Library News
Sora Recommended Reads Opening Times Careers Corner Books of the Week
Welcome to the CPS library. We are here for students throughout the week and we try to ensure you all have a space to come to that covers a range of services. Firstly, of course we have plenty of books for you to borrow- and we keep updating these as often as possible. But we are also a space for you. Although you are not allowed to eat your lunch in here, we can be an ideal place to spend some of your social time if you just need somewhere that's a bit more serene. We aim to be cosy and calm for you - and you may notice we have a slight fairy light obsession! We have boardgames available during lunchtimes on three days, and we are a good space for study as well as reading. So, do visit and get to know your library.
This week we continued to mark Banned Books Week as it is the official week in which various school and public libraries unite with those in America to draw attention to this growing issue. Our Year 8 classes have all visited and looked at this topic and gained insight into which books have been considered unacceptable and why. Many of our students were dumbfounded at the arguments cited against the books. It is currently a huge problem in America where both teachers and librarians are fighting to keep books on shelves and against censorship. Here in the UK, we mark this week to ensure our young people are aware of the calls for censorship -we have a display that highlights the issues with some of the books and why certain parts of America have ended up having to remove them. Here at CPS we believe in reading books in context and students being allowed to think critically about books so they can debate the issues. If you are interested, there is currently a film titled 'The Librarians' on iplayer that provides more detail on the war on words and makes for a fascinating yet concerning watch.
Summer Reading Challenge
We had a lot of responses to this challenge which told us so much about what an enthusiastic bunch of readers our Year 7 are - this is great news. Points have been awarded for the great effort made by Year 7 during the holidays.Announcement of prize winners will come next week - we are rather delayed in awarding these so many thanks for your patience
Past Events and Activities in our Library
Check out what talented students we have here at CPS when they were asked to design a book token as part of World Book Day this year:
World Book Day
Way back in March the tutor group competition demonstrated what a creative bunch of students we have. We celebrate the amazing designs that tutor groups came up with for the Decorate Your Doors House Competition. Deciding on winners at the time was really difficult and we eventually had to force ourselves to pick one door per House. We still say a massive well done to every tutor group for taking part and puttting in the effort - such creativity and such great ideas.We've included a collage of just a few of those amazing efforts also.
It was a long time ago now - way back in March - but we did enjoy our day. We had a range of activities which included several competitions to appeal to both the creative minded and the fun element. It was entertaining to see many students searching around school for staff wearing badges with a missing word from book titles, and the effort that went into decorating tutor group doors using the theme of a chosen book is so very impressive. A huge well done to all of you who have joined in in some way. We hope you all also enjoyed the extracts read out during lessons to give you a taster of some of our library books and, of course, the staff efforts with their costumes. The aim was a fun day with that sense of reading behind it - we hope you felt that.
Hampshire Book Award 2025
We all had a great time at the Hampshire Book Award back in June. Thirteen Year 8 students visited Eggar’s school for the voting day, which involved lots of discussion with students from several Hampshire schools. Our students showed just how well informed they were about the 6 books on the shortlist, and we were delighted to see how enthusiastic they were in their participation. We must applaud all the Year 8 students that have been involved in the reading and meetings for the HBA, as there is a limit on the number of students that can participate in the actual day, however we had many students who have shown their commitment who were unable to attend on the day. Thank you to all those year 8 students for their effort and their involvement.
The winner of the award was ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ by Barry Jonesberg – a popular option amongst our HBA crew which includes magic tricks and the tale of Grace finding her place in the world. Sadly, due to him living in Australia, Barry cannot visit us for the Meet the Author event that we were fortunate to host last year, but we will have a smaller event where our Year 9 students as they are now join us for a webinar that is to be held on the 19th November.
Scholastic Book Fair
We had another tremendously successful Book Fair back in December 2024 to coincide with the fast approaching Christmas festivities - and that's all down to you. The students and parents who visited and bought books have made such a difference as we earn rewards from Scholastic in new books for our library. This year, you all bought over a £1000 worth of books which now means £550 in book rewards - this is just fantastic as it means you, the students, get to choose lots of new books for the library.
We order these new books throughtout the year by ensuring the rewards are used in sections and we are constantly interested ub suggestions from our students. Do pop in and share ideas as to what you would like the libary to buy in.
Thank you for all your support and we are delighted that there was so much interest which means so much more reading for pleasure.
Meet the Author - Hampshire Book Awards
After our successful hosting of the voting day for the Hampshire Book Awards back in July 2024, we had another brilliant time hosting the outcome of the vote when Rachel Delahaye, author of the winning novel 'Electric Life' visited us in October.
We were able to extend this event so that we also included 60 of our top readers in Year 8 - a reward for their efforts with reading and their impressive book borrowing rates. We also, of course, had a hard working readers from the HBA last year who are now year 9 students.
Students met and chatted with Rachel and we all enjoyed a thought-provoking presentation on the power of technology and how it had inspired the winning novel. During the question session our students were fantastic – so much engagement and additionally so many great suggestions to Rachel as to the direction of the sequel! A great way to focus on reading for pleasure.
Well done to all our students for their excellent conduct and their enthusiasm, and we look forward to launching the HBA in March with now a multitude of keen Year 8 students to voice their views on the next selection of books.
Are you looking for a convenient and user-friendly way to access a vast collection of age-appropriate books from the comfort of your home or school? Look no further than Sora, the virtual library app!
As a Calthorpe Park School student, you have free access to this fab app, which can be easily downloaded and accessed on any device. Whether you're at home or in school, Sora provides an extensive collection of books, audiobooks, and graphic novels for readers of all ages and interests.
Sora's user-friendly interface makes browsing and searching for books a breeze, with various filters and categories to help you find your next favourite read. There is also the opportunity to alter to a dyslexic friendly font and light/ dark contrast to support reading. With Sora, reading has never been easier, more convenient, or more enjoyable. Download the app today and experience the joy of reading making use of a whole range of options. Take a look, explore the books!
Setting Up
Download the Sora app from Apple App Store or Google Play. If you are using a browser navigate to soraapp.com.
Enter the setup code: hampshiresls
Find your school in the dropdown list.
The login details for the school/individual pupil are below.
Username (Enter your school’s username)
Password (Enter your school’s password)
Browse the Explore tab to find and borrow a book.
Our Recommended Reading lists have been updated for the Spring term. These are shared with students in years 7-9 and additionally at KS4 via homework and Edulink, and posters will be displayed in the English classrooms. Some of our book displays in the library are also currently focused on them. The books have been selected to complement some of the texts used within the English curriculum and to also provide the possibility for students to expand horizons in choices made for reading. Whilst the lists provided are only suggestions, they do provide a place for students to start and there are some great options on the lists! If you wish to know more about each book, check out edulink for the full slides which provides firther information.
Games such as Chess, Uno and card games will now be available to play on three days of the week again - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, whilst a focus on reading and a place to study is the library's role on Monday and Fridays. We save two lunchtimes for reading, homework and mindfulness activities to ensure we have enough space for students to enjoy it as a quiet, comfortable space. It is important for the library to offer that haven to you all so that you know you have a place where you can study and read, and enjoy your downtime.
Check out the schedule below to get a clear picture on our opening times. We are here not only at break and lunchtime but also before and after school.
Opening Times:
- Before school from 8.30 am. However, it is often open from 8.20 am
- During breaktime and lunchtime
- After school until 3.30 pm. Longer availability is an option.
- Year 7 and 8 Book Club runs on a Tuesday after school until 4 pm
- Chess club runs on a Wednesday until 4.15pm
- Games Club runs on a Friday until 4.30 pm
Remember the library is intended to be a calm and tranquil place for students - not silent but quiet. We cannot allow food and drink to ensure we look after the resources.
Board games are available for students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at lunchtimes only. Sometimes a limit on the amount of tables being used for games will be put into place to ensure there is still space for students wishing to use the library for reading and homework.
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Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
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Reading, alongside mindfulness activities/ homework & revision. Board games unavailable |
Reading, alongside mindfulness activities/ homework & revision and quiet board games |
Reading, homework & revision, with mindfulness activities also available and quiet board games |
Reading, homework & revision, with mindfulness activities also available and quiet board games |
Reading, alongside mindfulness activities/ homework & revision. Board games unavailable |
An important note: students from Year 8 – Year 11, you do need to being back overdue books ahead of borrowing this year. There are still too many books that have settled into homes that need to be returned for other students to enjoy, so have a good look around and pop them back to me, either at the desk in the library or the cupboard just outside the door.
This area of the library is always available for students to help and support as they consider what and where they may wish to study in the future, along with possible career ideas.We have various leaflets and prospectuses, not simply for the older students but for all years. In addition, there are a number of books based on careers and developing one’s potential.If students need any guidance or simply a hard copy of online information from the colleges, then they can come along to the Library. We have increased our selection of books geared towards specific types of careers and added them to this section of the library too. Mrs Wayman will direct you here and would also like you to know that these leaflets and prospectuses are available for you to also take home.
Books of the Week: Every week we feature two choices - this week we are jumping onto the big release for Swifties and we celebrate Literature in Colour for Black History Month
The Taylors Version - Love Stories
Four girls—all named Taylor—have been best friends since middle school. Teffy, Tay, Taylor, and TS share everything, from inside jokes to big dreams. But as they start high school, things begin to shift.
Teffy is falling for the boy next door… who’s already taken. Tay is drawn to a brooding poet. Taylor finds herself in risky territory when an older guy starts showing interest. And TS, focused on soccer, insists she’s not into her new teammate—a charming girl from London.
As crushes, drama, and growing pains pull them in different directions, the Taylors must figure out if their friendship can survive the changes. First love, heartbreak, and identity collide in this heartfelt story.
In Case of Emergency
When Bel Kumar heads to work, she doesn’t expect to wake up in hospital—with her ex from four years ago at her bedside.
After a near-fatal accident, Bel must urgently update her HR form to replace her next of kin. But who can she turn to?
As she reconnects with key people from her past—family, old friends, and former flames—Bel finds herself navigating unexpected emotions and revelations.
Perhaps the worst day of Bel's life will turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to her and lead to something extraordinary.