Category Archives: All

Short stories book by the Storytelling club

Since the beginning of the year, members of the Storytelling for Wellbeing Club have created over 25 incredible stories.

Throughout the year, they created stories with the help of creative prompts, engaging board games, evocative pictures, and various arts and crafts activities. These tools sparked their imaginations and fuelled their creativity, resulting in a diverse collection of unique tales.

Now, they are excitedly compiling these stories into their very own storybook! Pupils are enthusiastically arranging the chapters, ensuring a smooth flow from one story to the next, and creating beautiful illustrations to bring the book to life. Additionally, they are recording the stories and generating QR codes to include in the book. This innovative feature allows readers to scan the codes and listen to the stories, providing an enriching audiobook experience.

The pupils’ hard work and creativity are truly shining through in this wonderful project!

May 2024 Roundup – Shawlands Academy School Library

Book Returns: As exams took place throughout May, the School Librarian visited all S1-3 English classes to distribute lists of books on loan. There are over 900 books on loan to S1-3 pupils, highlighting the brilliant readership of our pupils and support from our English department in Shawlands. The lists have proved to be a helpful reminder to the pupils of the books they have borrowed and the library book return boxes are located in each classroom make it easy for them to return their loans. So far, pupils have returned 200 books, with more being returned each day. This is a tremendous effort on behalf of our department and the young people who truly value their library service and love reading for pleasure. Great work everybody, keep them coming!

Creative Writing Contest: Our seasonal creative writing contest is underway with ‘Summer’ as the theme. Any form of creative writing is accepted, maximum 500 words.

International Museums Day: International Museums Day was celebrated May 18^th. We uploaded an interactive list of 50 famous international museums and a list of 20 Glasgow museums on our Library Channel for pupils to explore, featuring famous art galleries and national museums who’ve digitised pieces from their collections. Visit the Glasgow Life Museums page for information on local museums and galleries or try one of these highlights from our international list:

Anne Frank House – Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Louvre – Paris, France

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York City, USA

Natural History Museum – London, England

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – Washington, USA

Sistine Chapel – Vatican City

National Walking Month: May was National Walking Month. On our Library Channel, we’ve uploaded a list of local community libraries in the catchment area all within a walking distance of an hour or less from the school. Community Libraries nearby the school include:

Langside Library, 2 Sinclair Drive (0.8 miles, 19 mins walking time)

Pollokshaws Library, 60 Shawbridge Street (0.8 miles, 19 mins walking time)

Pollokshields Library, 30 Leslie Street (0.9 miles, 21 mins walking time)

Govanhill Library, 170 Langside Road (1.1 miles, 25 mins walking time)

Couper Library, 84-86 Clarkston Road (1.8 miles, 40 mins walking time)

Gorbals Library, 180 Crown Street (2.0 miles, 45 mins walking time)

Ibrox Library, 1-5 Midlock Street (2.0 miles, 45 mins walking time)

Pollok Library, Pollock Civic Realm, 2EN Cowglen Road (3.0 miles, 1 hour walking time)

Poe or Young Adult Quiz: Pupils were invited to take part in our Poe or Young Adult quiz on Teams as part of World Goth Day. Participants had to decide whether the quotes were from a YA novel or from the ‘Father of Goth’, Edgar Allan Poe.

Waterstones Haul: We received a fantastic haul from Waterstones, selected by our very own Glasgow School Librarians. Here are some highlights:

The Attack of the Robot Librarian by Sam Copeland and Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Robyn Boyden and Katie Kear

Bite Risk by SJ Wells

The Ramadan Family Cookbook by Anisa Karolia

Roar: A Guide to Dreaming Big and Playing the Sport you Love by Beth Mead

Explanatorium of Science by Robert Winston

Human 2.0: A Celebration of Human Bionics by Patrick Kane and Samuel Rodriguez

Swatch: The Summer issue of Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries’ eMagazine is now live. Packed with book lists, an exclusive interview with Maisie Chan, and lots of fun stuff including a recipe for salt and chilli wedges, an origami paper fan craft, and a quiz. Interactive back issues are available on the Library Channel on Teams.

Author of the Week: Chosen by pupils

06.05: Benjamin Zephaniah

13.05: Sue Wallman

20.05: Bali Rai

27.05: Samira Ahmed

Series of the Week: Chosen by pupils

06.05: Pandava (Aru Shah) by Roshani Chokshi

13.05: Young Elites by Marie Lu

20.05: Pages & Co by Anna James

27.05: Pizazz by Sophy Henn

Literary and Cultural Celebration Book Lists for May:

Gothic Book List: Featuring all ages gothic fiction to tie in with World Goth Day festivities.

Shelf Help Book List: Mental Health Awareness Week took place from 13^th-19^th May on the theme of “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”. Our book list features some helpful titles on mental health for Young People that are available in the School Library.

Trending Book Lists:

Recent Awards: UK book award winners, shortlists, and longlists

Winners: International Booker Prize | British Book Awards | CrimeFest Awards | Dylan Thomas Prize | Jhalak Prize

Shortlists: CLiPPA Poetry Award | CWA Daggers Awards | Klaus Flugge Prize | Sports Book Awards |

Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

Competitions:

Foyles Young Poets of the Year Award

Book Buzz: Latest book news from major media outlets and websites

What’s On in June

Zine Workshop: Glasgow Zine Library will be popping by Thursday, June 20th during lunchtime to host a zine workshop. Pupils will; learn how to create their very own zine from scratch.

Picnic in the Library: The School Library will host a special ‘picnic in the library’ during lunchtime as part of National Picnic Week. Music, books, and snacks will be provided.

Libby refreshers for seniors: The School Librarian will make her rounds to S4, 5, and 6 English classes to deliver Libby refresher sessions to promote reading for leisure throughout the summer holidays. The Libby app has thousands of fiction and nonfiction books, audiobooks, and eMagazines that can be accessed on their iPads

Book Lists for June: Interactive book lists available on the Library Channel on Teams

Read with Pride: June is Pride month, an internationally recognised celebration of the LGBT+ community. We’ve compiled a list of LGBT+ fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

Empathy Day: Empathy Day (June 6^th) ‘inspires children to learn more about empathy, have transformational experiences through stories, and to put empathy into action’ by shining a ‘light on book’s role in raising an empathy-generated generation’. Check out Empathy Lab’s Primary and Secondary book lists, the majority of titles are available in the school library.

Refugee Week: Refugee Week (June 17^th-23^rd) is ‘the world’s largest arts and cultural festival celebrating the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refuges and people seeking sanctuary. This year’s theme is ‘Our Home’. Our book lists features fiction and nonfiction for Junior and Young Adult readers.

Windrush Day: Windrush Day (June 22^nd) honours the contributions of British Caribbean communities and marks the arrival of passengers of the Empire Windrush to the UK. Our book list includes fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

South Asian Heritage Month: South Asian Heritage Month (July 17^th-August 17^th) celebrates the heritage of people with roots in South Asian countries. This year’s theme is ‘Free to be me’. Our book list come a month early to ensure it is promoted within the school term and includes fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

We were very grateful to the Scottish Poetry Library this month for funding a poetry session for pupils with Julie McNeill. Julie is a poet and non-fiction writer living in Glasgow. She has published two poetry collections: Something Small and Ragged Rainbows, she also co-wrote Mission Dyslexia, a non-fiction book for children and young people with dyslexia.

Julie is the Poet-in-residence for St Mirren FC charitable trust and a huge football fan.

In the session with our S2 pupils she used football to explore emotion and self-expression. Pupils used a memory as a jumping off point to write their own poem. We were really impressed with the poems that were created, and well done to the pupils who willing to share their wonderful work.

Huge thanks to Julie for visiting and for donating us a signed copy of We are Scottish football. You can borrow this and Mission dyslexia from the school library now.

May in Bellahouston

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We received a wonderful delivery from Waterstones. Naruto 1-27 especially will fly off the shelf.

I also visited the School Library Outreach department in the Mitchell Library and sourced some amazing non-fiction titles to add to our collection. Watch this space.

I had the opportunity to participate in the English Department’s S1 curriculum meeting. Really looking forward to supporting the new curriculum themes in the library, through book buying, displays, activities and more.

Our new library class visit timetable starts next week!

May in Rosshall

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We had a wonderful delivery of new books from Waterstones.

I also visited the School Library Outreach department in the Mitchell Library and sourced some amazing non-fiction titles to add to our collection. Watch this space.

Our application for the Scottish Book Trust’s Danielle Jawando tour has been sent. Fingers crossed!

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/writing-and-authors/scottish-friendly-childrens-book-tour/tour-danielle-jawando

May you enjoy your new books

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May in Eastbank Academy has been a super busy month as the seniors are all studying for exams – meaning the library reverts to being a much quieter space than usual. But that doesn’t mean nothing is happening ….

In the May bank holidays, Mrs Marshall enjoyed reading a couple of the Yoto Carnegie nominated titles and is looking forward to representing the Scottish Branch of the Youth Library Group at the Yoto Carnegie Award ceremony in June. Here are the reviews of 2 of the books in contention for the Award.

Book Review – Steady for This

What a funny book with wonderful storylines. I loved it so much that I was laughing out loud when I was meant to be overseeing a study session in the library.

Steady for This

MC Growls is the main character who is trying his best to win a rap contest and get prize money to help his mum out. However, Growls does not have the “usual” style of rapping and some of his beats really leave the reader howling. He streams one of his practice sessions inadvertently which end up with his dirty laundry being exposed in public – literally.

Although funny, the book tackles friendships, family struggles and the challenges faced by young carers in the main storyline. However this doesn’t take away from the humour, and isn’t a heavy read at all. Instead, you’ll be flying through the pages and chuckling away in no time ! This copy is currently available to borrow in the school library.

Book Review – Away with Words

And another wonderful title nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Writing Award is Away with Words by Sophie Cameron.

Gala has just moved from Spain to Scotland, where her Dad has moved in with his partner. However Gala doesn’t speak English and starting school is very difficult for her. So she makes friends with a girl called Natalie who has selective mutism. This is a fascinating tale of friendship and the challenges they both face being unable to communicate at school. It’s a must read and available in the school library now !

Eastbank Winners !

We’ve won a couple of book prizes from our x posts this month ! You can enjoy the really fun Magicalia and also The Stone Age Clash, and you can read along with both books using the fun bookmarks sent to us by the publishers. Lucky Eastbank School Library!

P7 transition day @St Mungo’s library

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St. Mungo’s Academy recently organized an Olympic Games sports day for our upcoming S1 pupils.

The P7 pupils were divided into groups, allowing them to enjoy a day filled with sports and fun while also exploring the various departments within the school. This event provided a great opportunity for them to familiarize themselves with the school’s environment and offerings.

Our current BGE pupils played a significant role in preparing for the event by readying the library. They showcased their creativity and research skills by designing an impressive Olympic Games display. This display featured renowned athletes, as well as books and movies about the Olympic Games, adding an educational dimension to the sports day.

On the day of the event, the library hosted a yoga session. The session began with a brief introduction to the library, followed by a discussion on the similarities between reading and yoga. The pupils shared insightful thoughts, noting that both reading and yoga are:

– Relaxing
– Stress-relieving
– Stimulating for creativity and imagination
– Helpful for focus
– Promoters of awareness
– Influential on emotions

Following the discussion, the pupils enjoyed a yoga memory game and participated in animal yoga poses, adding a playful element to the session. This combination of physical activity and intellectual engagement made for a well-rounded and enjoyable day for all participants.

This event was also beneficial for the library, as it highlighted the library’s role as a versatile space for both educational and recreational activities, encouraging more pupils to utilize its resources and see it as an integral part of their school experience.

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.

New: Creative Writing Club

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With spring in the air, there’s no better time to embrace your creative potential! Come along to our brand-new Creative Writing Club, every Wednesday at Lunchtime, to try your hand at a variety of artistic endeavours. From prose to poetry to comics and visual art, all forms of creativity are warmly welcomed & will be nourished alike!

We start off each week with a quick overview of one literary element and one figure of speech, before moving on to an introduction to a specific genre — such as mystery, dystopia, or horror. We talk about the common conventions of the genre, as well as how to subvert them in our work, and discuss all our favourite examples as well. Finally, each week we highlight one style of poetry (such as haiku, limerick, or blackout poetry) and one style of prose (e.g. six-word fiction, drabble, or flash fiction).

With all that done, we set a timer and get to creating! We have plenty of topical prompts and templates each week, aimed at encouraging you to try your hand at a new genre or format you may not be sure about, but everyone is welcome to create whatever feels right for them in the moment. We also make sure to leave a few minutes at the end for sharing & feedback — both of which are completely optional, of course!

In short, if you’re looking for a creative outlet, or need some support and inspiration to pick up an old hobby again, Creative Writing Club might just be the place for you.

See you there!

Coming Up: Book Return Contest

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Now that the Library is back up and running, we have an exciting new challenge for all our keen (and not-so-keen!) readers. Each S2-S4 class will have one week to return as many books as they can, with the winners getting treated to an end-of-term movie screening in the Library!

When returning your books, make sure to give them to Ms Petrova so she can make sure that a) they’re all Notre Dame High School library books (hint: check the first page or two for a sticker!), and b) that they’re added to your class’ total.

Good luck!