STUDENT SERVICES STUDENT SERVICES
This issue
International Women’s Day
PAGES 01-04
What’s On
Study Spaces
PAGES 05 - 06
World Book Day
PAGE 07
Events and Enrichment
PAGES 08 - 10
Extras
PAGES 11 - 12
The first day of spring in the UK is 20th March 2025 and is called the vernal equinox. Days will be getting longer, cherry plum and crab apple trees blossom their white and pink petals, and we celebrate a multitude of religious and cultural events. One of these events includes International Women’s Day, and we have put together a week full of events for students to participate in. Many thanks to Youth Social Action Apprentice Charlotte for her help with the event and organising the women ’ s careers day. Also coming up this issue:
International Women’s Day
Study Spaces ☕
World Book Day ��
Cambridge Festival Culture Day ��
Study Skills Workshop
Much more!
International Women’s Day
This year will be the third in which we celebrate International Women’s Day at Long Road, but did you know that the first recorded women ’ s day took place over 100 years ago in 1909? I guess that makes us a bit late to the party, but regardless we have some exciting things lined up this week to raise awareness and make a change for all the students at Long Road.
What To Expect
Women’s Careers Women in Gaming ��
Youth Social Action Guru, Charlotte, has arranged for a number of organisations to come in that specialise in careers for women. These cover a range of industries including business, interior design, sport, recruitment, charity work, and more. On Tuesday 4th March in the LRC, you can expect to see:
Cambridge Women’s Resource Centre
Cambridgeshire Fire Service
Turtle Dove
Interior Design Company
Women’s Aid
Kameo Recruitment
Many more!
We will be celebrating the unsung heroes of gaming with a stand on women in the creative development industry. You will be able to play Portal, a video game developed by women, do speed-runs and try and get to the top of the leaderboard. Come take part at the Helpdesk in the Student Centre on Thursday from 10:30am - 1pm.
Art Exhibition ��
On Friday 7th we will be running an Art Exhibition in the Student Centre! This will include art by famous women from across the world, as well as art created by our own very talented Long Road students! Come along and celebrate women in art between 10am - 3pm.
Treasure Hunt ��
From Monday we have been running a daily interactive treasure hunt which you can enter to win prizes! With a new treasure hunt each day, you can learn about inspirational women across the college and add an entry for every day you enter. Come to the Student Centre to learn how to start.
Interactive Display
We want you to celebrate the women in your life! Come to the Student Centre throughout the week and help us create a piece of art by writing a note with a message about a woman in your life who is important to you.
Authors Display ��
Coinciding with World Book Day (see page 5), we will have a display in the Student Centre all week spotlighting female authors. Plus, we will have information on how you can get involved in the creative writing industry both at Long Road and beyond!
Everything Else ❗ ❗
Help us turn Long Road purple by wearing something purple this week! Don’t have anything? Come get a purple ribbons at the Helpdesk in the Student Centre! We have so much planned we can’t go into great detail about everything, but other exciting things to look forward to include:
Interactive games
Information on women ’ s charities
A raffle Arts, crafts, and activities
The Psychology of Women and Leadership with Dr Ellis Pecen
Cost: £15.97 | Venue: Online | Date: 10th March
Witchcraft on Trial in Early Modern England
Cost: Free | Venue: Robinson College, Cambridge | Date: 18th March
Breaking New Ground: Celebrating Past, Present, and Future Women Earth Scientists
Cost: Free | Venue: Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge | Date: Until September
The Women’s Art Collection
Cost: Free | Venue: Murray Edwards College, Cambridge | Date: All Year
Study Spaces
Linking back to our article on VESPA in the previous newsletter, and with exam season not too far away, we thought it would be helpful to highlight the various study areas available in college and what to expect when you visit. Regarding food and drinks in these areas, the rules are different depending on the space so please see the relevant signs upon entering.
The Breakout
The Breakout is new to Long Road. It was finished in November 2023, and is one of the most modern study spaces available. This communal work area has USB chargers, booths, printers, and a laptop locker.
Location: K Block Noise levels: Medium
Student Centre
The Student Centre is one of the most popular areas of the college for studying. With enough seating for close to 100 students, this is a great place to come and work on team projects, and is perfect for those who like a bit of background noise whilst they are working.
ocation: E Block Noise levels: Medium
csmith@longroad.ac.uk
LRC
The LRC has recently been renovated and with a new layout and new furniture. USB and USB-C charging ports are available, and you can borrow a laptop with your ID at the desk. There is also a separate study area, a computer room, and of course lots of reading materials.
Location: B Block Noise levels: Silent
Plus Time Sessions
Plus Time Sessions are organised by teachers for their specific course subjects on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 14:4016:10. You can speak to your teacher and get 121 help on your subject. Speak to your teachers for more info.
Location: Various Noise levels: Low
Additional Learning Support
Additional Learning Support is designed to help students who may be facing additional challenges. They have a number of work spaces available, including low-sensory rooms, with 121 help from a learning support assistant available.
ocation: C Block Noise levels: Low
World Book Day
World Book Day has been celebrated in the UK since 1998, and was introduced by Prime Minister Tony Blair at the Globe Theatre in London. The aim of this day is to promote reading for pleasure in children and young people. Studies show that those who read for pleasure have higher attainment, do better in exams, have better mental health, and gain social benefits. Unfortunately, some families do not have the resources to buy books. Roughly 1 in 8 young people on free school meals say they do not own a book of their own, and generally many young people do not have any choice over what they read either (roughly 33%).
World Book Day is an important reminder that reading for pleasure is important, not just academically, but for health and social mobility. Some cannot afford books and some are given no choice in what they can read, which is why the £1 book vouchers are vitally important. Allowing young people to choose what they read encourages them to read recreationally. Karen, who does a stellar job of running Long Road’s LRC, has put in a bid for book tokens so you can buy a book for £1. Go to the LRC and ask at the desk to pick one up. Click here to learn more about how the book token works and where you can use it. The token is valid from now until Sunday 23rd March 2025.
We also have a free book swap in the Student Centre. Located next to the laptop locker, come by and have a browse or drop off unwanted books!
Upcoming Events Cambridge Festival 2025
The Cambridge Festival first started in 1994 by scientists at the University of Cambridge and was inspired by National Science Week. It is a mix of online, on-demand, and in-person events on topics ranging from sciences, arts, humanities, and social science. Over 350 events take place between 19th March - 4th April from panel discussions, film premiers, walking tours, interactive and family activities. The festival attracts more than 30,000 visitors and includes free events. To find out more, click here and browse the events.
Darwin College Lecture Series
The Darwin College Lecture Series has been running since roughly 2020, and are free, non-ticketed events that anyone is welcome to join. This year, the theme is Codes, with two more lectures left until the end of the series.
Polari - a Very Queer Code: “Polari was a form of language, developing across the 19th and 20th centuries among a queer subculture... It acted as a secret code, allowing speakers to converse in public spaces, to identify one another, and to form identities.”
Decoding our Humanity: “A code is a tool for hiding things of value. Yet codes also grant access to what has been hidden and locked away. This lecture explores the role of code and coding in both hiding and granting access to our humanity, in multiple senses of the word.”
extremely popular club, and we would like to keep it running. Don’t worry if Tuesdays aren’t a good day, or if you don’t want to run it by yourself, we can make it work for you. If you ’ re interested, send an email to help@longroad.ac.uk and we’ll support you in getting things up and running.
Christian Union
Well done to Amelia and Florence for organising for guest speaker Father George Claringbold to come in and discuss the book of Ephesians with the Christian Union on Wednesday 26th February. If you ’ re interested, Christian Union takes place on Wednesdays 14:40 - 16:10 in G11.
Culture Day 2025
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Extras VESPA Stand
In the last edition, the wonderful Koray and Elle did an interview with Tony from the VESPA Academy to discuss how and why VESPA can be key to helping you attain as highly as possible. They both run a stall in the Student Centre where you can come and learn more with interactive activities and sound advice. Below are the dates you can expect to see them in the Student Centre:
Tuesday 29th April - Practice Tuesday 10th June - Attitude
Wellbeing Fair
The amazing safeguarding and wellbeing team put together the Wellbeing Fair back in February, and it was a massive success. Thank you to Eve, Lisa, Donna, and everyone involved in putting it together. We hope you all enjoyed yourselves. More wellbeing activities are planned, so keep an eye on your emails for further updates. If you took your own photos, send them to us at help@longroad.ac.uk. You may be featured in the next newsletter! ��
Extras
Study Skills Workshop
Zoe and the amazing Additional Learning Support team will be running a workshop on Tuesday 4th 14:40 - 15:40 in M1. Click here to sign up.
Happy Holidays!
There are a number of religious, spiritual, and cultural holidays coming up. Hindu’s will be celebrating the wonderfully colourful Holi, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan for Muslims, Passover celebrates the liberation of the Israelites, Vaisakhi/ Baisakhi marks the beginning of the new harvest season and Sikh new year, and Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for Christians. And of course there is also pancake day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter. So we would simply like to wish you all happy holidays and safe celebrations.
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Culture Day Exam & Study Resources
Youth Social Action
Much more!