Mrs. Reinert provided a Barnes and Noble outing as part of the silent auction at the Wanamaker Spring Dance sponsored by the PTA in April. One day after school, Mrs. Reinert and Abigail (fourth grade recipient of the outing) headed to Barnes and Noble. We browsed the books to find the "perfect one" before enjoying a treat from the Cafe. She also picked a couple of books to add to our school collection. Thanks, Abigail, for a fun afternoon!

The end of the school year brings several special events to the library.

Twenty 2nd graders completed the Bill Martin, Jr. Challenge. They read all 10 Bill Martin, Jr. picture book nominees and completed a form on each book that asked questions about the book as well as provided space for the student to draw a picture of their favorite scene from the story. These students were rewarded by being invited to eat their lunches in the library, followed by ice cream and brownie sundaes. Congratulations to Kayleigh, Charley, Charlie, Paisley, Malia, Spencer, Brayden, Adebowale, Ibby, Caroline, Willow, Meghna, Astha, Melody, Addison, Zoe, Novaleigh, Callie, Adhrit, and William.

The Battle of the Books competition was held on Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18, in the WE gym. A record-setting ten student teams (55 students) and three staff teams (21 staff members) participated in the competition. Team members collaborated and earned points by being able to answer questions and identify quotes from the current William Allan White books.

There were 17 William Allen White books this year, so that was a lot of details participants had to be familiar with! I am so proud of all the students who exhibited leadership and courage by being willing to get up on stage and be quizzed over the books in front of their peers and some parents who were in the audience. Their perseverance and teamwork paid off!

There were some VERY close contests! The final round consisted of a match between the winning student team and the winning staff team. In the end, the student team pulled off the victory!

Thank you to ALL who participated or helped out in any way to make this exciting end-of-year activity possible!

A Used Book Exchange was held in the library the last week of school to promote summer reading. Students were invited to bring used books in good condition to be exchanged for another book(s) of their choosing. There were enough donations of used books that every student was able to come and choose a new-to-them book to take home for the summer. Each student was also given a scented bookmark to try out with their new book! Thank you to everyone who donated used books to the cause!

Did you know that reading during the summer can significantly improve your reading skills? Instead of losing knowledge during those lazy, hot, summer days, reading will help you gain new knowledge. The good news is that you can pick anything to read that interests you. It doesn't matter what you choose to read, it's just important to do it!

Be part of Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library's Summer Reading & Events June 1- July 31! A trip to the library, bookmobile or tscpl.org is a great way to keep brains active and entertained during the summer months! Learn more about the reading challenge, the gallery's art exhibit for kids and events full of games, crafts and fun at www.tscpl.org/summer.

Wanamaker students who complete the summer reading program at TSCPL and bring their completion certificate to Mrs. Reinert will be invited to an ice cream sundae/brownie party when school starts in August!

Many good things happened in the library this year! Here is a summary of some of the statistics and happenings that took place during the 2022-23 school year:

• The total number of materials circulated was 23,483.
• The total number of items housed in the WE library was 11,693.
• The total number of library lessons taught was 972.
• The total number of PebbleGo database logins was 17,533.
• Five 6th grade students acted as Library Leaders and helped out in the library on a weekly basis. Thank you to Reynin, Amelia, Amaya, Avalon, and Sophia!
  
• Four adult volunteers helped out in the library on a weekly basis. They were an important part of our village! Thank you to Judy Liezert, Judy Schultz, Sharlene Christensen, and Patty Jolley!
• Ice cream and brownie sundae party held for all students who completed the TSCPL Summer Reading Program.
• There was collaboration with the 6th grade social studies teacher and team on a Skype visit with 9/11 survivor, Robert Matos.
• The library and art department collaborated on a school-wide bookmark contest.
• Kansas Book Festival author, John Hare, visited in-person with all 5th graders.
• All 2nd graders participated in the Global Read Aloud author study and connected to students from around the world by using Skype, Padlet, and snail mail.
• The 2nd graders took part in three Mystery Skypes with classes from California, Texas, and New Jersey as part of the Global Read Aloud.
• A Picture Book Challenge was held in November with individual and school wide goals achieved.
• All staff were invited to make a Folded Book Christmas Tree in the library the first week in December. Supplies, refreshments, and holiday jazz music was provided!
• Approximately 100 students participated in the Pets Caught Reading contest.
• Former student, Jacob Tanner, presented to the 3rd and 4th graders on his book I Wonder Why I Have Autism and his experiences with autism.
• A Scholastic Book Fair was held.
• Nineteen classes participated in the March Book Madness Tournament.
• An annual inventory of the library was completed along with appropriate weeding of the collection.
• A Star Ways "May the Books Be With You" celebration was held in the library the first week of May.
  
• Our school nurse, Mrs. Ross, shared her beekeeping experiences with our 5th graders to wrap up our unit on honeybees.
• 4th grade classes participated in a virtual interview opportunity with author Kate Messner and author/illustrator Grace Lin regarding their collaboration on the picture book Once Upon A Story.
• The Battle of the Books Competition involved 10 student teams and 3 staff teams.
• Twenty 2nd graders completed the Bill Martin, Jr. Challenge.
  
• A Used Book Exchange was held for all WE students, so they could take a new-to-them book home with them for the summer.
• A Student Council Bucks 4 Books fundraising campaign resulted in a $1,000.00 donation to the American Library Association and a $600.00 donation in Christmas gifts for the Villages on behalf of Wanamaker Elementary.
• Student Council held 18 meetings in the library and performed several community service projects, including Christmas Caroling at Rolling Hills Health Center. Mrs. Reinert was a co-sponsor of the organization.
• Mrs. Reinert acted as a moderator for an author session at the 2022 Kansas Book Festival held at Washburn University.
• Mrs. Reinert presented on the Global Read Aloud at the Kansas Association of School Librarians NE District Workshop that was held at Landon Middle School in Topeka.