Wanamaker Library Newsletter

You could have heard a pin drop. The Wanamaker 6th graders gathered in the library the morning of Friday, Sept. 8, and had the privilege of connecting with 9/11 Twin Towers survivor, Robert Matos.

Mr. Matos, who lives in New Jersey, graciously shared his experiences of that fateful day with a generation who hadn't yet been born when the attacks happened.

While it was a tragic, very sad day, with the loss of many lives (including many of his co-workers and friends), Mr. Matos stressed that many good things also came out of his experience like gratitude for family, friends, and for life itself. It taught him that it was the nonmaterial things of his life that mattered the most.

He ended by emphasizing that he doesn't harbor anger or resentment, but instead feels that we can all work together for a better tomorrow.

The students were completely engaged in the presentation and asked thoughtful, mature questions.

Eleanor, 6th grade student, said that what stood out to her the most was how Mr. Matos's experience changed his view on the importance of money and material wealth and instead showed him that the most important things in his life were his family and friends. And that he will always remember the people that died that day.

Thank you, Mr. Matos, for making a difference in our students' lives!

The students wrote heartfelt Thank You letters to Mr. Matos to show their appreciation of him sharing this experience with them.

In addition to connecting with Mr. Matos, we read aloud I Survived the 9/11 Attacks by Lauren Tarshis in our library classes. With both of these experiences, the students now have a clearer picture of the tragedy of 9/11 and its effects on our country and its people.

The 5th graders were treated to an author/artist visit with Stephen T Johnson on Friday, September 15. He was in Topeka as a presenter at the Kansas Book Festival held the next day on the Washburn University campus.

Mr. Johnson shared details about his life as an illustrator/author with the students. He emphasized the importance of his childhood experiences in regard to the impact they had on his current style as an illustrator. He spent 3rd and 4th grade in France while his parents taught French at a university there. The literature and art that he was exposed to in France made an impression on him even though he didn't realize it at the time.

His grandfather was also an accomplished artist and that made an impact on Mr. Johnson as well. He shared pictures of his grandfather and of his grandfather's art to the students.

Mr. Johnson talked to the students about how he is always on the look-out for ideas. He finds many of his ideas by looking at real things; they don't always come from his imagination. He said it takes a lot of time to develop his ideas for new projects. He may spend hours on a project, and then it isn't what the editor is looking for, so he goes back to the drawing board. A career such as his takes a lot of persistance and patience!

Mr. Johnson's Alphabet City is a Caldecott Honor recipient as well as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the year. Some of his other titles include Alphabet School, A is for Art, and City by Numbers.

He also has a series of interactive books, including My Little Red Toolbox, My Big Pink Princess Purse, My Big Blue Robot, and My Big Silver Rocket Ship. These books contain parts that are taken out of the book itself to build an item. The parts can then be re-inserted into the book. These books are very creative and fun!

Mr. Johnson's artwork can also be found in permanent and public collections, including at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the DeKalb Avenue Subway Station in Brooklyn, New York. He currently teaches at the University of Kansas and lives in Lawrence.

Throughout his presentation he answered questions from the students. They were very engaged and asked some thoughtful questions.

We appreciated Mr. Johnson taking time out of his busy schedule to visit with us!

The Wanamaker library and art department collaborated on their 6th annual bookmark contest. The theme for this year was to design a colorful bookmark that promoted reading and had the word READ somewhere in the design.

Students created their bookmarks during art class, then the voting began! The winning bookmarks were chosen by students, faculty, and staff members. Each student's original bookmark was laminated and returned to them. Additionally, each student received a copy of their grade level's winning bookmark.

The winners were as follows: Nolan (Kindergarten); Frankee (1st Grade); Presley (2nd Grade); Victoria (3rd Grade); Oliver (4th Grade); Scarlett (5th Grade); and Lily (6th Grade).

The winning bookmarks are on display in the hallway; if you get a chance to check them out during P-T conferences, I encourage you to do so! The students did a great job with their creations.

The 2nd grade classes will be participating in the Global Read Aloud Picture Book Study during the month of October. The premise of the GRA is that students around the world are reading the same book at the same time and making connections with each other in various ways. We will be learning about author Jacqueline Woodson and her picture books while making connections with our two US buddy classes located in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. We also have an international connection this year for the first time-- Sweden! While we won't be able to connect with our buddy class there in real time because of the time difference, we are excited to exchange digital projects with them as well as communicate by snail mail via postcards.

We kicked the GRA off with two Mystery Skypes, an engaging way for classrooms to introduce themselves to each other. Working from a large map of the United States, students used their map/geography/communication skills to guess the mystery location of the other classrooms by using yes/no questions. After discovering where our buddy classes are located, we spent some time sharing details about our schools, cities, and states with each other.

Mrs. Orr, 2nd grade teacher, had this to say about meeting our new friends, " The Mystery Skype is always so exciting! The students are fascinated with the whole virtual experience. Interacting with other students their own age in a different setting provides a fun new perspective! I loved sitting in on the Skype, and I truly got to see how much geography was taught for this activity! They were using new terms and using critical thinking skills to rule out the most states possible to narrow down their guesses. The cheers from the students when they guessed correctly really says it all. It's something I look forward to every year!"

We are excited to learn more about Jacqueline Woodson and use her books to connect with our new friends!

Thank you to the Foundation for their generous contribution and for helping us to update our library resources!

Oct. 13-- PTA sponsored Fall Festival at WE from 5:00 - 7:00

Oct. 13 & 20-- No School

Oct. 18 & 19-- Boo Gram forms given to interested parents during P-T conferences

Oct. 19- 23-- Mrs. Reinert attends the American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Tampa, FL. This is her first time to attend, so she is very excited!

Week of Oct. 23-27-- Student Council sells Boo Grams in the library at the end of the day. Proceeds from Boo Gram sales will be used for Student Council's holiday project.

Oct. 27 & Nov. 10-- Student Council meetings at 8:00 AM in the library

Nov. 10-- Veteran's Day Assembly at 2:00 in the WE Gym.

Nov. 10-- 2nd graders skype with their Buddy Classes as part of the Global Read Aloud

Month of November-- National Picture Book Month. All students will be invited to be part of our Picture Book Challenge. Please take the time to enjoy some awesome picture books with your student!