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Cleveden & Book Week Scotland

Book Club is Back!

In collaboration with the English Department, we have brought back the S1 book club in the Cleveden school library. This is the opportunity for pupils to chat about the books they have been borrowing from the library or they have been reading in class. We used paper fortune tellers with question prompts inside it to spark the conversation about recent favourite reads. The book “Ghost Boys” by Jewell Parker Rhodes was a hit with the boys, who found its plot very engaging and interesting!

 

 

 

 

 

We Had a Scholastic Book Fair for Book Week Scotland!

Pupils enjoyed finding new books at the Scholastic Book Fair during Lunch which coincided with Book Week Scotland. It was a good opportunity for pupils to own a book also thanks to some vouchers!

The Collaborative Jigsaw Table: A Space for Mindfulness and Growth

The Collaborative Jigsaw Table has become a versatile and impactful resource across year groups. For our S6 pupils, this table offers a refreshing mental break from the pressures of academic life, providing a mindful activity that reduces stress and supports their overall well-being during challenging times. For BGE (Broad General Education) pupils, the 1000-piece jigsaw represents a collaborative yet achievable the value of breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps—a skill that translates to their wider studies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been particularly rewarding to see students set aside their phones during lunch to focus on the jigsaw, showing their growing interest in activities that promote focus, patience, and teamwork. Through this engaging task, pupils are developing valuable skills, such as spatial and visual reasoning, concentration, and perseverance. These skills not only enhance their approach to academics but also foster a positive attitude toward tackling difficult tasks across all subjects.

The Collaborative Jigsaw Table is more than a puzzle—it’s a space for mindfulness, growth, and a reminder of the power of persistence.

Reading buddies program @St Mungo’s academy

Our “Reading Buddies” program at St. Mungo’s Academy Library, developed in partnership with the Support for Learning and RE departments, continues to make a wonderful impact! This program pairs senior pupils with BGE pupils, providing a supportive environment to build confidence and strengthen literacy skills in reading, writing, and spelling.

Each week, senior pupils meet with their younger reading buddies in the library, working with resources and activities I’ve curated specifically for this program. Through these sessions, senior pupils mentor their buddies, fostering a love of reading and building meaningful connections across year groups.

We’re thrilled to see the dedication and progress from all participants and look forward to the continued success of “Reading Buddies” throughout the school year!

 

Halloween murder mystery @St Mungo’s

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking News: Grisly Scene Uncovered in St. Mungo’s Library

In the early hours of October 31st, a horrific discovery was made within the quiet walls of St. Mungo’s school library. A staff cleaner stumbled upon the bodies of two individuals, both apparently victims of a gruesome death. The disturbing find has sent shockwaves through the school and local community.

Victim 1

Victim 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took a full week for a dedicated team of young investigators to make sense of the chaotic scene and identify the victims. Numerous clues were uncovered at the scene, each more perplexing than the last, adding layers of mystery to an already chilling case. Glasgow police, who deployed their top specialists, meticulously examined these clues to determine what led to this tragic event and to provide answers and closure to the grieving families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the complete story, listen to the full audio report:

Special Thanks

A huge thank you to our BGE talented pupils for their creative contributions:

  • Designing and setting up the murder scenes
  • Writing the story that brought the mystery to life
  • All the enthusiastic S1-S2 investigators for their spirited participation

And a final, heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Carson, our dedicated art teacher, for bringing the story to life with her spooky reading.

 

The Haunted Library

Halloween is Ms O’Neill’s absolute favourite holiday, so every year the Lourdes Secondary Library appears to get a little more spooky! This year saw the arrival of a new Library Assistant, who was very excited about their new job as they headed over on the bus, and generally started well, but does occasionally steal the Librarian’s coffee cup (an ill-advised choice, usually).In other news, the senior Library minions Jack (as part of his Caritas work) and Rene did an excellent job decorating the Library. The Halloween tree was a mass of cobwebs, pumpkins, with a random skeletal arm, and a skeleton fairy on the top.

The pupils have been doing a great job creating potions, spells, and other witchy resources to be added to the Library Grimoire. S4 minion Rene created a wonderfully artistic display of spell ingredients and witchy blank pages for pupils to create their own spells, potions, and general witchy shenanigans. More on those in a future blog post!

 

 

 

 

October 2024 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School

Libby Inductions: We’ve been busy delivering Libby inductions to our S1s who have now received their iPads. Pupils loved the ease of access and range of topics and genres available on the app. For more information, visits the Glasgow Life Libraries Libby page.

 

New Book Highlights

Lightlark by Alex Aster

Still Water by Chris Priestly

Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed

 

Books of the day

01.10.24: Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle

03.10.24: The Silver Eyes by Scott Cawton

08.10.24: Timelines from Black History by DK

10.10.24: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

22.10.24: Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson

24.10.24: Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia

29.10.24: Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah

31.10.24: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

 

Author of the Week:

01.10.24: Sharna Jackson

07.10.24: Patrice Lawrence

21.10.24: Anthony Horowitz

28.10.24: Tanya Landman

 

Series of the Week

01.10.24: The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries by JT Willaims

07.10.24: Dark Hunter by Benjamin Hulme-Cross

21.10.24: Nicky and Kenny by Anthony McGowan

28.10.24: Loop Trilogy by Ben Oliver

 

Literary and Cultural Celebration Book Lists and Displays for October

Dyslexia Awareness Week Scotland (Sept 20th – Oct 6th)

World Space Week (Oct 4th – 10th)

Black History Month (Throughout October)

Mental Health Day (Oct 10th)

Diwali (Oct 31st)

Halloween/Samhain (Oct 31st – Nov 1st)

 

Trending Book Lists:

Epic Reads New Releases | The Guardian Children’s Book Roundup | LoveReading4Kids Books of the Month | Scholastic Books of the Month | Scottish Book Trust Book Lists |Toppsta Monthly Highlights | Waterstones Books of the Month

 

Book Awards

Winners: Diverse Book Awards | Forward Prizes for Poetry | Polari Prizes

Shortlist: Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction