For the past 20 years some staff at The Ravensbourne School have donated to Crisis at Christmas instead of sending Christmas cards. This year Crisis will not be able to help in the same way as in past years, but they will still be there for homeless people providing accommodation, delivering food, gifts and care packages and offering advice, support and company remotely. This year we raised £210 which will pay for more than 7 support packages for homeless people this Christmas.
A big shout out to Helen Smith, Librarian at Eckington School, who compiles this list of book and film tie-ins that are on TV over the Christmas, and to Mrs Nolan, Librarian at Eden Park High School, who always gives us the heads up.
If you are looking for some reading inspiration over the holidays you might want to take a look at the new books we have in the
Discovery Library and War Memorial Library.
December is Kindness month. We love this Action for Happiness Kindness Calendar. Many of our students and staff are going to give it a go 😃
The Empathy Lab book collection has some great suggestions for books on Kindness and Empathy, many of which we have in our Libraries, available to staff and students using our Click and Collect service. Check out our catalogue here.
Here are some of our suggestions.
We are really excited to announce that our staff and students are now able to access our Library catalogue using the Oliver app. Library Link on mobile phones and tablets.
The Guardian have published this fascinating interview with Jason Reynolds. Jason is the author of many amazing books including the award winning Long Way Down. We highly recommend this remarkable book and have copies in both our War Memorial Library and our Discovery Library, for staff and students to borrow.
Anti Bullying Week 2020 is Monday 16th November to Friday 20th November. The theme this year is United Against Bullying.
Because we know this is an important subject, both of our Libraries hold lots of useful books on the topics of bullying and teenage stress. TRS Students are welcome to browse our catalogue and reserve books using our Library Click and Collect service.
We will also be participating in Odd Socks Day on Friday!!
Whilst 'lockdown' put a temporary halt to us ordering new books it certainly did not stop authors writing and publishers publishing.
Since the beginning of the new term we have been busy adding lots of new books to our collections, so make sure you keep an eye on our new books pages here:
New Books in the Discovery Library
New Books in the War Memorial Library
With Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day this week, our thoughts are with the men and boys remembered on our school War Memorial housed in the War Memorial Library. A list of all those named can be found here.
For students who wish to read around the the subject we recommend searching our Library catalogue. TRS students can also take advantage of our Click and Collect service.
We love this Calendar. We have left it to the end of Black History Month to post it so you can read about all these amazing people now that all the windows are open.
For us every month is Black History Month. However, to highlight black history during October, every week in October we are going to blog about a school Library book which we consider important in the study of black history. In the final week of October we are going to celebrate the wonderful Malorie Blackman. Her most well know books are the Noughts and Crosses series.
The series describes the lives of Sephy, a Cross, and Callum a Nought, against a background of prejudice and distrust, highlighted by violent terrorist activity by Noughts. An impossible romance builds between Sephy and Callum, one which leads them both into terrible danger.
All we can say is the Noughts and Crosses series is a must read for everyone!
For us every month is Black History Month. However, to highlight black history during October, every week in October we are going to blog about a school Library book which we consider important in the study of black history. This week we would like to draw attention to The Life of Stephen Lawrence by Verna Allette Wilkins held in our Lower School Library.
The first 45 pages of this book give us a clear account of Stephen Lawrence, a regular south London child, a son and brother and aspiring architect. We learn on page 46 that Stephen's life was cut short when he was brutally murdered on the streets of Eltham, in a racially motivated attack. What followed was a police investigation described by the Macpherson Report as "marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership". The term 'institutional racism' is now one that is very familiar. We look forward to the day when nobody understands what it means.
T
October the 10th 2020 is World Mental Health Day. We are aware that the Covid-19 pandemic has effected people's mental health in many ways, both good and bad. We have lots of books for students and staff to borrow using our 'Click and Collect' service, for both self help and bibliotherapy.
For us every month is Black History Month. However, to highlight black history during October, every week in October we are going to blog about a school Library book which we consider important in the study of black history. This week we would like to draw attention to Respect by Michaela Morgan.
For us every month is Black History Month. However, to highlight black history during October, every week in October we are going to blog about a school Library book which we consider important in the study of black history. This week we would like to draw attention to Black and British : A Forgotten History by David Olusoga. Published in 2017 by Pan Macmillan this book, charting black British history from Roman times to the end of the 20th Century, can be found in our Upper School Library. Fittingly Olusoga has written a version for children aged 12+, Black and British: A short, essential history to be published this month. This complementary title is definitely on our wish list.
In this fascinating 'In Conversation with ... ' Afua Hirsch author of Brit (ish) On Race, Identity and Belonging, Olusoga also makes reference to Staying Power by the late Peter Fryer, another important black history title we hold in our Upper School Library.
In order to keep our students and staff safe we are unable to offer a browsing service in our school Libraries at the moment. However, we are able to offer a 'Click and Collect' service. A big shout out to Ms Bisbal, in our Modern Foreign Languages department, for creating this amazing PowerPoint presentation for us. (For a better experience download as Microsoft PowerPoint - File, Download - and view.)
We were so sad to hear of the death of Sam McBratney, author of the much loved book Guess How Much I Love You, the story of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare and their efforts to express their love for each other. Published in 1994 this tale will surely have been a favourite of many of our current students.
One of our students read 'Girl, Boy, Sea' by Chris Vick.
He so enjoyed the book he sent feedback to the author Chris Vick, and what a lovely surprise to hear that the student received this touching reply:
First of all, my apologies for not responding sooner. It really has been one of those weeks!
Secondly
- and most importantly - thank you for taking the time to write. I am so pleased that you loved Girl. Boy. Sea
as much as you did.
Reader's response is, in the end, the most important thing. When you write a book you get some feedback from fellow writers, agents and publishers/editors. But even this well qualified feedback doesn't really tell you how the book is going to play out when the readers get hold of it. So to get such feedback, and to know that you have been swept along, experiencing Bill's and Aya's trials and adventures, just as I did when I wrote it. Well, it means a lot, it really does.
This reminds us how important our feedback, as readers, is to authors, and it really is worth getting in touch.
Thank you to our student for sharing this with us.
Another young writer to watch!
Dara McNulty, a sixteen year old author, has beaten many established writers to win the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing with his book with Diary of a Young Naturalist. He is the youngest EVER winner of a major literary prize!
Everyone wants to interview Dara, and that is no surprise to us. Young people have so much writing talent to offer.
Dara is also the youngest ever writer to be longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize.
