Prof. Sky Alton

It’s that time of year again! This is one of my favourite jobs as I get to shout out all the amazing things being done by our lions. But it’s also my opportunity to thank each and every one of you who contributed to the house this term and this year, even if you were only able to hand in a few pieces of homework. We truly appreciate you in whatever way you show up for Gryffindor. And now, onto the shinies! First up, we have our points based awards, honouring the people who have been hard at work in classes and activities, filling up the Gryffindor hourglass. The Brave award is for anyone who earned at least 500 points during the school year. Well done to... @Cassie Williams @Ellie Vernez @Harmony Potts @Ivy Grey @Janne Halla @Laura Yoshida Nargola Hawthorne @Quinn Marshall @Sophia Williams The Determined award is for anyone who went even further and earned themselves 1000 points in the year… Ellie Vernez Harmony Potts Ivy Grey Janne Halla Laura Yoshida Nargola Hawthorne Sophia Williams The Daring award is for those who went beyond that to achieve 1500 points this year…. Janne Halla Nargola Hawthorne Sophia Williams And finally, we reserve the Minerva McGonagall Prize for any lion hardy and tenacious enough to earn themselves a dazzling 3000 points. This year, there’s only one (though Sophia Williams came pretty close!) and that’s…. Janne Halla And now onto the termly awards. First up, another points based one: the Platinum Quill, for the highest points earner of the term. The recipient isn’t particularly surprising given what we’ve seen already but the achievement is no less impressive for that, so a roaring well done to Janne Halla for achieving an outstanding 2703 points just this term. We also hand out awards to people who earn the most rubies in Den activities. Many congratulations to Ellie Vernez (315 rubies) who scoops the Phoenix award as highest earning Gryff and @River Fenwick(730 rubies!) who earns The Lionheart award for our highest earning guest. And now onto the awards decided by the Gryff staff… First up, Studious Simba goes to a lion who has excelled in their classes. As you can tell from those sparkling points totals, Sophia Williams has put in a sterling effort across the board and has been hard at work turning in high-quality assignments throughout the term. We’re delighted to hand her the award! Next up is the Curious Kitten award, given to a lion who has been an enthusiastic and/or encouraging presence, either in The Den or elsewhere round the castle. Ivy Grey has been busy spreading sunny positivity around the various forums (particularly in the birthday threads for fellow HOLers which is lovely to see), so we think she’s a very worthy recipient this term. Keep it up, Ivy! Consistent Cub is for a lion who is showing up all around the castle and setting a positive example to us all to get involved. We usually try to ring the changes but we just had to make an exception and give Ellie Vernez her second Consistent Cub of the year because she really does embody all that this award represents with her heartening HOL spirit. Thank you, Ellie! Lastly, we’d like to hand out the Lively Lionet: our award for people who demonstrate Gryffindor pride and admirable loyalty to the house First, we’d like to award it to Janne Halla who, in spite of everything else he’s been doing all over HOL, has never, ever put Gryffindor second. He’s always there, making sure we have Light Reading tasks ready to go and volunteering to take on any extra task to help the house run smoothly. Thank you, Janne! Secondly, we’d like to award it to @Prof. Amy Lupinwho has been making magic for the house ever since she joined us, as well as keeping plates spinning all over HOL as caretaker. She’s an asset to the house and the school and we’re so grateful she’s repping the scarlet and gold. Now we’ve got the trophy cabinet so full I think we might struggle to close the doors, it’s time for butterbeers all round!

We’re diving back into the fascinating topic of ancient runes this month with Spellman’s Syllabary. This text is invaluable for anyone hoping to decipher some runic script as it’s a compendium of runes and their meanings. Join us as we uncover the mysteries behind some aged inscriptions (and hope we don’t discover any nasty curses along the way…)

We’ve talked about violet flowers but they’re not the only place the colour shows up in the natural world. Many animals, sea creatures, birds and insects flaunt at least some violet. Research one or several of them. You can either produce a fact chart in the form of a collage with a few written facts sprinkled in or share what you discover in at least 100 words (your own words, please). Post your findings below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of June to earn 10 rubies.

The colour violet was named after the flowers of the same name. We’ve been using violets in our cooking since the time of the ancient Greeks and possibly even further back. They’re commonly used in sweet treats (remember the dessert Dobby destroyed was covered in candied violets?) but they can also be used in salads and in drinks. For this task, we’ve like you to design the packaging for a brand new product flavoured with violets. Make sure it’s eye-catching. You can either create a graphic (in which case, please keep it to 600x600 pixels and upload to a graphics hosting website) or describe your package design in 80 words or more. Post your creations below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of June to earn 10 rubies.

One of the things we associate green with is the emotion of jealousy. It’s given us some striking sayings, including “the green-eyed monster” which seems to have been invented by William Shakespeare. But what if the monster was more than a clever metaphor? What would it look like if it really existed? And how did it get its reputation for envy? Let’s find out! You can either show us your interpretation of the green-eyed monster as a graphic (keep it to 600x600 pixels or less and upload to an image sharing website, please) or you can write a story about how it became associated with jealousy in 100 words or more. Post your monstrous creations below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of June to earn 10 rubies.

Not everyone is as big a fan of Beedle’s work as the countless wizarding children who have been enchanted by the tales. In fact, Beatrix Bloxam found them so dark and unpleasant that she decided to write her own sickeningly sweet adaptations that she thought were more suitable for young minds. “Then the little golden pot danced with delight – hoppitty hoppitty hop! – on its tiny rosy toes! Wee Willykins had cured all the dollies of their poorly tum-tums, and the little pot was so happy that it filled up with sweeties for Wee Willykins and the dollies!” Illustrations are an important part of any children’s book. That’s why we’d like you to create some artwork for one of Beatrix Bloxam’s versions of the famous tales. Which one you pick is up to you. Please keep your graphic to 600x600 pixels or less and include a quick caption to let us know what it depicts. If you’d rather do this through writing, you can describe the artwork you’d create in 80 words or more. Post your illustrations below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of June to earn 10 rubies.

We’ve been using dyes to bring a splash of colour to our clothes and other textiles for thousands of years. But before it was possible to pop down to the craft store for a bottle of whatever shade we wanted, we had to find some way of creating the right colour dye from natural resources. Do some research and tell us about a historic method for creating orange dye. Ideally, we’d like it to be a true orange but given the subject matter, very close colours like dark yellow would be acceptable. Who came up with it? What was the process like? Did you discover anything else of interest? Providing it’s true, HOL appropriate and written in your own words, it’s all good. Share your findings in 100 words or more and post them below by 23:59 HOL-time on June the 30th to earn 10 rubies.

Well, sadly, that’s the end of our island adventure. It’s been an absolute pleasure to hear all about the things you’d take and why. Rubies should be awarded now but if you spot something missing, please let me know and I’ll look into it for you (please also check your PMs as I needed to check one or two things with some folks). Thank you all so much for sharing your desert island discs!

'Have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica?' 'Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading,' said Ron, but very quietly. Number charts at the ready because this time, we’re reading Numerology and Grammatica by L. Wakefield and N. Carneiro Maths but make it magical. Used by Arithmancy students at Hogwarts, this is a helpful introduction to the mystical properties of numbers and how they can be used to make predictions and conduct analysis. Task 1: https://gryff.net/index.php?/topic/4522-numerology-and-grammatica-task-1/ Task 2: https://gryff.net/index.php?/topic/4523-numerology-and-grammatica-task-2/ Task 3: https://gryff.net/index.php?/topic/4524-numerology-and-grammatica-task-3/

The book starts off with a detailed look into numbers, covering the magical properties of each in detail. I don’t know about you but the first thing I’d do would be to look up my lucky number to see if I’d picked a good one… If you have a lucky number of your own, great. If not, pick one either that you like or at random. Do some research into its mystical/magical significance and tell us at least 5 things that you found interesting. Your write-up should be at least 100 words for full credit.

Solutions received from... River Fenwick Luna Ravenlong

Now all your choices have been made, there’s nothing left to do but settle into island life. Why not laze on the beach and watch the shimmering sea for a while? Solve the following fallen letters: https://imgur.com/KIRddxC write your solution out as text (not an image) and send it to me via PM. You’ll earn 10 rubies if you submit it by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April.

You might have picked all of your discs and a book but there are still a few more questions to answer before you’re cast away. 1. What would you like your luxury item to be? It can’t be another person or creature and it can’t be something you can use to escape but other than that, you can have anything you want. Other castaways have chosen musical instruments, a lifetime supply of tea and coffee machines, amongst many others. In particular, don’t worry about the lack of electricity. 2. How well do you think you’ll cope on the island, both in terms of the practical survival skills and the solitude? 3. If you could save only one of your 8 discs from the waves, which would it be and why? Each of your answers should be at least 50 words for full credit. Post your answers below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April to earn 15 rubies (5 per answer).

Approved Fred Glaser - first year

Approved Maisie Carmichael - Slytherin visitor

Fishing will be one of the best ways of finding food on the island, so you'd best get practicing. Please solve the following adapted battle ships puzzle. https://imgur.com/BeUnA36 Each puzzle represents an ocean with a hidden school of fish, which may be oriented horizontally or vertically within the grid such that no fish touches another, not even diagonally. The numbers on the right and on the bottom of the grid show how many squares in the corresponding row and column are occupied by fish segments. Please send your solution to @Prof. Maxim Trevelyan via PM by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April to earn 10 rubies.

Time to make your next three choices! As a reminder, we’re asking you to pick the pieces of media you would most want to take with you if you were going to be stranded on a desert island. They could be pieces of music, movies, video games, books or works of art (like sculptures and paintings). Try to keep HOL appropriateness in mind and don’t choose anything too dark/adult, please. This week, you’re picking discs 7 and 8 and you're also picking a book. On the show, you're given The Complete Works of Shakespeare and a spiritual text of your choice (if you want it) - this book should be something other than one of those but otherwise can be anything you like. Please describe each of your choices and what they mean to you/why you chose them. Maybe they make you think about a precious memory or loved one. Maybe they remind you about a specific time in your life. Maybe you just really admire them or like the way they make you feel. Anything goes. You should write at least 50 words per choice for full credit but you don’t need to do them all in one go – you could come back later to post your other choices. Please post your choices below by 23:59 HOL-time on 30th April to earn 15 rubies (5 rubies per choice).

Approved Evangeline Phoebe Longbottom - first year

You'll need to get to know your way around the island pretty quickly. Where is it safe to look for resources and where might there be dangers like wild animals or steep cliffs? Solve this slitherlink puzzle showing the safe area: https://imgur.com/3IvnY1j Send your completed puzzle to @Prof. Amy Lupin via PM to earn 10 rubies. You have until 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April.

Time to make your next three choices! As a reminder, we’re asking you to pick the pieces of media you would most want to take with you if you were going to be stranded on a desert island. They could be pieces of music, movies, video games, books or works of art (like sculptures and paintings). Try to keep HOL appropriateness in mind and don’t choose anything too dark/adult, please. This week, you’re picking discs 4, 5 and 6. Please describe each of your choices and what they mean to you/why you chose them. Maybe they make you think about a precious memory or loved one. Maybe they remind you about a specific time in your life. Maybe you just really admire them or like the way they make you feel. Anything goes. You should write at least 50 words per choice for full credit but you don’t need to do them all in one go – you could come back later to post your second/third choices. Please post your choices below by 23:59 HOL-time on 30th April to earn 15 rubies (5 rubies per choice).

I bet you’re wondering what this mysterious island actually looks like. Let’s find out! Solve this jigsaw – make sure the piece count is set to 104. https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1c986d1ec950&pieces=104 Take a screenshot of your completed puzzle (including the time and the piece count). Upload your screenshot to an image sharing website and post the link below. You’ll earn 10 rubies by submitting your solution by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April.

Time to make your first three choices! As a reminder, we’re asking you to pick the pieces of media you would most want to take with you if you were going to be stranded on a desert island. They could be pieces of music, movies, video games, books or works of art (like sculptures and paintings). Try to keep HOL appropriateness in mind and don’t choose anything too dark/adult, please. This week, you’re picking discs 1, 2 and 3. Please describe each of your choices and what they mean to you/why you chose them. Maybe they make you think about a precious memory or loved one. Maybe they remind you about a specific time in your life. Maybe you just really admire them or like the way they make you feel. Anything goes. You should write at least 50 words per choice for full credit but you don’t need to do them all in one go – you could come back later to post your second/third choices. Please post your choices below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April to earn 15 rubies (5 rubies per choice).

Welcome to Gryffindor’s take on Desert Island Discs! The original Desert Island Discs is a long running UK radio show where they get notable people to share interesting things about themselves and their lives. It involves asking them to choose 8 pieces of music that are meaningful to them, 1 book and 1 luxury item that they would choose to take if they were going to be cast away to a desert island. And now, it’s your turn. During April, I’ll be asking you to choose the 8 pieces of media (plus a book and a luxury item) you would most want to take with you if you were going to be marooned on your own personal island and what they mean to you/why you chose them. Rather than asking you to stick to pieces of music, we’re opening it up – you can pick things like movies, video games, books and works of art (like sculptures and paintings) as well. Please keep HOL appropriateness in mind and don’t choose anything too dark/adult. We’ll also be sharing a fun island themed puzzle each week. New tasks will be released every Tuesday and everything is due on the 30th of April. There will be 25 rubies up for grabs each week (15 for your choices, 10 for the puzzle) for a total of 100. If you have difficulty completing any of the tasks for accessibility reasons, please let me know and we can work out an alternative that suits you better. And now, we’re off to the island!

If you have any questions about the activity, ask them here and we'll get back to you ASAP.

Approved Ashley Barlowe - first year