Coming up this week, grades K, 1, and 2 will finish their participation in the California Young Reader Medal contest. We will hear any remaining nominees, and each student will vote for his or her favorite. DK, which has already voted on their favorites, will hear books on the many February holidays and events--Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Black History Month, and Valentine's Day. Grade 3 will hear Shrek, by William Steig, which inspired the well-known Shrek films. In addition to being a very funny romantic story, Shrek includes some high-level vocabulary words which the students will look up in print dictionaries. Grade 4 will hear Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, by Deborah Hopkinson, in which the author uses an event from Abraham Lincoln's life to remind readers that all stories are shaped by the decisions of storytellers. Grade 5 will hear Shrek and When Everybody Wore a Hat, a memoir, both by William Steig, whose Abel's Island is read in one of the grade 5 ROAR groups.
The library will be open for studying on Monday and Thursday from 2:15 to 3:00. Classes now use the library between 2:15 and 2:45 on Tuesday and Friday. The library will close at 1:45 on Wednesday because Ms. Barbara must attend an off-campus meeting.