"Reading Spot" competition and Summer Reading

Students returning to school next year are invited to issue up to 5 library books over the summer holidays. If you have any specific titles you would like me to reserve please let me know. 

What is your favourite place or spot to read? Get someone to take a photo of you in that place or perhaps it is somewhere you spent your holidays. Email it to Mrs Stephens at beginning of Term 1 2016 and be in to win. Three prizes up for grabs, such as vouchers for school stationery shop and chocolate. See display board outside library.

Female scientists receive recognition

Two female University of Auckland researchers were awarded top honours from the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

You Tube: University of Auckland

Callaghan Medal winner Dr Michelle Dickinson and Pickering Medal winner Professor Margaret Hyland speak about their role in the field of science.

Both women are passionate about the work they do and the contribution that women can make in this area. It is wonderful to see these women being recognized and honoured.

Photo Competition

Booksellers NZ Bookshop Day Photo Competition

Send in your most entertaining reading-themed photos to enter

Head over to their Facebook page for competition entry

The runner-up wins their knee-height in books

Be quick, Queen's Birthday weekend is the perfect opportunity to get that snap.

Entries close Thursday 29 October

Conservation Week - Healthy nature, Healthy people

Our natural environment is a toanga. Our status as an Enviroschool reflects this importance and the responsibility we all have to the sustainability of our world.

Wikimedia Commons: Recording Mountain Goat Surveys, Siyeh Pass (Citizen Science)

As part of highlighting Conservation Week (November 1-8), I thought I would invite you to explore the role of a citizen scientist. Citizen scientists are volunteers who participate in scientific projects. When involved in environmental projects this can include collecting data by observation, monitoring, tagging and measuring. Research scientists receive data from the volunteers for analysis.

NatureWatchNZ has a number of projects that you could get involved in. A household in Palmerston North has created their own project documenting observations on their section. View here.

Marine Metre Squared  where you can participate in the monitoring of your local seashore.

If butterflies interest you, take part in the Big Backyard Butterfly Count happening in November. Or become involved in the Monarch Butterfly Tagging Programme.

Flickr Katja Schultz_Tagged Monarch butterfly-CC by 2.0

If you are adventurous you could take part in DOC's National Geocaching Challenge and be in to win great prizes from Air New Zealand and Macpac. Or take part in the Find a Whio competition.

Find out what happening in the Manawatu area for Conservation Week at Events

For more details on how and where you can get involved as a citizen scientist or environmentalist, visit the display in the library during Conservation Week.

Challenged and Banned books

Take a peek to reveal the book that was challenged or banned, some will surprise you.

Into the River by Ted Dawe was awarded the Supreme Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at the 2013 NZ Post Children's book Awards. It also gained notoriety for its content, to the extent that it was given a classification of R14. A recent removal of this restriction prompted a request for an interim restriction order so this reversal could be reviewed. It is now a crime to supply, display or distribute this book. The women in the video below reviews Into the River and the video above is an interview with the author with the American network CNN.

You Tube: Patricia Kay

Many well-known novels have been challenged. Novels such as Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies, to Kill a Mocking Bird, Grapes of Wrath, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Animal Farm, and The Colour Purple. Go to Challenged Classics to discover the reasons for the objections.

How do you feel about books being banned? When is censorship justified? Post your comment here or have a discussion with a friend.

Hogwart Houses

Image: Flickr - The talking sorting hat at Hogwarts by Loren Sztajer (CC licence)

House spirit is strong at Nga Tawa. Where would your loyalties lie if you were a student at Hogwarts? Which house would you belong to? The Guardian has created a quiz to answer this question? Take the quiz here

The rest of us just live here - Patrick Ness

(You Tube: Walker Books)

(Image: Walker Books)

Not everyone has to be the Chosen One. The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you were like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. (Inside cover)

 For a review go to The Telegraph