I apologize for any inconvenience due to the closure of the library last week. I was out of town, and it is good to be back.

This week classes are hearing books about gifts, Hanukkah, and Christmas. TK is also focusing particularly on hats.

Books checked out this week will be due when school resumes. The computer should adjust the due date to be three weeks from the day on which a book is checked out. As is well known, there is no overdue fine for late books.

Sign-up sheets went home last week for the 5th-grade book club. Interested students and families, please review carefully the requirements for club participation. Book clubs are not for everyone. (I myself have never been successful with any grown-up book club I've tried--I am just too interested in reading exactly what I want to read, which tends to be children's books.) The Pennekamp Library's 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 purchase or borrow from the public library the 5 books we will do between January and June. Please consider carefully if this is what you and your child want to do. If so, I am delighted to welcome up to 20 students to the club. Membership is first come, first served.

That's it for this week, and for this year! I wish everyone a safe, beautiful, and restorative holiday season.

The library is open this week although most classes are not visiting. The minimum day schedule interferes with the usual class visit schedule, and furthermore, classes will be spending time visiting our fabulous winter book fair. The classes that do visit are hearing books about snow. January and February are such busy months in the library, what with the California Young Reader Medal nominees as well as the schoolwide Literacy Event, there's really no other time to talk about snow--and make sure our California kids know what it is!