Fork Shoals Library Ledger
News for the week of February 18, 2014
Olympic Reading Challenge
Your Goal: Read as many pages as possible between February 6th and 23rd (the dates of the Winter Olympic Games)!
Prizes: Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals will be awarded to the top three readers in each grade level. These grade level medalists will also receive a fabulous prize! Each participating student will earn a bookmark, pencil, and recognition on a school display.
How do you record your reading?
List books (with page numbers) as you complete them. Use this reading log, and have your parent/guardian verify your reading by signing by each book.
*Note: This is an individual competition. Whole-class reading logs will not be accepted. Reading logs should be turned in no later than February 26th.*
Get ready to vote for your favorite book!
If you need a refresher on which books we'll be voting on, here's a handy check-off sheet featuring the Picture and Children's Book Award nominees. How many have you read this year?
The state winner of each Book Award category will be announced at the SCASL conference in March, and Ms. Knight will share that information as soon as possible.
Send in your Shelfies!
Digital photos are preferred and should be sent to Ms. Knight at klknight@greenville.k12.sc.us. Be sure to include the name of the person(s) in the picture!
Book of the Week: Never Forgotten
Never Forgotten, written by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, is a nominee for the 2013-14 South Carolina Children’s Book Award.
Never Forgotten is a beautiful, poetic book that, in my opinion, fills a void when it comes to studies of slavery. This book of poetry takes a look at the relationship between a man, his son, the elements that were a huge part of their lives as blacksmiths in Africa, and how their lives were impacted by the slave trade.
When the young boy, Musafa, is taken as a slave and forced to cross the ocean in the Middle Passage, the father, Dinga, grieves and looks to the elements–Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind–to help him find his lost son. Each element searches for Musafa, and, while they do see him, they cannot bring him back to his father. They do, however, report to Dinga how Musafa is doing. Dinga is determined that his son never be forgotten.
When Wind gathers the strength to cross the Atlantic (as a hurricane), he learns that Musafa–who now goes by the name of Moses–has not lost the spirit instilled in him by his father, and he’s making a life for himself as a renowned, and soon-to-be free, blacksmith. Dinga, while still missing his son, is filled with joy at this news, and even though the villagers think he’s crazy, Dinga celebrates “the son who was taken but never forgotten.”
The author’s note at the end of this fantastic book gives a little background on the origin of the story. Not much is written about how African parents remembered their sons and daughters who were taken as slaves, so McKissack took what she learned about African history, the slave trade, and Caribbean legends to craft this amazing story. This book may be a work of fiction, but it’s easy to see how real it could be.
Fork Shoals School Library
Mrs. Allison Meredith, Library Clerk
Email: klknight@greenville.k12.sc.us
Website: http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/forksh/
Location: 916 McKelvey Road, Pelzer, SC
Phone: (864) 355-5005
Dates to Remember:
- February 23 - Olympic Reading Challenge ends
- February 26 - Last day to turn in Olympic Reading Challenge logs
- February 27 - Progress reports (new date)
- February 28 - Spirit Day; Bingo Night
- March 3 - PTA All Arts Night (and Ms. Knight's birthday!)
- March 7 & 10 - Snow makeup days
Black History Month
Don’t forget to research the Black History Month questions and enter into the drawing each Friday during the month of February! Questions can be found on our website.
Pennies for Patients
Pennies for Patients starts February 3rd and runs until February 21st. Students may bring in money to go towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.