Goodbye from Mrs Nolan

I am sad to announce that I will be leaving my role of Librarian at Eden Park High School at the end of this term.

Whilst the school is in the process of appointing a new Librarian, my
amazing colleague Ms Peters will be stepping in to run things until the new Librarian starts.  This should be sometime in the New Year.

From left: Ms Rodgerson, Ms Callaghan, Ms Peters

I wanted to thank you all for your unwavering support of the Libraries.  To our amazing students for making my time at Eden Park so much fun, especially our wonderful library helpers who all bring their own special talents. To our parents and carers and to our wonderful staff. In particular Ms Rodgerson and Ms Callaghan, for engaging so positively and enthusiastically with everything the Libraries do, including author visits, Carnegie Shadowing, Library Lessons and the First Story enrichment.

Mrs Nolan as Mary Poppins for WBD

I have greatly enjoyed being part of the Eden Park journey, including setting up and running the Library services here since the school opened in August 2019, and have loved working with our wonderful students and staff.

Ms Peters looks forward to seeing you all in the New Year and I will be taking up the post of Children's Librarian at Bromley Central Library - you will find me there every other Saturday.

I hope you have a restful and relaxing Christmas, with lots of opportunities for reading!  

Crisis at Christmas 2023

Every year Crisis at Christmas opens its doors to people who are facing homelessness at Christmas.  They provide warm meals, shelter, support and companionship.  

Inspired by our colleagues at TRS, staff at EPHS, choose to make a donation to the Crisis at Christmas appeal instead of sending Christmas cards and raised £120. 

This will buy four gifts of a Crisis Christmas to help those who are homeless this Christmas.

🎄Books into film at Christmas🎄

Christmas is a great opportunity to snuggle up with a good book and we have a great selection for you to choose from!

If you're looking for inspiration, why not try reading one of the books that inspired the films that will be shown on TV, Netflix, iPlayer and Amazon Prime over Christmas?  

School Librarian, Helen Smith, has compiled her fantastic annual list of Christmas book and film tie-ins that are on TV over the Christmas period.  Click on the picture below to view:

Book News

Looking for somewhere to escaped and enjoy a good book? Why not visit the spectacular Christmas tree of books in St Pancras Station, with eight cosy cubby holes for you to sit and read?! You can also listen to excerpts of audio books provided by Penguin books.  

The tree features around 3,800 books and has been created in partnership with Hatchards bookshop, who have been selling books since 1797.

Fans of award-winning author Malorie Blackman will be delighted to know that she is appearing on Richard Osman's House of Games this week.  Tune in at 6.00 on BBC 2 or check it out on iPlayer.  You can borrow Malorie's autobiography, Just Sayin' - My Life in Words from the Upper Library.

Benjamin Zephaniah

We are incredibly sad to hear about the death of much loved, award-winning poet and author Benjamin Zephaniah, who died yesterday aged 65 following a short illness.

We have lots of Benjamin's poetry books and novels for you to read and enjoy in the Libraries, including his autobiography, the Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah.  Click here to view on OLIVER.

National Grief Awareness Week, 1 - 7 December 2023

This week is National Grief Awareness Week, aimed at normalising grief and getting people talking.  As part of their Library research project, some of our Year 7s are looking at the theme of grief in relation to A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  A Monster Calls is just one of the books featured on the LoveReading4Kids grief reading list.  To view the whole list click here.

Our Libraries have a selection of great fiction and non fiction for you to browse and borrow on the subject of grief and how to cope with it.  Including Sita Brahmachari's Carnegie shortlisted When Shadows Fall, which is available to borrow from our Lower Library. Check out the 'bereavement' reading list on OLIVER by clicking here.

First Story Summer Residential

Last academic year, a specially selected group of students from Years 9 and 10 took part in the First Story Young Writers Programme with professional writer, Rachel Seiffert and lead English Teacher Miss Koca.  From this group, one student was awarded a fully funded place to attend a residential writing course in West Yorkshire, alongside young people from other First Story schools.  

This amazing experience offered our student, Millie S, the opportunity to work with a group of professional writers to further develop her creativity, skills and confidence, culminating in the publication of an anthology of prose and poetry.  Highlights of the residential can be viewed on the First Story website by clicking here.

The summer residential anthology, Emerging Adults, featuring Millie's work, will be available to borrow from the Upper Library, together with Unorthodox Progeny, 

the First Story Young Writers anthology featuring all our First Story programme participants.  Both anthologies have also been placed in The British Library.

A virtual celebration of the work created during the residential took place yesterday evening with all the participants reading their own work.  Millie gave a particularly brilliant and moving performance of her poem Paper Airplane.

We are delighted that a new group of EPHS students from Years 9 and 10 have been given the opportunity to take part in the First Story Young Writers Programme for a second year with our amazing writer in residence Rachel Seiffert alongside our lead English Teacher Ms Koca.