There are a couple of great author events coming up! 

Seth Fishman visited Pennekamp a while back to share with us his first book: One Hundred Billion Trillion Stars. His new book--Power Up: Your Incredible, Spectacular, Supercharged Body--is sure to be terrific. Seth is a dynamic speaker who makes nonfiction content fun for children of all ages.
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Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of many books for young readers, including The Circus Ship and Hattie & Hudson. He is the illustrator of the Mercy Watson and Deckawoo Drive series. His new picture book with Kate DiCamillo is A Piglet Named Mercy.

Pennekamp's Literacy Celebration 2019 has begun! From March 1 to 15, we will be enjoying a variety of literacy-themed events to fire up our Dragons' love of reading! 

The Super Literacy Quiz Bowls for grades 3, 4, and 5 will be played on March 11, 7, and 4 (respectively). An astounding 80 students from across these grades have signed up to compete! Information about the contests can be found on this website. The MC for the events will be Dr. Gerger, and parents are permitted to attend. 

For our younger Dragons, I'm pleased to announce the first-ever Night at the Library, which will be on Wednesday, March 6, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Parents and students in TK, K, 1st, and 2nd grade are invited to come in their PJs to Pennekamp's library after dark. We'll hear and read picture books and do a variety of fun things. Please note, each child needs to have a parent with her or him--this is not a drop-off event. It may be a bit rainy, but even if it is, the event will go as planned!

Reading logs were distributed to every student through his or her classroom, and reading logs can also be downloaded and printed out from this website (see just below this post). Students are to record every minute of reading from March 1 to March 15. Log sheets can be turned in starting March 15, and must be turned in no later than March 22 (no exceptions). Let's see how many minutes we can read! Every student who turns in a reading log by the deadline will receive a reward: an Islands restaurant gift certificate! (Thanks to our local Manhattan Beach Islands for donating these).

Mystery readers are a longtime PK tradition. During the Literacy Celebration (March 1-15), parents (or grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even siblings) choose a book to read aloud in their child's class. Most readers dress up to match the chosen readaloud, but that is optional. The time and duration of your appearance must be coordinated with your child's teacher--please be ready to accommodate our students' and teachers' busy daily schedules. The library is happy to help readers choose a book, but it's best if you have a costume or concept in mind first. 

The Literacy Celebration is a special Pennekamp event that results from the commitment and efforts of a great many people. First among these is Dr. Gerger, who advised on, supported, and encouraged every aspect of the Literacy Celebration. I'm so proud to be part of a community that puts literacy at the forefront, and that mindset starts at the top, with Dr. Gerger. I'd also like to thank the teachers for their support--for talking up the events, making time for students to prepare, and most of all, for building literacy day in and day out. Many thanks to Jason Marshall, Technology TOSA, for essential technical support with Kahoot! and the SLQB soundtrack. I'd like to give a tremendous shoutout to Jiyeon Im, chair of the Literacy Celebration, for making this huge event happen. Literacy Celebration 2019 exists because of her passion for reading, her creativity and diligence, and the hours of hard work she put in over many months. Thanks to the Pennekamp PTA for generous funding and support, and especially to Lorie McDonald, VP of Operations, for helping to coordinate the many moving parts, supplying extra assistance with the Night at the Library, and being a beacon of good cheer. Thanks finally to the parent and student volunteers, too numerous to name, whose help was crucial to the success of the SLQBs and Night at the Library. You are all absolutely wonderful!
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