ERS Catalogue 2012

Our new catalogue has hopefully arrived in your establishments this week. If not, here is a link to a handy PDF.

Get ordering those resources!

ERS Brochure 2013

Citing Sources: A Quick and Graphic Guide

This is a great graphic guide to citing sources and avoiding plagiarism. A fun introduction for students (and teachers and librarians!)

http://www.katehart.net/2012/06/citing-sources-quick-and-graphic-guide.html

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

I have had lots of fun making up this collection over the summer. It’s now ready for borrowing. Hope the pupils enjoy it!

Remember! It’s Roald Dahl Day on the 13th September 2012.

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Gerry Durkin visits Tannochside PS

Last month Primary 4 and Primary 5 children at Tannochside PS were treated to a visit from storyteller Gerry Durkin. Staff and pupils all loved his stories and songs and the “Dundee Ghost “ song proved a particular favourite! It also happens to be a hit with John Paul II Primary School.

Gerry’s visit to the school was part funded by the Scottish Book Trust and information on how to apply for funding for an author or storytelling session is available on their website. Children and Young People’s Librarians, based at the ERS, are happy to help organise such visits.

An update from the Baird Memorial PS Reaction Group

The P6 and P7 pupils in Baird Memorial PS Reaction Group were in teacher mode at their most recent meeting. The pupils had been reading “Ingo” by Helen Dunmore for several weeks but only two of the five pupils had completed it in that time. Although they all said they liked the book and one pupil even loved it, it was time for a star rating exercise so that the pupils could be honest about their thoughts about the book! The consensus was a resounding three and a half out of five for Ingo – so not bad but not a big favourite either. The book which is set in modern day Cornwall follows the main character, Sapphy, as she comes to terms with the disappearance of her Dad, and is torn between searching for him among the Mer people and keeping her feet firmly on terra firma at home with her Mum and brother. The pupils’ favouite scenes were:

when Roger discovers Sapphy in Ingo;
when Faro and Sapphy are riding on dolphins;
Sapphy’s first experience entering Ingo.

All exciting stuff but you’ll need to read to book if you want to know more.

100% of the Reaction pupils at Baird Memorial would like to read the next book in the series, The Tide Knot.

Cardinal Newman Cluster – London Olympics 2012 Showcase

Each of Cardinal Newman High School’s associated primary schools – St Gerard’s, Sacred Heart, Holy Family and John Paul II – took part in an investigation into the Olympic Games, culminating in a Showcase Event in March.

Rhona Skea, School Library Resource Manager and Alison Reilly, Children and Young Peoples’ Librarian, suggested we could help pupils with research into the Greek gods and goddesses, as part of the project.

We planned a GLOW meet at John Paul II with storyteller Gerry Durkin,to start off us off and were very grateful to Eileen Mallaghan and John Johnston for their technical expertise. It was very successful and all the schools enjoyed Gerry’s stories of Greek heroes. The storytelling session was funded jointly by Cardinal Newman High School and the Scottish Book Trust.

Rhona and Alison then visited the schools for a research and craft session with pupils. We asked pupils to complete a worksheet about the gods and goddesses and were very impressed by the children’s enthusiasm for the subject. We followed this up with the craft session, giving pupils the choice of colouring in and decorating pictures of the gods and goddesses, making olive wreaths or Greek masks, all of which would be mounted on a frieze for display at the Showcase and then at Cardinal Newman High School for pupils coming to the school in August. The pupils’ work was very artistic and imaginative and Rhona and I were delighted with the completed frieze.
Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and feedback was extremely positive.

St Gerard’s Primary School hosted the event on 23rd March and it was very successful and well organised. Each of the schools gave a fantastic presentation, covering all aspects of the Olympic Games, from the origin of the games, to Olympic heroes and heroines, and including famous London landmarks (with large scale models!), the value of healthy eating and exercise , and the cost of travel for a family of four to the Olympic Games in London. Pupils performed confidently and enthusiastically and
the audience was impressed by their efforts.

All the schools had prepared displays of what they had done and pupils were happy to show invited guests their work and discuss the project. There was also a display of ERS Greek artefacts, books and posters. Guests were treated to hospitality in the school library and all agreed that the pupils’ presentations and displays had inspired them with enthusiasm for the coming Games.

We were delighted that we had. been invited to take part in the project as it gave us the opportunity to help pupils with research skills and Rhona could meet and work with the new pupils. We hope they will enjoy visiting the library and seeing their work on display.

If you are being inspected, don’t panic!

If you are due to be inspected soon, then fear not! Some of our LRC Managers that have been through the process have got together and come up with the following hints and tips:

Preparation

1. Seems like a no brainer but be aware of and flag up how you support CFE.
2. Find out what QI or “strand” they are following and try to get involved – if you aren’t already.
3. Get invited to or attend the all staff meeting.
4. TRIANGULATION is key – don’t say anything that can’t be substantiated by evidence, colleagues or pupils.
5. Impact – evidence, evidence, evidence! Photographs, presentations, pupil and staff feedback.
6. Do have a box with all your documentation, policies etc e.g. Stock Selection, Library Policy, Library Handbook, ALL your evidence, LRCM job description, timetable of a normal week.
7. Be aware that you might acquire new friends that want to be seen to be using you during the inspection.
8. Inspectors very interested in access, so when you open and what you do in non-teaching times is relevant too. They are interested in your pastoral role too. Showcase your involvement in the life of the school.
9. Contact the ERS as soon as you have been informed of the inspection date. We will then arrange to come out and speak to you about the whole process. REMEMBER the ERS is there to support you through the whole process.

Advice

1. have a crib sheet to keep you on track
2. know why you do things the way that you do
3. use it to your advantage
4. Smile!

Remember, the whole process is now very informal and should be nothing to worry about – DON’T PANIC!

Some ways we are supporting Curriculum for Excellence…

The ERS has put together this booklet on some of the ways our team and the LRC Managers are supporting Curriculum for Excellence in schools.

libraries supporting learning

These are just a few examples of the many, many activities going on!

Effective Resource Based Learning

The ERS is proud to present a new document entitled “Effective Resource Based Learning: ERS Supporting Curriculum for Excellence”. The document highlights some of our resources and suggests ways in which they can be used to support the curriculum. We hope you find it useful!

ERS curriculum for excellence leaflet

ERS Catalogue now online – everywhere!

The ERS OPAC is now available to access from home and not just withing the school network. Follow the link below to see what we have to offer, including a useful reading list on the Olympics.

http://opac.ea.n-lanark.sch.uk:2000/ERS01

Secondary School libraries are also online too so speak to your LRC Manager for more information.