BNS/BCS Library Newsletter
BITS & BYTES FOR BROOKLYNITES #1 (2015-2016)
Author/Illustrator Jason Chin Speaks to 3rd and 7th Graders
Jason Chin, author and illustrator of some of today's best picture book nonfiction, spoke to third and seventh graders about his art and his writing process. 5th grader, Xeta Devlin, had her portrait drawn by Chin, much to the amazement of the students. Come see it up in 410!
5th and 6th Graders Meet With Author Jane Kelley
Jane Kelley also paid a visit to our fifth and sixth grade students this fall and read from her newest book The Book of Dares For Lost Friends. According to Kirkus' starred review, "in this meticulously designed tale, Kelley takes an ordinary, realistic situation ... and imbues it with layers of poignancy and enchantment."
Another Successful Scholastic Book Fair!
Thanks to everyone for making our book fair a resounding success. Thanks to our fantastic volunteers, every student walked away from the fair with a book and a smile. In addition, the library was able to direct a large percentage of its profits to teachers for their classroom libraries after a very successful teacher preview. A big shout out goes to 610 Henry's tireless reading advocate and book fair champion, Monique Casey.
Comic Con: Librarians Are Fans Too!
The BNS/BCS librarians are regulars at Comic Con's Professional Day, and this year was especially fabulous. We attended some amazing panels on diversity in comics, grabbed some great giveaways for students, and got the lowdown on new graphic novels and comics coming down the pike. Here is Susan with Suliman Oque who is self-publishing his comic, Super Sketch Painter.
Community Workers in the Library
This year, the library is getting help from several community service helpers across the grades. Our fifth graders, Layla Bowen, Nina Blount, Maya Smith, Frances Canant, and Kaila Neipris Gross, come to the library once a week to help shelve books, write book reviews, and handle special projects. Our 12th grade intern, Carol Matos, helps out in the library every morning. She provides a weekly book review that is distributed to all upper grades through Scill's student letter. Thank you helpers!
After School Library Begins!
Students and their adults have been crowding into the library every Tuesday to enjoy our resources and comfy space, thanks to coordinator Karen Klein and a host of voluteers. We hope everyone will be able to pay us at least one visit this year! There are snacks for sale, books to read, and board games to play. We are open from 2:30 - 3:45. BCS students are welcome to join us at 3:05.
Author Cathleen Davitt Bell Running Adult-Child Book Club
One of the perks of After School Library is the opportunity to meet Cathleen Bell, BNS parent and author of Slipping, Little Blog On the Prairie, and I Remember You. She is currently running a monthly book club for students and their adults. Currently, the group is reading Savvy by Ingrid Law. They will meet next Tuesday, November 17 to discuss it. Interested? Contact Cathleen at cathleendavittbell@gmail.com
6th Graders Loving Their Library Every Week!
The Library is so excited to have BCS 6th graders regularly attending the library with their ELA classes. Every week, students work with a librarian on their library and reading skills, browse and borrow books, and practice independent reading. Last week's lesson on the fantasy genre led to the creation of some awesome and imaginative bookmarks.
MyLibraryNYC Book Talks for Teachers
The Library has a new professional development initiative called T3 or Third Tuesdays. During their lunchtimes, we will present a special guest who will speak to a reading, technology, or other library-related topic. In October, we hosted Johanna Lewis who book- talked some great teen and middle-grade titles, including A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Clueless in the Kitchen: A Cookbook for Teens by Evelyn Raab.
Book Court Host Word, Rock, & Sword Literary Event
On September 19, we were treated to an extraordinary lineup of Brooklyn authors including Jacqueline Woodson, Gayle Foreman, Renee Watson, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Danette Vigilante, who were part of Toshi Reagon's Word, Rock, & Sword: A Festival Exploration of Women's Lives. The panel, moderated by BNS parent Jacqueline Woodson, read from their YA novels, discussed their writing lives, and answered questions from a very enthusiastic audience of writers, educators, and fans.
BNS/BCS Librarians Special Guests at CitiField
The annual conference for NYC school librarians was held at, you guessed it, CitiField, just days after the Mets lost the World Series. The dour atmosphere was replaced with the joyful sounds of hundreds of librarians talking shop. The one and only Jacqueline Woodson the conference's keynote speaker thrilled the audience with readings from Brown Girl Dreaming, stories from her childhood, and a Q&A. We were also introduced to the work of here.