Valley Ridge Reader
VRA Media Center News - December 2020
Tis' the Season to Be Reading
Hour of Code
We will celebrate Hour of Code with lessons on computer programming throughout the month of December. We will use laptops to code with Lightbot and The Grinch: Saving Christmas with Code. In addition there are holiday coding games on a site called Santa Tracker. The two coding games we are learning are Code Lab and Code Boogie. Below are 3 different levels of additional coding Choice Board activities that students can enjoy!
December Choice Boards
Our Numbers for November 2020
Number of Books Checked Out - 1792
Number of E-books Viewed - 709
Most Check-outs by a Student - Lucjana G. and Lily H.
Most Class Check-outs - Ms. Yarbrough's Class 98
Most Check-outs by Grade Level - Third Grade 377
Middle School Check-outs - 89
Most Check-outs by a Teacher - Ms. Butler 27
Number of New Books and Magazines Added - 107
Number of Class Visits - 79
SSYRA Battle of the Books and Club Meetings
Our Awesome SSYRA Readers
Grades 6-8
Madison P. - 15
Lily H. - 15
Emma N. - 6
Matias - 5
Grades 3-5
Bridget W. - 15
Caleb B. - 15
Anaid A. - 15
Sarah D. - 12
Danielle P. - 10
Yiwen C. - 9
Ella W. - 9
SSYRA Jr.
Evan H. - 15
Jayden A. - 11
For more information and a list of books, visit the VRA Media Center Website or see the link below. Names updated at the beginning of the month. Look below to see students who have read all 15 SSYRA books this year.
Bucks for Buttons
Virtual Stick Togethers
We have a fun project for students to work on in their free time. It is called a Virtual Stick Together. It is a mosaic of tiles that are put together to make a picture. Go to the links below. Match the color to the letter in the grid. When all 4,000 tiles have been colored in according to the code, it will reveal an image. This is like the project we did in the media center last year when we used stickers to make a snowflake. Have fun!
Epic School, Free and Unlimited - 40,000 Ebooks, Audiobooks and Videos
Epic is like Netflix for children's books. The e-book platform is provided free to educators and supported by home subscriptions. During the school day from 7am to 4pm students can access Epic at home or school. They also offer Epic Free for 2 extra hours at home. If you want an invite to this program, send Mrs. Ayrish Booysen an email.
EPIC!
- Gives instant access to the world’s largest digital library of high-quality fiction and nonfiction books for kids with 40,000 ebooks, audio books, and learning videos
- Includes personalized reading recommendations for each child based on individual reading preferences and abilities
- Reading logs to track student progress
- Available on iPads, iPhone, Android devices, and on any computer or desktop
You can read on Epic! Unlimited at home, with a subscription. The subscriptions are on sale this month.
What will we be learning in media this month?
1. First Steps to Research - World Book, Epic and Kid Friendly Search
2. SSYRA Jr. Story Time - If Your Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree
3. Hour of Code
4. Red and Lulu - the story of 2 cardinals and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
Birthday Book Club
The Valley Ridge Academy Media Center’s Birthday Book Club is a wonderful way to commemorate your child’s birthday. Your participation not only enriches the library collection but allows you and your child to be personally involved in its growth. To take part in the Birthday Book Club donate one new undamaged hardcover book (not a board book). This book should be a book that your child enjoys and one that we don’t have in the media center already. You can choose a new book at the book store or a new book from the Book Fair. A quick check of our library catalog (Destiny) will tell you if we already have the book. If you would prefer, you may make a monetary donation of $15 and your child can choose from recently acquired books that are waiting to be put on the shelves.
The following is included with your enrollment;
- A special book plate placed inside the front cover of the donated book with your child’s name and birthday.
- A photo that you take of your child with the book he/she chooses will be displayed online in the Valley Ridge Reader and on the WVRA morning news.
-Your child will receive Birthday Book Club bookmark
- Your child will be the first to read and/or check-out the book that he/she
donated!
For more information, contact the media center or fill out the form attached below.Happy Birthday to our Book Club Hawks!
Valley Ridge Academy Media Center
The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas, information and technology. Creating a foundation for lifelong learning and a love of reading is at the heart of our program.