Wanamaker Library Newsletter

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held Feb. 13 -19 (Parent-Teacher Conference week). We will also be open the Friday before conferences (the day of the Valentine parties).

The theme this year is "Reading is Sweet!" The 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 from Feb. 13 - 26. 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 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.

If you would like to know more about penguins, feel free to ask any Wanamaker first grader! Each first grade class learned about a different species of penguins and shared their findings in a hallway display.

After listening to a read-aloud of Tacky and the Winter Games (a nod to the upcoming winter olympics), the students went to work using the database PebbleGo to do their own research about penguins. Each student shared a fact about our snowy arctic friends and collaborated on the final product. This information was used to make a hallway display that includes our friendly penguins hanging around their igloo! Great work, beginning first grade researchers!

Wanamaker Elementary is filled with fabulous readers, so in order to recognize some of that awesomeness, we have continued the Featured Mustang Reader program this year! Each month a different student is featured. A customized poster revealing the student's favorite genres and comments about why they love reading is hung in the hallway. In addition, the featured student's favorite books are spotlighted in the library and contain stickers identifying them as that student's favorites. Other students love seeing what their peers recommend, and these books are always heavily circulated. We look forward to featuring even more readers in the coming months!

All teachers were invited to the library the week before Winter Break to choose two wrapped "mystery" books to add to their classroom libraries. The choices were a surprise for the teacher since the books were covered in red, white, and black (WE colors) wrapping paper with the titles not visible. Each grade level had multiple age-appropriate books to choose from. Holiday treats of popcorn and M & M's were also available to satisfy anybody's sweet tooth!

December was a busy month for the WE Student Council. All representatives and alternates were invited to go holiday caroling after school one day. The students gathered in the library for cookies before heading to Rolling Hills Health and Rehab to entertain the residents. They enjoyed having the students visit them, and many of the residents sang along with them. A special thank you to all the parents who helped transport the students to Rolling Hills.

In addition to caroling, the students also distributed snowman ornaments that they made especially for the residents to enjoy throughout the winter months.

This outing was the first time that WE Student Council members got to wear their new shirts! The shirts will be fun to wear on the days of our StuCo meetings and to community activites like this one!

The proceeds from the Boo Grams that the Student Council members sold to Wanamaker students the week of Halloween go towards charitable organizations each year. This year the Student Council members decided to donate the Boo Gram proceeds to KVC Kansas. KVC cares for children and families in crisis. These donations were presented by the Student Council at the holiday assembly held on Dec. 19. Student Council sponsors are Mrs. Slimmer, Mrs. Reinert, and Mrs. Medlicott.

Thank you to our students and their families for the support of the Student Council's Boo Gram fundraiser held in October. Their generous contributions allowed WE to purchase holiday items for KVC Kansas.

The WE Student Council will be sponsoring a Bucks 4 Books campaign for 2 weeks during February. It will run from Feb. 16-27. 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 a Student Choice Raffle Drawing.

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 schools and libraries in need. Monies from the Bucks 4 Books fundraiser are donated to help rebuild libraries that have been destroyed by natural disasters as well as local literacy efforts and also to our own library.

Feb. 4-- All 3rd graders will Skype with picture book author Katherine Pryor to celebrate World Read Aloud Day

Feb. 12--Set up for Book Fair

Feb. 13-19-- Scholastic Book Fair

Feb. 18 and 19-- Parent-Teacher Conferences

Feb. 20-- No School

Feb. 13 and Mar. 12--Student Council Meetings in the library at 8:00 AM

Feb. 16-27-- Bucks 4 Books Campaign sponsored by Student Council

Feb. 27-- Battle of the Books meetings for 4th and 5th grades during their lunch periods

Early March-- Dr. Seuss birthday party for all grades during library classes

March-- March Book Madness voting begins