It is my great pleasure to announce the results of our recent food drive. Pennekamp collected a remarkable 1,010 pounds of food for the L.A. Regional Food Bank! I am so very proud of our school and so grateful to the students, families, teachers, and staff who contributed. The Food Bank estimates this will provide meals for 841 hungry children, seniors, families, and individuals here in Los Angeles County. What a good feeling it is to know we were able to share our good fortune with those in need. And how about a popsicle party to celebrate? The Pennekamp PTA has offered this (thanks, PTA!) so a date will be announced very soon.
This week I am beginning to read aloud the nominees for the California Young Reader Medal. Participation in this contest is a longstanding tradition in MBUSD school libraries. It is something to which the students really look forward and is an exceptional educational opportunity, as it involves key skills such as comparing and contrasting texts, forming and expressing informed opinions, and voting. This year's nominees can be found on the this page or on the CYRM website. The younger grades will hear The Snatchabook, by Helen Docherty and Tom Docherty, this week, and we'll do one book a week until it's time to vote (early in February). To make up for the Monday holiday, Ms. Rios's class will hear the first of the nominees for the upper grades: Barbed Wire Baseball, by Marissa Moss. (Below are a couple of images of Kenichi Zunimura, the subject of Barbed Wire Baseball.) Most of the upper grades are hearing books in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday on Monday, January 15. All of this week's readalouds are listed on the Weekly Readalouds page of this website.
It is now time for interested students to sign up for the Super Literacy Quiz Bowl (SLQB)! Every student who wishes to participate must submit a registration form with parent signature by January 19, 2018. Please find your child’s grade-level registration form on the Book Contests page of this website. Copies will also be included in this month’s Wednesday envelope. Students can continue reading the selections right up to the competition dates, which will be during the week of February 12 to 16. Although competing in this event is optional, it's going to be really fun! Every student is encouraged--but not required--to participate!
Please read the post below for some really exciting literary and cultural events that are coming up soon right here in town.