AR Stars

Well done to all of the 122 secondary students who exceeded their Accelerated Reader target during the first half term of this academic year.  

Some students far outstripped our expectations.  Freya in Year 7 and Ella in Year 9 both achieved more than five times their points target, with Hao (Year 7) reaching more than six times his target and Nabil (Year 8) over ten times - amazing!

Collectively the students read 4427 books during the first half term alone, totaling a staggering 68 million words!

Another positive start to the year at Swans - keep reading everyone!

All Part of the Service

Six students (two from IB and four from Year 10) are training as library assistants for the service component of their Duke of Edinburgh Award.

They are learning to check books in and out, to relate effectively to clients, to shelve books, to catalog and to complete other miscellaneous library tasks.  They have shown themselves willing and able to learn fast and try their hand at new skills.  They are also learning the importance of reliability and punctuality - essential qualities for future success in whatever field they may choose to enter.

Well done Alim, Lida, Artem, Chakir, Denis and Luis!  Your contribution to the library is much appreciated.

The Librarian Recommends: Wonder

The hero of this book (and what a hero) is Oggy, who has grown up with a medical condition that leaves him with a facial disfigurement.  Because of this his parents have taken the decision to homeschool him, but they have now decided it is time to get out in the world and start middle school.  This is the journey we go on with our plucky protagonist, as he navigates the school corridors and cafeterias that are such terrifying places for all of us, let alone for someone who is faced by the challenges that he is. The novel is told from several different perspectives and it is this, and the sheer quality and warmth of the writing that ensures that by the time we turn the final page we have got to know the entire cast of characters so well.  We become intimately involved with Oggy, his parents, his older sister, his friends, even his teachers - to the point at which we start to feel their pain as if it was our own.  When I first heard about this book I thought it sounded really depressing and now I am reading back over this review it sounds like a really grim read, but it’s actually not at all.  It’s quite the opposite in fact.  It’s actually funny and inspiring and sweet and moving and uplifting, and this is because this is not a novel about pain or barriers or challenges, but about overcoming them.  It’s about friendship and love and loyalty and bravery and being yourself and staying true to what you believe.  It’s also incredibly compelling and hard to put down, and an extremely well crafted book, full of beauty and wisdom.

The Librarian Recommends: All the Bright Places

Urgh, writer's envy is a terrible thing. And I felt it on basically every other page, if not more, of this amazing, amazing book. There's just so much I love about the surprising and original writing. And the characters are just so vividly drawn, not just Violet and the amazing Finch, but so so many others as well - their families, their school friends, even the bit parts are so solidly depicted. The love story is so well paced as well, so compelling. Literally could NOT put it down. I think this is one of the better, more truthful and sensitive depictions of mental health issues I've seen, as well as giving a fresh, original and realistic take on it. Totally jealous, and can't wait for the movie.

The Librarian Recommends: I'll Give You the Sun

I was transported to the rugged California coast by this beautiful novel, which tells the story of twins Noah and Jude, coming of age in artsy surf town Lost Cove.  The POV swaps between the twins and between two distinct timelines, one before the series of tragic events that drove the formerly very close siblings apart and one after.  We’re left to piece the story together pretty much as they do, since the assumptions they’ve made and the secrets they’ve kept from each other mean that they only each know half of the story.

It’s not an easy task to deliver two distinct and and unique voices within one book but Nelson is pitch perfect.  Both protagonists are artistic free spirits so their descriptions are unusual and original and poetic, rendering the novel into life as if it itself was one of the paintings that are so vividly evoked within its pages.  The love stories are believable and realistic while also being transcendent and beautiful.  The entire cast of characters are interesting, engaging and deeply flawed, fleshing out the bones of the twins’ family, history and community, the whole of which is brought to life with an honesty that is deeply moving.

An engaging, page-turning plot, sumptuous prose and a cast of fascinating characters - one of the best books I have read this year and one that stays with you, long after you read the final words.

Book Week 2016

The last week of Spring term was Book Week, and students had a great time celebrating reading and all things literary.  

Each day began with a special tutor activity, encouraging us to consider the benefits of reading, not only for our intellect, but also for our mental, physical and social wellbeing.  On Monday and Thursday lunchtime the library hosted book swaps, at which students exchanged loads of fantastic books and enjoyed each other's recommendations.  On Tuesday, students participated in the house competition challenging them to pair books with authors, with Falcons victorious for the second year running.  Wednesday saw the first of our Ask-The-Author sessions, in which Kate Ling (our librarian) talked about the process of writing her first published novel, and the students really impressed her with their very original, thoughtful and mature contributions to the discussion.  We also had a “Drop Everything and Read” session where the whole school enjoyed the benefits of doing just that for twenty minutes.  

The climax to the week, as always, was the final assembly, which featured the nail-biting final of the Spelling Bee (won for the third year running by Paloma in Year 8) as well as the final round of the book trailer competition, the entries to which were more creative and original than ever.

On top of all this, throughout the week students were listening to author podcasts created by the writers of Year 8 at our special Book Week listening posts, as well as taking book selfies for Facebook, and shopping after school at Book World’s pop-up shop.

All-in-all it was another fun-packed and inspirational Book Week and a great way to end a great term!

Accelerated Reader Effort Awards

Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 were recently presented with effort certificates for all the fantastic reading they did last term, as part of the Accelerated Reader scheme.

On this scheme, students earn points by reading books and then correctly completing quizzes on these books to show that they understand what they have read.  Each student has their own personalised points target to meet each term.

All students who met their target were rewarded, with special awards for those who exceeded them.  Many scored up to 150% of their target, with others doubling, tripling or in one case almost QUADRUPLING their target score!

The library and the English department are extremely proud of those students who have seized the opportunity offered by the Accelerated Reader scheme with both hands.  Well done to the students on these stellar efforts to hone their all-important reading skills.