Mid Autumn Festival
Books are a fantastic way of explaining different cultural celebrations. Last month, as the school celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival, we invited author Christina Matula-Häkli to come in and read her festival story - The Shadow In The Moon: How The Mid-Autumn Festival Began - to the children in Year 2 and 4. As always, the children relished the chance to meet an author and bombarded her with interesting questions!
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Columbus Day - October 12th This is the celebration honouring Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas. The book Encounter (Jane Yolen, illustrated by David Shannon) is narrated from the Native Indian's point of view, offering a unique perspective on the popular story. | Thanksgiving (Canada) - October 13th Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving earlier than their southern neighbours in the United States because of the earlier onset of winter. Since this is a harvest festival, the growing season comes to an end earlier in the north and therefore the opportunity to give thanks comes earlier too! Rivka's First Thanksgiving tells the story of an immigrant's first experiences with the celebration. | Halloween - October 31st Celebrated the night before the feast of All Saints Day (or All Hallow's Day) which is a Christian celebration honouring the souls of the departed, Halloween is traditionally spent dressing up in scary costumes and 'trick-or-treating' from door to door. It has been said that the costumes are to use humour to ridicule and confront the power of death... but we just like to take the opportunity to make a great Halloween book display and read creepy stories to the kids! |
Columbus Day - October 12th
This is the celebration honouring Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas. The book Encounter (Jane Yolen, illustrated by David Shannon) is narrated from the Native Indian's point of view, offering a unique perspective on the popular story.
Thanksgiving (Canada) - October 13th
Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving earlier than their southern neighbours in the United States because of the earlier onset of winter. Since this is a harvest festival, the growing season comes to an end earlier in the north and therefore the opportunity to give thanks comes earlier too! Rivka's First Thanksgiving tells the story of an immigrant's first experiences with the celebration.
Halloween - October 31st
Celebrated the night before the feast of All Saints Day (or All Hallow's Day) which is a Christian celebration honouring the souls of the departed, Halloween is traditionally spent dressing up in scary costumes and 'trick-or-treating' from door to door. It has been said that the costumes are to use humour to ridicule and confront the power of death... but we just like to take the opportunity to make a great Halloween book display and read creepy stories to the kids!
Diwali
Diwali is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year. The festival signifies the victory of light over darkness and is an important festival for Hindus. On Diwali night, people dress up in their best clothes, light up lamps and/or candles inside and outside their home, and gather for a meal and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends.
First Meeting held in Library
We held our first Student Librarian meeting on Tuesday 23rd September at lunchtime and came up with our mission statement: 'Our goal is to encourage Peak School students to read, take care of the Library and keep the Library a place to enjoy and read.' We have made up a lunchtime Duty Roster to take responsibility for helping fellow students find books and to keep the shelves tidy. Our Student Librarians have also come up with a plan for a Monthly Book Club... but more on that later! It's been a great start to this student leadership role and we are so impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment from the kids.
... and speaking of Oliver Jeffers... this news HOT off the press!
A sequel to the ever-popular, never-in-the-library-because-it-is-always-on-loan, wait-list-as-long-as-your-arm picture book THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT is in the pipeline!
Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers will collaborate again to tell the story of those overworked and often underrated crayons. Published by Philomel Books (Penguin) the sequel is due to be in bookstores by September 2015. The first book has been translated into 15 languages and sold more than 1.1 million copies worldwide!
Publisher Michael Green said “It’s gratifying to see the Crayons finally getting their due, yet many revealing tales remain untold. I have a feeling every child, crayon, and crayon activist will be inspired by this latest tale of artistic heroism.”
Peak School Library
