Wanamaker Library Newsletter

March 2023

Celebrate Women Who Have Made a Difference!

March is Women's History Month (see bulletin board pictured above), making it a great time to acquaint students with women who have made a difference in the world, both past and present. Girls today have benefitted from the efforts and deeds of many courageous and determined women who have helped to pave the way for future generations.

When choosing which stories to share with the students, it was difficult to pick only a few. There were so many to choose from in numerous different fields and disciplines, such as science, sports, women's rights, politics, and health care. We have added quite a few picture book biographies to our collection in hopes of our students becoming knowledgeable and inspired by these daring individuals.

Pictured below are the stories we will be reading in March to learn about a few notable women who have sacrificed to make life better for others.

Girl Running

Girl Running is the inspiring story of the first female to run the Boston Marathon.

Counting on Katherine

Counting on Katherine is the story of an African-American mathematician who worked for NASA during the Space Race.

Stand Straight, Ella Kate

Ella Kate was a real-life giant, but she refused to hide herself away. Instead, she used her unusual height to achieve her equally large dreams.

I Am Malala

Pakistani Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Doctor With an Eye for Eyes

Patricia Bath came of age during the Civil Rights Movement and made it her mission to become a doctor. When many obstacles came her way, she persevered and brightened the world with a game-changing treatment for blindness.

Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx

Sonia Sotomayor rose up from a childhood of poverty and prejudice to become the first Latino to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thank you for a successful book fair!

Once again, the annual Scholastic Book Fair held in February during Parent -Teacher conferences was a ton of fun and a big success!

The teachers came for a preview breakfast on the first day of the fair while the students previewed the fair during their library classes early in the week.

Mrs. Armstrong, the library assistant, worked her usual magic and transformed the library with decorations that promoted the fair theme of "Feelin' Groovy"! See the library entrance decorations above to view evidence of her magical touch!

A couple of contests livened things up as well--the students entered a guessing contest of how many groovy gummies were in the glass container, and Delani Coffin was the winner of the Book Basket giveaway. The basket was filled with paperback books of all reading levels and other fun miscellaneous items.

Book Fair Chairperson, Allison Edgar, had this to say about the fair, "My favorite thing about the Book Fair is watching the kids get excited about fun new things to read over the long weekend break from school." Longtime volunteer, Sharlene Christensen, said her favorite part of the fair is "the day the students come to make their wish lists. I love watching the kids' eyes light up, especially the younger ones!"

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the book fair a success! The success of the book fair would not be possible without the support and enthusiasm of the entire WE community. The book fair always serves as a great reminder of how Wanamaker truly loves and values the power of reading. A special thank you to Allison Edgar, Book Fair Chairperson, and ALL the other volunteers whose help was greatly appreciated!

The Week in Pictures

It's always exciting when the Scholastic truck pulls up to school! There is lots to unload.

The teacher preview breakfast consists of egg casserole, coffee cake, donut holes, fresh fruit, and juice. It was a tasty way to start the day!

Mrs. Quiett-May fills out her wish lists during the preview breakfast. Many parents generously purchase books from the wish lists to add to a teacher's classroom library.

Matias and Jerel estimate how many groovy gummies are in the glass jar.

Buddies work together to preview the fair and create their wish lists.

The 5th graders help some kindergarten students with their wish lists.

Volunteer Sharlene Christensen and Librarian Alice Reinert display some "groove" while waiting on customers!

The 5th graders each decorated a peace symbol to spice up the wall coming into the library.

Even the library office window got into the theme!

First Graders Research Arctic Animals

If you would like to know more about penguins, polar bears, lemmings, or snowy owls, feel free to ask any Wanamaker first grader! Each first grade class learned about a different Arctic animal and shared their findings in a hallway display.

After listening to a fictional read-aloud about their particular animal, the students went to work using the database PebbleGo to do their own research about that animal. The students collaborated on the final product, writing either a fact or drawing a picture of the animal they researched on a piece of colored paper. These papers were used to make a hallway display. Great work, beginning first grade researchers!

Library Leaders Lend a Helping Hand!

We have 5 sixth grade students who act as library leaders this year. They applied for the positions, and have proven to be a big help in the library. Some of the tasks they perform include: checking in/out of books, shelving books, helping younger students with book choices, putting up/taking down bulletin boards, and anything else that we ask of them!

When asked why they like being library leaders, they all agreed that they like helping out at school and being involved in the library setting. Amelia also added, "It's a bonding experience working with a classmate that I normally don't hang out with."

Thank you, Amaya, Amelia, Reynin, Sophia, and Avalon for all your help and enthusiasm!

Upcoming Dates

March 3 and 24-- Student Council meetings in the library at 8:00 AM

March 8 & 9-- Student Council sells St. Patrick's Day accessories

March 9-- School-wide Spirit Day (Green Day)

March 10-- No School. Teacher Work Day.

March 13-- Spring Break

March 31-- Inventory of Library Collection

April 14 & 28-- Student Council meetings in the library at 8:00 AM

April 14-- Battle of the Books meetings for 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.

April 15-- Mrs. Reinert presents on the Global Read Aloud at the Kansas Association of School Librarians' NE Regional Conference being held in Topeka.