Newsletter a round up to Term 1
As it is a bit brisk out there right now, let us start by extended a very warm welcome to all our students and their families, both new and not-so-new!
Library Lessons
Those familiar with Fairfield will know that we use Term 1 to re-introduce library lessons and our wonderful book collection. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have been taking the STAR assessment and will know their Accelerated Reader book levels. They should be reading books that are an appropriate level of challenge for them and forms part of our library lesson offer for KS3 students. To find out more about Accelerated Reader, please see this guide for families:
Accelerated Reader Parents Guide
When you have finished reading your book, you can take a quiz from home. Follow the link below, enter your computer username and your Renaissance Place password.
https://global-zone61.renaissance-go.com/welcomeportal/2233058
Don’t forget:
Score 100% 5 times on your book and you can choose a prize from the Library AND every time you quiz on a book, Accelerated Reader counts the words in your book.
Quiz regularly and you could become a WORD MILLIONAIRE and that buys you an invite to our MILLIONAIRE’S TEA PARTY!
To check whether your book has an Accelerated Reader quiz, go to:
Fairfield’s digital library – Open 24 hours a day!
As well as a lovingly curated library of stunning fiction and information books, Fairfield also have ePlatorm, our online library.
With access to over 1500 eBooks, students have endless possibilities at their fingertips to help continue their love of reading at home. Students can also choose from more than 900 audiobooks, meaning students can listen to an epic selection of stories, a great opportunity to get away from screens for a while!
Simple and easy to use
The service can be used on a browser or from downloading the ePlatform app. The app is quick, simple and free to install. Within minutes students will be able to read their library eBooks anywhere, any time, on most devices.
Reading and listening can also be enjoyed offline, with places automatically bookmarked and saved for later.
Students will learn about ePlatform during their library lessons. For more information about how ePlatform can be accessed, please see the information here:
ePlatform guide for students and families 2025.pdf
The Day
Fairfield High School subscribes to The Day, an online daily newspaper for young people. The Day publish analysis of the news that provides context for debates that explore the deeper currents shaping our world. All resources are created to help schools teach critical thinking, real-world knowledge and civic engagement.
Students can check their library year group page on Microsoft Teams to find this week’s challenge and collect Achievement Points for their contributions. Every week our students continue to impress us with their responses and engagement with topical news conversations.
Volunteer in the Library!
Homework Club
The library is open to all year groups after school. Come along and you can get help with homework on any day we are open. We also run a homework club on Tuesdays, which is a great place to get your homework done before you go home – meaning the evening is yours to relax!
Bristol Teen Book Award
The Bristol Teen Book Award celebrates diversity in Young Adult novels. Aimed at secondary school students in Bristol at Year 9 and above, there are typically six recently-published books on our shortlist.
Do encourage your Young Person to join in and read the books, the award culminates in a Book Party, held in February.
And finally…
If you need to contact the library team, please email us at [email protected]
LIBRARY INFORMATION
Accelerated Reader:
All Key Stage 3 students (Y7, Y8 & Y9) take part in the Accelerated Reader programme.
Accelerated Reader (AR) is a software tool used for monitoring and managing independent reading practice. It is proven to raise literacy standards for students of all ages and abilities by motivating students to read more, suitably challenging books.
Students select a book at their individual level, read it at their own pace then take a short quiz to assess how well they have understood it. Feedback based on quiz results helps teachers and librarians to guide each student, to set targets and to direct on-going reading practice.
Accelerated Reader has more than 32,000 quizzes on fiction and non-fiction literature from over 300 publishers.
There are usually 5, 10 or 20 questions in a Reading Practice quiz depending on the length and complexity of the book. Approximately 200 new reading practice quizzes are added to the programme every month.
If you would like to check whether there is an Accelerated Reader quiz before choosing your next book, go to http://www.arbookfind.co.uk/
Resources:
Books
We have more than 7000 books comprising a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and reference titles.
ePlatform:
Every student at Fairfield can access a variety of eBooks and audiobooks through ePlatform. Thousands of books can be accessed from any device, even from home!
Simply go into Microsoft 365 and look for “ePlatform” under apps.
Computers
We have 17 computers available for students to check emails, complete homework and carry out research during homework club, break and lunchtimes.
Displays and activities
Colourful displays on a range of topical issues are regularly updated to encourage students’ interest and participation. Books and resources on current homework topics are displayed in a dedicated area of the library.
From time to time we have visits from authors and illustrators, who talk about their work or run workshops with our students.
Printer/photocopier
A printer is available in the library for students’ use.
Stationery shop
The library has a small shop selling stationery, calculators and memory sticks.