Our annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held Feb. 7-10 (Parent-Teacher Conference week).

The theme this year is (friendly) monsters: "Frightfully Good Reads!" Students will preview the fair during library classes and create their wish lists. If you're looking for a valentine treat for your students or maybe a new book for them to read on their days off for P-T conferences, please come and check out the fair!

Shopping online is also an option for families through Thursday, Feb. 17. It is a new online shopping experience this year. Families now have access to the Scholastic Store where thousands of best-selling books, collections, new releases, educational toys, games and more can be purchased. All online orders will be shipped to your home!

Another option this year is the availability of a student eWallet. It's a digital payment option for students and a way for parents to go cash-free!

The proceeds from the fair are used to buy books and other supplies for our library. We are excited to see you during book fair week!

Click below to view the book fair hours, sign up to volunteer, learn about the eWallet option, download the book fair app, or to shop online.

They always amaze me. Every. Single. Time. The resourcefulness and creativity of the students who participated in the latest contest sponsored by the WE library was fantastic! Participants were encouraged to use materials they already had at home and to use their imagination while designing their gingerbread characters to look like their favorite book characters. The activity was promoted as a potential family project, so hopefully books brought some families together in a fun way!

I especially loved hearing the students proudly tell me about why they chose the character they did and why they decorated it the way they did. The school community spent a lot of time looking at the gingerbread character display in the hallway!

Willing adults in the building served as judges in determining a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner. They said it was SO HARD to choose only 3 winners because they were all so good! ALL participants received a small treat for participating, and the top 3 students enjoyed a decorated gingerbread man cookie in addition to the small treat!

Thank you to all the adults and families who supported our students in this fun literacy project!

The Battle of the Books competition has been an annual event at WE for years. The last 2 years it was sidelined due to Covid, but it's back bigger than ever this year! Interested 4th, 5th, and 6th graders formed their teams, divided up the books, and got to work this week!

The competition is an event centered around the current William Allen White titles. Students form teams and divide up the books, so each book is read by at least one team member. In May the teams will compete against each other to see which team can correctly answer the most questions about the books they've read. Our district librarians write the questions that are posed to the students in the competition.

Teams will meet monthly during their lunch periods to practice for the competition. This year we have five 4th grade teams, two 5th grade teams, and two 6th grade teams. Additionally, we have two large staff teams. The day of the competition will end with the winning student team taking on the winning staff team! This competition is such a fun way to end the school year!

Winter is the perfect time to snuggle in with your student and read together. Take advantage of the shorter days and colder temperatures to share some great stories. Study after study shows that early reading with children helps them learn to speak, interact, bond with parents and read early themselves. Research also shows that parents tend to quit reading aloud to their kids after the age of 5. However, there are many benefits to reading aloud with older kids as well. Reading with kids who already know how to read helps them feel close to caretakers, understand the world around them, and be empathetic citizens of the world. (Why It's Important to Read Aloud with Your Kids, and How to Make it Count. Amy Joyce, The Washington Post. February 16, 2017.)

When reading aloud with your children, it's important to remember that it works best when children are allowed to choose the stories themselves. Books can serve as both "mirrors" and "windows." "Mirrors" when children find characters like themselves in the story, and "windows" when they learn about other people's lives. (Emily Style, Rudine Sims Bishop)

Click on the link below to read an article for tips on how to help your child of any age become a lifelong reader!

In October the Student Council members sold and prepared approximately 1700 Boo Grams. A Boo Gram is a ghost template with a Blow Pop taped to the back of it. Students purchase Grams for their friends and siblings for .50 each, and StuCo members deliver them to the recipients before school on Halloween. It was a busy week getting all those Boo Grams ready and delivered!

The last week of school in December StuCo members sold Holiday Grams. A Holiday Gram is a Christmas tree cutout with a candy cane attached to the back of it. Again, StuCo members prepared and delivered the grams to students the last day of school before Winter Break.

The proceeds of Boo Grams and Holiday Grams go toward charitable donations. This year the Student Council members decided to use the proceeds to purchase Christmas gifts for The Villages, Inc. The Villages is a group home for youth who cannot live at home for various reasons.

Thank you to our school families for supporting these fundraisers. Your support makes these community service projects possible!

The WE Student Council will be sponsoring a Bucks 4 Books campaign for 2 weeks during February. It will run from Feb. 7- 18. There will be incentives for students to donate to the fundraiser throughout those 2 weeks. Some of the incentives include: Cuddle Buddy Day, Penny Day, Nickel Day, Dime Day, Quarter Day, Dollar Day, and Digital Dining Day.

The classroom donating the most money will be treated to a free lunch, and the classroom with the highest total in each grade level will earn an extra recess. This campaign is a fun way to help teach the youngest students their money concepts, and it also provides our students with a chance to help other libraries in need.

The proceeds from this fundraiser are donated to the American Library Association to help rebuild libraries around the world that have been affected by natural disasters. A few years ago Wanamaker Elementary was featured in an American Library Association online article and recognized for their contribution to the Haiti Relief Fund. Other monies from the Bucks 4 Books fundraiser are donated to local literacy efforts and also to our own library.

Feb. 3 & 18-- Student Council Meetings at 8:00 a.m. in the library

Feb. 4-- Set up for Book Fair

Feb. 7-10-- Scholastic Book Fair

Feb. 9 & 10-- Parent-Teacher Conferences

Feb. 11-- No School

Feb.7-18-- Bucks 4 Books Campaign sponsored by Student Council

Feb. 25-- Battle of the Books meetings during 4th, 5th, 6th grade lunch hours