On Wednesday night, February 1, it will be my pleasure and honor to go before the school board to receive a generous gift from the Manhattan Beach Historical Society. As in years past, the society is giving the library $600 for the purchase of new books related to history, and the same amount is going to other district libraries. Accompanying me will be 5th-grader Anna Graves, who will read her paragraph on the theme "why learning about history is important to me," to express our students' appreciation as well as the significance of the gift to our students' learning. The Manhattan Beach Historical Society does terrific work in our community to preserve the history of Manhattan Beach. Right now, you can add your name to a commemorative centennial book for our town, a copy of which would make an excellent keepsake for generations to come.
Pennekamp's "Authors' Week" is next week, February 6 to 10. This is a unique literary event that allows our students to meet real authors, learn about the writing process, and discover new books. This year Debra Garfinkle (who writes under the name D. L. Green) will be the author for grades K through 3, while D. J. MacHale will present to grades 4 and 5. The authors' books can be preordered for autographing--contact the school office for details.
Book club for grade 4 meets this Friday, February 3, at lunch recess in the library. We will be discussing The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger. Book club for grade 5 meets next week--Friday, February 10--and we will discuss the first book in the Pendragon series, The Merchant of Death, by D. J. MacHale.
February has so many special days, it's hard to know where to begin! We are still in the midst of celebrating Chinese (or lunar) New Year. Thursday, February 2, is Groundhog Day. Coming up we have Lincoln's birthday, Valentine's Day, and Washington's birthday (celebrated on the Presidents Day holiday). February is also Black History Month. I will do my best to enhance the students' holiday experience by displaying and reading aloud books on these themes in the coming weeks.
Scholastic flyers are being distributed tomorrow, January 31, in the Tuesday envelope. Orders are due by February 15. Orders will be distributed after ski week, not before. A big "hooray!" goes out to the many fantastic volunteers who organized and stapled the Scholastic flyers for distribution. Purchasing from Scholastic generates points with which our library and teachers can acquire books free of charge. Many people ask why we cannot order online. The reason is, to promote children's safety in the face of so much online data collection, the Scholastic online order form does not include a customer's (i.e., a child's) last name. Because the library collects orders and money from the entire school, it seems to me essential to have a clear record of who is ordering--including the customer's last name, which is not part of the online order form. The paper forms record first and last names, without exposing that information on the internet, where prying eyes might invade a child's or family's privacy.
On a brighter note, our library's catalog now is accessible on the internet (at http://destiny.mbusd.org) and as a new app for your iPad or smartphone! This free app, called Destiny Quest, can be obtained through the Apple App Store or Android Market. It's quick and easy to download and use!
Pennekamp's "Authors' Week" is next week, February 6 to 10. This is a unique literary event that allows our students to meet real authors, learn about the writing process, and discover new books. This year Debra Garfinkle (who writes under the name D. L. Green) will be the author for grades K through 3, while D. J. MacHale will present to grades 4 and 5. The authors' books can be preordered for autographing--contact the school office for details.
Book club for grade 4 meets this Friday, February 3, at lunch recess in the library. We will be discussing The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger. Book club for grade 5 meets next week--Friday, February 10--and we will discuss the first book in the Pendragon series, The Merchant of Death, by D. J. MacHale.
February has so many special days, it's hard to know where to begin! We are still in the midst of celebrating Chinese (or lunar) New Year. Thursday, February 2, is Groundhog Day. Coming up we have Lincoln's birthday, Valentine's Day, and Washington's birthday (celebrated on the Presidents Day holiday). February is also Black History Month. I will do my best to enhance the students' holiday experience by displaying and reading aloud books on these themes in the coming weeks.
Scholastic flyers are being distributed tomorrow, January 31, in the Tuesday envelope. Orders are due by February 15. Orders will be distributed after ski week, not before. A big "hooray!" goes out to the many fantastic volunteers who organized and stapled the Scholastic flyers for distribution. Purchasing from Scholastic generates points with which our library and teachers can acquire books free of charge. Many people ask why we cannot order online. The reason is, to promote children's safety in the face of so much online data collection, the Scholastic online order form does not include a customer's (i.e., a child's) last name. Because the library collects orders and money from the entire school, it seems to me essential to have a clear record of who is ordering--including the customer's last name, which is not part of the online order form. The paper forms record first and last names, without exposing that information on the internet, where prying eyes might invade a child's or family's privacy.
On a brighter note, our library's catalog now is accessible on the internet (at http://destiny.mbusd.org) and as a new app for your iPad or smartphone! This free app, called Destiny Quest, can be obtained through the Apple App Store or Android Market. It's quick and easy to download and use!
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