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Author Visit: Emmanuel Asuquo

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We were immensely privileged this week to host the brilliant Emmanuel Asuquo — one of the UK’s top financial advisers. He spoke to our S6 pupils on a variety of topics related to financial literacy, such as setting goals, maximising savings, and creating multiple streams of income.

Despite the seriousness of the topic, his talk was anything but dull — he regaled pupils and teachers alike with anecdotes from his personal life, taking every opportunity to make a joke and engage with his audience.

All around a brilliant opportunity and experience for staff and students; if you have an opportunity to work with Emmanuel, or pick up one of his books, don’t hesitate!

And stay tuned for his upcoming book on financial literacy for ages 8-12. I know I’ll be keeping an eye out!

Find out more about Emmanuel and his work on his personal website, and make sure to follow him on social media while you’re there!

St Roch’s Reads: February

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Our library assistants out done themselves with book displays and promotions this month. Well done everyone who pitched in!  Morire and Ava made our Dark reads for Dark nights display, full of thrillers and chillers. Along with a love-themed book display, Iman and Amani  decided to conduct some pupil research, asking library visitors to vote For or Against Valentine’s day. The votes were counted and ( drum roll)… turns out it’s an even split, so the love stories can stay. 

Everyone helped decorate for International Mother Languages Day. We’ve got colourful signs up to represent lots of the languages spoken in school. Did you know that in the library you can find books in languages from all around the world too? Including old favourites like Harry Potter, Dork diaries and Diary of a wimpy kid. 

New Books 

This month we had a delivery of new senior stock, hurray! Our senior collection includes fiction and non fiction for S4+ upwards. These new books were recommended by teachers, pupils and librarians. There’s lots of different genres, from contemporary to classic sci-fi, so there’s plenty to choose from if you’re ready to branch out from teen fiction. here.  

Ready player one / Ernest Cline
Ready player one is a thrilling science fiction novel by Ernest Cline that follows teenager Wade Watts as he navigates a virtual reality world in search of a hidden Easter egg that holds the key to a massive fortune. Packed with 80s pop culture references, high-stakes challenges, and a race against time, this book is a must-read for gamers and nostalgia enthusiasts alike. 

Klara and the sun / Kazuo Ishiguro 
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. 

In Klara and The Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love? 

The night circus / Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus is a fantastical and enchanting tale of a mysterious, travelling circus that only opens at night. Within its black-and-white striped tents, two young magicians engage in a magical competition that could have far-reaching consequences for everyone involved. With its vivid imagery and intricate storytelling, this novel will transport readers to a world where the line between reality and illusion is blurred. 

The goldfinch / Donna Tartt 

The Goldfinch is a gripping novel that follows the life of Theo Decker after a terrorist attack changes his world forever. As he navigates loss, love, and the pursuit of a stolen painting, Theo’s story is a heartbreaking and captivating exploration of fate and redemption. 

LGBT history month 

LGBT+ History Month is celebrated every February across the UK and was founded in 2004 by Schools OUT UK. It started as a way to claim the past, celebrate the present and create the future for LGBT+ people.  

You’ll find a great mix of fiction and non-fiction books on display in the library to mark the month. If you prefer to use Libby, there’s plenty of ebooks and audiobooks available  too. 

Check out our LGBT+ fiction  and non-fiction book lists on Padlet to see what’s available.  

Equal Marriage Display

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This year is the 10th anniversary of the introduction of equal marriage in Scotland.  And as it is LGBTQ+ History Month we thought we should create a display reflecting this, along with relevant books.

I did this in collaboration with the LGBTQ+ group and the Library Captains.  You can watch a short video of how we put it together here:  https://youtu.be/0bhl64ZpeaQ

 

What We’re Reading @Holyrood

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This month in the Library, our young people highlighted two special events: – Holocaust Memorial Day, and World Hijab Day.

Our S3 Duke of Edinburgh Volunteers made a book display for Holocaust Memorial Day.

Readers from S1 & S2 classes chatted about what they’ve been reading, and here are their recommendations :

S1-S3 pupils’ booklist

 

 

 

We discussed the importance of books and films, as there are now very few remaining survivors of the Holocaust, making it more important than ever that their voices be honoured and saved for future generations.

 

 

On 1st February we celebrated World Hijab Day. Our book display included authors and book characters who proudly wear the hijab, including Ayaan Mohamud, A.M. Dassu, Tahereh Maafi, Hiba Noor Khan, & S. K. Ali.

Our Rights Respecting Schools pupils did a tannoy announcement, and explained all about the origins of World Hijab Day, founded by Nazma Khan. While making our book display, we chatted about Olympic fencer  Ibtihaj Muhammad (who has written several books), and ballet dancer Stephanie Kurlow. We all want to see more library books showing better representation of hijab wearing, so we did some research on this, and  have ordered some exciting new titles.

The lovely artwork is by Evelina and Brenna in S5.

 

 

Reading for pleasure

Lorraine, at her Waterstone’s book launch

I went to the book launch of ‘The Island Swimmers’, and met Lorraine Kelly at Waterstones bookshop. It was lovely to meet a TV personality who is such a passionate supporter of books and reading. Can’t wait to read this, as I’ve been to Orkney , where the book is set, many times, and it’s a place that I love (although I’ve never been wild swimming!).

 

Coming soon….

‘Reading Schools’ gifts from Scottish Book Trust

We have lots to look forward to in March including World Book Day, lots of reading, a good bit of book partying from our young people & staff, and more great work from our Reading Schools leadership group. Happy reading!

February @ Castlemilk High School Library

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Children’s Mental Health Week takes place from 5–11 February 2024. This year’s theme is ‘My Voice Matters’, which is all about empowering children and young people to express themselves.  

To mark the week, this month in school we’re highlighting books from our ‘shelf help’ collection. School libraries have a great range of mental health and well being books available for pupils. These titles are chosen to support young people in building resilience and self-esteem, as well as managing anxiety and overall mental health.

You have the power : find your strength and believe you can/ Leah Williamson 

Join Lioness Leah Williamson, Arsenal and England women’s football player, as she shows girls that they can be a leader at any age, and that huge things can happen when they believe in themselves! 

Dare to be you / Matthew Sayid

What would you dare to try if you stopped worrying about fitting in?
When you stop doubting yourself, embrace change and let your kindness loose, you become your own action hero. This groundbreaking, practical and positive book will help kids develop the inner confidence to grow into happy adults who know – and, more importantly, LIKE – themselves. 

Banish your self-esteem thief : a cognitive behavioural therapy workbook/ Kate Collins-Donnelly 

Packed with activities and real-life stories, this imaginative workbook will show you what self-esteem is, how it develops, the impact it can have and how all this applies to your own self-esteem 

Yes you can : ace school without losing your mind / Natasha Devon

Secondary school can seem overwhelming – but it doesn’t have to be. Natasha Devon uses her expertise to show you how to navigate school and stay calm in the face of exams.   Learn how your brain works, what kind of learner you are, and  how to deal with exam days with the help of mindfulness.

A better day : your positive mental health handbook/ Alex George

A positive, accessible and practical toolkit guiding young readers in how they can care for their mental health with confidence.From peer pressure and exam stress to online trolls and anxiety, life is full of ups and downs. But there are ways we can stay on top of our mental health – including overcoming stigma, talking about our feelings, developing resilience and switching our mindset.

Fighting invisible tigers : stress management for teens/ Earl Hipp

This book offers proven techniques that teens can use to deal with stressful situations in school, at home, and among friends. They’ll find current information on how stress affects health and decision making and learn stress-management skills to handle stress in positive ways—including assertiveness, positive self-talk, time management, relaxation exercises, and much more. Filled with interesting facts, student quotes, and fun activities, this book is a great resource for any teen who’s said, “I’m stressed out!” 

 

The mental health and wellbeing workout for teens 

Informed by the experiences of teens themselves, this friendly guide gives practical tips and strategies on how to overcome everyday stresses and ditch negative thinking ‘frenemies’ before they develop into more serious issues. Teens will be better equipped to recognise negative thoughts and emotions, monitor their mood and behaviour, and flex their positive thinking muscles in order to combat the mental health blips we all face sometimes. 

You can browse for more books in the ‘mental health and well being’ section of our school library book lists. 

January Roundup

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It has been a busy start to the year at Hyndland Secondary’s Library. We’ve had lots of new books in the library to begin the year with. Naturally the latest in the Heartstopper series flying off he shelves as soon as they arrived.

The 27th January also marked Holocaust Memorial Day where we remember the horrific events that occurred in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. There are some important books to read on the subject in the display put together by librarian, Cat McGlinn. These include Once by Morris Gleitzman, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne and of coarse Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. They are all essential reading for this topic.

Friday’s at Hyndland have a new librarian, Linda, and with her some brand new library assistants have volunteered to help! Charlotte, Aidyn, Sania and Joshua are busy learning how the library works. In their short time as new library assistants they have been learning where to return books on the shelves, checking in and out books, and even adding new books to the library catalogue. Thanks for all your hard work!

Library Assistant, Charlotte, also shares with us her favourite facts from the non-fiction section as well.

Fatal Boredom Button

“College students in a 2014 experiment simply had to sit in a room alone and entertain themselves for 15 minutes. To make the task more challenging, the students were denied the devices that many people rely on for personal entertainment. No mobile phone, computer or book. Not even pen and paper. In fact, the research team – led by Timothy Wilson at the University of Charlottesville – offered the students only one possible means of distraction. They were given access to a button, and warned that pushing it would deliver a painful electric shock.”

“Two-thirds of the men in the experiment, and one-quarter of the women, chose to press the button. One man did so 190 times”

Excerpt from Cutting Edge Science by Colin Barras available to borrow from the library.

Finally, Tuesday’s Library Club enjoyed some cosy days reading in the library over January – the best way to get through the longest month of the year!

 

 

Plans for 2024 at Springburn

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2023 was a busy year in the library at Springburn Academy with the library being reorganised into genre sections. The library assistants have been reflecting on the library and what improvements they could make during 2024:

‘l love Springburn Academy’s library! It gives us a safe but fun space for reading, eating and chatting. I feel the library would be better if it was less busy so I could shelf books easier without climbing over S1s but other than this the library is a wonderful place and I’m so glad to have it in my school.’ KA (S2)

‘I love the library because Colin is really nice and supports me even when I get into trouble in class. I would say there should be a limit on how many people come in at a time because it can get so busy people can’t move around the books’ JK (S3)

‘The library can be peaceful and is full of nice and friendly people. I want to make more displays because the huge variety of books makes it hard to pick sometimes’ MK (S1)

‘I like the library because it’s easy to socialise with people and it’s always fun and occasionally calm, sometimes I think the library would be better if there was a day when only people wanting to read and use it as a library were allowed in!’ YX (S2)

‘The library is a very safe place where you can enjoy seeing your friends, I would like to make the library better by opening it all week!’ LMC (S1)

‘I like the library because it is calm and not scary like the rest of the school so obviously I would like it to be calmer and less busy during breaks like it is during class time’ CR (S3)

‘Here is what I think is good about the library: It’s very friendly. It’s social. Not many rules. Colin is nice and supportive. Places to sit at the back. People to talk to. All ages allowed and we all mix together. Here is what I would change: More seats available. No running. Make it bigger. A quiet area to study separate from where I eat my lunch’ AR (S1)

Plans for 2024 at Cleveden

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2023 was one of the most eventful years yet at Cleveden and the Library Assistants have been busy in January planning how to make the library even better in 2024:

‘I love working in the library, it’s usually so peaceful and chill. In 2024. In 2024, I’m going to work on making the library more relaxing because it can get a bit crazy sometimes’ HT (S2)

‘I love working in the library, it gives me a sense of comfort when other things get too much. I like the library’s peacefulness. Putting books in order and putting them on the shelf keeps me more active than PE! I like the sounds the books make when I put them on the shelf so in 2024 I hope to do that more often’ LL (S2)

‘The library is an amazing place and I still enjoy working as an assistant. In 2024, I plan to work on making more creative posters and displays and to keep asking Colin for more jobs to improve my skills as an assistant because I am proud to be part of the library!’ AW (S2)

‘I love when the library at my school is open because when our librarian is here I have someone to talk to. I wish it was open more. Working in the library gives me the opportunity to take on lots of responsibilities, I would like to do more book sorting and labelling in 2024 because I don’t like when the shelfs get messed up. And it’s so obvious that the more work we do, the better our treat/pay is on a Tuesday. Hopefully Cake Pops for writing this?’ KC (S2)