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MALTILDA AWARDS
Matilda Awards 2022
This year saw the fourth annual completion of the Matilda Awards, a whole school reading challenge that encourages students to challenge themselves with what they can read over a three month period. Having read at least three books from a range of demanding reading lists, the reading challenge then culminates in them completing reflective tasks that encourage them to demonstrate how their reading has challenged their way of thinking or inspired them. Those completing the challenge, ranging from Year 6 to Year 13 this year, were as follows: Winter Bullen, Shriya Nagtode, Salina Khan, Rhea Lahiri, Rhiona Lahiri, Sarah Ng, Jessica Morrison, Ife Fasae, Tabitha Higgins, Hareem Ghouri, Amelia Parkin, Alice Simmons, Saachi Singh, Edie Lewis and Adn Ashab.
Mrs Besford - English Department
Matilda Award Winners 2022
Here is Saachi Singh’s account of her experience of the Matilda Awards:
The Matilda Awards is where you read as many books as possible leading up to World Book Day, with different reading themes for every year. These awards aim to inspire you to become a keen reader (like Roald Dahl's 'Matilda', hence the name) and to broaden your reading horizons whilst having fun. I really enjoyed completing the Matilda Awards both this year and last because they give you an amazing opportunity to read books you haven't read before which I personally find very interesting. It never fails to be exciting to immerse yourself into someone else's life and look at the world through their eyes. This year's reading list was linked by characters who dare to be different. One of my favourite books from the list is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. Scout the main character questions the way the world worked in the 1900s and stood out from the crowd with her bold questions and ” inquisitiveness. I would strongly recommend completing the Matilda Awards for anyone thinking about giving it a go.
Saachi Singh - Year 8
Library News
It has been another busy year in the LRC, welcoming all the year groups back to relative normality and returning to our usual bustling lunchtimes. We have had 25 student librarians from Years 7 -11 working on a rota since September. They have provided lots of support and help for other students. Amelia Parkin reflects on her year as a student librarian:
The LRC marked Holocaust Memorial Day by hosting a talk for Year 8 students in the library where they had the privilege of hearing from a survivor, Mala Tribich, about her experiences. The author Tom Palmer also spoke about his book ‘After the War’. World Book Day was a brilliant event, with author David Scott visiting. He delivered a full-school assembly and then spent the day doing workshops with students from Year 10, thinking about their identity and producing brilliant poems. We also used it as an opportunity to explore our identities by dressing in clothes that reflected our cultures and personalities. Two Year 8 teams took part in the National Literacy Trust Quiz which we hosted in the library here. We also had a team of Year 8 students marking the answers from teams all over Yorkshire which was no mean feat! They did very well indeed to keep up and showed great attention to detail.
Thank you to Mrs Roebuck, who has been working in After school care since December 2020 and left us in May, and to Mr Rogers who has kindly covered me whilst I have been away from school. I am very excited for all the events we already have planned for 2022-23 and to welcoming our new intake of students who I met on their transition day in June. I hope you have had a lovely, book-filled summer!
The last few years have seen the world come to a standstill, but the Learning Resource Centre (more commonly referred to as the library) did its best to persevere. Although alterations have had to be made, Ms Harries and the library team have done their best to preserve the welcoming and friendly environment we have come to know. Changes such as allocated library days for each year group, and introducing eBooks that were necessary to protect everyone from Covid did not diminish the atmosphere of the LRC, which still provided an excellent place to read, study, or hide from the rain on those most dismal days.
Fortunately, as we return to what was once ‘normal’, so has the library. While some of the changes which proved successful have stayed, such as the extensive catalogue of eBooks now available, the library has returned in all its glory to a friendly place where you can study with your friends.
One of the things that made its return after the altered state of being that was Covid is the student librarian system, which provided an opportunity for students who love reading, or just want to be a part of the amazing community to learn new skills and build on others. While this allows students to learn the ways of the library in depth, it also allows them to help their peers and learn more about the brilliant world of books. As a student librarian for the last few years, I love the relationships I have gained through our mutual love of books, and the skills I have learned. The only downfall of being a librarian is the mass of book recommendations shared that you know you will never get through! Whether you’re looking for a place to work, ” a friendly chat, or simply a place to relax with a good book, the Learning Resource Centre is the perfect place.
Ms Harries - LRC Manager and Diversity and Inclusion Champion
Calendar photography competition: Darcie Brammah
Information helps you to see that you're not alone. That there's somebody in Mississippi and somebody in Tokyo who have wept, who've all longed and lost, who've all been happy. So the library helps you to see, not only that you are ” not alone, but that you're not really any different from everyone else.
