Contest Week

 F E B R U A R Y    B I R T H D A Y S      

This month, we are celebrating Judy Blume, Mo Willems and Norman Bridwell's birthdays!  These popular authors are featured on the hall bulletin board and their books are on display in the Book Nook.

Students are invited to enter the Birthday contest.  On a small piece of paper, print your full name and division, then name a Birthday author and one of their characters. Put your entry in the contest jar in the Library. 

Good Luck!

BOOK RETURNS                                                       

Just a reminder that students are asked to return their Library books the day before their Library blocks.  This gives me a chance to check in the books before their class so that I have more time to  help students with their book selections.

Students with overdue books are not able to take out books until their overdues are returned. Please check for overdue notices at the end of the week.  Please let the Library know if you believe that the books have been returned.

Students are expected to pay for lost books before they can take out more books.  If a book has been paid for and is returnded, the money will be refunded.

 P A N D A S                                                                                                         

This week, we will focus on panda conservation and scientists attempts to rescue this reclusive bear from extinction. 

According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park

• Significant resources flowing into China each year are earmarked for habitat conservation
• A logging ban in place since 1998 protects most panda habitat from commercial operations
• The Chinese are aggressively fostering the reforestation of marginal agricultural land, thereby creating panda habitat
• Scientists have made notable progress in captive breeding

We will also test our artistic skills by learning to draw pandas so expect some great pictures for the fridge!

Have a great week and keep on reading!

 T H I S   W E E K                                                                                                   

Last week, while I was away nursing a nasty cold and sinus infection,  the Library elves came in and mounted the Smartboard and projector!!  The Library looks huge and we no longer have a "no-go zone".  Although three sections were cleared of books to accommodate the Smartboard, only two were needed so we ended up with more shelf space as well.

The Library has been rearranged to take advantage of the increased space. The early primary books are now in a  larger wooden bookcase and the easy chapter books section has expanded.  Students also have more elbow room at their tables.

The next step is to put up signage so that everything is easier to find.

 T H E   C A T   I S   B A C K...                                                                              

The order from ULS has arrived and Mrs. Edgar is prepping the new GARFIELD books for the Library.  These books, along with the new Calvin and Hobbes books, are a welcomed addition to our very popular comic section!  Comics are one of the few items that are limited to one per student. 

More cat books! The new series of Warrior novels will also be on the shelves soon.  These popular books by Erin Hunter follow the adventures of four Clans of wild cats in their forest homes. http://www.warriorcats.com/warriorshell.html 

 C H I N E S E   N E W   Y E A R                         

For the last two weeks, the students have learned about some of the ancient traditions of the Lunar New Year.  We watched video of the amazing Lion Dance and heard the story Sam's Lucky Money.  This year, Year of the Dragon, is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac. The dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac. I was born in the Year of the Tiger which means I am suppose to be daring, adventurous, generous and reckless...Find out if your zodiac is more accurate!

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac

 P A N D A S                                                                                                         

Did you know that giant pandas are carnivores that feed almost exclusively on bamboo?  Pandas are an endangered species that live in the remote Himilayan mountains in China.  We are studying these unique bears for the next two weeks with a focus on the factors that have contributed to their declining population.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!                                           

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/pPetlafjDhiss3wa


 B O O K S   T H I S   C H R I S T M A S                                
In my family, we always give books as gifts.  Sometimes these books have been regifted or preread by the giver. In fact, one birthday, my mom told me I could have my present just as soon as she finished reading it! 

Every Christmas Eve, my children receive pyjamas and books.  My son who is going through a non-reading phase and hasn't read last year's book yet, received a Bathroom Reader and the latest edition of the Darwin Awards.  Annabel who is not much of a recreational reader, sped through Twilight last summer and is now working through the Hunger Games.  I gave her the second book, Catching Fire and a cook book.  My Dad's gift was the Sister Brothers and my mom got a dog training book for her new puppy, Daisy.  I received Julian Barnes's latest novel, The Sense of an Ending, and I bought Jerry the Chuck Davis book, Vancouver.

 H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R !                                                                          

After two weeks of holidays, I was impressed how easily the students settled back into their Library routines.  We had a great first week back!

Many thanks to the Library Monitors who packed up the Christams decorations and put away all of the holiday books.  The school is lucky to have such dedicated helpers who are willing to give up their free time to keep the Library tidy and well organized.

The Monitors are also helping rearrange the Library to accommodate the new mounted Smartboard we are expecting this Spring. Moving the books gives me a chance to weed out the old, damaged and obsolete copies and uncover hidden treasures.

Mrs. Edgar is busy prepping the new books for the Library.  Some of the books we bought with our Scholastic credits include two new easy chapter books series, Flat Stanley and Black Lagoon Adventures.  We are also adding more of our popular Scooby Do, Spongebob and Pokemon books as well as filling students' requests for more Katie Kazoo, Big Nick and Lego books.

Soon it will be Christmas Day...

O P E R A T I O N   C H R I S T M A S   C H I L D                                              

Dear Richard McBride Elementary

This year in our collection centre we have collected 2621 shoeboxes!

Just in the Vancouver / Burnaby / New West / North Vancouver area we have collected 10176 shoeboxes, and they are all on the way to the National Processing Centre to distribute.

On behalf of the Bby/New West Collection Centre, we sincerely thank everyone for your contribution, and, imagine 10176 happy faces all smiling to you right now!

Regards

Valerie Lai

2011 Bby/New West Shoebox Collection Centre Coordinator

 D E C K  T H E   H A L L S                                      

Thanks to our monitors, it's beginning to look at lot like Christmas in the Library!  The tree is lit and the display case is full of holiday baubles, decorations and memorabilia.

The Chrismas books have been available for a few weeks now and are very popular.  My childhood favourite is The Mole Family's Christmas by Brian Hoban.

This superb Christmas picture book tells the story of Delver mole, a young mole who lives underground and knows nothing of Christmas. One day he hears about it from a mouse, and wonders if this "fat man in a red suit" will bring him his dearest wish - a telescope so that he can see the stars. (Being very nearsighted as most moles are, he has never seen them.) Risking the peril of facing the local owl, Delver and his family build an above-ground chimney and leave a letter for Santa. They then fall asleep waiting on Christmas eve in the open, and are about to be snatched up by the owl when, in a curious and believable way, the owl finds some Christmas spirit and is duly rewarded by Santa, who also brings the telescope for Delever. The illustrations are memorable and the story is a complete charmer.

  R E I N D E E R                                                                                                                                         

How much do you know about the magical unglets that pull Santa's sleigh?  Our students are well on their way to becoming experts on reindeer.

Can you answer these questions?

Can reindeer swim?

Do female reindeer have antlers?

Do reindeer live in Canada?

Where did we first learn the names of Santa's reindeer?

Can you name all the reindeer?

When you leave a snack for Santa, don't forget his reindeer as well!  Their prefered meal is lichen but carrots will do in a pinch!

  D EC E M B E R   P R I D E S                                                                                      

Last Friday, our school participated in our annual Christmas Cracker Prides. 

After a powerpoint presentation on the history of Christmas crackers and a demontration of how to make them, using our new document camera.  The students went to work in their Prides.

Once again, I was so impressed with the students' behaviour and the great effort they put into making the crackers.  The brightly coloured crackers contain candy, a joke and a snapper.

We are proud to be sending over 400 beautiful crackers to a community dinner in New Westminster.  Thanks to our students, the guests will have some extra fun at their Christmas dinner.

Have a look at the world's largest Christmas cracker!
ttp://www.absolutelycrackers.com/hist_biggest.html

So many books, so little time...

This has been a very busy month in the Library...

 B O O K    F A I R                                                                                                  

Thanks to Ms. Rickard and our parent and teacher volunteers, the Book Fair was a tremendous success.  Many thanks to all of our families for their support.  Ms. Edgar is busy getting the new Scholastic books ready for the library.  We will use some of the Scholastic book credit to buy more easy chapter books and  to replace worn-out favourites.

 B A T S   O F F!                                         

We finished up our bat unit with a new appreciation for these incredible flying mammals.  Our focus was on the little brown bat, the most common and urban of the 19 species of Canadian bats.

Did you know that a little brown bat will eat 1/2 its weight in mosquitoes in one night?  All the mothers will appreciate that female bats give birth upside down and will envy bats to learn that their pups are fully grown and independent in just five weeks. 

 R E M E M B R A N C E   D A Y                                                                         

I was very impressed with the matured attitude adopted by the students during our Remembrance Day unit. We used a variety of sources including vintage film footage to learn about Canada's involvement in war, from the Boer War to the conflict in Afghanistan.  One of our dads brought some very interesting WWII memorabilia, including a gas mask, that really enhanced our learning experience.

The gym was beautifully decorated with students' artwork for our Remembrance Day Assembly.  Our staff, students, parents and special guests, including the Legion Honour Guard, watched a powerpoint presentation narrated by Division 1 students.  We learned how Canadians and their children supported and contributed to the war effort.  This was followed by the video, A Pittance of Time, and the Hi-Notes choir who sang beautifully.  The ceremony concluded with God Save the Queen, (a perennial favourite of mine).

 B O X E S   F O R   K A T J E                                                                               

On Friday, November 18, our classes gathered in the gym for Prides.  Unfortunately, we were unable to finish our activities due to technical difficulties but it was good to get together!  We watched the video Boxes for Katje during library classes.  Based on a true story, this book tells of a young girl in post-WWII Holland who receives a box from a family in America. 

This book inspired us to participate in Operation Shoebox, a programme that sends Christmas gifts to needy children all over the world.  Each division was given 2 shoebox to fill with small toys, school supplies and toiletries. Once again, the student and families of McBride responded generously!  We collected forty boxes to send to children who will now a Christmas present to open. 

 C H R I S T M A S    C R A C K E R S                                                       

We will be getting together in our Prides on Friday, December 9 to make 400 Christmas crackers.  These festive crackers will help brighten a community Christmas dinner held in New Westminster.  Thank you to all our wonderful students who generously donated their Hallowe'en candy for the crackers.

  L I N K                                                                                                                   

Here is some fun for the family!

http://us.akinator.com/

BOOK FAIR

 TRICK OR READ                                                                                                

Thanks to our new Vice Principal, Ms. Rickard,

we are having a book fair this fall!!

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held on

Wednesday, Oct. 26

9:00 - 4:00

Friday, Oct. 28

3:00 - 8:30

In the Media Services Room across from the portables

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

 THIS WEEK IN THE LIBRARY                                                                         

This week, we  will continue with our bat unit with a focus on the little brown bat.  Students are practicing their research skills while learning about this misunderstood mammal.  I am impressed with how quickly they have picked up the bat vocabulary!

Little brown bats are the most common bats in Canada.  They have adapted well to living in urban areas and often take advantage of bat houses. These amazing creatures can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in one night but weigh about the same as two dimes and a nickel!

 OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS                                                                                     

This month, our featured authors are birthday boys, David Shannon and James Marshall.  David Shannon is well-known for his David books, based on his childhood.  James Marshall, a prolific author and illustrator, wrote the Miss Nelson books as well as my favourites, George and Martha.  These books are on display and available for check out.  Have a look at the library bulletin board for more information about these beloved children's authors.

 HALLOWE'EN                                                                                                    

The Library is ready for Hallowe'en!  The display case is full of spooky items and there is a colony of bats roosting on the ceiling. Along with the display of bat books, there is a wide selection of Hallowe'en books for students to check out. Look out for the purple spider...

 KINDERGARTENS                                                                                            

I am so proud of our K students; they are doing a great job of following the check out routines!  Princesses and Star Wars are favourite books. 

Just a reminder that Mondays are Kindergarten book exchange days.  Please return your child's library books on Friday to make Monday's check out easier!