Reading Corner January 2024

Here’s a quick round up of January’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Winter Reading Challenge

Congratulations to all our children and families who took part in the Winter Reading Challenge which continued with the sports and games themed challenge, Ready, Set, Read! There will be a new Summer Challenge and we will send details when these ae available.

Our school wide Reading WIG and BoomReader

.

Please ensure that reading is logged on the BoomReader app at least 5 times a week to help us achieve our goal of every child reading 5 times each week. Congratulations to Y5 Gormley who topped the leaderboard last week on 74%

School Library Update

Our KS2 library has been open to all children fromY2-Y6 on a regular rota at lunchtimes. Thanks to the ongoing support of the PTA, we have been adding new books to our library each term. Our parent volunteers have been supporting our children during the early morning and lunchtime library times and helping to maintain our library. Our thanks as well to Y5 library leaders for their hard work.

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home.

Morning Library Visits

Please see the Reception and Y1 library times when parents can browse with their children in the morning.

Reading Corner November 2023

Welcome to the November edition of the Reading Corner. Here’s a quick round up of the latest reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Reading Fluency

Developing reading fluency for all our children starts with phonics which provides the decoding foundations of reading, alongside reading books for pleasure in school and at home. Fluent readers read with expression, pausing and emphasising phrases which show they understand what they are reading. They need lots of practice to do this! Reading fluency is taught throughout the school and reading regularly at home enhances this. We have recently extended our Little Wandle scheme with new books designed to develop this fluency, used primarily in Years 2 and 3. Many of these have been specially written by established authors to support children towards independent reading choices.

BoomReader

Children’s reading is recorded using our Boom Reader app. This gives us lots of information about how frequently children are reading and the books they are enjoying. Our home and school partnership works to ensure all children make the best possible reading progress. As well as reading lessons in school, the daily reading which takes place at home helps children to become fluent readers. Please ensure that daily reading is logged on the BoomReader app.

Each week we use the information for Boom Reader to share the percentage of each class who are reaching this goal. Children who meet our goal are awarded a bonus gem on their Boom Reader account! Important as collecting gems is, the true goal is for all or children to enjoy reading and read as much as they can.

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is: Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Reception children and their parents are welcome to join us on Monday morning from 8.30- 8.45am. for Seurat class and Tuesday morning for Kandinsky class.

Year One children and their parents are welcome to join us on Thursday morning from 8.30- 8.45am. for Miro class and Friday morning for Kandinsky class.

We hope to see lots of you there.

Pick of the new titles … The Diverse Book Awards – Longlist 2023

Established in 2019, the Diverse Book Awards has a number of categories including children’s books. The long lists for 2023 are available in the links below and a few examples are highlighted here.

Diverse Picture Book Awards

Diverse Children's Book Awards

Small's big dream: Mann, Manjeet 

A beautifully lyrical and empowering picture book about the importance of dreaming big, from award-winning author Manjeet Mann and the exceptionally talented debut illustrator, Amanda Quartey. Small lived in a small house. She had a small room with a small window and at night she slept in a small bed with a too small blanket. Despite being small, Small had BIG dreams. In Small's world, everything is small - her shoes, her bed, everything. But her dreams are big. And Small discovers that when you dream big, anything - and everything - can happen.

I am not a prince: Davis, Rachael, Hatcher, Beatrix

A fairy tale for the 21st century that challenges gender stereotypes and encourages children to be proud to be themselves. On a misty lagoon in a fairy tale land, young frogs wait patiently to be turned into magical princes. But one little frog is different . . . Hopp definitely does NOT want to be a prince! Everyone assumes the little frog is destined to be a prince . . . how could such a strong, brave, and kind frog be anything else? But all it takes is one understanding new friend to help Hopp undergo a magical transformation that causes a positive change to ripple all across the lagoon!

The Elemental Detectives: Lawrence, Patrice

I loved it." Cressida Cowell, Children's Laureate & author of How to Train Your Dragon A stunningly imagined, action-packed fantasy adventure for fans of Nevermoor, Neverwhere and Mortal Engines, from bestselling and award-winning author Patrice Lawrence. Step into a London lit up by the Elemental spirits: the fiery Dragons, the airy Fumis, the watery Chads and the earthbound Magogs. But humans have been causing chaos for centuries, trampling through the landscape trailing noise, mess and pollution.

Race to Fire Mountain: Blackwood, Remi

The first book in a major new series: FUTURE HERO - featuring high-octane adventure, perfect for fans of Black Panther! Destiny is Calling... When Jarell discovers that the fantasy world he is obsessed with doodling is actually real, he is launched into an incredible adventure. Ulfrika, the land of his ancestors, is in trouble and he is the hero they need. With the help of brave and wise-cracking Kimisi, Jarell must stop the evil Ikala.

Reading Corner September 2023

Welcome back to a new school year and the Reading Corner. We hope you had a fantastic summer and enjoyed your reading. Here’s a quick round up of September’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Summer Reading Challenge

Congratulations to all our children and families who took part in the Summer Reading Challenge. This year's sports and games themed challenge, ‘Ready, Set, Read!’ aimed to keep children reading for pleasure throughout the summer holidays. Teachers have been delighted to hear about the wonderful books children have been reading and Campus West library were impressed by the engagement of Applecroft children in the challenge!

Our school wide Reading WIG (Wildly Important Goal) and BoomReader

We are starting a new year with renewed energy and enthusiasm to make progress with our ‘Wildy Important Goal’ for ‘All families and pupils to engage with the BoomReader App.’ Each week we use the information for Boom Reader to share the percentage of each class who are reaching this goal. Children who meet our goal are awarded a bonus gem on their Boom Reader account! Important as collecting gems is, the true goal is for all or children to enjoy reading and read as much as they can.

Please ensure that reading is logged on the BoomReader app a minimum of 5 times a week to help us achieve this goal!

School Library Update

Our KS2 library underwent significant re-organisation last year. Our fiction library now has some smart new dividers to help us easily locate books by author. In addition, we have removed some of the old and tired non-fiction. Thanks to the ongoing support of the PTA, we have been adding new books to our library each term. This year some of our wonderful parent volunteers will support our children during the early morning and lunchtime library times and help to maintain our library.

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is: Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday: Y4  /  Friday: Y2

Morning Library Visits

Reception children and their parents/carers are welcome to join us every:

- Monday morning from 8.30-8.45am for Seurat class and

- Tuesday morning from 8:30-8:45am for Kandinsky class.

Year One children and their parents are welcome to join us on:

- Thursday morning from 8.30-8.45am for Miro class and

- Friday morning from 8:30-8:45am for O’Keeffe class.

We hope to see lots of you there.

Pick of the new titles

The Oak Tree by Julie Donaldson

Watch a thousand years unfold in the life of one magnificent tree! A thousand years ago, a tiny acorn fell to the ground. As the years pass, it grows . . . and GROWS into an enormous oak tree! As the centuries sweep by, children play games around the tree. The tree gives food and shelter to a host of animals, from squirrels and badgers to birds and beetles. After a thousand years, the ancient tree finally falls in a storm - but a new acorn sprouts, and the cycle of life begins all over again.

Mama’s Sleeping Scarf by Ngozi Adichie

A joyful exploration of family life, written by one of the most outstanding contemporary authors. This beautiful family story follows a young girl called Chino as she plays with her mama's sleeping scarf through the day. Running with the scarf, Chino weaves together little incidentals of home life into a glorious celebration of the power of a mother-daughter relationship, and the gentle joys that build a perfect day.

Oh Maya Gods by Maz Evans

Superstar author Maz Evans's hilarious new adventure is a welcome return to the bestselling world of the 'Who Let the Gods Out?' series - shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Book 1 of 3 in a superlative new spin-off series of mythological baddies. Packed full of edge-of-your-seat adventure, belly laughs and Maya mythology. As well as a brand-new Gods Squad led by Vesper and Aster, favourite characters from 'Who Let the Gods Out?' are back. Perfect for readers aged 8+

Reading Corner June & July

Here’s a quick round-up of June & July's reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Summer Reading Challenge

We hope all our children will register again for the Summer Reading Challenge. Reading over the summer holidays is vital to continue nurturing all the reading progress your child has made. The Summer Reading Challenge allows families to use the wonderful free resource of our local libraries. If you already have a library card you simply need to register at the library to receive a folder and get started. If you have not joined the library, it is a very simple process which can be completed on your first visit.

In previous years, children have responded brilliantly to the challenge and love to collect sticker s and gain their medal and certificate. Information has been sent out by email as a separate flyer.

School Library Returns

Please ensure that all books which have been borrowed from either of our libraries are returned by Wednesday 12^th July so we can prepare for next academic year. Books can be borrowed up until Friday 7^th July.

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents in both classes are welcome to join us on Tuesday morning from 8.30-8.45am.

Reception children and their parents in both classes welcome to join us on Friday morning from 8.30-8.45am.

Pick of the books shortlisted for awards:

Trapped by an evil dictatorship, will Cristian be forced to betray his family or will he risk everything he loves to resist?

A bestselling YA thriller based on real events, from a prizewinning author. Cristian has lived his entire life in the grip of a repressive dictatorship.

The country is governed by fear. When the secret police blackmail him, Cristian has an impossible choice.

Save the life of his sick grandfather by informing on his family, or risk his life - and all of theirs - by resisting? 

Zofia has a raging storm that makes her want to fight the whole world until she gets what she wants. And what she wants is for scaredy-cat Tom to get out of her life.

Tom hates loud, unpredictable Zofia just as much, but he's moving into Zofia's house. Because his mum and Zofia's dad are in love... and they're having a baby. Tom and Zofia both wish the stupid baby had never happened.

But then Tom's mum gets ill, and it begins to look horribly like their wish might come true... A story of learning to trust, trying to let go and diving into the unknown with hope in your heart.

Striking illustrations and an empowering story combine to introduce young readers to the world of maths, creative thinking and problem-solving. Setting off on a camping adventure with her cousin, Aliyah soon discovers that numbers are everywhere, whether it's counting out money at the shops, planning trips on the train or even stargazing in a forest.

As Aliyah solves some sums of her own, she learns about the brilliant mathematicians who have helped us understand our world.

A captivating new gift title featuring over 100 real-life mysteries that might just give you goosebumps! Does the Loch Ness monster really exist? What ever happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste? And where exactly are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

Get ready to be amazed as you uncover the world's greatest mysteries, from Bigfoot to the Bermuda Triangle. Including alien abductions, haunted houses, mind-blowing natural phenomena and much more, this book will explain the extraordinary - unless the extraordinary can't be explained, of course.

Reading Corner May

Here’s a quick round-up of May’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Our school wide Reading WIG and BoomReader

We are continuing to work towards our ‘Wildy Important Goal’ for ‘All families and pupils to engage with the BoomReader App.’

The aim is for all children to be recording their weekly reads regularly and consistently. The goal is another way to remind children of the importance of reading and its central place in our curriculum.

We know that some children are often reading regularly at home but we still need to work on the habit of recording this on our app. In Year 6 some of our children shared how they have made this a habit.

‘I have the app on my tablet and when I read I have the tablet next to me so I can just add my pages when I finish’

‘As soon as I finish reading I tell my mum and she logs it for me.’

‘I write my pages on my book mark so I can remember and I use the app the every morning after breakfast’

Maybe our Year 6 advice can help others to make this a habit too.

Please ensure that reading is logged on the BoomReader app at least 5 times a week to help us achieve this goal!

School Library Update

Our KS2 library has been recently re-organised. Thanks to the ongoing support of the PTA, we are able to add some new books to our library each term. We are grateful to our library volunteers who are continuing to audit our books, particularly the non-fiction, and we will identify new areas which will be priorities to improve next year.

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents in both classes are welcome to join us on Tuesday morning from 8.30- 8.45am.

Reception children and their parents in both classes welcome to join us on Friday morning from 8.30- 8.45am. We hope to see lots of you there.

Pick of the Book Awards and New Titles

123 Do The Robot – Michelle Robinson

Layla loves inventing new things in her bedroom science lab. One night, she decides to make a robot, and then she makes another. Together the three of them groove and do the robot dance but when a robot friend needs help, do they have the right moves to fix him?

But when Layla and her robot friends make a third robot, everything starts to go terribly wrong. Can Layla use her skills to fix him and get all her friends grooving before bedtime?

The Wishkeepers Apprentice – Rachel Chivers Khoo

When Felix meets a little man fishing coins out of the town’s fountain, he discovers that whenever anyone in the town makes a wish, it is Rupus Beewinkle who makes it come true. The wishkeeper is in dire need of an apprentice to help him, and as Felix is the only one to be able to see him, this becomes Felix’s new job. But there’s a terrifying wish-snatcher on the loose, determined to destroy every wish, and along with it, everyone’s hopes and dreams.

With moments of gentle humour, short chapters, and many sweet illustrations by Rachel Sansom throughout, this is perfect for the upper end of Key Stage 1 and lower end of Key Stage 2.

My Name is Sunshine Simpson – GM Linton

What is special about Sunshine Simpson? She needs to find something to say about herself for a school assembly – but what? A delight of a book, exploring grief, friendship dynamics and finding your voice in a friendly, relatable manner. A charming and ultimately uplifting story about family, community and self-belief. Told with humour and heart, Sunshine’s story of working out who she is, while dealing with school and family, is very relatable. Her family is bursting with energy – from the gregarious Grandad to the vivacious Auntie Sharon.

Wild Family – Ben Lerwill

Did you know that elephants have 40,000 muscles in their trunk? And that they dig for water? Did you know that a collection of panda is called a sleuth of pandas? And that Matabele ants carry their injured fellow ants back to the nest to be nursed? Discover these facts and many more fascinating tidbits about animals in this gorgeously illustrated book. 

With each spread focusing on a different animal family, and including the group noun for each (a circus of puffins!), this is an accessible introduction to how animals live. The emphasis is on biodiversity and interconnectivity, and the reader learns how each family cannot exist in isolation. And, the author makes the point powerfully at the end, humans need to protect nature and nature needs to protect us. We all share the same planet. Every child will find something to engage them in this book. The author packs a lot of facts into accessible chunks of text, and the illustrations show adorable animals and a wide variety of natural beauty.

Reading Corner April

Here’s a quick round up of April’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Our school wide Reading WIG and BoomReader

We are now in our second half term having set our ‘Wildy Important Goal’ for ‘All families and pupils to engage with the BoomReader App.’ Last half term’s scores were recorded weekly and shared with our classes:

Year 5 Gormley, Year Five Hockney and Year 4 Riley were respectively in the top three places over the half term.

For KS1 classes, Year 1 O’Keefe, Year 1 Miro and Year 2 Monet scores were too close to call - so honours shared.

Well done to all of these classes. Every class showed a clear improvement and moved closer to the goal we have set – but we can do better. Please ensure that reading continues to be logged on the BoomReader app at least 5 times a week to help us achieve this goal!

School Library Update

A big thank you again to all of the staff and the parents who have been busily helping out in our school libraries. We continue to make progress!

Our KS2 library has been recently re-organised. Our fiction library now has some smart new dividers to help us easily locate books by author. In addition, we have removed some of the old and tired non-fiction. Thanks to the ongoing support of the PTA, we have been adding new books to our library each term. Parents have also helped us directly to develop vibrant, appealing and diverse libraries for our children through our Next Books ‘Wish List’. Many thanks to all those who have contributed. We hope to run this initiative again in the autumn term.

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents in both classes are welcome to join us on Tuesday morning from 8.30- 8.45am.

Reception children and their parents in both classes welcome to join us on Friday morning from 8.30- 8.45am. We hope to see lots of you there.

Pick of the Book Awards and New Titles

Oscar’s Book Prize is an annual prize for the best under-fives book of the year. Alligator’s Mouth Book awards are for 6-8 year olds. The 2023 shortlists includes the following titles:

Under 5’s: Billy and the Pirates by Nadia Shareen

Join Billy and Fatcat on their quest to escape Captain Howl in their third thrilling adventure, filled with singing mermaids and sticky toffee eating sharks. Ahoy there! It's time to sail the ocean blue with Billy and her trusty feline friend, as they embark on a noble seafaring adventure. Billy and Fatcat find a mysterious message in a bottle at sea.

Under 5’s: The Gecko and the Echo by Rachel Bright and Jim Field

A flamboyantly fun tropical tale of love, fame, friendship. Goldy wants one thing, and one thing only - to be a STAR.On the sunny island this gecko calls home, it's always THE GOLDY SHOW, morning 'til night. But when you're dazzled by the limelight, it's easy to lose sight of the world around you. And when Goldy's performance starts to go wrong, the little gecko discovers that friendship means so much more than fame.

6-8 year olds: Space Detectives by Mark Powers

Grown an extra head and don't know why? Pocket money stolen by a green blob? You need the Space Detectives! Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays aboard the world's first orbiting city, Starville. The amazing space station is bursting with celebrities and the mega-rich. Neither of our heroes can resist a mystery and when they discover the space station is hurtling on a collision course with the moon, they know they need to step in.

6-8 year olds: The Girl Who Talked To Trees by Natasha Farrant

Olive's best friend is a four-hundred-year-old oak tree, and it is in danger. As she tumbles into its magic world, she makes it a promise. From deep roots to high branches, a Persian garden to an underwater forest, from tulip trees to wild apple to vengeful box, she listens to the trees telling stories for all time. With a conservation message and facts about tree science alongside the magic and wonder of seven beautifully imagined original stories, this book enchants and reminds us of the importance of trees in our lives.

Non Fiction 7+: See Inside Genes and DNA by Alice James

Genes and DNA are fascinating subjects for even the youngest of readers who want to learn about themselves and what makes them unique, why we all look different and so many more mysteries about the code that connects us with every living creature on the planet.

Graphic Novel 10+: Global by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin

Yuki is a 14 year old girl who lives in an increasingly deserted Inuit township in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Sami a 12 year old boy who lives in a fishing village on the Bay of Bengal. They have never met, but their communities have both been catastrophically changed by global warming. This is a moving and timely novel that is perfect for readers aged 10 and up – the story and action zip along, and the underlying call to action is powerful. Global is further enhanced by a section at the end explaining the real-life themes covered.

Reading Corner March

Here’s a quick round up of March’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Our school wide Reading WIG and BoomReader

We have recently launched our ‘Wildy Important Goal’ for ‘All families and pupils to engage with the BoomReader App.’ We have been calculating the scores for 3 weeks now:

Year 5 Gormley have been top of the leader board for 3 weeks in a row and have recorded an amazing 96%!

Year 4 Riley and Year 5 Hockney have been battling for 2^nd place but have been in 2^nd or 3^rd position for 3 weeks in a row too!

For KS1 classes, Year 1 O’Keefe have logged the most reading for 3 weeks.

Well done to all of those classes. Please ensure that reading continues to be logged on the BoomReader app at least 5 times a week to help us achieve this goal!

World Book Day – Thursday 2^nd March

What a fantastic day we had on World Book Day! We all dressed as our favourite characters and shared our recommended reads.

Here are some recommended books ‘about books’ to celebrate World Book Day.

School Library Update

A big thank you again to all of the staff and the parents who have been busily helping out in our school libraries. We have made great progress!

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents in both classes are welcome to join us on Tuesday morning from 8.30- 8.45am.

Reception children and their parents in both classes welcome to join us on Friday morning from 8.30- 8.45am. We hope to see lots of you there.

Next Page Books ‘Wish List’

As you will have seen we have recently been revamping our KS2 and classroom libraries. As a result, we have recycled some older books and are currently looking to replace these with new and exciting ones, which promote our school reading for pleasure vision.

We have set up a ‘Wish List’ with Next Page Books which will allow parents and members of our school community to donate money towards these new books. Please support us if you can. Next Page Books will also give 10% extra on top of all money raised back to school. Thank you in advance for your support. The wish list will be open until Friday 7^th April. https://nextpagebooks.co.uk/wishlists/

Here are some of the titles we are hoping to purchase.

Book Awards Round Up

March saw the announcement of the winner of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2022. The winner was…

'If the World Were 100 People' - By Jackie McCann and Aaron Cushley.

This book is a thought provoking introduction to the people who live on our planet. It imagines that the world’s population is represented in just one village of only 100 people. A celebration of what we have in common and what makes us unique.

Recommended reading age: 5+

Waterstones Children’s Book Prize

Best Book for Younger Readers

'Nura and the Immortal Place'

An exciting magical adventure with a headstrong heroine who values family and friendship over riches, and community over selfishness. It highlights how hard life is for many children in the world, in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

Recommended reading age: Upper KS2

 Best Illustrated Book

'Gretel the Wonder Mammoth'

Wonder Mammoth! Everyone is so excited to meet her but as she settles into her new life, Gretel starts to feel a little overwhelmed and even a bit lonely...

This positive, encouraging picture book teaches young readers that perhaps the bravest act a person (or mammoth!) can do is ask for help.

  Recommended reading age: EYFS/ KS1

Reading Corner February 

Here’s a quick round up of February’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community. 

Our school wide Reading WIG and BoomReader 

We have recently launched our ‘Wildy Important Goal’ for ‘All families and pupils to engage with the BoomReader App’ (please see parent letter for further details) 

Please ensure that reading is logged on the BoomReader app at least 5 times a week to help us achieve this goal! We look forward to seeing which classes are doing the most reading! The top 3 classes will be announced in next month’s edition. 

School Library Openings 

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is: 

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2 

Morning Library Visits 

Y1 children and their parents in both classes are welcome to join us on Tuesday morning from 8.30- 8.45am.  

Reception children and their parents in both classes welcome to join us on Friday morning from 8.30- 8.45am. We hope to see lots of you there. 

Secret Storyteller in Reception and Year 1 

Secret Storyteller has been a great success and the children have been so excited to see who will be joining us! Thanks to everyone who has been in so far. 

The slots for this half term have now been filled but there will be more available after the Easter holidays and throughout the rest of the year. We hope to see you in school soon.  

Applecroft Events in February 

NSPCC Number Day 

We celebrated NSPCC Number Day at the beginning of February. We had a great day and Year 1 enjoyed a special number themed secret storyteller visit! Here are some other recommended reads featuring numbers.  

Children’s Mental Health Week  

We also took part in activities around Children’s Mental Health week in February. Books can be a great way to talk about feelings. Here are some of our suggestions available in the school library. 

Coming soon… 

Our favourite day of the year… World Book Day! 

On Thursday 2nd March we will be celebrating World Book Day at school. This will be a day filled with reading for pleasure and book related activities. Children can come dressed as their favourite book character on this day. We look forward to an exciting day ahead! 

Next Page Books ‘Wish List’ 

We have recently been revamping our KS2 and classroom libraries. As a result, we have recycled some older books and are currently looking to replace these with new and exciting ones, which promote our school reading for pleasure vision. We have set up a ‘Wish List’ with Next Page Books which will allow parents and members of our school community to donate money towards these new books. Next Page Books will also give 10% extra on top of all money raised back to school. More details can be found in the parent letter (World Book Day and Wish List). Thank you in advance for your support.  

Book Awards Round Up 

Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2023 

The shortlist nominations for Waterstones Children’s Book Prize are here.  

The nominations for Illustrated Book are: ​​​​​​​

The nominations for Younger Readers are: 

We look forward to the winners being announced soon! 

Reading Corner January

Here’s a quick round up of January’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Boom Reader

Thank you to everyone who has been recording reading regularly on Boom Reader. The children love to see their gems increasing! Now we have started the new year we are launching tracking which class are doing the most reading on a school wide leader board. This will encourage us to achieve our goal of everyone reading at least 5 times a week, so keep on logging your amazing reading! Look out in next month’s newsletter for which class has reached the number 1 spot! Please ask your class teacher if you need any help with BoomReader.

School Library Openings

The school library is open every day. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents in both classes are welcome to join us on Tuesday morning from 8.30- 8.45am.

Reception children and their parents in both classes welcome to join us on Friday morning from 8.30- 8.45am.

We hope to see lots of you there.

Parent Helpers

Thank you to the parents who have volunteered their time to help in our school library. We are currently adding new books and sorting the KS2 library. Watch this space…

Secret Storyteller…

We are thrilled to have launched our new reading for pleasure initiative to promote early reading in Reception and Year 1... ‘Secret Story Teller!’ Every Friday afternoon we will be hosting a very special story time where a secret guest of one of the children in the class will join us to share a book. Thank you to everyone who has joined us so far. It has been a great success and the children have been so excited to see who will be joining us!

There will be more slots available after the February half term and throughout the rest of the year. Keep your eye out for the new sign-up sheet which will be sent round before the holidays.

Winter Mini Reading Challenge

Well done to everyone who completed the ‘Winter Mini Reading Challenge.’ If you haven’t logged your reading yet, you still have time to do this and receive an online certificate and unlock a limited-edition virtual badge.

For more information see the Winter Reading Challenge letter or visit: https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/about-the-challenge

Happy New Year

As we welcome 2023 and celebrate a new year, here are some books suitable for primary age children which celebrate Chinese and Lunar New Year around the world.

https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/seasonal-events/chinese-new-year/

Here are some of our recommended reads:

Reading Corner December

Here’s a quick round up of December’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Boom Reader

Thank you to everyone who has been recording reading regularly on Boom Reader. The children love to see their gems increasing! After the holiday we will be tracking which class are doing the most reading on a school wide leader board. This will encourage us to achieve our goal of everyone reading at least 5 times a week so keep on logging your amazing reading! Please ask your class teacher if you need any help with BoomReader.

School Library Openings

The school library is open. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3 / Tuesday: Y5 / Wednesday: Y6 / Thursday Y4 / Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents are welcome to join us on the following mornings from 8.30- 8.45am.

Miro Class – Tuesday O’Keefe Class – Wednesday

In addition we are pleased to open the library up for Reception parents on the following mornings from 8.30- 8.45am.

Kandinsky – Thursday Seurat – Friday

We hope to see lots of you there.

Secret Storyteller…

We have launched our new reading for pleasure initiative to promote early reading in Reception and Year 1... ‘Secret Story Teller!’ Every Friday afternoon after the holiday we will be hosting a very special story time where a secret guest of one of the children in the class will join us to share a book. Thank you to everyone who has signed up and expressed a wish to join in. We are really looking forward to having you in school. Slots have now been allocated but please don’t worry if you missed out this time there will be more slots available after the February half term and throughout the rest of the year.

Winter Mini Reading Challenge

The ‘Gadgeteers’ are back for their next adventure! The ‘Winter Mini Reading Challenge’ has launched and we will be encouraging children to complete the challenge over the Christmas holidays. To do this children will need to read and log at least 3 books before 20th February via the website.

Once they have done this, they will receive an online certificate and will unlock a limited-edition virtual badge for completing the challenge! For more information see the Winter Reading Challenge letter or visit: https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/about-the-challenge

Book Awards Round Up

December saw the announcement of Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year which went to ‘Skandar and the Unicorn Thief’ by A.F Steadman.

Recommended reading: Age 9+

This compelling fantasy adventure, the first in an epic series, is a gripping read. With imaginative characters and an exhilarating plot, readers are transported to a convincing world of fortified forests, spectacular treehouses and ferocious unicorns. Friendship, loyalty and teamwork are at the heart of this novel, which also sensitively explores topics of grief, bereavement and depression.

Christmas/ Winter Reads

If you are looking for Christmas reads take a look at some of these books suitable for primary age children. https://www.booksfortopics.com/christmas

Here are some of our recommended reads:

Reading Corner - November

Here’s a quick round up of the November’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Boom Reader

Thank you to everyone who has been recording reading regularly on Boom Reader. The children love to see their gems increasing! We will shortly be tracking which class is doing the most reading on a school wide leader board. This will encourage us to achieve our goal of everyone reading at least 5 times a week! Please ask your class teacher if you need any help with BoomReader.

School Library Openings

The school library is open. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents are welcome to join us on the following mornings from 8.30- 8.45am.

Miro Class – Tuesday            O’Keefe Class – Wednesday

In addition we are pleased to open the library up for Reception parents on the following mornings from 8.30- 8.45am.

Kandinsky – Thursday           Seurat – Friday

We hope to see lots of you there.

Missing Books…

Please ensure that you bring all borrowed books back to school. We currently have lot of library books still out on loan and some of our reading books have failed to be returned. Please check your bookshelf for any books that may need returning and bring them back to school. Many Thanks.

Secret Storyteller…

We are launching our new reading for pleasure initiative to promote early reading in Reception and Year 1... ‘Secret Story Teller!’ Every Friday afternoon we will be hosting a very special story time where a secret guest of one of the children in the class will join us to share a book. Look out for further information coming soon in a letter which will outline how you can get involved.

Book Awards Round Up

‘Books Are my Bag Awards.’ The winner for children’s fiction was:

A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good- By Louie Stowell

Recommended reading: Age 8+

A comic style book which follows the life of God Loki who is trapped inside the body of an 11 year old! A great choice for more reluctant readers and fans of Norse mythology.

Teach Primary Book Awards

KS1 winner – The Story Shop: Blast Off – By Tracey Corderoy

An exciting story about the power of imagination!

The Story Shop is packed full of plots, costumes and characters galore. And shopkeepers Wilbur and Fred are ready and waiting to find every customer their perfect adventure!

When a daredevil mouse visits the shop, Wilbur and Fred have just the thing – an out-of-this-world space mission!

KS2 winner - When the Sky Falls- By Phil Earle

Another win for When the Sky Falls after its success at the British Books Awards and being nominated for the Yoto Canegie Medal! Available now in the KS2 library.

World Cup Reads

If you are excited about the World Cup take a look at some of these books about football suitable for primary age children.

https://www.booksfortopics.com/football

Here are some of our recommended reads:

Coming Soon…Winter Mini Reading Challenge

The Gadgeteers are back for their next adventure! The Winter Reading Challenge will be launching on 1^st December. More information coming soon!

Reading Corner - October

Here’s a quick round up of the October’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Boom Reader

As you know towards the end of last term we moved to Boom Reader (formerly GoRead) to record our reading here at Applecroft. Thank you to everyone who has been recording reading on here. Please ensure that you login regularly, either via the app or webpage, so we can see all the amazing reading that is happening at our school! Please ask your class teacher if you need any help with this.

Next Page Books Fair – Free Books!

You may remember that at the end of last term we hosted a book fair by Next Page Books. As a result of your support we raised 10% of profits back to school allowing us to purchase some lovely new books for our school libraries. Here are some of the diverse and inclusive books we will be adding.

School Library Openings

The school library has reopened. Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3  /  Tuesday: Y5  /  Wednesday: Y6  /  Thursday Y4  /  Friday Y2

Morning Library Visits

Y1 children and their parents are welcome again to join us on the following mornings from 8.30- 8.45am.

Miro Class – Wednesday            O’Keefe Class – Thursday

Parent Librarians Wanted…

We are looking for some help with running and maintaining our school libraries and keeping them well loved. Please let us know if you are interested in helping out. Thank you to everyone who has already expressed an interest we will be in touch soon.

Exciting News… We soon will be launching our new reading for pleasure initiative to promote early reading... ‘Secret Story Teller!’ More information coming soon!  

Book Awards Round Up

October saw the announcement of the ‘Diverse Book Awards.’ These awards were created to promote diverse and marginalised voices.

The winner was:

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow- By Benjamin Dean

Recommended reading: Upper KS2/ Age 9+

The rainbow-filled, joyous debut from a hugely exciting new talent. The story follows young Archie Albright and his best friends on a determined quest to understand his parents’ separation following a revelation from his father. LGBTQ themes.                             

  Reading Corner - September

Here’s a quick round up of the summer’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Boom Reader

As you know, in June this year we moved to Boom Reader (formally Go Read) to record our reading here at Applecroft. Thank you to everyone who has been recording reading on here. Please ensure that you login, either via the app or webpage, so we can see all the amazing reading that is happening at our school! Please ask your class teacher if you need any help with this.

Summer Reading Challenge

Well done to everyone who completed the Summer Reading Challenge. We hope that you enjoyed taking part. Don’t forget you have until 30th September to log your books online, if you haven’t already, and get your virtual certificate. https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/

Book Awards Round Up

It’s been a busy time for book awards. Here are some of the recent winners:

Alligators Mouth Award for Illustrated Early Fiction

Enter the colourful world of Indigo Wilde and the magical creatures who live at Jellybean Crescent. When a highly dangerous new arrival goes missing, the race is on to catch it before disaster strikes…

Recommended reading - Age 7- 9.

UKLA Book Awards - UK literacy association book awards judged by teachers.

7+ Category – The winner was ‘October, October’ By Katya Balen, which also featured in last month’s reading corner as winner of The Carnegie Medal.

October, October is a “beautiful” and “captivating” story of a girl, October, who must learn to spread her wings after a childhood spent living wild in the woods changes dramatically the year she turns 11.

Recommended reading – Y5 and Y6

3+ Category – Joint winners

The Invisible- By Tom Percival

A moving, powerful story that shines a light on those that feel invisible in our world - and shows us that we ALL belong.

Recommended reading - Age 4-5.

Barbara Throws a Wobbler – By Nadia Shireen

Barbara is not having a great day. First, she can’t find the right sock, then there’s a suspicious pea for lunch, and THEN she steps on a crack on the pavement. Her friends can’t cheer her up, and then, the unthinkable happens: Barbara drops her ice-cream. It’s the last straw and a full-blown WOBBLER erupts. ARGHHH!

Recommended reading - Age 3-5.

Books Are My Bag Award

My Beautiful Voice- By Joseph Coelho

A moving, lyrical picture book about a shy child unlocking the power of their own voice through poetry, with the helping hand of an extra special teacher.

Recommended reading - Age 4-8

The Klaus Flugge Prize – Awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s book illustration

Pierre’s New Hair - By Joseph Hollis

A joyful and colourful paperback picture book about a quiff loving bear who discovers that looks aren’t everything.

Recommended reading - Age 6-8

New Waterstones Poet Laureate

Congratulations to poet, playwright and author Joseph Coelho on becoming Children’s Poet Laureate. To celebrate we will be adding some of his collection to feature in our school libraries.

A Big Thank You

We are delighted that all of these books and all of the previous award winners featured in ‘Reading Corner’ will be available soon in our school libraries thanks to the generosity of the PTA and their supporters. Many thanks.

School Library Openings

The school library has reopened. Y2-Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30pm – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home.

The timetable is:

Monday: Y3 / Tuesday: Y5 / Wednesday: Y6 / Thursday Y4 / Friday Y2

Morning Visits

Starting next week, Y1 children and their parents are welcome again to join us on the following mornings from 8.30- 8.45am in the Early Years and KS1 library.

Miro Class – Tuesday O’Keefe Class – Wednesday

Parent Librarians wanted…

We are looking for some help with running and maintaining our school libraries and keeping them well loved. Please let us know if you are interested in helping out. Thank you to everyone who has already expressed an interest

Reading Corner June/ July 2022

Here’s a quick round up of June’s/July’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Go Read at Applecroft School:

We has seen the exciting launch of ‘Go Read’ our new digital reading diary. Thank you to all the parents that have already, successfully signed up and started using the App. If you haven’t yet had the chance to, then please support us in achieving our goal of having every family signed up to and using the App by the end of this academic year. In the first week, following the launch we have already had 126 children registered who between them have read 561 books! Well done everyone.

Summer Reading Challenge:

We are pleased to be running the ‘Summer Reading Challenge’ once again in conjunction with Welwyn Garden City library. The theme this year is ‘Gadgeteers’ and promotes awareness that science is all around us and encourages children to unleash their curiosity and creativity!

Applecroft School and Welwyn Garden City Library will be challenging children to read six books between July and September and visit the library to tell them all about what they have read. Children who successfully complete the challenge will receive a medal, a special pencil and a certificate. The library staff will be visiting our school to promote the Summer Reading Challenge in assembly on Monday 11^th July.

https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/

Next Page Books Book Fair:

 Next Page Books joined us at Applecroft on our Open Afternoon. This independent children’s bookshop is based in Hitchin and specialises in neurodiverse and inclusive books.  Hopefully you had the opportunity to, browse and purchase some of the best children’s books around at the moment.

Yoto Carnegie Greenaway Award Winners:

These awards are the longest running children’s book awards and are given for outstanding writing (Carnegie) and outstanding illustration (Greenaway). The winners were:

• Yoto Carnegie Medal - October, October by Katya Balen

Recommended reading age - Y5 and Y6.

October, October is a “beautiful” and “captivating” story of a girl, October, who must learn to spread her wings after a childhood spent living wild in the woods changes dramatically the year she turns 11. 

• Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal (Shadowers’ Choice) -The Midnight Fair by Mariachiara di Giorgio

Recommended reading age - Enjoyable for all

A heart-warming, immersive wordless picture book that uncovers the secret life of animals who prowl a fairground at night, featuring sumptuous use of colour and contrast, which invoke all the senses.  

Reading Corner May 2022

Here’s a quick round-up of May’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

Ready Set Read Challenge:

Well done again to all the children who completed the Usborne reading challenge and thank you to everyone who supported this. We are pleased to announce that as a result of this event we are looking forward to adding more Usborne non-fiction books to our main libraries. These will be arriving in school after the holidays. We completed a draw of all entries to the challenge and picked the winners of a book of their choice at random. Here are our lucky winners and the books that they chose!

Winners:

EYFS/KS1- Alp (Reception)

As part of the challenge he enjoyed reading; Dear Zoo, Little Red Riding Hood and A Squash and a Squeeze. He chose Usborne Beginners Dinosaurs “My favourite dinosaur is a T-Rex, it’s really strong and eats meat. It’s king of the world!’

KS2- Gabriel (Year 5)

As part of the challenge he enjoyed reading; a non-fiction book on space, a space magazine and the Real Pigeons series. He chose 100 Things to Know about Space and can’t wait to find out more fascinating facts.

School Library Openings:

Y2- Y6 classes can visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home. The timetable is:

Monday: Y3 / Tuesday: Y5 / Wednesday: Y6 / Thursday Y4 / Friday Y2

A reminder that Y1 and Reception children and their parents are welcome to join us on the following mornings from 8.30am. We have loved seeing you there!

Kandinsky Class – Monday Seurat Class - Tuesday

Miro Class – Thursday O’Keefe Class – Friday

The Queens Platinum Jubilee ‘Royal Reads’:

We hope that you enjoyed receiving the special commemorative book to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. This special addition book was designed as an official once-in-a-lifetime commemoration of the Platinum Jubilee and was written in collaboration with royal experts and historians. It tells the story of a young girl, Isabella, visiting her Great Granny Joyce who tells her about the Queen and this year’s Jubilee.

With this momentous occasion in mind, here are a few other books featuring The Queen that you might enjoy.

British Book Awards:

The winners of the 2022 British Book Awards have been announced. The winners were:

Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year:

Hey You!

A celebration of growing up black written by award winning Dapo Adeola in collaboration with 18 illustrators.

Children’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year and Overall Book of the Year:

You Are a Champion

Recommended For: Y5 and Y6

An empowering read centred on building self-confidence written with footballer Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka.

Children’s Fiction Book of the Year:

When the Sky Falls

Recommended For: Y5 and Y6

A Second World War story based around an unlikely relationship between a young boy and a gorilla written by Phil Earle.

Reading Corner April 2022

Here’s a quick round up of April’s reading news at Applecroft and in the wider reading community.

New ‘CLUSP’ Reading Curriculum:

We are very excited to have introduced our new reading curriculum this half term in Years 1-6. The scheme is underpinned by the latest research, evidence and cognitive science. Throughout the scheme there is a focus on vocabulary acquisition and retention, and oracy as well as a rich spine of diverse literature that runs throughout. We are looking forward to reading some of these excellent books in our lessons.

Class and Whole School Library Books:

PTA have kindly funded lots of new books to be added to our libraries. We have chosen books which represent diverse and inclusive themes, as we know the importance of children seeing representations of themselves in books and the power of books to be ‘windows into the world of others’. These books will be shared with classes soon and will then be added to class libraries.

In addition to this, we will be adding additional books to our non-fiction and poetry selections in the main school libraries.

Thank you to the PTA and everyone in our school community who has supported them with this funding.

 In addition to the books above, we want to give a special thank you to one of our KS2 families for their very generous book donation at the end of last term. We are very grateful for your kindness.

Library Book Returns:

Please ensure all school library books are returned. We would be grateful if you could check your bookcases for books with the Applecroft stamp as we have some which are registered on our online system as being on extended loans. If you find any please return these to either the school office or your child’s teacher.

School Library Openings:

We have loved fully opening up our school libraries again. In addition to our weekly class session for our Reception and Year 1 families, we are providing opportunities for children in Y2- Y6 to visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30–1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home.

The timetable is:

Monday: Y3 / Tuesday: Y5 / Wednesday: Y6 / Thursday Y4 / Friday Y2.

Just a reminder that our Reception and Year 1 children and their parents are welcome to join us on the following mornings from 8.30-8:45am:

Kandinsky Class – Monday   Seurat Class - Tuesday

Miro Class – Thursday         O’Keefe Class – Friday

Ready, Set, Read Challenge:

Well done to everyone who took part in our Usborne Easter Reading Challenge. We hope that you enjoyed it. We are currently looking at entries and will announce results soon.

Reading Corner March 2022

I would like to introduce our new newsletter piece focusing on all things reading. It’s been a busy reading month here at Applecroft and in the reading community.

World Book Day -3rd March

What a fantastic day we had celebrating World Book Day! Everyone loved dressing up as their favourite characters and sharing stories throughout the day. Here are a few photos of our amazing costumes. We hope that you enjoyed using your free book voucher.

Ready, Set, Read Challenge

Following on from the summer and winter reading challenges we would like to announce our Easter reading challenge... Ready Set Read. The aim of this challenge is to read as much as you can between 1st April – 18th April. Please record how many minutes you have read for and don’t forget to keep a record of everything you have read. Everyone who participates will get a certificate and the chance to win a prize. All money raised will go towards wonderful new books for our school libraries and Usborne will give us more free books the more money we raise! So start collecting your sponsorship and enjoy the challenge! Please see the Easter Reading Challenge letter for further details.

School Library Openings

We have loved fully opening up our school libraries again. In addition to our weekly class sessions, we are providing opportunities for Y2- Y6 classes to visit the library at lunchtime between 12.30 – 1pm on a weekly rota to explore a good book or to borrow one for reading at home.

The timetable is: Monday: Y3 / Tuesday: Y5 / Wednesday: Y6 / Thursday: Y4 / Friday: Y2

Year 1 children and their parents have also had the opportunity to visit the library in the mornings to promote early reading for pleasure. These morning sessions will continue after the holidays for Year 1 parents and we would also like to offer this to Reception parents too. You are welcome to join us on the following days between 8.30- 8.45am:

Kandinsky Class – Monday         Seurat Class - Tuesday

Miro Class – Thursday               O’Keefe Class – Friday

Blue Peter Book Awards

The winners of the 2022 Blue Peter Book awards have been announced this month. These awards are voted for by school children and the categories are for the best story and the best book with facts. Here are the winners:

Both books have an age rating of 8-11 so are suitable for children in the juniors. Take a look here to see all of the books that were nominated and to find your next read.

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/awards-and-prizes/current-prizes/blue-peter-bookawards/#!?sortOption=AtoZ&pageNo=1&pageSize=16