Every month here at Pennekamp we choose a character trait to recognize, and this month's trait is "caring." All the books I am reading aloud this week exemplify caring behavior.
Below please find a link to a group of clips from an interview with Patricia Polacco, author and illustrator of dozens of picture books. (She is kind of the grand dame of picture books.) This week I will be reading aloud Thank You, Mr. Falker, which tells the story of Ms. Polacco's struggle to learn to read and the teacher who recognized that she had dyslexia. Born in 1944, Ms. Polacco grew up in a time when dyslexia was not widely understood. As the fifth video segment in the collection below describes, not only did her teacher (Mr. Felker, depicted as "Mr. Falker" in the story) figure out why reading was hard for her, he then went to great lengths to see that she got the help she needed. It's an inspiring story of how one caring person made a tremendous difference.
Below please find a link to a group of clips from an interview with Patricia Polacco, author and illustrator of dozens of picture books. (She is kind of the grand dame of picture books.) This week I will be reading aloud Thank You, Mr. Falker, which tells the story of Ms. Polacco's struggle to learn to read and the teacher who recognized that she had dyslexia. Born in 1944, Ms. Polacco grew up in a time when dyslexia was not widely understood. As the fifth video segment in the collection below describes, not only did her teacher (Mr. Felker, depicted as "Mr. Falker" in the story) figure out why reading was hard for her, he then went to great lengths to see that she got the help she needed. It's an inspiring story of how one caring person made a tremendous difference.
Speaking of making a difference, I am thrilled to report the outcome of Pennekamp's November food drive. We donated 1,085 pounds of food to the L.A. Regional Food Bank! We far exceeded our goal of 400 pounds. Thank you, Dragon families, for your extraordinary generosity. To celebrate, the PTA is giving the students a schoolwide popsicle party on January 18, 2017.
The book club for students in grade 5 will begin in December. Pre-enrollment is REQUIRED, and consent forms can be obtained at the library or from the school office. The first meeting will be in the library at lunch/lunch recess on Monday, December 19. 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 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. If so, I am delighted to welcome up to 20 students to the club. Membership is first come, first served.
The Manhattan Beach public library's annual holiday craft event will be on Wednesday December 14, starting at 3:30. Then on Wednesday, December 21, from 3:30 to 5:00, there's a very cool Frida Kahlo art workshop. It is for grades 2 to 5, and if you have children of that age, I'd really encourage you to take them.
Finally, here's a lovely picture of a loggerhead sea turtle, to accompany my reading to 3rd grade of Follow the Moon Home.
The book club for students in grade 5 will begin in December. Pre-enrollment is REQUIRED, and consent forms can be obtained at the library or from the school office. The first meeting will be in the library at lunch/lunch recess on Monday, December 19. 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 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. If so, I am delighted to welcome up to 20 students to the club. Membership is first come, first served.
The Manhattan Beach public library's annual holiday craft event will be on Wednesday December 14, starting at 3:30. Then on Wednesday, December 21, from 3:30 to 5:00, there's a very cool Frida Kahlo art workshop. It is for grades 2 to 5, and if you have children of that age, I'd really encourage you to take them.
Finally, here's a lovely picture of a loggerhead sea turtle, to accompany my reading to 3rd grade of Follow the Moon Home.
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