This week, post-Thanksgiving, I will be sharing books about making a life in America. As did the Pilgrims, people from around the globe have come to this land and have worked hard to settle here, adapting to and contributing to this country. I always encourage the students to find out how and why their families came to America. It's an ideal topic for conversations with grandparents during the holidays. These heritage stories connect us to our families, to history, and to each other.

Her Right Foot, by Dave Eggers, is this week's choice for grade 3, which has been studying national symbols. I really talked up this beautiful, lively nonfiction picture book around the time of the book fair, but it is fairly expensive and not that many picture books (even long nonfiction ones) are purchased for upper-grade students, so I think that not too many people will already be super familiar with it. We will also watch the video below, which is a montage of images of the Statue of Liberty with a children's choir singing the words of "The New Colossus," the poem by Emma Lazarus that is on the statue's pedestal. (Please be careful showing YouTube content to your children because the comments, advertisements, and sidebars are often inappropriate for children.)

Speaking of grades 3, 4, and 5, I'd like to remind students in those grades to continue to prepare for the Super Literacy Quiz Bowl. Parental consent forms will be given out in January, and the event is in February. More information can be found under the website tab Contests. 

The Pennekamp library's book club for students in grade 5 starts in December. Pre-enrollment is REQUIRED, and consent forms will be available next week. The first meeting will be in the library at lunch/lunch recess on Monday, December 18. Book club is an optional, social activity for students who enjoy reading and talking about books. It is not related to the curriculum. As a parent, you will need to help your child obtain a copy of each of the 5 books we will read between January and June. Students commit to reading the chosen book each month before the meeting at which it will be discussed. The books are generally chapter-length fiction of roughly 300 pages. Typically we choose books that are either available in paperback or at the public library (so we don't all have to buy an expensive hardcover book), but the PK library is not able to provide copies of the monthly selections. Please consider carefully if the club is what you and your child want to do. I am delighted to welcome up to 20 students to the club. Membership is first come, first served.

Pennekamp's food drive to benefit the L.A. Regional Food Bank continues until November 30. Please donate nonperishable food items to help the 1.4 million people in Los Angeles who are "food insecure." The Pennekamp PTA will provide a popsicle party for the whole school if we reach 500 pounds (or more) of food this year. Collection bins are in the library and the school office.

The theme this week for class visits and books on display is Native Americans. Thanksgiving is coming, and while many of us (myself included) trace our lineage to people who immigrated to this land, it's undeniable that native people's lives were and are disrupted by the intrusion of newcomers. Following the Thanksgiving break I will be reading stories about immigration to the United State and the challenges as well as rewards of building lives here.

To provide context for the American Indian stories on display and that I'll read aloud, I'm planning to show the BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. videos about Thanksgiving. Both pay special attention to the interaction between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Did you know that the PTA provides BrainPOP for Pennekamp's students and their families? Our level of subscription allows you to use BrainPOP at home with your children--and you really should! There are so many videos on such a wide array of topics. Your son or daughter probably knows the login information, or you can get it from me or your child's teacher. I try to show something from BrainPOP once each school year--because the videos are great, but also to remind the students that these are available to us. (Thanks, PTA!)

​As mentioned last week (and as I will keep mentioning!), students in grades 3, 4, and 5 are encouraged to participate in the upcoming Super Literacy Quiz Bowl (SLQB). Taking place during the PK Literacy Event (February 5 to 26, 2018), the SLQB is a trivia game in which students are quizzed on facts and details from a grade-specific list of 13 books. Participation in this activity is optional! In order to participate, students need to read at least 10 books from their grade's book list by mid-January 2018 and return a signed parent consent form. Teams will be randomly assigned, and competition will take place during the week of February 12 at an assembly. And you know what's great? The terrific Michael Mackavoy, librarian for children and youth at the Manhattan Beach public library, has obtained multiple copies of the books on the SLQB reading lists. The books are displayed under the big staircase in the library. This should really allow any and all interested students to participate, so please do make use of this wonderful source of support.

This week (November 6 to 13) classes visit the book fair. Below find the schedule. The fair is open most days from 7:45 to 1:30. Thursday, November 9, the fair opens early for the "Donuts with Dad" event at 7:15 a.m. Everyone is on early release next week. Friday, November 10, is the observance of Veterans Day, so there is no school that day. The book fair schedule is right here, in case you'd like to see when your child's class is going to the fair. (Sorry the type is so small.)

Another important Pennekamp event is going on right now: our food drive to benefit the L.A. Regional Food Bank. Please consider donating nonperishable food items to help the 1.4 million people in Los Angeles who are "food insecure." The Pennekamp PTA will provide a popsicle party for the whole school if we reach 500 pounds (or more) of food this year. The video below tells a bit about how the L.A. Regional Food Bank works (but as always, beware of YouTube comments, ads, and sidebars that may not be appropriate for children). 

Finally, I'd like to urge students in grades 3, 4, and 5 to participate in the upcoming Super Literacy Quiz Bowl (SLQB). Taking place during the PK Literacy Event (February 5 to 26, 2018), the SLQB is a trivia game in which students are quizzed on facts and details from a grade-specific list of 13 books. Participation in this activity is optional! In order to participate, students need to read at least 10 books from their grade's book list by mid-January 2018 and return a signed parent consent form. Teams will be randomly assigned, and competition will take place during the week of February 12 at an assembly. And you know what's great? The terrific Michael Mackavoy, librarian for children and youth at the Manhattan Beach public library, has obtained multiple copies of the books on the SLQB reading lists. The books are displayed under the big staircase in the library (as pictured below). This should really allow any and all interested students to participate, so please do make use of this wonderful source of support.