LRC Weekly Update

Hope everyone is looking forward to the short work week ahead! Please note that the LRC will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as we host reading and math testing for grades K-3.

With library not running those days, we'd love to see your classes later in the week! If you're not scheduled on Thursday or Friday please consider scheduling a check-out only session.

If you'd like to bring your students in to grab fresh books, please reserve a time slot using our sign-up link:

👉 Book Your LRC Check-Out Time Here

Thank you for your flexibility, and have a wonderful week!

Hey teachers! We are launching a brand-new quarterly LRC Newsletter just for our school families to keep them connected with everything happening in the library, from library events to digital resources.

Could you please help us spread the word? We'd love for you to share the link below in your upcoming class updates and newsletters.

Link to share: LRC Quarterly Family Newsletter

Thank you so much for helping us connect with our school community!

Calling all teachers and staff! Help us stock our LRC shelves with fresh reads during a fun morning out in McHenry at the Follett Warehouse on Saturday, September 26th, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Our grand goal is to pick out 1,000 books for our students! If just 10 of us join in and grab 100 books each, we’ll hit our target easily. Don't worry about the cost—you get to do the fun part of picking out great titles, and the LRC will be using its funds to purchase them all.

These books will be used to:

• Replace worn-out copies in our current collection

• Give our LRC shelves an overall boost

• Supply books for our December Icelandic Book Flood

• Supply books for our spring Literacy Night event

After we finish filling our carts, we’ll head over to a local brunch spot together for some food and relaxation.

Interested in joining us? Please take a moment to fill out our quick interest poll below so we can gauge numbers and plan logistics!

We are excited to offer teacher seats for two powerful tools designed to boost student engagement, literacy, and interactive learning: Blooket and BookBreak!

• What is Blooket? A fast-paced, trivia-and-review platform that turns learning into interactive classroom games. It’s perfect for exit tickets, test prep, or energetic skill-building sessions that keep students motivated through custom game modes and rewards.

• What is BookBreak? A virtual author-visit platform that connects K–12 students directly with bestselling authors. Each monthly session includes live-streamed author talks, interactive Q&A, and pre-built lesson resources aligned with standards to inspire young readers and writers.

Featured Upcoming BookBreak Virtual Author Visits: Get your classes ready to tune in live or watch the recordings on demand! Mark your calendars for these incredible author events:

• September 16: Chris Van Dusen — Author and illustrator of If I Built a School

• September 22: Max Brallier — Author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Last Kids on Earth

• October 1: Yamile Saied Méndez — Author of What Will You Be?

How to Join & Get Started: Reach out to the LRC to schedule a virtual author visit for your class! You can choose to bring your students down to book the LRC space or stream the visit directly in your own classroom.

Interested in a teacher seat? If you’d like access to either (or both!) of these subscriptions for your classroom this year, please reach out so we can get your account set up!

Planning is under way for our next One School, One Book (OSOB) program, and the LRC has an exciting title in mind: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown! (Shhh... this is top secret for now, so please don't share any info with students! ) :)

We chose this potential theme for several great reasons:

• Powerful Themes: The story centers around kindness, connection, and adaptation, bridging the gap between artificial creation and the natural world in a way that resonates with readers of all ages.

• Accessible for All Grades & Languages: It is available in both English and Spanish, and features a picture book companion, making the story accessible and engaging for our dual-language families and youngest readers alike.

• Exciting Finale: Our schoolwide celebration would feature a movie screening of The Wild Robot film!

We Want Your Input!

Before we lock in our selection, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Please take a moment to complete the poll below to let us know if you’re excited about bringing The Wild Robot to our community this year.