Archive 2017-2018
Summer Reading 2018 - Love to READ!
Summer reading packets are being sent home for summer. If you need another copy, here is the PreS - Grade 1 version and here is the Grades 2 - 4 version. Enjoy the activities centered around Mo Willems' books. If you want to make the Elephant and Piggie puppets we made with Preschool through Grade 1 classes, you can download the instructions. Show us what you're reading this summer by:
1. Listing your book titles on the Packet's “Love to READ!” paper (look on the reverse side) and return it to school in August.
2. Or posting a photo on our Summer Reading Padlet : https://padlet.com/pslibrary/summerreading2018 (password: read).
Happy reading! Bonne lecture! ¡Disfruta tu lectura!
Visiting author Emma Otheguy
May 17 - Emma Otheguy visits fifth graders today to discuss her illuminating picture book about Cuban activist José Martí, Martí's Song for Freedom. Written in verse, with excerpts from José Martí's seminal Versos sencillos, this book is a beautiful tribute to a brilliant political writer and courageous Cuban fighter of freedom for all men and women.
First Grade Researches Animals
May 16 - Today first graders shared their learning about animals with their parents. In addition to their art and music creations and their classroom inquiry, the students used their ICL class time to write nonfiction animal books. They gathered their information by using the database PebbleGo. Here are a few students sharing PebbleGo Animals / Animales with their parents:
Librarian for a Day
May 1 - Third grader Nika picked a great day to spend working in the library! Along with our usual class visits, she got to give visiting author Gaia Cornwall a personal tour of the library. Nika was so productive, we don't know what we'll do without her!
Author/Illustrator Gaia Cornwall visits
May 1 - Our first and second graders were treated to detailed presentations from creator Gaia Cornwall, author of the relatable picture book Jabari Jumps. She also had a long tête á tête with several third graders, who got to handle her draft versions.
Happy Poetry Month!
April is National Poetry Month. Celebrate with us! Here are some ways:
Show a Poem a Day - videos of staff reading poems.
Help our students post original poems to our community poetry “padlet”:
Here is last year’s for inspiration. (password for both = poetry)
Create a Push-Pin Poem on the Library bulletin board.
Bring a poem to school to share on Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 26th.
Proyecto 5 Grado
March 15, 2018 - Fifth grade Spanish students completed a project for their unit "How we Organize Ourselves." After rotating through reading many picture books, each student chose one and used a thinking routine of their choice to explain, summarize and share what was the book about. Here are the slides:
Poster Contest - GRAND CONCOURS : créer la nouvelle affiche de l’école des loisirs
The Library is coordinating student entries for l'école des loisir's Poster Contest. Any student can submit a handmade poster in the theme "Aux livres, tout le monde!" The poster must be on 11x17 inch paper; students can come to the Library for a piece. We will collect the posters until May 10th and mail them in together. l'école des loisirs will use the winning poster around the world and is offering many prizes. More information on prizes is at https://www.ecoledesloisirs.fr/grand#oumetrouver.
World Read Aloud Day @ WIS
Feb. 1 - The school was treated to SIX visits via Skype with authors around the country, reading aloud from their books and describing their creative process. The visits were funny, thought-provoking, deep, celebratory, and sometimes downright silly. All of them were inspiring! Authors joining us from their homes were:
Prekindergarten: Andrea Wang with The Nian Monster
Grade 1: Sarah Brannen with Madame Martine Breaks the Rules
Grade 2 and KC: Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr with Everywhere, Wonder
Grade 3 and 4A/B: Susan Tan with Cilla Lee-Jenkins: future author extraordinaire
4C/D: Mara Rockliff with Mesmerized, Anything but Ordinary Addie and others
Grade 5: Andrea Wang with Malala Yousafzai
First graders and Recess
Nov. 27 - This week, first graders are joining their older peers to enjoy recess in the Library on WIS "odd" days. They could choose to do a puzzle, draw, play with Legos, read (!), listen to an audiobook, do origami, etc. Lately lots of the older kids have been making extra bookmarks to send to our partner schools in Croatia, Lithuania, India and Hong Kong.
Buy French Books and Support the Library
We have a new partnership with the French bookseller BOOKWITTY that we hope will benefit our families and the school. Each month, Bookwitty will email us a newsletter of themed lists of French books (links to our February newsletter are below). If you place an order from Bookwitty they will give the WIS Library 10% of the purchase price. A few details:1. Bookwitty gives free shipping on all orders.
2. The Library gets 10% of purchases from anywhere on the Bookwitty site, not just from the themed lists, as long as you started browsing from the newsletter/links we make available.
3. The first time you order, you need to create an account on Bookwitty. Click on "Start Here" on the top right of their webpage.
Here are the links to February's suggestions: Diversity, Winter Sports, Climate, Natural Disasters, la Réunion Island.
We Are Readers:
Library Program Goals and Objectives
Support the IB PYP curriculum and teaching and learning in the classroom
Teach information, research and citation skills throughout the school
Support language development of students at all levels
Encourage a love of books and reading
Provide information services for students to supplement and complement classroom learning and promote leisure reading
Promote effective and independent use of the library and online information sources
Promote literacy by organizing book fairs, author/illustrator events and a summer reading program
Book Fair Bonanza
October 31 - Thanks once again to our fabulous parents, another Spanish/French book fair finished off on Friday with loads of happy children (new books, yippee!) and a successful fundraiser for the library's collections. Here are a few photos (credit: Angelie Telapatra):
Authors & Illustrators Galore!
September was a busy month, full of presentations by superstar authors and illustrators.
Our second graders went to Politics & Prose for a presentation by illustrator Mike Curato, co-creator of All the Way to Havana with author Margarita Engle.
(Photo credit: Bruce Guthrie)
Author/Illustrator Visits - Peter Brown & Liniers
Our first and third graders were treated to a presentation by author/illustrator Peter Brown. His newest book is Creepy Pair of Underwear, which inspired a number of student drawings:
...and Argentinian cartoonist Liniers presented in Spanish to our kinder, first and second graders his newest book, Buenas Noches, Planeta:
Celebrating Summer "Reading Without Walls"
On September 7th, participants of our summer reading program gathered in the Library to celebrate and be celebrated for their "reading without walls." The Library gave out free new books to these avid readers. Read much more about it here.
Reading Restaurant
September 5, 2017 - We're starting the year with a bit of fun - reading restaurants! Our second graders were treated to a three course fine dining experience of books, complete with linen tablecloths, fresh flowers, candles, classical piano music and, of course, new books! Here are some photos: