Last week, I traveled to the Upper School for their morning assembly and Middle School lunch to do a quick plug about Banned and Challenged Books Week sponsored by the American Library Association and Amnesty International. The purpose is to bring awareness to readers that there are individuals or groups with ideas about what books should be (or not be) available to readers, which goes against our First Amendment Rights as American citizens. Both books targeted for adults, as well as children are listed. It is always interesting to see the reactions of students when you mention books like, Captain Underpants, The Holy Bible, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, etc., that have been on the list in previous years.  I know that there was quite a bit of discussion after the presentations in the classrooms and in clubs last week. 

A cart of books, that have been banned or challenged in schools and libraries around the country, was set up in the US Lobby last week to review and checkout. One of our US parents, Clif Turman,  took a picture of the book cart. The books have been picked up and are now on display in the MS/US Library for the remainder of the month. If you would like more information or see some of the past lists of banned and challenged books over the years, please go to http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned. 

Please be assured, that although I support every person’s right to read, I also support the rights of the parent.  Our library collection supports our entire population from PK through college level and books that are targeted to adults, including classics or best seller lists. If you ever want your student to not check out a certain book or series, please let me know. Also, if I feel your student wants to check out a book that they are not quite ready to read because of interest level, I will contact you before letting them check it out.

September was a busy month in the library. Beginning of school, Patriot Day, Constitution Day, Banned Books Week, and Hispanic Heritage Month have all been topics of books featured in the last 30 days. All of the new students, school wide and the Kindergarten students were added to our library database, so they can check out books this year. All students and faculty have access to the resources of the library.

JK-Grade 5 students come to the LS Library once a week to learn library skills, and exchange books.

At the end of Library class, JK students are allowed to select one book that are pre-selected just for them. These books are checked out and taken back to the classroom for the teachers to read aloud.

Grades K-5 use shelf markers and can select books based on their own interests. If I think the student has selected a book that they are not quite ready for, I discuss with teacher or send email to parent before letting it leave.

Each grade is allowed a maximum number of books checked out at one time. JK, through First Grade, 1; Second Grade, 2; Third Grade, 3; Fourth and Fifth Grade, 4.

On Thursday, September 7, 2017, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) will have a table set up for parents and students to sign up for a library card. For those who are new to the area or just have not had a chance visit to get more information. We partner with CRRL from time to time, as they are excited to offer their services to our community. Any student or faculty member may obtain a free library card from CRRL, regardless of residence. A representative will be here to sign up and answer questions before Back to School Night begins in the Breezeway. 

For those students already missing checkout privileges from the library, here is a link to all kinds of children’s books in different languages in addition to English.

While library classes continue through the end of the year, the library books are being called back so inventory can be done. All library materials are asked to be returned to their respective libraries by this Friday, May 26th. There are a handful of student who have outstanding library materials. Reminders went home 2 weeks ago. I will be sending reminders again this week. Please help your student locate these.

Every summer the Central Rappahannock Regional Library has a summer reading program. Please encourage your children to sign up to keep the momentum going. More information is here.

Thank you for your support of the spring book fair. New books have been placed in the library, classroom, and of course students’ home libraries! There are also new Spanish language books purchased for next year’s trip to Costa Rica for the orphanage and library. I have not scheduled the fall book fair, but it will probably be October 6-13th coinciding with our Parent Conferences and Fall Break. 

All library books are due May 26th. Some of the students that have long overdue books have or will get a reminder to take home so family can help the student find the book. There are no fines for overdue books, however if a book is lost it will have to be replaced in kind or paid for at the end of the school year.

Thank you for all of the special notes, gifts, and thought for Teacher Appreciation Week last week. A lot of time and thought went into them. Most memorable will be the bubble wrap to “pop as needed”. 

Happy “Last Full Week of School”!

Our annual spring book fair is coming next week.  This is a great time to stock up on books for summer reading, which will help students get ahead of the “summer slump”. Research shows that reading consistently throughout the summer will help combat this.

It is held in the Middle School MPR (first floor, near the Falcon’s Nest) all week:

Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.;

Friday: 8 a.m-noon.

 Forms of payment accepted are cash, personal checks (to FA), and major credit/debit cards.

Buy a Book for Costa Rica: Also during the Book Fair, the 8th Grade No Barriers Group (formerly known as “Global Explorers”) will showcase their third annual share about their trip last week to Costa Rica. As a  post-travel service project, the eighth-grade participants will be working in conjunction with me  to encourage the community to purchase  Spanish language books from the Book Fair for next year’s annual trip to Costa Rica. The participants in this year’s No Barriers expedition will be at the Book Fair during the following times to talk to the community about their experiences: Monday, 2:30-3:10 p.m.; Tuesday, 7:45-8:05 a.m. & 2:30-3:10 .pm.; Wednesday, 7:45-8:05 a.m. & 2:30-3:10 p.m.; Thursday, 7:45-8:05 a.m. & 2:30-3:10 p.m.; Friday, 7:45-8:05 a.m

In order for the book fair to run smoothly, help is needed each day, including setup and pack up. I am using SignUp.com (formerly volunteerspot.com).

If you would like to sign up electronically:

1) Click this link: http://signup.com/go/ZrKEv3

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It’s Easy – you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

As the weather changes, many of the books shared during PK-First Grade Library time are seasonal. Recent topics have been American Indian children’s literature, and the adventures of turkeys trying to avoid being the main course on Thanksgiving Day.

Third grade has been studying  the Dewey Decimal System, dictionary skills, working on alphabetizing and guide words.

Fourth grade continues their genre studies using the library catalog to assist them finding books based on their needs.

Fifth grade is finishing up a research project on different Latin American countries.

After Thanksgiving Break, all the  grades will shift to Winter holidays, cultures and traditions through storytelling, while upper elementary students will do this and finish/present projects and continue to use library/digital resources.

There is always a lot of activity in the LS Library. First Grade students are taking advantage of checking out books in the morning. Fifth Grade students help to collect books, deliver the newspapers to the MS Library for the day. PK receives a weekly visit with stories and books. JK-1 visits for stories and books. Second Grade is learning about selecting a book that is just right for their reading levels. Third Grade has been introduced to Melvil Dewey and his system for the organization of libraries around the world. Fourth Grade has genre studies and using the library catalog efficiently to find books. Fifth grade is currently doing a research project about different countries in Central and Latin America.

As fall is in full swing, read-alouds become more seasonal. Currently there are stories about autumn, pumpkins, and  scary (not really) stories. Next month promises to be stories about elections, American Indians, and Thanksgiving. The end of the year culminates with winter holidays.

To encourage more circulation in the library, I am allowing the older elementary students to check out more books. And some are taking advantage of it. I am looking forward to empty shelves soon.