Welcome back to the Library, Fall 2007-2008

Welcome back to another year at wonderful St. John the Baptist Catholic School!!

FIRST, THOUGH, A LOOK BACK AT THE CLOSE OF SCHOOL IN JUNE, 2007:
The library held a HULA PARTY for Grades 1,2, and 3, complete with treats, music, and hula dancers! Wonderful upperclassmen who danced for the Primry grades included:
Brooke Sciotti, Emily Melchiore, Jessica Allman, and Danielle Harrington
HULA BOYS! included Shane Ging, Joe Szurszewski, and Jeff Anderson

WINNERS of the beach party blankets were:
Elizabeth Szurszewski and Kevin Capone
Emily Clites and Reese Hawke
Cassidy Soboslay and Julia Messina

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We started the new school year off with a giant sale- good books and videos for teachers, executive, volunteers, and students. The sale made room on our shelves for new material and netted us cash to purchase these new items! Thanks to all who supported the sale!

We also raffled off a wonderful book/package titled "TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB", regularly priced at $18.99 Fantastic! WINNER OF THIS MARVELOUS TREASURE WAS

STEVANAKELLY DOLENCE - Congratulations!
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REGULAR LIBRARY CLASSES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 10.
Basic library guidelines: Primary classes: 2 books per week
Gr 4-8 : 3 books per week plus report items.
********************PLEASE NOTE: STUDENTS WILL NOT BE CHECKING VIDEOS OR DVDS OUT THIS YEAR AS OUR COLLECTION AT THIS TIME IS BEING REBUILT TO SERVE PRIMARILY AS A RESOURCE FOR CLASSROOM USE. Most of the children have many audio-visual items at home already.

LIBRARY AIDES: PROGRAM WILL BEGIN WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 17 AT WHICH TIME WE SHALL SELECT NEW AIDES FROM GRADE 6. Remember we may only select a few students to join the other aides from Grades 7 & 8 already serving. If your child is not selected please do not take this as a personal rejection. We'd love to have everyone help but there are only so many times we need aides, or only certain times they may work in the library rather than be in class.

LIBRARY CLASSES INCLUDE INTRODUCTION TO GOOD READING AS WELL AS INSTRUCTION IN HOW TO USE A LIBRARY (remember everything is NOT found on the computer - particularly fine literature!)

We also involve students in projects that introduce them to the world around them - from Oriental crafts, growing things, learning about their state and country, understanding the reason for the birth of fairy tales and folk tales in all cultures, learning the vocabulary connected to certain activities ( e.g. the language that pops up around the time of political elections!)

We also encourage students to contribute by creating bookmarkers that we may copy for all to use. Also, to write short reviews of a new book they've read ( presenting these to the class helps hone their delivery skills.

We are adding over 120 new titles to our Accelerated Reading List that already has over 2,000 titles.

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST ---- we are so grateful to our hard-working, faithful Library volunteers: Mrs. Joan Gallagher, Mrs. Beth Clites, Mrs. Anita Tuskan, and Mrs. Nikki Senchak - and, of course my main support -----those student Library Aides who somehow keep this "young" lady afloat in the sea of technology! You know who you are

HERE'S TO AN OUTSTANDING YEAR: NO SCHOOL OFFERS YOU MORE, NO SCHOOL GIVES Y OU AS STRONG A MORALITY-BASED EDUCATION.

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU PARENTS FOR YOUR EXCELLENT CHOICE IN SENDING YOUR CHILD TO ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

Mrs. Hildagarde Gray, Librarian
September, 2007

LIBRARY BOOK FAIR & ACCELERATED READER UPDATES MARCH 2007

Welcome to spring from your library!

Now for all the good news about the very successful Scholastic Book Fair ( thanks a million for your support!) and the many new AR titles we were able to purchase for that reading program.

BOOK FAIR 2007 REPORT:-----CONTESTS, WINNERS, PROFITS, DONATIONS, ETC., ETC., ETC.
Following students were winners in the 2007 Book Fair Contests:

BOOKMARK WINNERS - GRADES 3-6 - The entries were judged on the basis of originality of the idea as it applied to books, reading, and the Scholastic Book Fair. They were NOT judged as art entries!
GRADE 3 CASSIDY SABOSLAY & MICHAEL CARRAGINO(runner-up)
GRADE 4 TIA CALABRESE AND JOHN SZARMACH (runner-up)
GRADE 5 MARINA PILSTON AND DELANEY HAWK (runner-up)
GRADE 6 ANGELO RAGGHIANTI & MARIA WITTMAN (TIE!)

WINNERS RECEIVED: FIRST PLACE : $10 GIFT CERTIFICATES TO SPEND AT THE BOOK FAIR. RUNNERS-UP - $5.00 CERTIFICATES.

Duplicates of these bookmarks have been run off and available for use by the school students during Library Class. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

A drawing was also done from the patrons who purchased items at the Fair. The winner came and picked $25.00 in items from the Fair.
WINNER OF THIS DRAWING: JOSEPH McSHEA (Kindergarten) Congratulations

We were able to add over 100 new books ( mostly AR titles) to our library! Again, thank you.

We also received two wonderful donations: 1. Five brand-new 2007 copyright books for our shelves from Steven Kokal's grandmother, Mrs. Marsalese. (Cost if purchased: $159.00)
2. The Ibarra family gave twelve books to our library ( value:$116.64)Wonderful! There were also a number of donations ($) to the library to purchase books, from Book Fair customers!
3. Our book-crazy librarian footed the bill for the prizes awarded above and the certificates that were given to students who set up the Fair ( Chris Hanno, Ben Nuttle, Erin Ibarra, Emily Melchiore, Jessica Allman, Danielle Harrington, Caitlyn McDade, Angelo Ragghianti, Amber Shields, Colleen Brown and Matt Auvil)
Since the Fair, students met a strange, wonderful book of 500 pages, over half of which are magnificent artwork that mimics the movie style of black/white art. Gr.7 have begun the fine art of using Roman numerals, Gr 3 is creating storybooks that tell about an African Cinderella, ( and learning what the expression "middle class" means!); a number of classes learned all about Rosa Parks ---AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! many students met a magnificent picture book that told of Christmas in World War I when German and American soldiers stopped fighting to celebrate that wonderful holyday. The book included a CD of the author telling the story, then choral groups singing SILENT NIGHT, one group in German, the other in English! If only all the world could come together like this!

GRADE 8 IS PREPARING A PRESENTATION ABOUT SOME OF THE FINE MUSIC GENRES - ROCK(Regis Essick, Ferdinand Palombo, Ben Nuttle, Scott Schramm, and Dan Klonoski); JAZZ(Matt Dawson, Shane Singer, Hannah Rullo, Keenan Stover, and Pia Palombo); BLUES(Anthony Carter, Ben Tyke, Rachel Poprocky,Christopher Hanno, Jeannette Scholleart), and COUNTRY(Beverly Tumminello, Jordan Prodente, Nicole Ferraco, Jessica Cooper)
They will prepare a visual ( poster,etc.,) a verbal(introduction,definition, etc.,) and a physical - (singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument) and present the program for a special audience that will include Mrs. Stonebraker, our principal! This will be after Easter as this month is too busy.

Enjoy March -daylight savings time, warmer weather, the fantastic Fish Fry, on to Easter . Can summer be far behind?

Mrs. Hildagarde Gray and Library Aides Friday, March 9, 2007