MVMS Library Media Center
May/June Newsletter
WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON
- If you have not done so already, please be sure to stop by the library media center to welcome Laura Magnusson. She will be filling in for me while I am gone, thus allowing the library to remain open full time for borrowing, research, and small group work through the rest of the year (except during testing times, of course...)
- A huge thank you to everyone who came to our BOGO Book Fair! We hosted 24 classes and many staff members throughout the course of the week. Enough merchandise was purchased to earn us over $300 in Scholastic Dollars, and we bought 23 new books for our collection!
- Our Reading Marathon Celebration was a great success! We had 56 students and 20 staff members read over 1174 books since October. That number only reflects the students/staff who FINISHED their contracts. If we take into account all readers, we read nearly 2000 books since the start of the marathon! To celebrate, we ate 4 Donatello's Dominators, 84 Subway cookies, and drank over 70 bottles of water! 31 raffle prizes were won and a good time was had by all!
UPCOMING DATES (LOOKING AHEAD)
- Thursday, May 11th: 8th grade community project showcase night from 6:00-7:30 PM. All staff is required to attend.
- Friday, May 12th: 8th grade community project presentations.
- Monday, June 5th-end of the year: Amnesty weeks- No fines for kids’ late books & It’s “Treat for Terrific Time” If kids owe no money & owe no books to the library they get a treat (Staff can cash in on this reward, too!)
June 13, Tuesday: All student materials are due back to the library. (Letters to parents will go home around the 15th for overdue hardcover books & for all 8th grade missing materials.)
June 15, Thursday: Teachers, please return library materials if you are done using them.
June 19-June 23rd: Library closed to classes, but computers available for students to complete work. Theresa and Laura will be doing inventory.
PROJECTS AROUND THE BUILDING
- 6th grade science is working on creating public service announcements about various environmental issues that they have researched.
- 7th grade social studies students are researching technology and innovations that have changed culture.
- 7th grade science is working on their energy unit.
- 8th grade students are working diligently to complete phase 4 of their community projects among all of their other content area assignments!
MAYBE YOU MISSED THESE NEW BOOKS
Train I Ride by Paul Mosier
When Rydr travels by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, she learns along the way that she can find family wherever she is. Rydr is on a train heading east, leaving California, where her gramma can't take care of her anymore, and traveling to Chicago, to live with an unknown relative. She brings with her a backpack, memories both happy and sad, and a box, containing something very important. As Rydr meets her fellow passengers and learns their stories, her own story begins to emerge. It's one of sadness and heartache, and one Rydr would sometimes like to forget. But as much as Rydr may want to run away from her past, on the train she finds that hope and forgiveness are all around her, and most importantly, within her, if she's willing to look for it.
Lin-Manuel Miranda by Stephanie Kraus
Lin-Manuel Miranda builds critical literacy skills with this fascinating nonfiction reader designed to engage eighth grade students. Keep your students at the edge of their seats with content that will keep them enthralled from the first page to the last. Showcasing the work of the Lin-Manuel Miranda, this informational text examines the life of the writer, composer, actor, and rapper starring in Pulitzer-prize winning musical Hamilton. Aligned with state standards, Beyond Words: Lin-Manuel Miranda features complex and rigorous content appropriate for middle school students preparing for college and career readiness.
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra's current gift gives her pain and power--something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother's hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows. Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual current gift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive--no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive--or to destroy one another.
NEWEST DATABASE SUBSCRIPTION
Opposing Viewpoints In Context is the premier online resource covering today’s hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration, to marijuana. This cross-curricular research tool supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Its informed, differing views present each side of an issue and help students develop information literacy, critical thinking skills, and the confidence to draw their own valid conclusions. (password: nhais)
Scope and Depth
- More than 20,100 pro/con viewpoints
- More than 19,200 reference articles, including topic overviews
- More than 12,700 charts and graphs, along with other statistical information
- 300+ profiles of federal agencies and special-interest groups
- Special coverage of the annual debate topic determined by the National Speech and Debate Association
- Full-text newspapers and periodicals from multiple perspectives, including National Review, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Commentary, and CNN Wire
Multimedia
- Engage users with thousands of images, videos, and audio selections from authoritative sources.
- Interactive maps show statistical trends in a readily understandable way.
Krystal Searah, LMS
Farewell gang!
This really is my last newsletter! I hope you all have a wonderful end to your year. Thank you so much to everyone for being so generous and supportive as I prepare for this insane new adventure!
I will see you all in October for official business, but before that-I'll be around!
Email: ksearah@mvsdpride.org
Website: http://mvms.mvsdpride.org/
Phone: 6127
Twitter: @mvmspride