A-MAY-ZING Library News

Well, we were not one of the 10 schools around Texas to win a $1000 prize..but we did have fun reading together on Friday, September 25, and being part of the Big Texas Read In! There were some technical difficulties with the online link to watch Lucky Diaz perform his songs and story, Paletero Man, but students I spoke to were just happy to be able to take some time to read. 🥰

If you would like to hear Lucky Diaz read Paletero Man at home with your child, it is available here on YouTube.

As September 25th was declared National Dolly Parton Day, some of our 4th & 5th graders celebrated in the library by reading and responding to some of Dolly Parton's inspirational quotes. Being a strong supporter of children's literacy as the founder of the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton is also widely known as "The Book Lady." The Dolly quote on my t-shirt that day, and one close to my heart, said, "You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children." So true!

Once again, our 3rd grade students will compete in the S.A. Reading Challenge! The S.A. Reading Challenge is "a city-wide 3rd-grade reading challenge...where students from schools across San Antonio and its surrounding areas read as much as they can for joy, not just for schoolwork. Every school is a team and students track how many minutes they read outside of schoolwork." The official kick-off celebration will be live streamed October 19th. More information will be coming home this month to our 3rd grade parents, so stay tuned!

A.A. Milne's timeless classic, Winnie-the-Pooh was published October 14, 1926. What a wonderful time to discover and rediscover the classic characters and delightful adventures of the Hundred Acre Wood! 💛

“ 'The Bookworm' is published for three age groups: babies and toddlers, preschool (ages 3 – 5), and for children attending kindergarten... Each month, we focus on a different early literacy skill and feature some great books to look for at your local library. We also share rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and other fun activities that you can try at home."

The Tobin Center has various ways to receive some tickets at discounted prices, so you might check to see if you qualify to sign up for some of the programs they have that make those offers possible. I myself have signed up for Tobin Teachers, which makes some tickets available at a discount for teachers. They also have offers for:

Tobin Heroes -- with proof of military id

Tobin First Tix -- for various first responders in our community

Tobin Students -- for any college students with a college student i.d.

Arts for All -- discounts for anyone receiving SNAP or WIC benefits

Once you apply for a discounted account, it does often take 2-5 days to verify, so have patience but keep checking your email.😊

Thank you so much to all of you who helped make our first Book Fair of this school year an a-MAY-zing success! Together we made a profit of a little more than $1700 which will allow May Library to get some fantastic author experiences, favorite books, and wonderful learning materials for this year. That is outstanding news -- thank you so much!

Our community also showed it's strength in the beautiful generosity that our Roadrunner Families & Faculty demonstrated throughout the Book Fair, and I am so grateful to have had a front row seat to it. You gave $170 to the Share the Fair fund! This allowed our students to have just that little extra they needed to buy their books without worry or tears. I also watched as quiet hero parents & teachers added on a little something to their purchases when they could see there was a Roadrunner who was just aching to read, but didn't have what they needed. As Fred Rogers said, "...anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me." Seeing such kindness in our community really makes me so proud and grateful to be a part of it!

None of this could've happened without the help of so many understanding and helpful teachers and staff members, supportive & hardworking volunteers, and wonderful family members, repeatedly giving their time to come in, lend a hand, give their time and their money in order to make this book fair such a success in all the ways that mattered the most. Thank you so much! 💗

On October 19, May Library will be thrilled to welcome illustrator John Picacio. A native of San Antonio, he illustrated of one of the books on this year's Texas Bluebonnet Award List -- The Invisible Parade. In his presentation to our 1st-5th graders, he will focus on the importance of telling your story, being creative, and becoming an illustrator. You can order your own copy of The Invisible Parade online by Friday, September 25th, so it will be ready for him to sign it at his visit.

These four bright, energetic, and thoughtful H-E-B workers generously came to help close down and pack up the book fair. Having that helpful hand after a long week of work brought me so much joy and really renewed my weary bones. As if that wasn't enough, they presented our library with book marks and pencils, too! If you see these wonderful neighborhood helpers -- Alex, Allison, Lorraine, and Victoria -- please pass on a big Roadrunner thank you! 🥰

📚On Friday, September 25, we hope to help H-E-B break their record by being counted among the many kids across Texas participating in the Big Texas Read In. In their classes the students will read from 10-10:30 to be counted in the Read In. Cross your fingers for us as we hope to win one of their $1000 prizes awarded to participating libraries! 🤞