Media Minute April 2019
News from your Centennial Academy Media Center
Pow! Boom! Cente-Con was a Smashing Success!
Centennial scholars enjoyed our own version of Comic Con after school on March 27. About 20 middle grades scholars spent a couple hours enjoying movie trailers, snacks, and discussing their favorite comics with each other and with Mr. Herndon, Mr. Blackmon, and Jeff Hathaway of Atlanta Classic Comics. We’re going to make this a regular event, and include elementary scholars next time. Atlanta Classic Comics and Oxford Comics both provided lots of free books for scholars, and promise to bring more next time. Remember, comics are a “gateway drug” to reading!
Scholars Scramble for SWAG
Comic Book Hero
Joy!
Spring BOGO Book Fair
Another way to celebrate National Library Month is by visiting our Buy-One-Get-One Free Scholatic Book Fair April 22-26 in the library. This book fair is intended to get books in scholars’ hands before we break for the summer. It’s also an opportunity to stock up on classroom books for next year (create a wish list for parents to buy) or purchase replacements for lost or damaged library books. Even if you’re out of school at a field trip, you can shop online through April 30. We only make a tiny percentage on this fair to support the library, but every little bit helps! All teachers will receive a $5 gift certificate to use at the Fair.
April is National Poetry Month!
This month, use lots of fun rhymes to teach literacy basics. Recognizing patterns is an important part of basic early literacy, so take advantage of nursery rhymes and hand clap games to reinforce rhyming words, repetition, and rhythm. Song lyrics and “old school” poems like jump rope rhymes are also fun. Favorite book Mean Jean the Recess Queen even includes a jump rope rhyme! Check out 25 Fun Jump Rope Songs and Games for other ideas. Scholars who stop by the library will be encouraged to check out poetry books and try their hand at creating “found poetry” in a maker station. For other poetry resources, I like Academy of American Poets’ 30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month, especially Poem in your Pocket day, which is on Thursday, April 18. Poets.org offers Resources for Teachers, including poetry-related activities. Since National Library Week is April 7-13, read poems celebrating libraries, librarians, and books. For Earth Day (April 22) browse these poems about nature and lesson plans about the environment.The Global Oneness project has put together a collection of stories and lessons from around the world celebrating the beauty of our world. Finally, there are a number of novels in verse form in our library - students can visit the collection Positively Poetic to see choices.
Celebrate School Library Month
The 2019 school library theme is Everyone Belongs @ Your School Library and the 2019 spokesperson is author Dav Pilkey, who grew up diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. He says, “reading without judgement was a turning point in my life and that is what made me a lifelong reader.” National Library Week is the 2nd full week of April (April 7-13), and mirrors an American Library Association (ALA) effort entitled "Libraries = Strong Communities," a national advocacy campaign aimed at highlighting the value of academic, public, and school libraries. Libraries all around the country are showcasing the work they do for their communities and encouraging everyone to see Emilio Estevez’ new movie The Public, now at local theaters.
BOGO Book Fair
Monday, Apr 22, 2019, 07:30 AM
531 Luckie Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA, USA
Reading Challenge Celebration
Every scholar who passes an AR Quiz on Tuesday, April 16 can visit the library for a treat! And it will count toward the Purple Hair Challenge! If every scholar (I’m looking at you, 8th grade - you should remember the last time this happened.) passes at least 1 AR quiz on level, Ms. Burke will dye her hair purple again! Who’s in? The quicker you pass, the sooner she dyes!
By the Numbers - Check This Out!
In March 2019, 1,115 visitors (including 78 teachers) checked out 1,363 items, and read nearly 3 million words (according to AR Statistics)! Rashard Aaron read the most of everyone in March. Total words (from AR quizzes passed) so far this year - 17,895,296 words. Matthew Weldegaber is the only current member of the Million Words club, but Mychal Haynie is only 288,000 words behind him!
About Us
Centennial Academy's mission is to create a culture of opportunity and discovery in which scholars are developed into creative critical thinkers with the vision and courage to impact a global society. As a community school, Centennial Academy readily extends beyond its campus borders in strong partnerships with institutions of early and higher learning, industry, and social service that support a PreK to 8th grade curriculum. To support our community, our media center is open for visitor use before school and until 4:30pm every day.
Email: jburke@centennialacademycharter.org
Website: centennialplacemediacenter.weebly.com
Location: 531 Luckie Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone: 404-802-8550
Twitter: @jdkburke