Ridgeview Library Newsletter
September 30, 2022
I have issued a challenge to the students that I would love your help with at home: Read 25,000 books by the end of this school year! How can you help? Read with your children every night for at least 20 minutes! Help them remember to return their library books and check out new ones regularly. They don't have to wait until their library day to check out books! I am open every morning from 7:30-7:50 for students to return books and check out new ones!
Holy moly! How are we already at the end of the school year?! It has truly flown by. I have absolutely LOVED getting to know all of your children in my first year at Ridgeview. As we say, "See ya later!" I want to also say a great big thank you for all of the support and kind words you have shared with me throughout the year. Late spring got a little busy in the library, and I fell off the newsletter train. I apologize for that and promise to do better next year!
We still have some books checked out. Parents have received emails if their students have books out with directions on how to pay for those books on the Keller ISD web store. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!
Lastly, we don't want to be part of the dreaded summer slide! I have compiled a list of fun summer reading incentives over on the library website. Please take a look to see if any of these incentives (Pizza Hut, Barnes & Noble, Half Price Books) would be of interest to your family!
Have a wonderful summer!
Volunteers Needed!
These kids LOVE to read! It is evident in our discussions and it is even more evident in our library with our full shelving carts! Teaching classes the majority of the day and planning programming and supporting teachers in the remainder of my days means I am unable to dedicate enough time to shelving. I am in need of volunteers to help get these books back on the shelves! If interested, click here to sign up. All volunteers MUST fill out the district's volunteer application first. You can find that here.
Book Fair is coming up!
March 7-30
What's happening in the library?
This timeframe is a tricky mix of activities. Throughout this time, all classes will have a discussion on balancing screen time with offline activities, how to be good digital citizens when they are online, and how to be safe while online. I will also be talking to them about the upcoming book fair.
Book fair preview day will be Wednesday, March 29! Be on the lookout for the opt-out form if you would like to have your child sit out of the preview day. Those forms have to be returned before Wednesday. Shopping for the book fair will take place beginning Thursday, March 30, during school hours. We will be open after school from 4:00-5:30 on Thursday, March 30, and Friday, March 31, before the 4th grade theater production! We hope you'll come check out the book fair and then stay for the show! The book fair will remain open the following Monday, April 3, through Wednesday, April 5. The last day to shop will be during school on Wednesday, April 5!
Library Bits & Bobs
When does my child's class visit the library?
We have had LOTS of kids coming to library without their library books to return! Please help them by reminding them to put their books in their backpacks the night before.
Not sure when your student's class goes to the library? Click here to see!
Email Notifications
Please understand that there are no late fees for our library. The price of the book is included on all notices in the event that the book(s) has been damaged beyond repair or has been lost. In this case, the fee should be paid online at the webstore. Should your child lose a book and you find it after the fee has been paid, I will notify the proper people to refund the price you paid once the book is returned.
Amazon Wishlist
New items have been added to my Amazon wishlist. If you would like to purchase something, I know the students and I would be so grateful. Also, if you have any games or puzzles that you are looking to get out of the house, we would happily take them!
February 15-24
What's happening in the library?
This co-curr week, I have issued a new challenge to my students in grades 2-4 - a blackout reading BINGO! As students have come in this week, we have looked critically at a selection of books I've curated for them to see if any look interesting. Those that they found interesting were added to a blank BINGO card for future checkout. This gave the students exposure to books that they wouldn't necessarily have given a second look, and I was so excited that so many of the students were interested in the books that I picked out! Next co-curr week, when they come back to me, I'll be giving them time to look through the shelves to see what other books they want to add to their cards. I've told them to get started with their reading, so that I can start signing off on their cards as they finish books. (Side note: All BINGO cards are being kept in the library so that no one loses theirs. What a bummer that would be!)
First grade classes also got exposure to books that they wouldn't normally pick out (Oh, how they love their Elephant & Piggie, superhero, and princess books!). They sat in a circle, each with a book they were given, and had a short amount of time to take a look through to see if they were interested in it. They were also given a sheet with the pictures of these book covers, and told to circle the books that looked really good to them and X out any books that they didn't care for. I've kept those pages so that they can look at them on future visits when they are stumped on finding a book they want to check out.
Kindergarten had a fun lesson in cause and effect, and got to hear the story The Napping House. I have a fun app on my phone called Novel Effect that plays background sounds as I read along in the book, and the kids just love it! We talked about what cause and effect was, what it looked like in the story, and what it looks like in our daily lives. They were all so surprised that so many things have to do with cause and effect!
Battle of the Books
The time has come! This Saturday our two teams of students will compete in a battle royale for the bragging rights of best book battlers in the district! If you would like to come cheer them on, we would love to pack the stands with Ridgeview Rattlers! The competition is at Fossil Ridge HS and begins at 9am sharp! We hope to see you there!
February 7-14
What's happening in the library?
This co-curr week, I have been sharing a new addition to the RES family - the RES mail system! Starting next week, students are going to be able to write letters to anyone at the school which will be delivered by our trusty 3rd grade mail carriers. The students have all been so excited to start this project and I'm excited to see it come to fruition!
Also, this week I've been sharing the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today?, which is all about being kind to others and how that can help them feel good about themselves. Then students got a little colored bucket notepaper to write to whomever they choose a note of kindness or a picture. I have loved seeing who they have chosen to write to - the custodial crew, the cafeteria staff, little/big brothers and sisters, friends, and even students they've realized are having a hard time making friends on their own. Many have also written to their parents. And so many of them asked for multiple papers so they could write to several people. The hearts of your babies are just amazing, and I just love getting to see them at work!
January 11-27
What's happening in the library?
January has been a busy, busy month (though it seems a lot of people feel that January was definitely more than a month long!), so we'll do a quick catch-up here while we are in a holding pattern thanks to our Ice Days!
For the co-curr week of January 11-19, we had so many great conversations concerning Martin Luther King, Jr., his life and work, and why we celebrate him with a national holiday. So many of our students had wonderful ideas of how to continue his important work of inclusivity!
Then we rolled right into Lunar New Year celebrations which began January 22! Students learned the legend of why Lunar (or Chinese) New Year is celebrated, how it is celebrated, and that it is one of the largest celebrations in Asian culture! I told the students that if I could, I'd have brought them yummy Chinese food or taken them to see really neat parades, but that we just weren't able to do that. Instead, we decorated Chinese dragons! I loved seeing all the creative colors and designs the students came up with! And I absolutely loved hearing from students who celebrate the new year with their families, learning about what traditions they hold in their family for this holiday!
Battle of the Books
I want to give a great big shoutout to all the students who have participated in Battle of the Books this year! We had over 60 students who started the program, and over 30 students who actually took the test to make the school teams! The biggest takeaway from this is that so many of the students, whether they tested or not, were reading books that they may not have necessarily picked up off the shelves. I am so proud of them for stretching their comfort zones and trying new genres! If your child still has a Battle of the Books title checked out to them and they did not make the final teams, please remind them to bring them back ASAP so that our Battlers will have access to them to prepare.
Our teams for the district competition are now set. A big congratulations to Sakura S., Claire A., Matthew O., Landon B., Lena K., Brantley H., Saarth M., Arianna R., Della M., Isha M., Carson K., and Mira Y.! I am so excited to work with these 12 Battlers, and hope to bring home the big trophy at the end of February!
We never would have been able to take part in this competition without the generous sponsorship of private donors as well as the wonderful Ridgeview PTA! Thank you so much to all who have helped make this happen!
January 3-10
What's happening in the library?
All students are easing back into the library routine this week, so we have been talking about the relaxing holiday break we had and finding great new books to read!
Battle of the Books
There will be no Battle of the Books meeting or read aloud next week.
Read-aloud Tuesdays will resume January 17th!
January 18th students will meet before school to take the team placement test. The top 12 scores will be taken to create the two teams that will continue meeting to practice and will represent Ridgeview at the district competition at the end of February!
December? Where did the time go?!
Wow! December was a flurry of activity that kept me on my toes! And I missed a week of school thanks to a nasty bout of flu! I hope that everyone had a relaxing winter break with your families and friends. Below is just a very brief overview of what those last weeks of the semester held for us and photos from our wildly successful Resource Night and Book Fair as well as the cleverly disguised gingerbread characters that the students created.
We are so appreciative to all of the businesses who took the time to come out for our resource night. And we thank you all for coming out that night to visit with everyone there! The Conkles from DJ Classic Alpacas had nothing but wonderful things to say about how kind and thoughtful all of the students were not just with them and the animals, but also with each other. That doesn't surprise me at all, though, because these kids are just great! If you are looking to visit their farm, it is located at 8608 Indian Knoll Trail, Keller, TX 76248.
Weeks of November 17-December 1
What's happening in the library?
I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all so very much for your support in helping your children grow as readers. It is a true joy to be in a school where the students not only come to the library regularly, but really love reading! I have lost count of how many times I have heard them tell me how much they love reading, how they love sitting with their parents or siblings to read at night, and how they love coming to the library! I hope you all have a wonderful restful break!
Gingerbread Who? There are no gingerbread boys or girls here! 😉
Each of grades is hearing a different gingerbread man story in the library and creating a clever disguise for their gingerbread cookie so it doesn't get eaten! Stay tuned for pictures!
Ms. Beattie's class - November 18 (iPad day)
Ms. McPherson's class - November 30 (Shoes off in the library day)
Ms. Boyd's class - December 1 (Stuffy friend day)
Ms. Duffy's class - December 1 (Stuffy friend day)
Book Fair is almost here!
The kids are so excited for this book fair, and I can't wait to have them visit it! Below is everything you need to know!
Book Fair 11/28-12/2
The book fair is available in-person and online!
Resource Night - 11/29 5-7pm
Come out for valuable resources, great books, and adorable alpacas!
One night only - Tuesday, November 29, 5-7pm! RES Cafeteria
Gift cards available!
Gift cards are a great way to let kids shop without the hassle of sending cash to school. Once you've paid for the gift card, we can look up the student to use that amount toward their purchase!
Weeks of November 7-16
What's happening in the library?
Over the next two weeks, all of my classes will see a sneak peek video of the Literati book fair that will be held the week after Thanksgiving break! They will be coming home with a flyer and an opt-out form. The week after Thanksgiving, students will have the opportunity to visit the book fair during school hours with their class. If you do not want your child to visit the book fair the week after Thanksgiving break, please be sure to fill out the opt-out form and send it back by Friday, November 18. You will only need to return the form if you do not want your child to visit the book fair.
Online Book Fair
Our online book fair is now open! There is a far wider variety of books available in the online book fair than what will be available at the physical book fair, but it still benefits our library! This is a wonderful opportunity for family and friends who don't live in the area to get their holiday shopping done! Please take a moment to peruse the site and find your next great read!
Get ready!
The book fair is coming! The book fair is coming! I'll be setting it up during the Thanksgiving holiday so that students will be able to preview it the Monday that we come back to school!
What a great gift idea!
Literati has gift cards! This is a great gift for that special teacher or for your child to shop online!
Weeks of October 24-28 and October 31-November 4
What's happening in the library?
4th Grade
Fourth grade has had a Halloween-themed choice board this week in the library. A digital choice board gives the students several read-aloud stories to listen to, games to play, and drawing how-to videos to try out! The kids have really enjoyed trying this format, so I'll be giving them another choice board next week with an Autumn/Thanksgiving theme!
Congrats to Ms. Lorenzi's and Ms. Steadman's classes for earning a reward day!
Ms. Lorenzi's class will have an iPad day on Nov. 2nd.
Ms. Steadman's class will have an iPad day on Oct. 31st.
2nd and 3rd Grades
Second and third grades had a great read-aloud of Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds. In the story, a bunny named Jasper finds a mysterious purple crayon that somehow gave him the power to make perfect grades, draw wonderful pictures, and pretty much be the A+ student he's always wanted to be. He realizes, though, that his success is only due to the crayon, and he tries to get rid of it. The crayon keeps mysteriously showing up until Jasper flushes it away! After the story, the students got to create their own "creepy" school supply. They came up with some great ones, too - scissors that only cut perfectly straight lines, staplers that cough staples, staple removers that pull staples even when you don't want them to, and tape dispensers that tape EVERYthing just to name a few!
Next week, students will be working with an Autumn/Thanksgiving-themed digital choice board!
Congratulations on your Reward Day!
Ms. Hanks' class will have their reward day on Nov. 1st!
Ms. Carney's class will have their reward day on Nov. 2nd!
Ms. Elving's class will have their reward day on Nov. 4th!
Ms. Ramirez's class will have their reward day on Oct. 31st!
1st Grade
This week, our first graders read Scaredy Cat, Splat! by Rob Scotton. In the story, Splat the cat wants desperately to win the class contest of scariest kitty costume. But there's just one problem - he's a scaredy cat! Everything he encounters - a spider at his house, his friends, Spike and Plank, dressed as a mummy and a skeleton, the spooky story his teacher, Mrs. Wimpydimple, shares in class - always frighten him! In the end, he stumbles into the prize for scariest kitty costume, fulfilling his wishes.
Next week, I'll be working with the students on the Autumn/Thanksgiving-themed digital choice board.
Kindergarten
The kindergarteners have loved reading our poetry book Dino-Halloween by Lisa Wheeler! They also have done a great job of counting! We worked together to count up the spiders, bats, monsters, trick-or-treaters, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosties, then added up how many drawings there were in all! I have been so impressed with their math skills (we hit on a little of everything in the library) and how hard they've clearly worked in class with their teachers!
Next week, we're going to give the Autumn/Thanksgiving choice board a try together!
Battle of the Books
For those students participating in the Battle of the Books, they should have a Battle book checked out from me by now. If they don't have one, please tell them that they need to come get one ASAP because they need to get reading!
Our read-aloud participants have really been enjoying listening to Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice on Tuesdays after school! They've had some great comments and insights into the story!
STARTING NOVEMBER 1- BOB participants will be meeting on Tuesday (3rd graders) and Wednesday (4th graders) mornings to discuss the books and answer practice questions. I would highly recommend students attend so they can get a feel for the types of questions they'll be asked on the quiz in December that will determine who makes the final teams. Each group will meet starting at 7:30am for 20 minutes.
This program is being sponsored by the Ridgeview PTA and private donors who provided the books! I am so thankful to all who have helped us get these books into our students' hands! The kids have really enjoyed the books!
Week of October 7-19
What's happening in the library?
Kindergarten and 1st Grade
After reading our book, we are going to work on sequencing - placing the parts of the story in order - together. Then they'll get to decorate their own pumpkin drawing!
Ms. Auten's class earned their first reward day!
On Tuesday, Oct. 11, they get to bring a stuffy friend to school!
2nd Grade
Second graders will be working on parts of speech after hearing our story. They will also get to decorate their own pumpkin drawing!
3rd and 4th Grade
Third and fourth graders will hear the story, then reflect on what they heard and make connections to the story. They will then complete a directed drawing of a scarecrow.
Ms. Boyd's class and Ms. McVarga's class earned their 1st reward day!
Ms. McVarga's class will get to enjoy an iPad day when they come in Tuesday, Oct. 18.
Ms. Boyd's class will get to enjoy a game day when they come in Wed., Oct. 19.
Week of September 29 - October 6
What's happening in the library?
3rd and 4th grade
This week 3rd and 4th grade will review nonfiction text structures and how to understand the difference between nonfiction and fiction texts.
Battle of the Books. Students have had over a week to return their signed permission slips by last Friday's (Sept. 30) deadline, and I have been very impressed with the turnout! Unfortunately, this is a hard deadline and no permission slips will be accepted late. BOB books are now available for checkout by those who have turned in their permission slips. The Google Classroom code is g72m6y5. I highly recommend having your student join so they can participate in discussions with other participants as well as keep and share notes on each of the books! We will start meeting in person at the beginning of November! With the number of students participating, we will have to split up the meeting dates - 3rd graders will meet Tuesday mornings, 4th graders will meet Wednesday mornings. I will also be offering a read-aloud time after school on Tuesdays starting the week of October 10. This read-aloud time is NOT mandatory! It is just an option for students wishing to attend.
Congratulations to Mrs. Bernat's class! They have earned 5 library points in Class Dojo and voted to have an iPad game day on their next visit to the library! I'm so proud of their hard work, kind manners, and enthusiastic participation in the library lessons and checkout!
1st and 2nd grade
Up next for 2nd grade: Nonfiction vs Fiction text! I'll be supporting the teachers' classroom lessons on nonfiction text, helping students identify the different elements used in nonfiction texts and how to differentiate between nonfiction and fiction.
Our 1st graders needed a little more time on their character creations from last week, so we will be continuing this activity before taking it back to their classroom writing folders.
This activity has helped them learn about or revisit nouns (their characters) and adjectives (and the term "character trait"). They've all had so much fun playing the mad scientist, inventing their characters through words and art! Be sure to ask them about their characters, what they eat, where they live, and what problem they must solve!
Kindergarten
This week our kinder students will be taking a look at the alphabet, matching capital letters and lowercase letters, and reading Click, Clack, Quackity Quack by Doreen Cronin and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.
I have to take a moment to brag on these kiddos. I have seen such growth in them since the beginning of school! They are doing a great job listening to the stories shared, raising their hands to ask or answer questions, and helping each other out when it is needed. I'm so proud of them and I hope that you are, too!