• Ms. Poulos, Library Media Specialist
• Mrs. Zocco, Library Media Assistant

Dear Students and Families,

After 34 years of teaching (32 in Connecticut and two in Honduras), I am ready to retire, spend more time with my family, and pursue other interests. In that time, l have been fortunate to work as an English teacher, a teacher for gifted and talented students, and a Library Media Specialist/Teacher Librarian. It has been a rewarding career--great fun and a great run!

It has been a privilege to work at SDMS for the last eighteen years and to see the many changes that have occurred in the school--and the library! Much has changed --from card catalogs to online access; alphabetized to genre-shelved fiction; computer lab to one-to-one devices; and audiobooks on tape or CD to digital downloads. Much has stayed the same: promoting books, teaching research, running creative after-school programs, leading professional development workshops, and hosting many author visits! While technology has evolved, the core competencies as defined by the American Association of School Librarians remain: to promote a love of reading and to provide students the opportunity to participate in inquiry; to include and respect diverse perspectives; to collaborate effectively; to curate relevant resources; to explore new ideas; and to engage ethically. The rise of Artificial Intelligence is already having an impact on our assessments and student learning and will require further adaptation. I have worked diligently to ensure the library's services, programs, and collection meet SDMS's diverse and changing needs.

I am confident SDMS and the district will continue to invest in its school libraries and find a capable teacher librarian to lead the SDMS Library forward. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the students, staff, and families of Wethersfield.

And...Thanks for the memories!

Ms. Poulos

Eighth graders watched a video and explored a presentation in their Language Arts class from Wethersfield Teen Librarian Sarah Briggs and WHS Librarian Mrs. Szilagyi. Students entering Wethersfield High School should check out the WHS Summer Reading Page for ideas for summer reading.

Eighth grade students were also given the opportunity to pick a free summer reading book as a gift from the Reading Department. This was coordinated by Mr. Foran, Reading Teacher, the Eighth Grade Language Arts Teachers, and the SDMS Library Staff.

Sarah Briggs joined Ms. Poulos in the SDMS Library to booktalk the new MS Nutmeg Nominees, some "Level Up" themed books, show students the digital resources Overdrive, Hoopla, and Freading available at the Wethersfield LIbrary for students with library cards, and discuss programs and prizes for the Teen Summer Reading Program.

Students were given the opportunity to explore the weblinks provided and check out up to two books from the SDMS Library, which will be due back in September of 2025!

For more information on summer reading requirements, check out the SDMS Summer Reading webpage, the SDMS S'More Summer Reading Newsletter, and the Wethersfield Library Teen Summer Reading page.

Ms. Poulos visited all sixth grade schools with Wethersfield Teen Librarian Sarah Briggs to explain the need for summer reading, the SDMS requirements, how to log their summer reading books, and the myriad of resources and programs available through the SDMS and Wethersfield Library Teen Department.

The Library Media Specialist rotated working with each social studies teacher and all 7th Grade classes to help them investigate different topics about the African continent in order to write an argument paper. Students could research the Atlantic Slave Trade and Imperialism, Desertification, Child Labor, or Apartheid. They took notes, formulated a claim, pulled evidence from their notes to support their claim, wrote a multi-paragraph essay, reviewed/learned how to use lead -in and in-text MLA references, and created a final works cited page. It was a challenging assessment--but many supports were provided to students along the way including a curated resource list, writing tools, and tools for explaining evidence and citing sources. These projects wrapped up at the end of April.

Each 7th grade team learned about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the do"s and don'ts of its use as it relates to Academic Integrity with a new lesson from Ms. Poulos. Students explored the Handbook Language around academic honesty, plagiarism, applied their new knowledge to middle school assignment "scenarios", and looked at some examples of AI bias in search results.

7th Grade Science teachers then tried out using Magic School AI, a closed AI classroom that took some time and effort to set up, in order to help students revise and improve their Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning on a science task. Some students found the AI feedback helpful and were able to make changes to their writing.

7th Grade Students have been independently finding books through their classroom libraries or the school library. They will be reading several historical fiction titles on a particular time period that they chose. We are happy to see students taking advantage of our fantastic collection of historical fiction books! We provide ideas for students through slide shows and curated collections in our Destiny Library Catalog.

In English Language Arts classes, seventh grade students visited the library to learn how to find and evaluate credible sources using the SIFT strategy (Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Other or Better Coverage, Trace it back to the original post/source/link). SIFT requires lateral reading (opening tabs to the side of an article to investigate and find other coverage or do reverse image searches). Students had the opportunity to practice looking at some images and articles together, carefully analyzing them for bias, misinformation, and task relevance. Finally, students applied SIFT while searching for some good sources of their own on their argument topics; they "crowd sourced" a document with good articles which they have been using during the current argument research unit!

Students were challenged to do some good reading this winter and complete the Bingo Squares to earn prizes.

Students and staff were treated to a day's worth of virtual author visits for World Read Aloud Day!

Seventh grade science students are visiting the library and enjoying some hands-on learning using Minecraft to learn more about chemistry. Students are using Minecraft EDU edition on specially formatted Chromebooks to change the number of protons, electrons, and neutrons to make elements; create compounds like sodium acetate and ammonia; combine compounds, and reduce materials to their elements. In addition, they were able to apply chemistry by crafting balloons using elements and compounds; creating gardens using the super fertilizer they created; light the area with glow sticks and torches (using chlorides for different colors); and brew antidotes to poison and nausea.

In January, eighth graders are writing memoirs so we conducted book talks for all eighth grade students on some of the fantastic memoirs we have available in our library for check out! We encouraged students to read a memoir while writing!

Mrs. Palombizio's students learned about Jolabokafloo,or "Book Flood" the Icelandic tradition of giving books on the holidays and sipping hot cocoa. They had the opportunity to enjoy each other's finished narrative stories while sipping hot chocolate in front of a roaring virtual fireplace in the library. There were also some free books to take for themselves--or to give to someone else in the Icelandic tradition.

According to its website, "The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science." The Hour of Code is held every year in December during Computer Science Education week in honor of computer pioneer Rear Admiral Grace Hopper's birthday.

In December, seventh grade science students visited the Library to try out some science-based coding activities curated by the library staff from the Hour of Code website.

Current eighth graders participated in the Hour of Code last year. We encourage all SDMS families and students to explore the Hour of Code website. Learn, code, play, have fun!

There were many science research papers happening in November and December!

Eighth grade students researched different topics related to Human Impact on the Environment. Some of the topics included: endangered species, deforestation, climate change, e-waste, space junk, and invasive species. Through the notetaking and writing process, students reviewed how to take notes in their own words, look for facts, statistics, and quotes to support their main ideas, and cite their sources throughout their papers and in a final references list.

Seventh grade students researched different topics related to renewable energy: solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower. They learned how to take effective notes, paraphrase, look for different types of supporting evidence, and learned how to use NoodleTools, a citations software program.

Seventh Grade Close Reading Unit Short Story Collection or Poetry Ideas

Students in seventh grade language arts are reading fiction of their choice during the close reading unit. In class, they are comparing big ideas across different types of texts like songs, essays, short stories and poems as practice with close reading skills. Students may wish to borrow one of our collections of short stories in print from the library or in our digital library Sora or explore novels in verse or poetry collections.

Eighth Grade Dystopian and Science Fiction Reading Ideas

Eighth grade students are reading novels and short stories in a unit on Dystopian or Science Fiction. Students have many great choices to choose from both in teachers' classroom libraries as well as in our SDMS Library and ebook and audiobook digital library Sora.

Choice Boards and Virtual Bookshelves

Here are the choice board that have been shared with students for October, November, December, and January. We've also created some virtual book shelves as well if you're looking for books ideas!

Eighth grade students are researching different topics related to Human Impact on the Environment. Some of the topics include: endangered species, deforestation, climate change, e-waste, space junk, and invasive species.

Seventh grade students are researching different topics related to renewable energy: solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower.

This information comes from Common Sense Media Family Resources:

From phones and tablets to streaming movies and YouTube, tech and media are everywhere. Kids love easy access to TV shows, games, and information. Parents and caregivers love that kids can stay in contact while they explore their independence. But it's easy to overdo it when the phone never stops pinging and the next episode plays automatically. Families can keep media and tech use in check by following a few simple practices. Check out these 5 tips!

Create screen-free times and zones.

Help tweens and teens take breaks from tech by limiting screen time in bedrooms, during study time, or at the dinner table. Consider carving out regular family time when screens are either put away or enjoyed together.

Explore built-in digital well-being tools.

Together with your kids, check out the features on their devices and in their apps that can help them use tech more intentionally. Consider turning off autoplay functions, limiting notifications from certain apps, using settings that turn off devices at a certain time each night, and more.

Model the behavior you want to see.

Tweens and teens learn more from watching adult behavior than listening to lectures. Consider how you use your devices and other media, and make changes if your use doesn't follow your expectations for your kids.

Help kids identify healthy behaviors.

Ask kids to notice their feelings, both physical and emotional, during screen and non-screen activities. Does their heart rate increase when their phone vibrates? Does their self-esteem dip after viewing a friend's Instagram feed? Do they feel good when they get positive feedback on a post? Encourage kids to keep the constructive activities and let go of the rest.

Understand how tech companies make money.

Along with your tween and teen, research how digital devices, social media platforms, and apps and games get paid. Do they sell ads? Do they sell kids' data? Discuss why companies might want kids to spend more time on their platforms and what tricks they use to keep their attention.

Here are the choice board that have been shared with students for October and November. We've also created some virtual book shelves as well!

Seventh grade students have visited the library with their English Language Arts Teachers to meet the staff, learn how to access the library, and find books they love through our online catalogs Destiny and Sora. They also learned our borrowing policies, how books are organized in our library, how to find books on the shelf, check them out, place holds, and where to return them. Finally, they tested their knowledge in partners through a digital breakout escape room! T

SDMS Library hosts a fundraising book fair to purchase additional books, program supplies, or technology for the library.

Student Visits and Purchasing Books: Students will be visiting the book fair during the day with a teacher and be able to make purchases the day they visit with cash, credit card, or families can set up an eWallet. Students may also return on a pass another day. if they forget to bring money the day of the visit.

Family Hours for SDMS Open House; In addition, the book fair will be open for families during the school day Monday - Thursday. There are extended hours on Thursday from 3:30-8:30 pm before or during the SDMS Open House!

Online Shopping: Can't make it to the book fair or prefer to shop online? We still get credit if you shop through this SDMS Book Fair website link on the Scholastic website. SHOP ONLINE DURING Sep 16 – Sep 29 TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL! Bring on the Bookjoy—25% of every online purchase during the Fair directly benefits our school!

Parent Guardian Volunteer Opportunity: We could use some volunteers, especially open house night. Volunteer for the time that you are not visiting your child's classrooms. Fill out your availability on the SDMS Book Fair volunteer sign up form.

Some Featured Book Titles: You might want to go through the Digital Book Fair Flyer to identify some books (and prices) in advance with your child! We've also created a virtual book shelf with book trailers.

Enjoy some enrichment opportunities in our September Choice Board.

SDMS Summer Reading Success: Continuing to practice reading over the summer is important so students don't lose ground with their reading skills. We are pleased that 67% of SDMS seventh and eighth grade students participated in summer reading in 2024! We asked students to read two books of their choice over the summer, and they delivered. Three hundred and fifty-three SDMS students read a total of 993 titles! This is a big jump in participation from Summer 2023, when 58% of students participated.

Summer Book Return: Please encourage any current 8th graders who borrowed books from our school library over the summer to return them so others can enjoy them! We're still missing about 32 books!

Congratulations to the following students who made our Top Ten SDMS Summer Readers Designation!
Anders -31 Books-Crimson Team
Journey -30 Books-Green Team
Julia -23-Turquoise Team
Mason -14 books-Magenta Team
Giulia -12 books-Turquoise Team
Michael -10 books-Magenta Team
Judah -10 books-Turquoise Team
Rachel -9 books-Green Team
Charlotte --8 books-Green Team
Sam -8 books-Orange Team

Families Who Encourage Reading At Home Make a Difference: Thank you to all of the families supporting summer reading. Keep taking your child to the library, encouraging them to visit our school library, listening to books together in the car, reading interesting articles to them, or setting aside reading time at home. It makes a difference.

SDMS Library Website

SDMS Library Staff

Ms. Leslie Poulos, Library Media Specialist

Mrs. Taylor Zocco, Library Assistant

Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 7:45- 3:05 pm

Tuesday: 7:45 am - 2: 35 (closed for faculty meetings and department meetings after school)

Friday: 7:45 am - 2:45 pm

The Library Media Specialist rotated working with each social studies teacher and all 7th Grade classes to help them investigate different topics about the African continent in order to write an argument paper. Students could research the Atlantic Slave Trade and Imperialism, Desertification, Child Labor, or Apartheid. They took notes, formulated a claim, pulled evidence from their notes to support their claim, wrote a multi-paragraph essay, reviewed/learned how to use lead -in and in-text MLA references, and created a final works cited page. It was a challenging assessment--but many supports were provided to students along the way including a curated resource list, writing tools, and tools for explaining evidence and citing sources. These projects wrapped up at the end of April.

In order to encourage summer reading and student public library use over the summer, teachers will offer students a Wethersfield Library card application to fill out and return to their ELA teacher. Parents/Guardians can help students to fill it out and return it to school. We will then forward applications to the Wethersfield Library and get the library cards to students. Here is the link to a printable Wethersfield Library Card Application which can be returned to ELA teachers or the SDMS Library Staff..

Students were reading and presenting on poetry in April and are now analyzing short stories. We provided students with some ideas for novels in verse that they could read to complement their poetry unit. Towards the end of the year, they will look at some excerpts from classic literature and have the opportunity to read a graphic novel version or full version of a classic if time allows.

Students have been independently finding books through their classroom libraries or the school library. They will be reading several historical fiction titles on a particular time period that they chose. We are happy to see students taking advantage of our fantastic collection of historical fiction books! We provide ideas for students through slide shows and curated collections in our Destiny Library Catalog.

Students voted at the end of April for their favorite 2024 Middle School Nutmeg Nominees! Top choices were Dress Coded, Playing the Cards You're Dealt, and Stowaway.

Students can now begin reading the new list of 2025 Middle School Nutmeg Nominees!

• Book Fair Homepage
• Buy one item, get another item of equal (or lesser) value free!

• Students will visit on Monday and Tuesday with a class (see schedule below)
• Students can purchase when they visit or return later in the week on a pass to purchase.
• Families can set up eWallets for students to use to avoid handing them cash!
• This is a great way to stock up on affordable summer reading titles.
• Late hours for families on Wednesday, May 15 --open after school until 7 pm

Check out our April and May Choice Boards and Virtual Book Shelves. Click on the link or the picture to open and explore!

Fun Programs scheduled for April and May from 2:45 pm -3:45 pm. Students can drop in on Wednesdays for creative writing; we appreciate students signing up on the Thursday After School form so we have enough supplies.

"April 4: Craft: Perler Beads

April 18: Craft: Design your own t-shirt

April 25: Earth Day: Paint a Planter

May 2: Star Wars Trivia Contest (May the Fourth...)

May 16: Duct Tape Crafts: Wallet, Pencil case, or Bookmarks

May 23: Tie Dye Tote Bag

In English Language Arts classes, seventh grade students visited the library to learn how to find and evaluate credible sources using the SIFT strategy (Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Other or Better Coverage, Trace it back to the original post/source/link). SIFT requires lateral reading (opening tabs to the side of an article to investigate and find other coverage or do reverse image searches). Students had the opportunity to practice looking at some images and articles together, carefully analyzing them for bias, misinformation, and task relevance. Finally, students applied SIFT while searching for some good sources of their own on their argument topics; they "crowd sourced" a document with good articles which they have been using during the current argument research unit!

Seventh grade science students are visiting the library and enjoying some hands-on learning using Minecraft to learn more about chemistry. Students are using Minecraft EDU edition on specially formatted Chromebooks to change the number of protons, electrons, and neutrons to make elements; create compounds like sodium acetate and ammonia; combine compounds, and reduce materials to their elements. In addition, they were able to apply chemistry by crafting balloons using elements and compounds; creating gardens using the super fertilizer they created; light the area with glow sticks and torches (using chlorides for different colors); and brew antidotes to poison and nausea.

Students are studying poetry in 8th grade! Teachers have carts of poetry books from the library in their classrooms which students are using and enjoying. While students are not required to read a poetry book specifically, they do need an independent reading book and can choose a novel in verse or other poetry book for independent reading. Students can explore some novels in verse and poetry books in our library collection or in our digital library Sora.

As seventh grade students prepare argument essays and debates, they should be reading non-fiction books, magazines or articles at home. Students can check out non fiction books in Destiny or e-magazines in Sora! They can also explore articles of interest through our subscription to Newsela.

Students can explore books or choice boards on some of the following topics this month:

• Women's History Month Choice Board and WHM Virtual Book Shelf
• Ramadan Choice Board and Ramadan, Eid, and Growing Up Muslim Virtual Book Shelf
• March Madness Choice Board and Virtual Book Shelf
• Disability Awareness Month Virtual Book Shelf
• Developmental Disability Awareness Choice Board
• St. Patrick's Day or Read Something Green for March 17!

SDMS and WHS School Library Staff will be in the fireside room at the Wethersfield BIPOC Community Fair. Craft a reading related sticker, color a bookmark, listen to a story read by high school student readers, enter a raffle to win an "own voices" book, and learn more about how the school libraries are JEDI's for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion through their teaching, programming, and collections!

In English Language Arts classes and in Den (advisory), students experienced virtual author visits on World Read Aloud Day! World Read Aloud Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in February and took place on February 7th this year. This is a day dedicated not just to reading, but to the art and practice of reading aloud. After all, stories were passed down from generation to generation even before writing was invented!

Click on the slide show to learn more about the authors and books featured!

Seventh grade students had the opportunity to do some book shopping and learn more about the non fiction available to them in the SDMS Library. In addition, to reviewing the organization of non fiction books by Dewey category, students brainstormed topics of books they would like to read and "sampled" some non fiction books in a "book tasting."

In addition, students learned how to find ebook and audiobook non fiction and e-magazines in Sora, our digital library!

Some of the events planned this month are a Lunar New Year Celebration, a Love a Book Drop Everything and Read Event, an Anti-Valentine Taylor Swift Trivia program, and a Celebrate Black History: 50 Years of Hip Hop Trivia event coordinated with the WHS Brothers and Sisters United (BSU). Students can sign up to participate on the Thursday Library Google Form.

The library staff worked with the SDMS Equity Team to develop a Black History Month slide show that spotlighted artists, filmmakers, and musicians for Black History Month. All over the building, teachers showed the daily slide first period! At the end of the month, the library posted a trivia quiz on the spotlighted individuals and any students who had a perfect score were entered into a raffle. Three lucky student winners received Amazon gift cards!

The library opened itself to more personalized and independent support this month during the 8th grade argument writing assignment on the causes of the American Revolution. Students who were new to SDMS this year or who wanted additional support on notetaking, citing sources, organizing ideas or writing could access the library and the library staff for individualized support during social studies classes.

Students are able to visit the SDMS Library before school, during the day with a Smart Pass from a teacher, and during Den. Language Arts teachers sometimes bring students to the library as a group when starting a new unit. Students can also place books on hold through our online library catalog from their classroom and the book will be delivered to their language arts teacher to distribute to the student. We have a wonderful collection of fiction and non fiction texts that support both pleasure reading as well as topics covered in the curriculum.

Here are some tips to keep your teens reading.

1. Encourage them to set goals for reading.
2. Encourage them to use libraries--the school library and the Wethersfield Library!
3. Frequent bookstores.
4. Find a book that you can listen to in the car or read together.
5. Look up things they are interested in online and read interesting articles aloud to them or with them.
5. Ask them about what they are reading in school!
6 . Set aside a designated reading time in your house.

Middle School Nutmeg Nominees
Voting for the 2024 Middle School Nutmeg Nominees begins in April. Encourage your child to read several (or all) of the 2024 Middle School Nutmeg Nominees.

Eighth graders are writing memoirs so we conducted book talks for all eighth grade students on some of the fantastic memoirs we have available in our library for check out! We encouraged students to read a memoir while writing!

Check out our January Choiceboard which includes: World Holidays, Three Kings Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Books for the New Year!

The SDMS Library offers after school programs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Mondays is Minecraft (preregistration through Youth and Social Services required). Wednesdays is Creative Writing and Thursdays is Games, Making and More! Because there is no late bus, students will have to arrange their own transportation home. The winter session runs from January 24 to March 13, 2024.

Minecraft Mondays
Mr. Solano runs an educational version of Minecraft on Monday afternoons in the library. Students who want to join must register through the Wethersfield Youth and Social Services Youth Programs website.

Writing Wednesdays
Students who love to write can join our creative writing group. It is free to join, and students can sign up on the Creative Writing Google Form or see Mrs. Poulos for details.

Thursday: Games, Making, and More!
Bring a friend to play board games, work on puzzles, contribute to our Rubik's Cube mosaic, OR participate in our weekly activity or craft. Students can sign up on the Thursday Library After School Google Form or see Mrs. Poulos for details.

Seventh graders were introduced to a variety of sources to learn about alternative energy sources. They were instructed in using NoodleTools for citing sources and had lessons on notetaking without plagiarizing, Students also looked at the current handbook's academic honesty policy and learned about the real-world consequences of plagiarism through multiple news sources. To learn about their topics, students were given a variety of sources to read, take notes on, cite, and utilize for evidence in their final papers. Students were introduced to the use of MLA parenthetical in-text references. Along the way, students had the opportunity to discuss their findings and talk through what they knew, even drawing models to help with explanations for how wind power, water power, geothermal power or solar power. work The library staff split their time with all three seventh grade teams, providing support to teachers and students throughout the duration of the project. This experience is the foundation for future research at SDMS. Seventh grade students will have the opportunity to practice using these skills in future social studies and language arts papers.

Eighth grade support for science research was more informal, supporting teachers and students as needed and when available (as seventh and eighth grade science research projects were happening simultaneously). All eighth grade students again gathered notes using a variety of sources and notetaking styles, tracked their sources, used NoodleTools to cite sources, added specific evidence in the form of statistics, quotes, and paraphrased facts, and checked their work in Turn It In. This year, students learned how to use APA in-text citations in preparation for science classes in high school.

Seventh grade students on the Orange and Green Teams had the opportunity to explore resources curated by the library staff and participate in the Hour of Code in December!

Every month, we post a choice board on the school webpage and in the library Google Classroom with enrichment resources tied to monthly themes. Check out November and December!

Students continue to work on their own writing projects as well as begin with a writing challenge. We've had fun using the spin the wheel picker for choosing character names, conflicts, or settings. We try to do two quick shares, one after the initial writing prompt challenge, and one at the end of the session for best line or paragraph of their own writing project. We've also had fun using a box of story cards which has characters, scenarios, and more to pick from and use when we need some creative inspiration!

We hosted some fun events including Fall into a Good Book, Drop Everything and Read, All Souls Day painting craft and papel picado, Perler Bead crafts, and a Native American Indian Month movie.

Seventh grade students visited the library to learn about energy transformation through hands on stations. Stations included line coding with Ozobots, obstacle course navigating with Spheros (using iPads), creating sounds, lights, or motion with Snap Circuits, and building ramps and towers with Keva Planks.

Explore our October Choice Board which features information on Hispanic Heritage Month, Unity Day, and Indigenous People's Day! It also has virtual book shelves for Spooky Reads, Banned Books Week, and National Bullying Prevention Month.

Students enjoyed learning about Diwali and making a diya craft as well as painting literary (or other themed) pumpkins in the courtyard.

The Connecticut State Board of Education adopted the American Association of School Libraries (AASL) National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries which pair with the International Society for Technology for Education (ISTE) Standards for students.The image below shows core foundations. Throughout the SDMS curriculum, we infuse aspects of these core foundations.

Seventh grade students visited the library for an orientation to learn the policies and procedures for using the library, how to use the online catalogs in Destiny (print catalog) and Sora (digital ebooks and audiobooks) to search for books, place books on hold, and find them on the shelves or borrow them on a Chromebook. They were able to check out books and test their library knowledge with a fun digital escape room! Here are some of the Orange Team winners!

Students can visit the library to find or return books in the morning from 7:40-8:00 am, during the school day with a pass from a teacher, or on B, C, and D days during the afternoon Roar period. If they walk home, they may also visit after school. We have a great selection of books and hope students take advantage of the rich, diverse collection!

Students can have up to three books out at a time as long as they do not have any overdue books. They check out the books for a two week period and if they need more time, they can renew it by stopping by the library (or email Mrs. Poulos or Mrs. Zocco). We do not charge for overdue books; we only charge for materials that are lost or damaged. We send email reminders to students about overdue books to encourage students to return materials promptly so others can enjoy reading them!

Every month, we post themed choice boards and virtual bookshelves to encourage our students and families to explore, discuss, learn and grow! This month we feature resources related to Deaf Awareness Month, September 11th, Constitution Day, International Peace Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Check out September!

Thank you for your support! This fundraiser for the library allows us to purchase supplies for the after-school programs, games or items for our makerspace, and books or other items as needed. We were able to give away 27 free posters and ten books to our lucky student winners. In addition, a number of families purchased books for language arts teachers' classroom libraries.

Didn't get to the book fair or couldn't find what you wanted? You can still support the SDMS Scholastic Book Fair online through October 1 by finding our fair (Silas Deane Middle School) and shopping the Scholastic Shop! Bring on the Bookjoy—25% of every online purchase from Sep 18 – Oct 1 directly benefits our school! You can also pre-order the new Diary of A Wimpy Kid: No Brainer which will be released October 24!

What after-school programs does the school library offer?

Minecraft Mondays

Minecraft Requires Pre-Registration and $35 fee through Wethersfield Youth/Social Services

Creative Writing Wednesdays (no fee)

Games and More! Thursdays (no fee)

The Wednesday Creative Writing and Thursday Games and More! programs are free of charge, and students can sign up for all of the weeks or week by week as interested. The programs run from 2:45 pm -3:45 pm. Unfortunately, because there is no late bus, students must arrange for their own transportation home.

Students are responsible for signing themselves up (using their school gmail) on the Wednesday Creative Writing Sign Up or Thursday Games and More Sign Up. These sign up forms are also located on Mrs. Poulos's Library Google Classroom.

We had a great day with Pablo Cartaya on May 17! He told poignant, funny, engaging stories from his middle school years and emphasized three key themes in all of his books: family, community, and culture. And he noted he usually incorporates abuelas, too--because abuelas are the best! Students enjoyed the assemblies, the book signings in the cafeteria, and the writing workshop. Thanks @phcartaya and the Wethersfield Education Foundation for a great author program!

Check out some of the pictures from the day below!

Lots to celebrate and learn about in June! Check our our Pride Month, Flag Day and Juneteenth resources by clicking on the image below!

It is critical that students continue to read for pleasure and for practice throughout the summer. Stopping any activity for two and a half months --like exercising or art or a musical instrument--will not mean your teen forgets how to do it--but it will make them less adept when they return in the fall. Experts call it the summer slide. So....let's prevent it. Listen to an audiobook as a family in the car or while travelling. Read a book together and connect Get their friends together for a book group!

All summer reading information can be found on the SDMS Summer Reading Newsletter as well as on the SDMS Summer Reading Webpage.

Students should read (or listen to) three books of their choice that is a good level for them, of interest, and has not been read before. Students can pace themselves by finishing one book in June, one in July and one in August. Students should log their books online (preferred method) through the Wethersfield Library Summer Reading Form to receive prizes and fulfill the requirement. Their entries will be automatically submitted to their English Language Arts Teachers in September!

Click on the image below to get to specific links for information, programs, and enrichment activities. And don't forget to visit the Wethersfield Library this summer!

Thanks to a grant from the Wethersfield Education Foundation, we are welcoming author Pablo Cartaya to our school on May 17.

About Pablo: Two of Pablo's books have been recent Connecticut Nutmeg Book Nominees and he has won many awards for his writing. In addition, he has a broad range of interesting experiences including working on sitcoms, doing Spanish voiceovers, and writing scripts for television projects. Pablo is Cuban-American and often incorporates aspects of Latino culture and Spanish in his books.

The Schedule: Each grade will be hear him speak at an assembly in the morning. There will also be some time for book signings during lunch and an afternoon writing workshop for interested students (with a maximum of 30 participants).

Free Books: As part of the grant, each student gets a free book! Before spring break, Mrs. Poulos visited classrooms and shared this slide show, talking about the author and his books. Students were asked to select a book through a Google Form. Books were ordered and we distributed them to 7th graders last week and they are going out to 8th graders this week! We encourage students to read his books, which are in the library, in Sora, and in Language Arts Teachers' classrooms.

Seventh Grade students are busy reading books on a self-selected social issue while Eighth Grade students are reading short stories in preparation for a literary essay. We hope many students will read one of Pablo Cartaya's books as well!

Students can explore books in our AAPI Heritage Month Virtual Book Shelf, our Star Wars Reads Bookshelf, or our Baseball Season Bookshelf.

Nutmeg Voting is underway! The Nutmeg Book Award encourages children in grades 2-12 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of ten nominated titles. Right now, In addition, students are encouraged to read any of last year's 2023 Middle School Nutmeg Nominees or this new list of 2024 Middle School Nutmeg Nominees! Click on the images below to find out more about the nominated titles!

May is filled with many learning opportunities and celebrations including: AAPI or Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Star Wars Day, Baseball Season, and Memorial Day. Learn more about these events and celebrations through our choice boards and virtual bookshelves by clicking on the image below.

After school hours/activities in the library will end on May 25. Students can check the library Google Classroom for updates or to sign up for programs. Programs run from 2;45 -3:45 pm.

• Minecraft Mondays with Mr. Solano (by preregistration)
• Wednesday Creative Writing
• Thursday Games, Making and More
• Sign up for Thursdays on Mrs. Poulos's Library Form

Students have been working on their own writing projects as well as starting every session with a group prompt challenge. Lately, they have created book spine poetry and black out/found poetry!

Students have been enjoying ping pong, board games, and special activities on Thursdays! Check out this month's events!

​There have been some big changes to the library--we are calling it a "library refresh." We removed outdated computers that were no longer being used, moved several book shelves, and swapped our fiction and non-fiction sections to make it easier for students to find books from our point of entry! Mrs. Zocco has been hard at work color-coding and relabelling shelves to make our space more user-friendly. As a result of these changes, we are better able to accomodate instruction in the main area of the library for students as well as for staff meetings!

Towards the middle to end of the month, you will be receiving notifications about overdue books. We ask that you help your child look at home for any books they ​checked out and need to return. ​While we do not charge fines for overdue books, we do ask that you pay the replacement cost for any permanently damaged or lost materials. Please encourage your child to come to talk to us if they have questions or believe there is an error. We appreciate your help with this so we can keep our library current!

Seventh and eighth grade students just completed argument research papers on a topic from their study of the African continent (7th Grade) or the American Revolutionary War (8th). Students had an opportunity to fine tune their note taking skills, keep track of their sources, develop claims and reasons, write body paragraphs including source citations, and complete a works cited list. Students also used a program called Turn it In to check for grammar and spelling and to make sure that they had not accidentally plagiarized. This is a program used at Wethersfield High School as well.

Seventh grade students have selected a historical time period and are reading historical fiction titles! These are just some of the choices we put together for students to consider.

• Ancient Times
• Puritan/Salem Witch Trials
• Westward Expansion
• Colonial America/American Revolution
• World War II/Holocaust
• Cold War
• Vietnam
• War in Afghanistan/Iraq and September 11
• Ancient Japan and Samurai

Eighth grade students are enjoying reading poetry, and identifying author's craft and literary devices. While they are reading lots of poetry in class, they may wish to explore some novels written in poetic form. We have many "novels in verse" in our library collection for them to read.

Congratulations to SDMS 7th Grader Sebi on the Crimson Team who was selected to be one of three students on the Intermediate 2024 Nutmeg Nominee Committee. This is a highly competitive process. He had to write an essay, get recommendations and now has to read 10 or more books a month to review them and give his opinion. He is a part of a committee that includes public and school librarians and students around the state.

Don't forget to read the current 2023 Nutmeg Nominees before April before voting begins!

Explore our March Choice Boards and Virtual Book Shelves!

• Women's History Month
• March Madness
• St. Patrick's Day
• Ramadan
• Disability Awareness Month

Wednesdays: Creative Writing

On Wednesdays, students can join our creative writing group! It's a great way to connect with a creative community of writers. We start with a surprise prompt for fifteen minutes and then spend time working on our own writing with more time for feedback if desired. We are working towards polishing and publishing some of the writing at the end of the year. Students sign up on the Wednesday Google Form.

Thursdays: Games, Makerspace and More!

On Thursdays, students can come with friends to play board games or work on puzzles. In addition, every Thursday, there is some kind of special project/program to do! Students sign up on the Thursday Google Form.

• March 9: Perler Beads or Board Games/Puzzles
• March 16: Video Creation/Green Screen for Women’s History Month or Board Games/ Puzzles
• March 23: Coding with Bots: Ozobots and Spheros or Board Games/Puzzles

Students joined us after school with the WHS Brothers and Sisters United and enjoyed a poem, snacks, and a bracelet making craft as a culmination of the African American Read In and a way to connect with WHS students.

Some SDMS students participated in the African American Read last month by reading a book from our display, from our virtual Black History Month non fiction or fiction virtual book shelves, or an article from the Black History Month Choice Board. Students filled in a reflective exit ticket, dropped it off in the library, and were entered to win a prize: An Amazon gift card.

We picked four winners: Yadeliz, Nalia, Antonio, and Landon! Congratulations!

Students are learning the art of argument writing and reinforcing research skills learned earlier in the year in science class. As part of this unit, all seventh grade students spent a day in the library learning the SIFT strategy for evaluating online sources for credibility. SIFT stands for: Stop! Investigate! Find! Trace! Students had to try to identify misinformation, use their close reading skills to look at an article and identify if it was good enough to use for notetaking and research, identify bias in an article, and create a crowd-sourced list of high quality, reliable articles for their own research purposes applying the SIFT strategy to their own searches!

Seventh grade science teachers and their students spent a day in the library learning about elements, compounds, and matter through a Minecraft EDU chemistry lesson. Students loved the opportunity to not only learn about some basic chemistry vocabulary and concepts but to apply them by combining compounds and crafting sparklers, torches, balloons, and super fertilizer to make a garden grow!

As students work on their argument writing, they are asked to read non fiction articles, magazines, or books of their choice. Students visited the library to review finding non fiction books in our catalog and on the shelves as well as how to search for and borrow digital magazines in Sora.

Eighth Grade students visited the library to hear booktalks about some of our non fiction books, specifically memoirs. Students are writing memoirs in class and will be reading short excerpts of memoirs with their teachers. However, some students chose a full length memoir to read after seeing the wonderful selection of true stories from some remarkable people. We have many memoirs in Sora and in Destiny on athletes, activists, scientists, authors, adventurers, and more!

Explore and learn more about these February events and observances through our Choice Boards and Virtual Book Shelves on: Black History Month, Black History Non Fiction Reads, Black History Fiction Reads, Ground Hog Day, SuperBowl, SuperBowl Reads, Blind Date with a Book, Presidents' Day, and Presidents' Day Reads.

Join a community of writers and work on short stories, plays, a novel, graphic novels, songs, poetry, or art to accompany the work! We meet from 2:45-3:45 pm in the SDMS Library. We start with a warm up idea and quick write, spend time working on our independent projects, and then share and give feedback. We hope to publish some of our work this spring. Information and sign up form are on Mrs. Poulos' Library Google Classroom. Sessions are: February 8, 15, 22; March 1, 8, 15; April 5, 19, 26; and May 3, 10, 17, and 24.

Board Games (Risk, Trouble, Chess, Checkers, Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Jenga, Battleship, Monopoly, cards, puzzles, and more), Changing Makerspace stations, and special programs will be held on Thursdays after school. Bring some friends, relax, play games, make crafts, and have fun! Sign up and information is on Mrs. Poulos' Library Google Classroom. Sessions are: February 9, 16; March 2, 9, 16; April 20; May 4, 11, 18, 25.

Bring a book, a friend, and enjoy some hot chocolate and sweet treats. Check out some books hidden in paper bags and see if you fall in love at first line! Create a card for someone you love at the card making station! Sign up on Mrs. Poulos's Google Classroom.

Students are encouraged to participate in our SDMS African American Read In during the month of February in honor of Black History Month.

Students can participate in the African American Read by reading a book from our display, from our virtual Black History Month non fiction or fiction virtual book shelves, or an article from the Black History Month Choice Board. Students should fill in a reflective exit ticket, drop it off in the library, where they will be entered to win a prize: A $25 Amazon gift card. We will pick four lucky winners at the end of the month.

Eighth grade science classes just finished up an informational research paper on Human Impact on the Environment. Students researched plastic pollution, climate, or endangered species. Papers required students to use skills emphasized last year including finding credible sources, taking notes, paraphrasing, quoting, organizing ideas, writing introductions, conclusions and body paragraphs, using in-text references, and incorporating a final references list. This year, students used APA formatting in preparation for high school expectations in science classes. The library media specialist worked closely in planning and supporting staff and students through this assignment.

Seventh Grade Science students will be visiting the Library (or have the librarian come to their class) to try out some science-based coding activities during the annual Hour of Code. The Hour of Code is held every year in December in honor of computer pioneer Commander Grace Hopper's birthday.

All students may wish to explore the Hour of Code by Content Choice Board

Students in seventh grade language arts are reading fiction of their choice during the close reading unit. In class, they are comparing big ideas across different types of texts like songs, essays, short stories and poems as practice with close reading skills. Students may wish to borrow one of our collections of short stories in print from the library or in our digital library Sora.

Eighth grade students are reading novels and short stories in a unit on Dystopian or Science Fiction. Students have many great choices to choose from both in teachers' classroom libraries as well as in our SDMS Library and ebook and audiobook digital library Sora.

Our library has books in print and in Sora (ebooks, audiobooks) related to Holidays Around the World and Soccer (in honor of the World Cup).

We have also put together some choice boards for enrichment on Hour of Code, World Holidays, Winter Solstice, and Bill of Rights Day.

Click on the images in the December Choice Board and Virtual Bookshelves image below to get to the desired information.

Creative Writing Wednesdays: December 14

We continue to hold our Creative Writing Group on Wednesdays. We will meet again on December 14. Students can work on short stories, plays, poems, or a graphic novel. Every week, a writing tip is shared and students have time to work on their own writing. Students have the opportunity to share their work and get feedback at the end of the session. It is a lively and creative group! Students can use this Wednesday After School sign up link through Ms. Poulos's Library Google Classroom.

Games and More Thursdays: December 8 and December 15

We continue to run special events on Thursdays as well as have games and puzzles available for use. This month we are holding a World Holiday Trivia/Digital Escape Room on Thursday, December 8. Students can partner up and solve the challenges! We are also holding our annual Hot Cocoa Cafe, a drop everything and read event, on December 15. Students can read in front of a virtual fireplace, share good book ideas with others, and win raffle prizes. Students must be pre registered to attend. Students can use this Thursday After School sign up link.through Ms. Poulos's Library Google Classroom.

We held the following events after school in November: Fall into a Good Book, a Drop Everything and Read Event; a Design Your Own T-Shirt program, and a Native American Heritage Month program and craft.

Thanks to SDMS PAC for paying for the t-shirts and t-shirt making supplies!

Check out this great article in the Rare Reminder about our October Writer in Residence Visit with Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo! We are so grateful to the Wethersfield Education Foundation for sponsoring this visit in memory of Mark Granato!

Seventh Grade Students visited the library with their science classes to explore three STEM stations. Students made energy transformations happen with Ozobots (line coding), Keva Planks (building ramps), and Snap Circuits (lights, fan, sound). They tested and observed the energy transformations at work.

Seventh grade science teachers are collaborating with the library media specialist to design and teach important research lessons as students research renewable energy sources. Students will research and write two well developed informational paragraphs on hydropower, solar, wind, or geothermal energy. They will be guided to incorporate scientific vocabulary and definitions, how their energy source works, where it is being utilized, compelling statistics and quotes, and the disadvantages and advantages of this source. They will also be citing their sources and including in-text references. These research lessons will set them up for success in future research in other content areas.

Eighth grade language arts classes had the opportunity to get a quick refresher course in using the Destiny Library Catalog for Finding Non Fiction. Students practiced searching for and then locating non-fiction books on the shelf. Students also learned that they can borrow digital magazines in Sora! This fits in with their current non fiction and journalism unit.

Our library has books in print and in Sora (ebooks, audiobooks) related to Election Day, Veterans Day, and American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

We have also put together some choiceboards for enrichment on Dia de Los Muertos, Veterans Day and American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

Click on the images in the November Choice Board and Virtual Book Shelves to get to the desired information.

Jeanne spent two days in the library running writing workshops for 89 eighth grade students and 44 7th graders and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Thirty three students were also able to chat with her informally at lunch. Those in the workshops received a short mini lesson and then tried their hand at writing poetry, revising work, or working on short stories. All who wanted to had an opportunity to share their writing with their peers.

Many thanks to the Wethersfield Education Foundation for supporting writing and creativity in our school through this visit!

Here are some of the comments from students:

• I learned that all books and movies have three parts. The first where you meet the character and what they want, the second where something gets in the way of what they want, and the third where they have to make a decision and the action starts falling.

• That any ordinary object can start an entire best-selling novel.
• What I learned from the workshop is that you need to be relaxed and think about, what can you write on a paper, think about moments that happened in your life, think about place, city or country that you love or live in and to think about what is something that you love the most. That is what I learned from creative writing.
• I learned all the essential parts of a story to help me better craft my writing. And how to properly structure the base of story ideas.
• I learned about the plot line and building conflict in the story
• I learned to be myself and that I am brave
• I learned that you have to know to motivate yourself when you feel like quitting
• I learned that you can get inspiration from every object and person around you no matter what it looks like.
• I learned that you should put yourself in someone else's shoes when someone is having a hard time.
• I learned new writing strategies like how sometimes you can start writing at the end of the book and slowly find out how you want the beginning.
  
• The program was great, and I would surely like to see more programs like this one, because I felt, through listening to Gladys' story, how hard it is to leave your beloved country and because of that I was inspired to make a poem about my loved country, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  

Students must use their Wethersfield GMail to sign up for after school events. Programs run from 2:45 - 3:45 pm. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

• Creative Writing Group: Wednesday sign up link
• Special Programs: Games, Making and More! Thursday sign up link

Thanks to the generosity of the Wethersfield Education Foundation, we are excited to host a virtual author visit with CT author Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo.

The whole school will have the opportunity to hear her speak on October 18 through a virtual assembly. The following week, she will be based in the library hosting different writing workshops for interested seventh (October 26 ) and eighth (October 27) graders.Students will be able to sign up with a Google Form on the Library Classroom.

We have copies of her books in the school library and in Sora (ebooks or audio). You may also consider ordering one of her books for your child through this link with Riverbend Bookshop, a local independent bookstore in Glastonbury. Books ordered by October 10 will be delivered to the school. You can note SDMS/Poulos in the online order.

There are too many great books to choose from but here are some recommendations and virtual bookshelves to get students started! Students can click on the cover to find the print or ebook or audiobook.

A great place to start is the 2023 Middle School Nutmeg Nominees.In addition, for monthly themed connections, consider:

• Hispanic Heritage Month Reads
• Spooky Reads
• Unity Day/Bullying Prevention Reads

This month, students can explore choice boards on Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous People's Day, Unity Day (Stand United Against Bullying), and Diwali. A list of usernames/passwords for subscription resources is embedded in each choice board.

The SDMS Library Programs run from 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm. Sign ups are on the Google Forms below. Students can sign up weekly or all at once. We do ask that if students change their mind, they email Ms. Poulos if they are NOT coming so we can plan appropriately for supplies for crafts or snacks.

Monday: Minecraft EDU: Join Mr. Solano and work collaboratively with other students on building challenges and fun in Minecraft. Seats limited. Students who are preregistered through Wethersfield Youth Services only. The fall session is full.

Wednesday sign up: Creative Writing

Thursday sign up: Games, Makerspace, Programs and More!

LATE BUS:

Students who normally ride the bus to school can sign up to take the SDMS after school late bus. The late bus usually leaves school at 3:45 pm. The late bus link is on a tab on the SDMS website. The late bus form opens at 7:30 am and closes at 1:00 pm each day. Students must be participating in an after school activity at SDMS that day in order to take the late bus.

All seventh grade students came to the school library for an orientation the second week of school. They learned the layout of the library, how to search the Destiny catalog for books, how to search for ebooks and audiobooks in Sora, and worked in teams to complete a series of questions in a digital escape room challenge to test their knowledge of all things library! Winning teams received a $5 gift certificate towards a book at the book fair. Students then had an opportunity to find and check out a book!

The following students far exceeded the school requirement to read three books of their choice over the summer. They read a combined total of 435 books! Congratulations to the following students for their dedication and love of reading!

1. Sebi P.- 30 books (Crimson Team)

2. Andy M.- 26 books (Orange Team)

3. Ethan J. -24 books (Orange Team)

4. Emilia R.- 23 books (Turquoise Team)

5. Sasha B. -21 books (Turquoise Team)

6. Gabriella D.- 21 books (Magenta Team)

7. Katelyn W. -18 books (Magenta Team)

8. Isabel D.- 18 books (Crimson Team)

9. Michael S- 18 books (Green Team)

10. Merisa M- 13 books (Orange Team)

11. Zamareya T-13 books (Magenta Team)

12. Emily S- 11 books (Green Team)

The library is running its Scholastic Book Fair September 12 - 16 and will be open for Parent/Family Open House. It is a fundraiser for the library. The library hopes to raise funds towards the purchase of a 3D digital printer. Families can sign up for an eWallet that students can use during the fair or can send in cash with students. There is an online shopping option as well. All students will visit with their Language Arts teacher.

This month, there are choice boards and virtual bookshelves (click on book cover to find the print or ebook or audiobook) on many interesting topics. Click on the image below and then click on the specific choice board or virtual bookshelf!

• Deaf Awareness Month
• September 11, 2001
• Constitution Day
• Hispanic Heritage Month
• Banned Books Week
• International Day of Peace

• All library materials are due back to the library by Friday, June 3rd
• Books can be returned to the Media Center, the green Library Returns bin outside of the main entrance or to their Language Arts teacher
• Students who do not return their books by that date will be billed the cost of replacement for any unreturned/lost book
• Payment for any lost materials can be either cash (exact amounts preferred as we do not have a lot of change) or check made out to WPS Escrow

It's hard to believe that the 2021-2022 school year is about to come to a close!

As we approach our summer break, we encourage all incoming 7th and 8th grade students and families to look through our summer reading resources. They will include the requirements for SDMS as well as many reading suggestions, fun activities and enrichment opportunities offered by the SDMS Media Center, Wethersfield Public Schools and the Wethersfield Library!