Wanamaker Library Newsletter
May 2026
The second book we read was titled Mustache Baby Meets His Match by Bridget Heos. When Baby Billy is born with a mustache, his parents have to decide if it's a good-guy mustache or a bad-guy mustache!
Mrs. Reinert got in on the fun as well when she wore a stick-on mustache for the lesson! There was a chorus of "Mrs. Reinert, why are you wearing a mustache?!" when the students came into the library that day for their library class!
We ended our lesson with the students creating their own mustaches on a stick! We sent some interesting looking kiddos out the door that day!
There is nothing better than sharing a read aloud and a laugh with the students! It makes everybody's day a little bit brighter!
Callahan had fun designing her mustache!
Anthony shows off his itty bitty mustache!
Roland shows off his designer mustache!
With spring in full bloom and Earth Day on April 22, the 5th graders learned all about bees in their library classes and science classes. We started by reading Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by award-winning author Candace Fleming. The book contained so many interesting facts about honeybees as well as stunning illustrations by Eric Rohmann.
According to Fleming, most people aren't aware of the fact that one out of every 3 bites we take at the dinner table is, in some way, a product of honeybee pollination--- from fruits to nuts to vegetables.
Another interesting fact that we learned from our study of bees is how they pass along information about nectar and pollen to the rest of their nest mates by dancing. Their dancing communicates to the others where and how far away the food source is.
The students contributed to our "Bee a Reader" bulletin board by participating in a directed drawing of honeybees. They turned out super cute (see above picture)!
A highlight and the culmination of our bee study was getting to hear all about bees from beekeeper extraordinaire, Mrs. Becky Tipton, President of the Kansas Honey Producers Association. She and her husband, Steve, have 40 years of beekeeping experience! She talked about the 3 kinds of bees: queen bee, drones (male bees), and the worker bees (female bees). They each play a unique role in the colony. She emphasized that even though they each have their own role, they all come together to form this amazing colony.
Students were given the opportunity to look at the bees in a bee box, touch and smell a piece of the hive's honeycomb, watch one of their classmates put on the beekeeper's uniform, and try to spot the queen bee in the bee box. And the cherry on the sundae was getting to taste a spoonful of raw, natural honey that came from Mrs. Tipton's bees!
She also shared with us ways that we can attract and help bee colonies to flourish, such as by planting flowers and plants that bees love. Some of their favorites include dandelions, clover, and sunflowers.
Mrs. Lanier, 5th grade science teacher, had this to say about the presentation, "It was such a 'sweet' treat that the students were able to see beekeeping in real life. That means so much more than them just reading about the topic of bees or hearing me talk about it."
The students wrote Thank You notes to Mrs. Tipton for taking the time to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for bees with us. We appreciated it!
Mrs. Becky Tipton, a 40 year beekeeper, presented to our 5th graders.
Check out this honeycomb from the bee hive!
Mrs. Tipton showed us a bee box and some beekeeping tools. Not pictured is her beekeeping uniform.
Margaret, 5th grader, dons the beekeeping uniform. It plays a very important role in beekeeping!
Students were invited to go up in small groups to observe the bee box. They tried to spot the queen bee! It is larger than the worker bees and has only one job and that is to lay all the eggs in the colony.
Mrs. Tipton answers students' questions after her presentation.
Students taste the delicious honey that Mrs. Tipton's bees made especially for them!
Guessing the weekly Library Trivia question is a great way to start a student's day!
Fifth graders put their guesses in the bucket! Who will be the lucky winner?
Hmm, what's your best guess?
Bucks 4 Books Campaign
The WE Student Council has had a busy second semester! In conjunction with our school's Book Fair held in February, we organized the annual Bucks 4 Books campaign, a two week fundraiser that netted $1200, primarily in coins and one dollar bills!
The students voted to donate half the profits to the American Library Association's Disaster Relief Fund which helps rebuild libraries around the world that have been destroyed by natural disasters. The other half of the profits were donated to the Angel House Children's Home and School in Tanzania, Africa to help build a library for the students. Emmanuel, a representative of Angel House, visited with WE students in 2024 and 2025. His presentations focused on how the African culture and educational system is different than the United State's.
The following classrooms donated the most in their grade level, earning them an extra recess: McKibben (K), Crumb (1), Orr (2), Greene (3), Kromminga (4), and Fewell (5). Mrs. Fewell's class donated the most money school-wide, so they will enjoy a Culver's lunch during the last week of school.
A big shout-out to our Wanamaker families for their generosity with this campaign!
Mrs. Beth Maloun, SPED teacher, shows the students the steps to making a dog tug.
What a fun way to start our day!
Caroline and Millie try their hands at something new! The completed dog tugs were donated to Helping Hands Humane Society where they will get lots of good use!
Mrs. Slimmer, Caroline, and Callie help with planting flowers in the residents' decorated pots.
UNO was a popular choice of activity.
Milly shares a read-aloud with a Rolling Hills resident.
StuCo sponsors, Mrs. Medlicott, Mrs. Reinert, and Mrs. Slimmer were so proud of the WE students on this outing!