Reading Week

Wow! What a whirlwind of a reading week we have had. Under the title, ‘Reading in the Community’, the children certainly have made the most of the opportunities around us this week.

On Monday, the whole school was inspired and enthralled by the author, Gareth P Jones. From his musical interludes, engaging wit and invaluable advice to our upper school children when it came to writing their own mystery stories, Gareth showed just what an exciting and fulfilling life we can all have when we immerse ourselves in books and the imaginary world. As part of a new venture between West Leigh Juniors and our local children’s bookshop, Jacqson Diego Story Emporium, we then hosted a book signing event after school and say we were overwhelmed by the response is an understatement! The patiently queuing children and parents are a testament of how inspirational Gareth was throughout the day.

All of our Year 4 children had the opportunity to visit Leigh Library during a morning session this week also. As the first set of classes back into Leigh Library since February 2020, the librarians were keen to show the children what the library had to offer and many of the children returned to school enthused and looking forward to their next trip to the library to choose their own books.

A selection of Year 5 children had a somewhat daunting task this week as they ventured across the playground, back to their old stomping ground to read to the Infant classes. They practised and prepared the telling of a story using a picture book. The children were fantastic and the Infants reported back that ‘they were a pleasure to have and read with such confidence and expression’. Well done Year 5 – we hope to have further opportunities for more of you in the future.

Throughout the week, it has been super to see the Reading in the Community photos as they have been uploaded on Showbie. We will review them all over the weekend and present the year group winners with their prize; the results will be published the winners in next week’s newsletter. Thank you for assisting your children in order to provide some absolutely wonderful entries.

Finally, Friday brought two more launches. Firstly, Reading Ambassadors are back – this is when we have some of our incredibly mature and responsible Year 6 children work alongside children from the lower school to support them with their reading. The Year 6s are very keen to make a good impression and are taking the responsibility very seriously. We know that in the past many children have enjoyed this experience whether they are supporting a reader or being supported and feel sure it will be a success again this year. Perhaps the most exciting launch, however, has to be West Leigh Junior School’s very own online book shop! In collaboration with Jacqson Diego Story Emporium and Bookshop.org, parents and children will now be able to purchase books recommended by the school. Whilst there will be a small delivery charge for the books you order, there will also be a contribution made by Bookshop.org to a book fund for the school so we can continually restock our shelves and library. We hope this will be a successful venture and are, as always, grateful for your support. To visit our bookshop please visit https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/wljs-jacqsondiego-com