in the library. And also that some readers would like a little more help in choosing books. So I’ve ordered new board games for lunchtimes (chess, snakes & ladders, Connect4, Uno, Boggle and others), and re-organised a book display stand at the entrance to highlight new genres, including : Afrofuturism, Eco-stories, Sci-fi & Dystopian, Animal stories, Scottish authors, and Re-told fairy tales. There’s also a space for – Recommended by You, as pupil recommendations are one of the best ways to find a good book. Hopefully our keen readers will like the new display and make suggestions for anything else they would like to see included.

 

I’ve also enjoyed some time off to go on trips and celebrations including:

  • Edinburgh Castle, to watch ‘Harry Potter’ on giant screen, with live film music performed by the RSNO
  • the ‘Discovering Degas’ exhibition at the wonderful Burrell Collection.
  • my daughter’s graduation from Glasgow Caledonian University. (nice to think that some of our own Holyrooders are also studying there, I’m sure I saw a few familiar faces at the ceremony).

Hope everyone’s had a lovely holiday, look forward to seeing you back next week !

Miss Kindness

Creative Writing @Holyrood

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We’ve been busy celebrating in the library this term. In May we welcomed Julie McNeil, poet and football fan supreme. What great timing for the Euros!  We learned how emotions and sport are closely linked, shared our own sporting memories and started to turn these into poems. There was inspiring discussion and writing from Mr. Devlin’s S1 class. The S2 Writing mentors joined in working alongside and encouraging everyone. This workshop was part of Glasgow Libraries Wee Write Festival, supported by the Scottish Poetry Library.

Julie’s Workshop

It was brilliant meeting Julie and hearing her feedback afterwards: “What a fantastic group of writers! Really enjoyed their company and hearing all their great ideas”. We now have copies of Julie’s books ‘We are Scottish Football’, and ‘Mission Dyslexia’ in the library, to borrow and enjoy.

Also in May, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of our White Water Writers Project, funded by the School Library Improvement Fund. Since writing their own book, the group has gone from strength to strength, mentoring a ‘Writing for Fun’ club for S1 pupils, taking part in Scottish Book Trust 50 Words writing competition, writing poetry, sharing book reviews, and generally having a brilliant time.

It’s always a party when the Writing mentors are around!

S2 Writers Celebration

In June, we had a special visit from Charis, Careers Adviser, who admired the work of our hardworking S1 and S2 lunchtime team, and presented prizes.

Visit from Charis, SDS

 

We feel very lucky to have so much support for Creative Writing here at Holyrood, both from everyone in the school and from Glasgow Libraries, and also from visitors who help us.

 

Whether any of our writers go on to do this as a career, or just as a hobby, writing is an incredible talent to have, and we want to hear your voices. So keep writing – You’ve been absolutely fantastic this year!

Euros competition

Have a wonderful holiday.

Earth Day @Holyrood Library

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Earth Day was the perfect time to look at how we can become more environmentally friendly in the library, and also to celebrate books and reading.

Earth Day book display

S1 volunteers created an excellent book display, selecting their favourite books on climate change, sustainability, plastic pollution, and oceans. They were keen to include books with beautiful illustrations, as we feel these are a powerful way to make people care more about the environment.       

We had great discussion about what everyone can do to help the Planet, such as reducing use of plastic and energy consumption. We ended our session with some wonderful artwork and an acrostic poem. Well done and thanks to Niamh, Zaynab, Freya, Matilda, Eliza, Julia, Kaneez, Mya  and Alfie for this

 

Creative writing Our lunchtime group wrote ‘A Thank You letter to Planet Earth’.

Throughout the year, we’ve been thinking of ways to cut down on waste and be more sustainable, very much  inspired by our fantastic PT Learning for Sustainability, and pupil Eco-Team. Here’s our Holyrood 3 step #GreenLibraries action plan:

Making our own posters for events

  • Print less and make our own posters, recycling scrap paper and magazines where possible. When printing is necessary, print double sided, or in booklet form.

 

  • We make our own bookmarks by recycling old books, cardboard, and packaging. These are very popular!

Recycled bookmarks

  • All pupils and staff have access to the Libby reading app. The free magazines are especially popular.  In a recent Staff survey –  all agreed that one of the benefits of Libby is that it’s kind to the environment (no more magazines going into the bin). You can get help with Libby here in the Library, and also from both the English dept., and Support for Learning. Join up in about 20 seconds – great for the holidays!

    Download the free Libby app

What I’m Reading

‘When I First Held You’

‘When I First Held You’ by Anstey Harris begins in a Repair shop. Judy, the owner, has experienced loss and tragedy in the past. Can she find a way to mend the damage? Will her story end like those of her customers, who get to see their broken objects restored?

Our Book Group loved the cover of this book, and think the golden thread shows how beauty and value is added when an object is repaired. With a bit of research, we found the Japanese word for exactly this ‘kintsugi’ – mending broken pottery with gold.

In Western culture, we sometimes tend to value things that are new, and often over-buy, without considering what items we already have. I’ve also enjoyed books by both Marie Kondo, and Helen Sanderson. Both books tackle the modern day problem of having too many possessions and how we can live more sustainably and find joy with less.