Author Visit

 

AUTHOR VISIT

Katie & Kevin Tsang

Tuesday, 19^th September

Year 4, Year 5, & Year 6

Katie and Kevin loved our library and book nook.

What a fabulous start to our autumn term!

We were delighted to welcome to St. Joseph’s the wonderful authors, Katie and Kevin Tsang, co-authors of the bestselling, ‘Dragon Realm’ books. St. Joseph’s was their first stop on their tour to promote the first book, ‘Dragon Force’, of their latest action-packed series.

Year 4, Year 5, and Year 6 children gathered in the Upper Junior Hall to listen to a fun and interactive talk given by Katie and Kevin. They began by explaining how they worked to produce their books and shared tips on how to be inclusive when working together, building on ideas. 

The children were keen to find out about their new story, ‘Dragon Force’, so Katie and Kevin treated them to lively reading from the beginning of the book. It was so quiet in the hall as both teachers and children were mesmerized by the story.

Then there was a fun and interactive moment where the children, helped by the authors, got to create their own dragon. Katie and Kevin explained how they created characters for each of their dragons giving them each a superpower such as shape-changing or replicating. The children contributed their ideas and together came up with a dragon called Gemma Claus, who had the following features:

Flaming red eyes

Diamante fangs

Green lightning horns

Gem-stone tail 

Glowing green wings

Superpower: size-changing

Oh! And likes hot chocolate!!

The children had an opportunity to ask the authors questions at the end of the talk.

Finally, there was a personalized book-signing for the children who had pre-purchased books.

“It was amazing to meet the authors and the story. ‘Dragon Force’, is so exciting that I am already on page 200!!", said Asuadoba (Violet Class).

Thank you to the authors for coming into St Joseph’s to share their books with us and inspire our children. Keep writing!!

Thank you to all who supported this event by purchasing signed copies of the books and to our local bookshop, Pickled Pepper Books.

Author Visit

 EMER STAMP

Wednesday 23rd February

Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 & Year 6 

It was an exciting Wednesday morning at St Joseph's!

Bestselling author, EMER STAMP came into

meet children in our Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 and treated them to a very fun and interactive presentation about her books 'Pests' and 'Return of the Pests'.

Emer checking children for Pests with her 'Pest alert'

Emer explained to the children what it was like to write a book; sharing many useful writing tips and her inspiration which came one night after being woken by a noisy pigeon!

She warned that these books were not for children who were scared of pests!

However, as the covers glow in the dark they are fun for all, even if you don't want to read them!

The children joined in with a lively quiz on pest facts such as:

Question: How fast can moles burrow in an hour? Answer: 6 meters in an hour

Question: What colour is a spider's blood? Answer: BLUE

At the end the children had a chance to ask Emer lots of interesting questions about her job as an author and they found out that her favourite book as a child was  'The Witches' by Roald Dahl.

Emer was given a guided tour of our school library where she signed copies of her books.  

We now have signed copies for children to borrow from our school library.

Thanks to Emer and our local bookshop, Pickled Pepper Books, 

for organising this truly fun and educational event.

Thank you to our Parents/Carers who supported this event.

 

Summer Fair

SUMMER FAIR

Our second-hand book stall was a great success. 

We managed to sell most of the books that had been donated to the school.

Thank you to our Junior Librarians, 

Georgine, 

Josie 

&

 Ondine

 who set up and managed the stall.
Amazing girls!

We also promoted the SUMMER READING CHALLENGE which is organised by the Reading Agency and Library Service.
All children are encouraged to continue reading over the summer holidays.
It is free to join in at your local library, read 6 books and win a certificate and medal.

A huge THANK YOU to Pickled Pepper Books who donated a prize for the raffle of a voucher for one of their 'Young Illustrators Workshops.

Thanks for joining in with the Summer Fair.

New Books

NEW BOOKS

Our Book Fair free books are already arriving in the library from Pickled Pepper Books.

We have the new Pamela Butchart book - 'The Phantom Lollipop Man!' and we have a few new books by Tracey Corderoy featuring the exciting detective duo - 'Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam'.

We have for Years 5 and 6 the surprising and beautiful novels, 'The Light Jar' by Lisa Thompson and 

'What not to do if you turn Invisible' by Ross Welford.

There is also another book in Andy Griffith's very enjoyable 'Treehouse' series, 'The 39-Storey Treehouse' and the charming illustrated series 'Mango and Bambang'  by Polly Faber and Clara Vulliamy.

Come in and take a look!

World Book Day

This year we celebrated World Book Day on Friday 9^th March due to the adverse weather conditions.

World Book Day Dress Up was a roaring success with all children and staff dressing up as their favourite book characters. It was a chance for creativity to shine and many costumes were home-made.

We had a costume parade as part of our World Book Day Assembly and every child received a World Book Day Token which they could use to get a special World Book Day Book from the Book Fair.

The child with the best costume from each class was awarded a golden ticket to be exchanged for a book of their choice. They were all so brilliant so it was hard to choose.

Congratulations to the following golden ticket winners: Diego, Fryderyk, Joe, Evie, Dominic, Isabella-Mia, Ella-Grace, Reece, William, Anna, Celino, Frankie, Maisha, Nina, Leo, and Georgine.

Share A Story was the theme of this year’s World Book Day and the children were encouraged throughout the day to share a story anytime and anywhere. Special stickers were given to the children as a reward.

Nursery and Reception classes visited Years 5 and 6 classes where they shared stories with their buddies.

We invited one of our local bookshops, Pickled Pepper Books, to arrange a Book Fair for the week and we transformed our library into a mini-bookshop with a fantastic selection of children’s books. We also had the wonderful World Book Day books for which the children could exchange their World Book Day Tokens; a book for every child.

Together we raised more than £700 and earned credit to use on new books for our school library. We will be able to choose from the latest releases so that we keep up-to-date with children’s books.

Thank you to everyone for helping to make it such a fantastic day!

Book Fair News

BOOK FAIR

Today is the last day for our Book Fair.
It closes at 3:45pm.

Last chance to pop into the Library and exchange your World Book Day £1 token for a World Book Day Book and purchase a book.

Every book purchased means FREE BOOKS for the school library.

Thank you for your continued support.

Book Fair News

Book Fair has been extended to Wednesday 7th March

We have invited, Pickled Pepper Books, one of our local bookshops, to organise our Book Fair. With lots of exciting new children's books to browse and buy there's sure to be a book for everyone.

Don't forget that every book you buy can help towards FREE BOOKS for our school library!

Class visit to the Book Fair

This morning in very snowy conditions Reception classes came to the Book Fair to share-a-story and to see our School Library transformed into a miniature Bookshop. One of our local bookshops, Pickled Pepper Books, has set up shop in our School Library.

We hope to see you all at the Book Fair.

When: Wednesday 28th February - Friday 2nd March 2018

Times: 8:40 - 9:00am and 3:00 - 3:45pm

Where: The School Library

Don't forget that every book you buy can help towards FREE BOOKS for our school library!

See you there!

BOOK FAIR

BOOK FAIR

Opening 8:40am
Wednesday 28th February
School Library

See you all there!

World Book Day & Book Fair

St Joseph’s

World Book Day

Friday 2nd March 2018

On Friday 2^nd March , St Joseph’s World Book Day,  the children are encouraged to DRESS UP as their favourite book character. There will be a COMPETITION for the best costumes with prizes of book vouchers to be used at our Book Fair.

To celebrate World Book Day we have invited one of our local bookshops, Pickled Pepper Books, to organise a Book Fair. With lots of exciting new children’s books to browse and buy there’s sure to be a book for everyone.

When: Wednesday 28^th February – Friday 2^nd March 2018

Times: 8:40 – 9:00am and 3:00 – 3:45pm

Where: The School Library

If you are unable to attend the Book Fair your child can select their own book(s) during the school day. Please provide the money in an envelope clearly marked with their name and class and give it to your child or the school office.

Every child will also receive a  World Book Day £1 Book Token which can be exchanged at the Book Fair for one of the TEN new and exclusive World Book Day books.

Don’t forget that every book you buy can help towards FREE BOOKS for our school library!

We will also be joining the nationwide event to enjoy the pleasures of reading and SHARE A STORY on World Book Day, giving out stickers to all the children who participate. Spending just 10 minutes a day reading and sharing stories with children can make a crucial difference to their outcome and its fun for all involved. You can read together anywhere and everywhere, from breakfast to bedtime! Please join-in!

To find out more about World Book Day log-on to www.worldbookday.com. To keep up-to-date with our Book Fair news log-on to our library blog: ilovereadingatstjosephs.blogspot.com.

Thank you for your continued support and happy WORLD BOOK DAY!

Author

ROBIN STEVENS

Exciting half-term encounter at

Pickled Pepper Books, Crouch End. 

Ruby - Tanzanite and Alice - Indigo meet Robin Stevens

We now have a signed copy of her new book 

'A Spoonful of Murder' in the series  'A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery'.

Borrow it today!

Author Trip

Year 5 children went to Highgate School to meet Ben Lyttleton, journalist, broadcaster and award-winning science and sports writer.

Ben is co-author of the inspirational book series 'Football School'. These books ingeniously explain the world through football. 

The books cover all the subjects of the school curriculum such as Biology, Geography and Drama using football as the focus. They are illustrated with hilarious cartoons and full of fun facts and quizzes.

 Ben explained to the children that he and his co-author, Alex Bellos, were inspired to write these books because they love football and thought that it would be a good way to learn about the world.

As a young boy, Ben always had a football with him and spent as much time as possible playing the game.

The books are based on a school timetable and divided into lessons. 

Here are a few examples of the lessons.

Biology

Question: What is the right sort of food for a footballer to eat before a match?

Answer: Chicken with boiled potatoes and carrots or Fish with rice and brocoli. These are foods that contain lots of carbohydrates that give you energy to run around for 90 minutes chasing a ball!

Ben and teacher doing the samba

Geography

Question: Why are Brazilian Footballers such skilled players?

Answer: Brazil's national music style is called samba and they all learn to wiggle their hips which is really useful if you are a footballer and need to wiggle pass defenders.

Michael - Tanzanite demonstrating a goal celebration

Drama

Question:What acting do footballers do on the pitch?

Answer: Diving - this is when a player acts injured to get penalties. Goal Celebrations - this is when a player does flips, somersaults and other gestures to celebrate a goal.

Ada - Tanzanite being shown a red card

Matteo - Tanzanite meets the author to get a signed copy of his book

The children all had an engaging morning learning about the world, football and books.

At times it was just like being in a football stadium with lots of cheering and booing!

Thank you to Ben Lyttleton, Highgate School and Pickled Pepper Books.

More information on interesting Football/School Facts can be found on   YouTube.com/Football/SchoolFacts

Love Football, love School!

New Year

Welcome back to school. 

We have a few exciting events to look forward to this term.

Author Visit on Thursday 6th February

Year 5 going to Highgate School to meet Ben Lyttleton, author of
'Football School' series

&

World Book Day on Thursday March 1st 

Dress-Up Day and Best Costume Competition  

Every year our children come to school with the most marvellous costumes. The home-made ones are always the best and it is a chance for parents/carers to work creatively with children. 

BOOK FAIR

This year Pickled Pepper Books, our local bookshop in Crouch End,  will be organising an exciting Book Fair. 

More information to come so keep an eye on the Library Blog.

Christmas Fair

St Joseph's Christmas Fair 2017

 Pickled Pepper Books from Crouch End came to our Christmas Fair. 

They brought along a fantastic array of children’s books including the latest releases. 

They also very kindly donated a fantastic prize for the raffle – an original print of ‘What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday’ signed by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks. 

There was great excitement with many children going home with early Christmas presents.

All the books sold has earned free books for your school library.

If you would like to continue to support your local bookshop and earn free books for our school library ask at the school office for a loyalty card or drop into Pickled Pepper Books https://www.pickledpepperbooks.co.uk/ 

and pick one up. 10 books bought means £10 worth of books for the school.

Many thanks for your continued support.
 

Pickled Pepper Books 

at our
Christmas Fair

Friday 8th December 2017
Key Stage 1 Infant Hall
2:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Pick up a loyalty card and 10 books bought means £10 worth of books for the school.

Get your Christmas Shopping off to a flying start with books for all the children in your family!!

Illustrator Visit

Steven Lenton

Our Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes had a very exciting Friday afternoon. The wonderful illustrator, Steven Lenton came to visit. 

Steven read extracts of his new books, 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians' adapted by Peter Bently and the latest in the Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam series 'Jingle Bells' by Tracey Corderoy.

Then the children were treated to a-draw-along-Lenton! .

Steven drawing Slippery Sam

Ali - Amber Class

 Steven shared with the children how to draw his book character, Slippery Sam, and the children drew their own. Ali in Amber Class did a fantastic drawing where by Slippery Sam's hands look like they are actually moving.

It was lots of fun!

Afterwards there was a chance for the children to purchase Steven's books and have them personally signed.

Many thanks to Steven Lenton and the Pickled Pepper Books.

Steven Lenton

In order to support literacy and creativity in school we are delighted to inform you that the acclaimed illustrator, Steven Lenton, will be visiting our school on Friday 17^th November as organised in conjunction with Pickled Pepper Books, Crouch End.

Steven Lenton will be giving a lively and interactive presentation of reading and illustration to Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes based on his books, ‘The Hundred and One Dalmatians’ adapted by Peter Bentley and ‘Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Jingle Bells!’, written by Tracey Corderoy.

Afterwards there will be a chance to purchase signed copies of the books. They are suitable for age 3+ readers.

If you wish to purchase the books in advance please pay using ParentPay and complete and return the payment slip to the office (email replies accepted) by Thursday 16^th November.  If you wish to purchase the book with cash please send with your child the exact money and completed payment slip, in a sealed envelope clearly marked with name and class, on Friday 17^th November. CASH SHOULD NOT BE BROUGHT IN BEFORE THIS DATE.

We are, indeed, very privileged to have Steven Lenton visit our school and we hope that you will support this event.