From 2nd to 12th June 2025, we’re quietly marking the Empathy Festival—a celebration of how stories help us see the world through other people’s eyes.
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From 2nd to 12th June 2025, we’re quietly marking the Empathy Festival—a celebration of how stories help us see the world through other people’s eyes.
Accelerated Reader
Stromness Academy uses the Accelerated Reader (AR) programme to help improve pupils’ reading and literacy. This is designed to improve pupils’ reading skills by encouraging them to practise reading at a level which develops their vocabulary, while keeping the challenge level of books appropriate to their reading ability. Put simply, the scheme helps our lower-school pupils to identify books which are just challenging enough.
Every day, S1-3 classes on the programme will have 20 minutes of reading allocated to them in one of their subjects. Pupils are expected to have a book with them everyday (their own or borrowed from school or public library). If this isn’t the case, each department has a box of books from which pupils can select reading material for the 20 minute session. Alternatively, pupils, with access to a computer can read one of the articles available to them within the AR programme and do a quiz on them afterwards. Staff will be modelling good reading behaviour by doing some of their own personal reading.
Further information is available from our AR co-ordinator, Mrs Hunter, at the school.
Computers are also available for pupils to take their quizzes, both during English library periods or at lunchtimes in the library.
AR Timetable awaiting update
Pupils in S1 – 3 must ensure they have a reading book with them every day. They can bring a book from home or or visit the library before registration or at lunchtime to borrow one.
Accelerated Reader in the School Library
The library provides access to many AR books which are identifiable by coloured labels on their spine. Book level, interest level, and points are indicated inside the book.
Pupils can also search the library’s online catalogue, OLIVER, from any PC, tablet or mobile phone with a browser. Further information about the library and its resources and activities can be found on the Stromness Academy Library Blog.
A specific AR book search is also available where searches can be done by book level, interest level, points, author, title, etc.
AR & Reading Links
AR Bookfind – Search for books with quizzes
Stromness Academy Young Reporter 2025
