Welcome Back!

 H A P P Y  S E P T E M B E R                                                                               

I am happy to be back to school, back into routines and back in heels!  It is wonderful to see all the familiar McBride faces and to welcome our new students and staff members.

Last week, all classes had Library and the Kindergartens had a quick visit.  We reviewed Library Manners and behaviour expectations. While in the Library, students are expected to have Quiet Hands, Quiet Feet, use Library Voices, Follow Directions and Stay on Task.

This week, Grades 1 to 5 will use their new Library cards to check out books and our K's will have a 15 minute lesson on book care.
 

 T E R R Y  F O X                                                                           

The McBride Terry Fox Assembly is Wednesday, September 28 at 1:15, followed by the Run at 1:45.

In preparation, the students will be learning about Terry's life and his Marathon of Hope. I will be showing an ESPN video and powerpoint presentation.  Our selection of Terry Fox books are on display and available for check out in October.

Watch this with a Kleenex in your hand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjgTlCTluPA

 C H E C K  T H I S  O U T                              

Students will be checking out books this week with their new Library cards. They will now be able to scan their cards as well as their books. 

Library books can be borrowed for one week and may be renewed (with the exception of very popular books).  Please return Library books the day before your child's Library block so they can be checked in. 

Grade Ones may borrow two books and are encouraged to choose at least one book at their reading level.  Grades Two to Five can check out up to 3 books, with at least one at their reading level.

Please note: Students with overdue books may not check out books until their items are returned.  Please watch for overdue notices by the end of the month.


 K I N D E R G A R T E N                                                                      


This week the K's visited the Library for a story, Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar and a book talk. Next week, I will go over book check out routines and the K's will check out books the following week.

Kindergarten Library day is Monday. K's may borrow one book and are encouraged to choose an early primary book.  Your child's Library book must be returned before they can check out a new one. Students are welcome to renew their books but must bring them back to the Library to do so.

By the end of this term, Kindergarten students should, to the best of their ability:

•be aware of the layout of the library.
•know the location of early readers and picture books.
•follow book check out and return  procedures.
•be familiar with basic library terminology such as title, author, illustrator, spine and spine label.
•select books appropriate to interest.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpISHA8Fs4w

 H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y                           

Each month, the hall Library bulletin board will feature authors' birthdays.  Our September birthday boys are Roald Dahl, Jon Scieszka and H. A. Rey.

Check out their bios and photos to learn who flew for the RAF in WWII, who escaped the Nazi invasion of Paris and who graduated from a military academy.    Books by these authors are on display for student to check out.  

JUNE BLOG CONTEST!!

C O N T E S T                                                                                                          

On a piece of paper, write your name and division and answer this question:

How many books are in the Library? Yes, you can get an adult to help you!

Hint: between 7,000 and 9,000.

Put your entry in the Library Contest jar and the winner will be announced at the final assembly.

 M A Y  D A Y                                                                                                         

It was a great day for the 141st May Day (except for a few sprinkles). Our folk and Maypole dancers performed beautifully and it was wonderful to see them all dressed up, proudly representing Richard McBride.  Our relay team was ready to run but unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate and the relays were cancelled for safety reasons. 

Division 5 won a runner-up prize in the May Day Free  Lunch Contest and will be enjoying delicious Tim Horton donuts! Congratulations!

Medal Bearer Jadie and Royal Knight Niko, looking very smart in their regalia, thoroughly enjoyed their special day. 

Later in the day, our May Queen representatives, along with their families, attended the May Day Banquet at Roma Hall in Queensbourough.  Royal Knight, Niko greeted and welcomed guest at the front door and then gave a moving speech that highlighted his family's connections to New Westminster.  Jadie charmed the audience with her speech, naming her dad as her biggest inspiration.  The evening finished with the traditional Lancers' dance and Jadie whirled and twirled through the complicated dances with a huge smile on her face!

Mommies and Daddies took home some very tired teddy bears...

 

 T H I S  W E E K                                                                                                    

We are getting ready for next year!  The students are making their own Library cards with their pictures and barcode. 

Beginning in September, the students will scan their own Library cards and check out their books with my supervision. The students are excited to take on this responsibility!

  G O   C A N U C K S   G O                                                                                  

Hockey books are on display in the Library and are very popular! 

McBride has Canuck Fever and students are encouraged to wear their Canucks' gear and colours on games days. 

 Y E A R   E N D                                                                                                      

We have inventory on June 23 & 24.  That means that all the books must be back on their shelves and ready to be scanned by June 22.  This is a big job!

The last day for students to check out books is June 9.  All books must be returned by June 17.  Please have a good look for all those overdue books!!  Lost books must be paid for by June 17.  If money is a concern, please contact me.  Money is refunded for lost books that are returned.

 T H A N K   Y O U                                                                                                 

It is hard to believe that it is June already and my first year at Richard McBride is quickly coming to a end...

It was a difficult decision for me to leave Herbert Spencer after five years, but my first week here proved that I had made the right choice!  I have had an incredible time getting to know the McBride students and their families.  (I think that I have learned all the students' names...).

Thank you to all of you for making me feel so welcome and a part of the McBride community.  I love my time in the Library and plan to stay for a very long time!

  A H O Y,   M A T I ES ! !                                                                                     

The Library has been overrun by pirates!  The last two weeks we have been learning about pirates.  The students used their mapping skills to do an excellent job of their treasure maps.  I was also very impressed with the guided drawings they did of their peg-legged buckaneers!

There are some great How-to-Draw websites.  Make sure you have your parents' permission before you look for them! Check out this link to learn how to draw a pirate: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-draw-a-cartoon-pirate

 MAY DAY                                                                                      

 

The big event this month is May Day!  All of the classes are learning about this unique New Westminster tradition as well the history of the Royal City.

This year, there is a May Day contest for grades one to five to win a free lunch for their class.  Have a look at the May Day blog to learn more about New Westminster and the contest:

http://rcswan.blogspot.com/

YEAR END                                                                                                            

The last day to check out books is Thursday, June 9th.  We are doing inventory at the end of June and need to have all the books back on the shelves by then. 

Please make sure that all overdue books are returned and all lost books are paid for.

 THE ROYAL WEDDING                                                                                      

How many of you got up (or stayed up) to watch the Royal Wedding? 

 I watched the ceremony in my pyjamas and tiara while drinking tea and munching on scones.  Luckily, my day off is Friday, which left me time to help with the McBride staff Royal Wedding Fish and Chip Lunch in the library.  Even our Superintendent, Dr. Woudzia was able to join us as we watched the wedding on the SMARTboard and had our Cockney King's lunch. 

All of the "Royal" books are now quite popular! 

And so are the hockey books - Go Canucks Go!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

 T H I S   W E E K                                                                            

This week, we have been looking at the various novel series in the Library.  There are over 60 series in a variety of reading and interest levels.  Genres include science fiction, fantasy, humourous, historical and realistic fiction. 

Graphic novels continue to be the students' favourite and our priority is to add to this collection. 

As a child, I read all of the Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gable books.  Another series I devoured was Betsy and Starr by Caroline Heywood.  Do any of you remember those?

http://www.scholastic.com/animorphs/index.htm

 N E W   B O O K S  !                                                                                             

Students continue to check out the large selection of new fiction and non-fiction books.  The new Dragon Ball Z graphic novels by Akira Yoriyama and Gerard Jones are the most popular picks.

Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku, whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is on a quest to collect seven "Dragon Balls." Interest level: K- 3   Reading level: Gr. 2 - 4

  L M I T                                                                                                                     

This Spring, some of our grade four students have shown an interest in becoming Library monitors.  The Library Monitors In Training (LMITS) are working with the grade five monitors and the Librarian to learn to shelve books and keep the Library tidy and organized. 

We appreciate the service of these dedicated grade fours!

 L I N D S A Y   L I B R A R Y                                                                                  

What's on my night table?  I have just started Any Human Heart by Scottish author, William Boyd.  Far more my cup of tea than Wicked...

Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary and Logan Mountstuart's - stretching across the twentieth century - is a rich tapestry of both. As a writer who finds inspiration from Virgina Woolf in London and Hemmingway in Paris, as a spy recruited by Ian Flemming and betrayed in the war, and as an art dealer in the sixties in New York, Logan mixes with the men and women who shaped his times. - Back cover

I also recently purchased two other books which I have yet to read:

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (recommended by a English  woman I met on vacation)

In Gibbons's classic tale, a resourceful young heroine finds herself in the gloomy, overwrought world of a Hardy or Bronte novel and proceeds to organize everyone out of their romantic tragedies into the pleasures of normal life. Flora Poste, orphaned at 19, chooses to live with relatives at Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex, the dour Starkadder family, are tyrannized by Flora's mysterious aunt. - Amazon

I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith (one of my book club picks)

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain wants to become a writer. Trouble is, she's the daughter of a once-famous author with a severe case of writer's block. Her family is barely scraping by in a crumbling English castle they leased when times were good. Now there's very little furniture, hardly any food, and just a few pages of notebook paper left to write on. Bravely making the best of things, Cassandra gets hold of a journal and begins her literary apprenticeship by refusing to face the facts. - Amazon


 C  O  N  T  E  S  T  ! !                                                                    

What did your parents like to read when they were your age? 

Write down one of your parent's favourite books, along with your name and division . Put your entry in the glass jar on the Library desk.

Good Luck!

 COMMENTS   OR   QUESTIONS?                                           

Email me at ldelair@sd40.bc.ca  Happy Reading!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

 R E A D Y,   S E T,   L E A R N                                                                         

 

This Thursday, the Ready, Set, Learn programme took place in the Library. Twelve 3 year olds and their parents joined the Kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Kenny and Mrs. Codesmith as well as Ms. Moorcroft and the Librarian for a story, snacks, stations and a short presentation.  It was wonderful to meet some future McBride students!

"The Province's Ready, Set, Learn initiative recognizes that families need good information about how to support their young child’s early learning, as well as, development of positive connections with the school system and local community agencies." http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/early_learning/rsl/

"Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help."

http://www.readingrockets.org/audience/parents

Storyline Online http://www.storylineonline.net/

Books for Pre-schoolers:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr.

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Corduroy by Don Freeman

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise 

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

 E A R L Y   R E A D E R S                                                                   

Early readers at Richard McBride are keen on books by Mo Willems and Melanie Watt.

 Mo Willems is an award winning author and animator.  His books include Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and the Elephant and Piggies series.

http://www.pigeonpresents.com/books.aspx

Melanie Watt is a Canadian author and illustrator.  She is well-known for her Scaredy Squirrel and Chester books.

 

 http://melaniewatt.com/default.aspx

 T H I S   W E E K                                                                                                

This week was a bit of a free for all!  Some classes worked on Poetry and wrote their own version of Dennis Lee's Alligator Pie.  They did a wonderful job! 

Three classes focused on the novel series, Geronmino Stilton, a mouse journalist who would like nothing better than to live a quiet life, but keeps getting involved in far-away adventures.  This series originated in Italy and has been translated into 35 languages.  Intended for ages 8 to 12, it is also an excellent read aloud for younger children. http://www.geronimostilton.com/

For a bit of a treat and a bit of a laugh, we watched a video on Jesse! Wouldn't it be great if our kids were this helpful?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Fyey4D5hg

 D A M A G E D   B O O K S                                                                                    

Occassionally, library books are damaged beyond repair and students are asked to pay for these items. However, if money is a concern, the Library can absorb the cost.

The number one cause of damaged books this year is leaky water bottles in backpacks. So make sure those lids are on tight and that books are carried in a different part of your pack!

  

 F I R S T   N A T I O N S   S E C T I O N                                                             

 

There is now a dedicated First Nations section in the Non-Fiction area of the Library. 

The books are identified with a First Nations spine sticker and include information on Aboriginal history, art, customs and traditions as well as legends.

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

 S P R I N G   H A S   A R R I V E D !      

Thanks to our monitors, the Library is ready for Spring.  The snowflakes are gone and the Easter decorations are up.  Easter, Spring and rabbit books are on display for students to check out.  Pop in and have a look!

 S E R V I N G   A L L I G A T O R   P I E                          

This week we will continue with our Poetry unit.  Students will create their own Alligator poem patterned after Canadian poet, Dennis Lee's Alligator Pie.  We will also learn about Jack Prelutsky and his poetry. Here is a taste of his poem, Bleezer's Ice Cream! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuPlUQvViX8

 N E W   B O O K S                                                                                             

Watch for our new books coming out the next two weeks!  Mrs. Edgar is busy processing our last batch of books.  Take out a new book and get a book mark!

 O V E R D U E   &   L O S T   B O O K S     

Overdue and Lost book notices were handed out on Friday.  Students who have lost or overdue books may not take out books until the missing books are returned or paid for.  Please contact the Librarian at ldelair@sd40.bc.ca if you have any questions or think that the items have been returned to the library.

 C O M I N G   A T T R A C T I O N S        

This month in the Library, we will  focus on Earth Day and the Environment, Books to Movies and Easter as well as poetry.

 L I N D S A Y   L I B R A R Y                                                                  

Last week, I wrote about Books to Movies.  The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is a classic example of this!  As a child, I found this movie disturbing and I still don't like it.  I have met an equal number of people who love and hate this film.  Weren't we all a bit scarred by the flying monkeys, though?

I am reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maquire for my book club.  This is definitely a book for adults.  It is a great read if you are a fan of fantasy and The Wizard of Oz (unfortunately, I am a fan of neither...).