Category Archives: St Mungo’s Academy

New library “well being corner”

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The back of St Mungo’s library is a quiet study area.

Recently, a health and well being corner was added for pupils to colour, play chess, or complete a jigsaw puzzle. This relaxation space, available during stressful times like exam periods, is known as the Well Being corner. It features comfortable seating and a “mindful table” with activities such as a giant mindful colouring sheet with pencils, crossword books, word search books, and a jigsaw puzzle.

To boost pupils’ concentration, heighten awareness, broaden memory, and foster teamwork, the library offers a giant Sudoku. To assist pupils in expanding their vocabulary and improving word spelling, the library provides a Boggle game for everyone’s enjoyment.

Additionally, the library maintains a current “shelf help” collection, offering books on a wide range of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and life pressures like bullying and exams.

The Library Young Team- Alan Bissett @St Mungo’s

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As a part of the The Library Young Team project, the second session was led by author Alan Bissett.

 

He engaged with a group of S3 pupils, involving them in a discussion about toxic masculinity, lad culture, and consent. Drawing from his latest book, “Lads: a Guide to Respect and Consent,” as well as his collaboration with Police Scotland’s campaign, “Don’t Be That Guy,” Alan Bissett talked to young boys about understanding women’s safety issues and offering guidance on respectful behaviour towards girls and women.

 

 

He also addressed how societal expectations and gender roles can create barriers that hinder young men from discussing their emotions and mental health, potentially leading to harmful outcomes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His intervention was empowering, not accusatory or preachy, aiming to help boys navigate their teen years into adulthood with informed choices.

World Book Day @ St Mungo’s library!

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This year, the English department and the library decided to celebrate World Book Day over a week, from the 4th of March to the 8th of March. Many activities were planned in the library for everyone to enjoy, such as quizzes, a door dress-up competition, book giveaways, book tastings, and even cool stories to listen to at lunch time!

However, the highlight of this year’s celebration was undoubtedly the “book tastings.” Pupils from S1 English classes were cordially invited to the transformed library, now resembling a charming French café. Here, they were encouraged to explore and “taste” various literary genres, opening doors to new worlds and expanding their literary horizons. It was like taking a bite out of a new adventure with every page turned!

The Library Young Team- Libraries LYT up lives!

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St Mungo’s Academy library is a part of a wider library project called “The Library Young Team- Libraries LYT up lives!”

brian conaghan at the school assembly

 

 

This project runs concurrently in 10 secondary school libraries across Glasgow and Renfrewshire, with each school hosting 3 author sessions for S3-5 pupils. These sessions emphasize the advantages of reading, inspire teenagers to find connections between their experiences and the books they read, and assist them in navigating their thoughts, emotions, and feelings. The author sessions will delve into themes that resonate with their daily lives, ensuring relevance and engagement.

The three authors, Graeme Armstrong, Brian Conaghan, and Alan Bissett, serve as positive male reading role models. Their books delve into gang culture, covering topics such as reputation, respect, and retaliation. The sessions will focus on harm reduction by exploring the reasons why young people join gangs, including the desire for acceptance, protection, a sense of identity, and feelings of belonging.

St. Mungo’s Library had the privilege of hosting Brian Conaghan on the 21st of February. His work primarily focuses on the lives and relationships of working-class teens, as well as characters who exist on the margins of society. During his presentation, he inspired our S4 pupils by sharing his journey of overcoming challenges with words and reading to achieve success as a writer, despite facing adversity along the way.

The session sparked a curiosity in our youth- two of them were inspired to borrow his book!

We are looking forward to the upcoming visits from the two other writers and we hope that they will generate equal, if not greater, enthusiasm towards reading and literacy.

This Project is supported by the Scottish Government School Library Improvement Fund.

New year, new books!

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The year 2024 started off with an amazing surprise – the arrival of a fresh new stock!

The library assistants were thrilled to take charge of unboxing and ensuring that all titles were accounted for. They were already busy planning the future display.

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In this delivery, some books were requested by pupils and they finally arrived! The joy on their faces when I told them the long-awaited book is finally here!

What a fantastic way to start off the year!

Christmas guessing challenge @St Mungo’s library🎄✨ 📚🎉

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Hey everyone! 🌟 Get ready for an incredible Christmas guessing challenge happening right now in the library!

Our fantastic teachers have joined in on the festive fun by sending me pictures of themselves immersed in the magic of reading. 📖✨ Now, it’s YOUR turn to shine! Can you guess which teacher is behind the book and unravel the mystery of the enchanting stories they’re exploring?

And here’s the best part – if you crack the code and guess everything correctly, you’re in for a delightful Christmas surprise! 🎁🌈

So, are you ready to dive into this festive adventure and show off your guessing skills? 🎅🤔 Don’t miss out on the chance to win a wee Christmas gift! 🎄🎁💫 Get excited, spread the word, and let the guessing games begin! 🚀💖

Pupils turning the St Mungo’s library into a Christmas wonderland!

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Since the 1st of December, the library helpers have been absolutely rocking it! They’ve put in so much effort and creativity to transform their school library into a magical Christmas wonderland. It’s absolutely enchanting for everyone who steps foot inside!

They have created two incredible book trees, with one offering a “surprise books” available for borrowing.

Designing window displays and decorations was an absolute blast for them!

You can practically feel the flickering warmth of the fireplace, while marvelling at the vibrant Christmas stockings lovingly coloured by talented pupils:

Check out this snowmen! It’s so cool that they don‘t have to worry about melting.

We believe that the “gift of reading lasts forever,” ….

so I have been encouraging pupils to ask Santa for any books they would like to see in the library. Hoping that Rudolph will take the library “wish list” directly to him!

Last writer visit of the year at St Mungo’s library

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Absolutely thrilled to wrap up the 2023 writer visit by welcoming the talented Maisie Chan to our school library!

During her visit at St Mungo’s library, she passionately discussed how deeply intertwined her stories are with her own life experiences. Not only that, but she also generously shared insights about her fascinating profession.

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In her awe-inspiring novels, she fearlessly takes on the important and timely topics of othering, microaggressions, and racism.

Her novels serve as a rallying cry for empathy, understanding, and unity in a world that desperately needs it.

November: Book week Scotland celebration at St Mungo’s library

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We had an incredible time in our school library during Book Week Scotland last November! The week was jam-packed with thrilling activities that got the pupils buzzing with excitement.

Our talented library helpers put together a fantastic display showcasing this year’s theme: Advendure. The display takes readers on exciting journeys across different countries and fictional universes. It captivated the imaginations of visitors and inspired them to embark on their own literary adventures.

The S1 classes had a blast with the “Wally scavenger hunt” right in the library. With curiosity buzzing in the air, students eagerly searched high and low, putting their observation skills to the test. The thrill of finding Wally hiding among the shelves and uncovering hidden treasures sparked pure joy and excitement. It was a truly unforgettable experience that left everyone buzzing with enthusiasm.

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But wait, there’s more! We hosted a sensational book giveaway all week long, and guess what? The books were absolutely free! That’s right, you read it correctly – FREE books for everyone to grab and devour! Pupils really went all out and cleared the table completely!

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It was such a delight to witness so many books finding new homes.

This year’s Book Week Scotland was an absolute blast! Cheers to all those pupils who wholeheartedly embraced this celebration in so many wonderful ways. May their passion for reading continue to grow as they embark on countless literary adventures ahead!