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September 8, 2014

9/7/2014

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All classes visit the library this week! The library is completely up and running, with many new books covered, sections rearranged, shelves relabeled, and a full team of awesome volunteers on board. If you haven't yet, please come by and say hello!

This week the students are mostly getting to know the library, at various levels of complexity, tailored to suit each grade. For specifics, please see the Weekly Readalouds page of this website. An exception is 2nd grade, which is hearing a very cute new book, Superhero School, by Aaron Reynolds, that shows how the skills learned around 2nd or 3rd grade can actually be used to defeat supervillains. I'm glad to have this fact confirmed--I'd suspected it all along.

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September 2, 2014

9/2/2014

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Hello again, here we are in week 2! 

This week the Wednesday kindergarten classes will visit the library. Our theme is names--why our names are important to us, calling people by the name they want to be called by, remembering names. I hope to begin to learn the new students' names. It sure is nice they are wearing name tags while I'm still learning! 

Grade 5 is also coming to library. We did not read a book last week as their time was focused on choosing book report books. Depending on how many students still need help with that, I hope to have time to read Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library, by Barb Rosenstock. I plan to toss out an open (if leading) question: "How are libraries related to American ideals?" and see what the students think!

Next week class visits for all grades begin.

About the library catalog: please try using it at home! You might add it to your Favorites menu; you could create a Favorites menu just for your children, with websites they need for class and other good ones, such as the library catalog, BrainPop, World Book Online, and reputable, entertaining sites such as National Geographic Kids and FreeRice. (BrainPop and World Book Online require passwords, but you can get these from me, your child's teacher, the school office, or possibly your child already knows them.) There is a tab on this website that links to the catalog. The library catalog URL is http://destiny.mbusd.org There is also a free app for your tablet or smartphone: Destiny Quest.

Please note that the library will CLOSE this Wednesday at 1:30. I will be attending an off-campus meeting of district library staff.
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November 4, 2013

11/4/2013

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The incoming Common Core Standards promote the reading of nonfiction. Every class this week will be looking at at least one nonfiction book (indicated on the Weekly Readalouds post).

Many nonfiction books are creatively and beautifully written, in addition to being terrifically interesting, so consider including nonfiction in the selections you read with your children. In a library catalog such as ours, a book with numerals in its call number is generally a nonfiction book (but watch out for the call number 398.2, folklore and fairy tales, where you'll find works such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and the like). Is there a topic you and your student would like to know more about? Type that term in the catalog's search window and choose a "Subject" or "Keyword" search. In the records that are retrieved, the call number allows you to distinguish between nonfiction and fiction works, and to locate the book in our library. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 have seen the catalog demonstrated many times during class library visits. It might be fun to ask your son or daughter to be your "teacher"--to show you how we look for materials in our library catalog!

You are invited to visit the library to learn more about catalog searching or to check out books. The library is open during school hours: from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Parents may visit with or without their students except when the library is in use for a class visit. Parents may check out 10 books at a time. 

Please note, next Monday, November 11, is Veterans Day, a school holiday. 

This is MBEF pledge week. Please contribute to MBEF, which supports our schools--and notably our school libraries--so generously and essentially. Without MBEF, we simply would not have many of the programs that enrich our students' lives and develop their minds. I am grateful to MBEF as a district employee, the parent of two young men educated in our school district, and a member of this community.
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September 9, 2013

9/9/2013

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I have returned from my various travels and am looking forward to seeing a full schedule of classes this week! The class visit schedule can be viewed on this website. This week we have early dismissal on Thursday, so classes that meet Thursday afternoon are invited to visit the library at a different open time.

Library circulation policies are the same as last year. Students are permitted to check out the same number of books as their grade level; so, for example, a first-grader may take one book and a fifth-grader may take five books. Parents may check out ten books at a time. Kindergarteners are also allowed to check out one book but will not begin checking out right away. The loan period is one week, but a book may be renewed three times, for a total of four weeks.

The library volunteer schedule is filling up! Parent volunteers are still needed for the following classes: Mrs. Horowitz, Ms. Hooper, and Ms. Fletcher. Please see me or your child’s teacher to find out more about volunteering in the library.

This week the lower grades will hear stories about libraries and reading. TK/K will be working with books related to their study of the five senses. Grades 3 and 4 will be learning about the organization of the library. Grade 5 will hear a story in commemoration of Patriot Day that will also give us a chance to talk about picture books in general and literary terms.

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September 24, 2012

9/24/2012

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Have you noticed how nice the library shelves are looking? We can thank the many students in grades 3, 4, and 5 who have "adopted" a shelf to maintain for this school year! Students make sure that their shelves are clean, that books are standing tall but not too tight, and that books are aligned with the front edge of the shelf. Every week students can earn a shiny star for their name tag by taking care of their shelf. Great job, students, and thanks!

Library readalouds for grades K, 1, 2, and 3 this week focus on fall, which began Saturday, September 22; distinguishing fiction from nonfiction; and finding nonfiction books in the library. DK/TK is reviewing colors and shapes. Grade 4 is building a vocabulary of "literary response" terms through discussion of The Cello of Mr. O, by Jane Cutler. Grade 5 will be hearing a Native American legend, to support their in-class work on Native American cultures as well as literary genres.

Calling all artists, readers, and library lovers--it's time for the Los Angeles County Public Library's annual bookmark contest! Entry forms are available in the public library as well as the Pennekamp Library, and can also be downloaded and printed from the public library's website. Entries are due at Pennekamp by October 26, or you can turn them in at the public library until the next day, October 27. This year's theme is "It Came from a Book!" The winning designs are made into bookmarks and distributed at public libraries throughout the coming year. Winners are honored at a city council meeting, win a prize "grab bag," and receive 50 copies of their bookmark to give to family and friends.

This Thursday, September 26, the 5th-grade book club is meeting in the library at lunch recess. Students, please come ready to discuss this month's selection: Aliens on Vacation, by Clete Barrett Smith. New members and interested observers are welcome to attend.
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June 4 to 8, 2012

6/9/2012

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The past week was the last week of regular class visits to the library. Books are no longer being checked out this year, and most are being returned right on schedule. There is never an overdue fine at the library, but any student with unresolved library issues on the last day of class will have a hold place on his or her report card pending resolution. Please contact the library if you have any questions about your student's, or your own, library account.

Yesterday I enjoyed having lunch with two 3rd-grade students, Lauren and Lindsey. Lauren won my "lunch in the library" event at the teacher raffle and invited her friend Lindsey to join us. The girls were delightful companions! I hope they had as good a time as I did!

Wednesday night I was honored at the board meeting of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District as classified employee of the year at Pennekamp. My sincere thanks go out to Pennekamp's students, families, teachers, staff, and to Principal Mabry for being so supportive of my efforts. 

Also this past week I had the pleasure of introducing the new digital collection at Manhattan Beach Middle School (MBMS) to current 5th graders. Did you know that e-books can be checked out just like "regular" books? Well, they can, and like all library materials, they are free of charge. MBMS has just introduced 96 e-book titles, and MBUSD students moving up to 6th grade at MBMS are encouraged to check out these titles during the summer. Browse it by clicking on MBMS Digital Library.

The Pennekamp library is closed during the summer, so please visit the public library. Our local Manhattan Beach branch has an exciting summer reading program lined up, with entertaining events as well as various forms of recognition for participating readers. It's going to be a lot of fun, so be sure to sign up soon!

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September 12 to 16, 2011

9/11/2011

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All grades visit the library this week! Students in grades 1 through 5 will be checking out books this week; kindergarten will begin circulation in a week or two. Please note that Pennekamp parents are invited to use the library during open hours except during class visits. Pennekamp parents may check out books, so come to the library to be added to our happy community of patrons. Please also take note of the Class Visit Schedule, which shows the day your student (or students) visits the library. Students cannot check out new books unless they have returned the books they already have, so they should bring their library books on their class visit days.

This week is bounded by two significant events in United States history. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. In recognition of the day, fifth-graders will here 14 Cows for America, which tells the true story of a gift given to America by the Maasai people as a gesture of compassion and comfort. September 17 is Constitution Day (observed September 16 at Pennekamp), and students throughout the school will be receiving instruction this week in the history of America's Constitution. Links for both these events are provided on the Weekly Readalouds post for this week. 

Other grades are hearing books related to reading and libraries, and most grades are being introduced to the collection, the catalog, and library policies. Kindergarten will be hearing Edward and the Pirates, by David McPhail, because Monday, September 19, is Talk Like a Pirate Day! Aaaargh, me hearties, get yourselves a copy of Treasure Island (FIC STE) or How I Became a Pirate (E LON) and have a swashbuckling time!

One last special event to mention: New York Times bestselling author Judy Schachner, creator of the irrepressible Skippyjon Jones books, will be appearing at our local independent bookstore, Pages: A Bookstore. The event is Monday, September 12, at 3:30, and reservations are recommended (310-318-0900). 
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September 6 to 9, 2011

9/5/2011

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This week three of the four kindergarten classes will visit the library. Ms. Cannon's class visits on Mondays, and Monday was a school holiday this week.  The kindergarten classes are starting one week ahead of all other classes to address their classroom overlap. For the kindergarten classes that meet on Wednesdays, each class visits the library in turn, so that both classes are not in the classroom at the same time. 

The kindergarteners will not be checking out books this week. Rather, I will read two stories: Rain School, by James Rumford; and Our Library, by Eve Bunting. Using Rain School, we will discuss what it takes to make a school. Our Library raises the (unfortunately) very real question of what library lovers can do when their library is going to be closed forever. It will help us consider how lucky we are to have a library, why libraries are important, and what can be done to respond to a change that is not for the better. 

In addition, the kinders will become familiar with important places in the library: the circulation desk; the computers that access the library catalog; and the story room, where picture books and Emergent Reader books are shelved. We will practice using the "paint sticks"--shelf markers that keep the place of a book that's been removed from its shelf location. 

Coming up is an exciting local event: Judy Schachner, author of the Skippyjon Jones books, will be appearing at Pages: A Bookstore, our local independent bookstore. The event is Monday, September 12, from 3:30 to 5:00. Pages is located at 904 Manhattan Ave. in downtown Manhattan Beach. Reservations are being taken for this special event--call 310-318-0900 to reserve your spot.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who volunteered to help the library this year! The volunteer orientation will be Friday, September 9, from 8:30 to 10:00 in the library. New and returning volunteers are asked to attend; adequate training is essential before beginning circulation and shelving duties.
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    Barbara Siegemund-Broka, library resource specialist, maintains this blog to inform Pennekamp students and families about library news and related content. Any opinions expressed here are solely her own. 

    What's Ms. Barbara reading?

    Picture
    How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, by Jenny Odell
    ​
    Worth repeating:

    His eyes are soft. “Do you know why I became a librarian?”
       I wait for him to tell me, because of course I don’t.
       “Dewey,” he says. “As in the decimal system.”
       I’m not sure if he’s joking or not, but he continues, “I like order. I like organization. The idea of all the information in the world, all organized, everything in its place—I like that idea.”
       He clears his throat. “But I’ve been doing this job for a long time. And the thing I’ve learned is that stories aren’t about order and organization. They’re about feelings. And the feelings don’t always make sense. See, stories are like …” He pauses, brow furrowing, then nods, satisfied in finding the right comparison: “Water. Like rain. We can hold them tight, but they always slip through our fingers.”
       I try to hide my shock. Joe doesn’t seem like the poetic type.
       His caterpillar eyebrows knit together. “That can be scary. But remember that water gives us life. It connects continents. It connects people. And in quiet moments, when the water’s still, sometimes we can see our own reflection.”
     
    --From When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Heller, winner of the 2021 Newbery Medal

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