LRC
The Big Diamond Jubilee Read!
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Students in Years 7 & 8 are taking part in The ‘Big Diamond Jubilee Read’ this term. The competition will see students set off on a literary tour of the Commonwealth. Everyone who takes part in the challenge will attempt to travel 33,000 miles (equivalent to 11 hours of reading) by 29th June 2012.
How does it work?
Every student has been issued with a reading passport (see link below) and will be rewarded with 500 airmiles for every ten minutes spent reading. Wall maps charting ‘The Big Diamond Read’ route are displayed in every English classroom and in the LRC. Please see map below.
The challenge has been divided into seven stages, each of which finishes in a checkpoint country that has been or will be visited by members of the Royal Family as part of their Commonwealth tour. The checkpoints are shown in the passports and on the wall maps and act as interim targets.
Who can reward airmiles?
Parents/carers or staff at West Exe Technology College can sign or initial the reading miles passports.
What kind of reading material counts?
Books, comics, magazines, newspapers, blogs- all printed or online reading counts!
What happens at the end of the challenge?
Every child who completes the challenge will be awarded with a Diamond Reader certificate and will be entered into a prize draw
What prizes are on offer?
A winner’s certificate personally signed by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall
A family day out for the summer holidays (worth up to £75)
£50 worth of books for the winning student
£500 worth of books for the school of the winning student
The Big Diamond Jubilee Read World Map
Diamond Reader Reading Miles Passport
Year 7 Reading Racers Champions 2012
Friday, May 4th, 2012
Congratulations to the Year 7 students who reached the gold medal stage of Reading Racers! They were awarded with gold medals and achievment reward vouchers in assembly today.
All of the students read at least 20 books and completed lots of creative tasks related to these books. A special well done to Sarah B and Bailey F who won the top Kindle prize for reading the most pages overall. Bailey read an astounding 56,088 pages (416 books) and Sarah raced her way through 54,879 pages (195 books)- the equivalent of reading War and Peace 38 times!
The winners!
Thomas E
Joseph C
Abby M
Oliver F
Bradley G
Xanthe S
Charlotte B
Bailey F
Lauren H
Sarah B
Tamara K
Erin C
Amber G
Eduard I
Beatrice K
Izzy L
Rebecca R
Lauren S
Abi W
May L
Ben M
Sam C-R
Want to join West Exe Y7 Book Club?
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
BOOK CLUB for Year 7 is on Fridays after school from 3.00-4.00 p.m. Please see Miss Shaw this Friday 4th May after school if you
are interested in joining.
THE GREAT READING RAFFLE!
Thursday, April 26th, 2012
The Great Reading Raffle starts today!
Every time you check out a book or ‘get caught’ reading in the Learning Resources Centre (or elsewhere in the college), you will receive a raffle ticket. Student Librarians and teachers will be searching the college at break and lunchtimes this week and next to look for readers and reward them with raffle tickets.
The competition will run until the prize draw takes place in the LRC at 1pm on Thursday, 3rd May.
Author Alex Scarrow visits West Exe
Friday, April 20th, 2012
Jay meets Alex at the book signing
Alex Scarrow presents to Year 9
Alex meets the student librarians in the LRC after the event
Just before the Easter holidays, Year 9 students were wowed by a high energy presentation by award winning author Alex Scarrow. They learnt of his career journey from rock guitarist to computer games designer. When his ideas were deemed too weird for the computer games market, he decided to become an author. The result is TimeRiders, a time travel adventure series that has been a real hit with students at West Exe.
The series follows three teens who are plucked from jaws of death. However, they are not saved, they are recruited! The reader is whisked from the Atlantic ocean in 1912 to Dallas of 1963 to a post-apocalyptic New York, not to mention a meeting with Hitler in 1941! This highly addictive, action packed story considers what might have happened if history as we know it were interrupted.
Alex Scarrow was deemed to be “well cool” by the Year 9s and students reported that Facebook was “buzzing” with comments about Alex’s presentation. Well done to Ethan S and Trafford P who won the alternate histories poster and story competition. They each received a signed copy of TimeRiders and a WH Smith voucher.
If you like the sound of TimeRiders, why not check it out from the LRC?
Y7 Reading Racers finishes 20th April
Friday, March 30th, 2012
Year 7 Reading Racers ends on the 20th April (the first Friday back after Easter). The prizes are – a Kindle for the boy and girl who have read the most pages in total, a £5 WHSmith voucher and a gold medal for everyone who has completed his/her gold lap, and a trip to Crealy for the tutor group with the most points! All your Reading Racers booklets will need to be brought into the library before then to be checked. Happy reading over the holidays! – Miss Draisey
Scholastic Book Fair 22-27 March for parents too!
Saturday, March 24th, 2012
THE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR is coming to West Exe!
Love books? Come to the Book Fair.
You will find:
• A fantastic range of over 200 top titles
• Brilliant books by the very best authors
• Prices starting from only £2.99
When? Starts Thursday 22nd March and ends on Tuesday 27th March (8.30am-3.30pm each day)
Where? The Learning Resources Centre
What else? Spend your World Book Day tokens at the Book Fair!
As well as being open during the school day, parents/carers are also welcome to visit the fair after school and choose books for their children. The fair is open on Monday 26th March until 4.30 pm and on Tuesday 27th until 3.30 pm for parents/carers. You will need to sign in at West Exe reception first.
For full details of the books available download the special leaflet.
Alex Scarrow competitions for Year 9
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
Author Alex Scarrow will be visiting West Exe on 28th March.
To celebrate, we’d like you to take part in our competitions for Year 9! The most imaginative and creative entries will win a £5 WH Smith voucher and a signed copy of Time Riders.
For full details of what you need to do click here to read the competition details.
How to enter: Put your name and tutor group on your entry and hand it in at the LRC. Closing date is Monday 26th March
Get caught reading
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
We want you to get caught reading!
Take a photo of yourself reading in an unusual place and you could win a prize… Click here to see some of the photos we have found.
We have £25 worth of vouchers to give away to spend at the Scholastic Book Fair next week!
How to enter: email your photo to Miss Draisey (adraisey@westexetc.devon.sch.uk) or bring it to the LRC on a memory stick by Wednesday, 21st March.
WORLD BOOK DAY QUIZ : THURSDAY 1ST MARCH
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
TEACHERS vs STUDENTS : WORLD BOOK DAY QUIZ : THURSDAY 1ST MARCH – Do you know your Dickens from your Dahl or your Hunger Games from your Harry Potter? We are looking for teams of 4 students to take part in the World Book Day Quiz at lunchtime on Thursday 1st March. Teams must consist of 4 students from any year group (mixed teams are fine). Please come and pick up a registration form from Miss Shaw if you would like your team to be in with a chance of taking on the teachers. Great prizes to be won! Registration costs £2 per team and if you do not make it through to the quiz, you will be given a ticket to be in the audience. All proceeds will go to the school charity – Miss Shaw
Look out for more information coming soon about other exciting events for World Book Day!
New Student Librarians!
Friday, February 10th, 2012
Well done to Bert M, Matthew M, Bradley G, Julia S, Sarah B and Charlotte B who will be joining the Student Librarian team after half term. They did really well against tough competition. Look out for them in the LRC soon!
500 WORDS COMPETITION
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Are you aged 13 or under? Could you write an amazing story in no more than 500 words? Enter now! Fantastic prizes on offer from BBC Radio 2 for you and your school! Entries to Miss Shaw in the LRC by Thursday, 1st March (World Book Day). If you would like to work on your 500 words entry at school, please come to the LRC after school on Thursday 9th February to take part in a short story writing workshop.
POETRY IN PRINT WINNERS!
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
POETRY IN PRINT WINNERS! – Congratulations to Alisha A (8LC) & Rowan B-M (9NR)
Well done to Alisha who has won 2nd place in the 9-12 year category. She will win a copy of the book in which her poem appears, a parchment and a cheque for £30. Rowan was a runner up in the 13-16 year category and will win a copy of the book in which her poem appears, a parchment and a cheque for £10. There will be a copy of the poetry anthology in the LRC for everyone to read. Well done to all the students who came to Phil Bowen’s poetry workshop and took part in this competition – Miss Shaw
Booked Up books for Year 7 arrive!
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Year 7s! – Your Booked Up books have arrived – You can pick up your copy when you register in the LRC with your tutor group. If you cannot wait this long, come and pick up your free book before school starts OR after 3pm any day (except Friday) this week or next. There is also a special Booked Up review competition. All you have to do is write a review of your Booked Up book and give it a star rating. Email it to Miss Shaw by 6th January for a chance to win!
PAPER AEROPLANE CLUB
Sunday, October 23rd, 2011
Monday break and lunchtime (1.00-1.15pm) in the LRC, starting after half term.  Design and make paper aeroplanes and learn about origami.  See Jack A and James H in 8RTW for more details
Info Experts!
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
Do you want to become an expert at finding and using information? Look no further than Info Experts!
What’s involved?
Learn how to classify absolutely anything (from smelly socks to jumbo jets)
Learn about libraries and how information is organised
Improve your Internet searching skills
Learn how to help others find information
Help make displays in the LRC
Take part in quizzes and treasure hunts
What do I get out of it?
Counts towards one of your ’5 by 15′ activities
A certificate for completing the course (6 weeks)
Fantastic experience for those who want to apply to become a Student Librarian
When and where does it take place?
Wednesdays, 3-4pm in the LRC, starting on 2nd November.
STORY CLUB
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
Do you like listening to stories?  On November 3rd, the Incredibly Amazing Story Club will launch in the LRC at 3:10pm.  Come and listen to the crazy adventures of Mr Gum by joining Ms Magee and Mrs Poynsenby for the first exciting and hilarious chapter.  You will not want to miss it!
HOMEWORK CLUB IN THE LRC
Monday, October 17th, 2011
HOMEWORK CLUB IN THE LEARNING RESOURCES CENTRE – After school Monday – Thursday from 3.00 – 4.30 p.m. (drop in whenever you like during this time) –
- A quiet space to work
- Help from Miss Shaw and Miss Draisey
- Access to thousands of books
- Access to computers and a printer
- Refreshments provided!
Book club in LRC every Friday
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
BOOK CLUB
Friday after school from 3.00-4.00 p.m.  Please see Miss Shaw Friday after school if you are interested in joining.
Book Club
Friday, September 9th, 2011
The Book Club runs every Friday after school from 3.00-4.00 p.m.
Please see Miss Shaw this Friday after school if you are interested in joining.
Year 8 Kindle Evaluation
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Patrick Ness has been awarded the Carnegie Medal for his excellent book Monsters of Men. It is the third book in the Chaos Walking trilogy (available to borrow from the LRC).
If you borrowed a Kindle as part of the Carnegie Shadowing scheme this year, please take a few moments to complete this online survey.
Thank you!
World Book Day! Thursday, 3rd March.
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
It’s World Book Day tomorrow! Celebrate by taking part in the inter-tutor group kids’ literature quiz. Year 9 students will be watching the Authors Live event, joining thousands of students across the UK to watch Eoin Colfer, author of the best selling Artemis Fowl series. The broadcast will be posted here next week.
There will be quizzes and competitions at break and lunchtime in the LRC, including a ‘Where’s Wally?’ treasure hunt!
In the run up to World Book Day, we invited teenage fiction writer Luisa Plaja to do a fantastic creative writing workshop. Pictures to follow! We’re also looking forward to welcoming poet and playwright Phil Bowen to the LRC today to run a poetry workshop. Aspiring poets from all year groups will be creating poems to enter into a national competition.
Students in Years 7, 8 & 9 will receive a World Book Day book token in their English lessons this week and next. Exchange your token for one of the special World Book Day books, shown below! Students in Years 10 & 11 can collect a token from the LRC to get £1 off a book of their choice worth £2.99 or more (or pick a free World Book Day book).
Happy World Book Day!
Finish your homework BEFORE you get home!
Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
Did you know that the Learning Resources Centre is open until 4.30pm Monday to Friday? Students are invited to attend a homework club on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays after school. Help and support is provided by Miss Shaw and students have thousands of curriculum related books at their fingertips as well as computers to access the Internet.
Children’s author Ellen Renner visits West Exe
Monday, January 17th, 2011
At the end of last term, a group of students in Year 8 had the opportunity to meet children’s author Ellen Renner. Her books Castle of Shadows and its sequel City of Thieves were both published last year. They are fast paced adventure stories set in the beautifully depicted kingdom of Quale, a land with striking similarities to Victorian Britain. The protagonists, Charlie and Tobias, set out to solve the mystery of a queen who has vanished and a king who is one card short of a full deck. Both books have won critical acclaim; Castle of Shadows was included in the summer reading lists of the Times and the Independent, and City of Thieves has received excellent reviews in the national press.
Ellen talked about the creative process of writing as well as the practicalities of getting a book to print. She explained how she uses sketches to help build up a picture of characters in her mind as she writes. An accomplished artist, she showed the class sketches of characters from her books. Ellen also gave a fascinating insight into the influence that publishers have on an author’s work, explaining that her original ideas for both the title and cover of Castle of Shadows were altered by the publishing company.
The session ended with the opportunity for questions and answers, revealing some budding young authors in Miss Frost’s class. Students were keen to find out how much planning went into the plot of a book, probed the historical details of Ellen’s writing including her description of atmospheric railways, and asked if all novelists were rich!
If you would like to read Castle of Shadows and City of Thieves, copies of both books are available to borrow from the Learning Resources Centre. Ellen is currently writing the third book in the series, which is due to be published next year. She has kindly agreed to take a break in her busy schedule to visit West Exe again this year to do a writers workshop. We can’t wait!
Reading Racers the Movie
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Last year’s Reading Racers champions give you to lowdown on how to succeed!
Reading Racers Record Breakers!
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Reading Racers champions Emma B and Beth R
Both girls, along with any other students who complete the challenge before Christmas, will be enrolled in the Platinum Challenge, competing against the top readers in Year 7.
For those students who are in the early stages of the race, there is still plenty of time to get reading and earn badges and certificates as Reading Racers doesn’t end until 1st April. This year, there will be a special tutor group prize for the group who collect the most badges. Beth commented that even the teachers are getting involved. Miss Walton has embarked upon a 500 page epic for lap 1 and Mr Clemens has just successfully completed the green lap.
If you’d like help choosing your next Reading Racers book, why not pop into the Learning Resources Centre for a recommendation? Remember that the type of book you read is up to you. Good luck!
Students from 7MAW busy filling in their Reading Racers booklets
Well done to the following students who have been rewarded with badges and certificates already!
Green Lap
Becky S
Holly W
Kimiko B
Harry L
Victoria L
Kirsty R
Julia S
Elinor W
Morgan W
Chloe W
Kelsey B
Charlie E
James H
Kelsie N
James W
Alice C
Jordan H
Alex A
Kelsey B
Jake I
Abby T
Red Lap
Toni D
Katie H
Katharine S
Abi H
Chloe A
Bronze Lap
Isabella C
Silver Lap
Paige R
Holly S
Gold Lap
Emma B
Beth R
Here are the tutor group results so far. Get reading to help your tutor group win!
Group Points (1 point for lap 1, 2 for lap 2 etc.)
07RTW 58
07JGM 14
07LC 7
07MAW 5
07JWH 2
07RJC 2
07BL 0
07DMC 0
Reading Racers 2010
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
Last week saw the launch of Reading Racers, a reading challenge for every student in Year 7. Students read books and complete creative challenges to earn badges and certificates for each stage of the race. Students have been encouraged to read the free book they received from Booked Up to count towards their first lap. Well done to the 17 students who have already completed lap one! Miss Shaw and the student librarians are putting together a Recommended Reads list to help Year 7 students to choose great fiction to borrow from the LRC. Watch this space!
Just a few of the free books that Year 7 students could choose from!
Book Club meets…Cathy MacPhail
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
Members of our Book Club and Miss Shaw were lucky enough to go on a trip to Exeter Central Library to meet award winning author Cathy MacPhail. Cathy gave an inspiring and entertaining talk about what motivates her to write and how she sprinkles her stories with real events, persuading us that there is a creative writer and thinker in us all.
We were treated to readings of tantalising segments from a number of her books. A particular favourite with Book Club members was Roxy’s Baby, a gruesome mystery about a teenage girl and her newborn baby. The emphasis of the talk was the horror genre and we were encouraged to come up with some imaginative and grisly ideas. Why not try to answer one of Cathy’s questions yourself: You are alone in a lift and you see your reflection in the metal walls surrounding you. Suddenly, the doors slam shut and the lights begin to flicker on and off. What are the five creepiest things that could happen next?
Cathy’s message was that everyone has brilliant ideas lurking in their imagination and that reading and creative writing can help to unlock the writer in us all. We have lots of Cathy’s books, including a signed copy of Roxy’s Baby in the LRC so come and check one out…. if you dare!
For more information on Cathy MacPhail and her books click here
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- Front row seats for Book Clubbers
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- Book signing
Summer Reading
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Photo by cmcgough, Creative Commons, Flickr
Students can now check out up to 8 books or CDs from the LRC over the summer holidays. We have some fantastic new books to choose from. Please click on the (slightly delayed) New Books list to find out what’s hitting your shelves. There are tabs for books added in May and June as well.
Click here to find out what’s new in the LRC
It’s now possible for students and staff to search the entire collection using SearchStar, our online catalogue. You can access the catalogue by clicking on ‘SearchStar’ via All Programs, Specialised Applications, Library. We hope to have a shortcut soon! You can see what’s available and on loan by searching by author, title or keyword (topic). You will soon be able to reserve books yourself, write reviews and see what you’ve got on loan at the click of a button! Come to the LRC to find out more.
We have also created a ‘Challenging Reads’ section, full of classics and adult books and would encourage staff and KS4 students to come down and browse our collection.
Have a lovely summer holiday!