Wanamaker Library Newsletter

Once again, the annual Scholastic Book Fair held in February during Parent -Teacher conferences was a ton of fun and a big success! There are many moving parts to the book fair, and it takes the entire school community to make it happen!

The teachers came for a preview breakfast on the first day of the fair while the students previewed the fair during their library classes that week. The staff were treated to bagels and cream cheese, and fresh fruit while browsing the fair. Mrs. Fewell, 5th grade teacher, won the staff drawing for a free book.

Mrs. Armstrong, the library assistant, worked her usual magic and transformed the library with decorations that promoted the fair theme of "Candyland"! See the library entrance decorations above to view evidence of her magical touch!

A couple of contests livened things up as well--the students entered a guessing contest of how many dum dum suckers were on the styrofoam tree, and Leighton (3rd grader) was the winner of the Raffle Basket giveaway. The basket was filled with paperback books of all reading levels and other fun miscellaneous items.

When asked what she liked most about the book fair, Lily, 4th grader, stated that she "liked seeing so many books that she's never seen before!" Axel, 2nd grader, responded that he liked "the books and the posters, but most of all, I liked guessing how many dum dums were on the tree!" Longtime volunteer, Sharlene Christensen, said her favorite part of the fair was "helping the kids find fun, new books! Especially the younger ones. They get so excited when you show them a new book!"

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the book fair a success! Its success would not be possible without the support and enthusiasm of the entire WE community. The book fair always serves as a great reminder of how Wanamaker truly loves and values the power of reading. A special thank you to April Sidesinger, Volunteer Coordinator, and ALL the other volunteers whose help was greatly appreciated!

It's a great day when you get to connect with a live author in real time! The WE third graders got to do just that on February 4 when they connected with author Katherine Pryor to celebrate World Read Aloud Day. Katherine visited with us about her new picture book Attack of the Hangries. Katherine said she herself gets hangry, and she's always been fascinated with the science behind the hangries, so she thought others might be interested in it, too.

Katherine emphasized the need for patience when working as an author. She wrote 40 drafts of her first book before it was published. Her books are a combination of fiction and non-fiction. She loves to research, so it seemed a natural fit to slip non-fiction into her fictional stories!

After reading her newest book aloud to the students, she spent time answering the students' many questions. When asked how she came up with her stories, she answered that for her, writing stories is like putting a puzzle together in her head. And she is the only one who can decide how the puzzle pieces fit together.

We spent time in library class preparing for our visit with Katherine by reading her books and learning about her background as a good foods advocate as well as an author. We appreciate the time that she spent with us!

Sixty-nine Mustang readers entered their creations in the Storybook Kleenex Box contest sponsored by the WE library! The creativity and variety of entries was outstanding! The entries remained anonymous until after the judging took place with all the adults in the building invited to vote on their favorites. All voters emphasized how difficult it was to vote on their favorites as there were so many fantastic creations!

Nathaniel, 1st grader, said that his favorite part of this project was reading the Investigator series. "Those books are awesome! They were my inspiration for creating Mango (a character from the Investigator books)!"

The creations were on display during P-T conferences, so our school community could view the students' hard work. This activity was promoted as a fun family event, so hopefully, students and their families bonded over books! If so, that thought makes this librarian's heart very happy!

Students were invited to give their Storybook Kleenex Box to their teacher or take it home if they wished to do that instead. All entrants received a small treat for participating in this fun contest!

Five years ago, mutual friends introduced me to Mr. Robert Matos. Robert is a 9/11 survivor, and when asked if he would be willing to visit with WE students about his experience on that tragic day, he didn't hesitate. So for the past 5 years Robert has graciously shared his story with WE students.

Grateful to be alive, he learned that family and friends are worth far more than any material wealth. He also emphasizes that while he lost many friends and co-workers that day, he doesn't harbor resentment, but instead feels that by working together we can build a better tomorrow.

Until recently Robert and I had only connected virtually. In February Robert reached out to let me know that he and his wife were going to be in Topeka. We immediately made plans to meet for dinner while he was here. We had a lovely evening, and it was no surprise to learn that Robert is just as genuine and inspiring in person as he is when connecting virtually!

I consider myself lucky to be Robert's friend, and look forward to our next adventure!

March 11 & 12-- Student Council sells St. Patrick's Day accessories

March 12-- School-wide Spirit Day (Green Day)

March 13-- No School. Teacher Work Day.

March 16 - 20-- Spring Break DON'T FORGET TO READ!

March 27-- Annual Inventory of the library collection

March 28-- Mrs. Reinert presents at the Kansas Association of School Librarians NE Regional conference being held at Washburn Rural High School. Her topic is: Beyond Checkout: Acitivities to Help Build a Reading Culture.

April 10-- Battle of the Books meetings for Grades 4 & 5 during their lunch periods.

April 10 & 24-- Student Council meetings in the library at 8:00 AM.

April 21-- Student Council representatives and alternates to Rolling Hills Health Center to do an Earth Day activity with the residents.