Media Center Messages:Winter 2008
We have recently had two fabulous author visits. At the end of October, Obert Skye, author of the
Leven Thumps series was at Deer Creek Elementary thanks to our Partner in Education, Barnes and
Noble Booksellers. This month, we had John Brooks, author of Bobby Bright's Greatest Christmas
Ever and Bobby Bright's Christmas Heroics. Both authors delighted our children with
fantastic characters, undeniable adventure, and enthusiastic presentation of their books! We look
forward to having more guest authors throughout the school year. This experience really motivates
children to appreciate literature and I am thankful that we are able to give the students of Deer Creek
Elementary a forum for speaking with authors about their books.
Fall 2008
This year we are embarking on a voyage in a deep Sea of Great
Expectations!
Hope you will join us! The Media Center will offer a variety of
opportunities for students and families to be involved. In August, students
in all levels will learn about the magical world of the library and books
through a fun-filled library orientation. September's focus will be
authors, illustrators, and literary awards. In October, we will dive into
information literacy activities. In November, we will celebrate reading and
books with a book fair and a special guest. December will end the calendar
year with creativity and an art collaboration project. It is time to get
excited about a very fun-filled and brain-busy year!
Summer 2008
Summertime is here! Don't forget to cool off with a good book from time to
time. I love having this
extra time to read! I am currently reading the 2009 Sequoyah Masterlist
titles. I have really enjoyed
Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins and Sheep by Valerie Hobbs.
Toys Go Out is
the funny and heartwarming story of the adventures of one child's favorite
toys. It echoes the
sentiment of The Velveteen Rabbit without the tears. Unless of
course you laugh so hard
you cry! Sheep is the story of a border collie pup who finds himself
in many different
situations: as a goat-man's helper, a thief, a young boy's best friend, and
a loner. It is so realistic
that you may forget you are reading about a dog whose main goal is to find
some sheep to
herd.
May 2008
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! As we once again approach the end of the school year,
I am so appreciative of all of the library volunteers and bookfair
volunteers who dedicate so many hours each year to keeping our Media Center
organized, efficient, and effective for student learning. It would not be
possible without your help!
Thank you to Jackie Mueller for her endless support and dedication to the
Deer Creek Elementary Media Center. She is organized, knowledgeable, and
helpful. Our library would not be the same without her. Our children love
Mrs. Mueller!
Thank you to our students and families who have made our Media Center a
lively place for learning, finding information, and most of all, a place to
find a great book to enjoy!
Our annual inventory begins this month, and with inventory, we want to find
all of our missing books. Please look in closets, under beds, and in the
trunks of your cars to be sure that all library materials have been
returned. May 14 is the deadline for returning library books to the
library. All students with missing books that are not returned will be
asked to pay for their lost books. The Media Center will send home notices
each week from now until the end of the year notifying you of missing
books. Please do not hesitate to call or email Mrs. Godfrey if you feel a
mistake has been made. Thank you in advance for your support in recovering
lost books.
This month, our third graders enter the “newsroom” for a chance to film
their own book reviews in a media program called, “Brought to you by a
book. . .” I hope to “air” these newscasts in the lobby. Our second
graders are working on a table mural while studying genres of literature.
Our fourth graders are discussing safety on the Internet. Our first graders
will prepare and perform reader’s theater skits and our fifth graders will
make banana splits in the Media Center while learning the Carol Kulthau’s
Information Seeking Process. We have a busy month ahead of us!
I encourage everyone (students and families) to participate in summer
reading this summer! Reading as a family can be a very motivational and
rewarding event for everyone involved. The public library is open all
summer and is a great place to relax on hot days. Hope I see you there!
Have a relaxing summer full of good books!
April 2008
March was an activity-filled month in the Media Center beginning
with Read Across America Day
and Dr. Seuss’s Birthday. If you missed Mrs. Godfrey as the Cat in the Hat,
mark your calendar for
next March 2. The students enjoyed the Cat in the Hat Bookmarks and the
classroom hats, too.
Thank you in advance to those who signed up and worked the Spring
Book Fair. The book fair is
always an exciting, fun-filled, and exhausting week in the Media Center. It
would not be possible
without so many great volunteers helping out.
In April, the Media Center will focus on Information Literacy skills
and reference tool research for
upper grades (3-5) while the lower grades will participate in author studies
and reader’s theater.
Too Good to Miss:
Blume, Lesley M.M. The Rising Star of Rusty Nail. 2007. Franny Hansen is a
10-year-old piano
prodigy living in Rusty Nail, Minnesota. Once the Coot Capitol of the world,
in 1953 it's just a run-
of-the-mill town with one traffic light and a bizarre cast of characters.
She's long exhausted the
talents of the town's only piano teacher and seems destined to perform at
church events and school
assemblies, until a mysterious Russian woman arrives in Rusty Nail. Franny's
neighbors are
convinced the "Commie" is a threat to their American way of life, but
Franny's not so sure. Could this
stranger be her ticket out of Rusty Nail? Fourth graders who need a good
historical fiction book may
want to check this out!
Small, David. Ruby Mae Has Something to Say. 1992.
Tongue-tied Ruby Mae Foote fulfills her dream of speaking for world peace at
the United Nations
when her nephew Billy Bob invents a device to solve her speech problem.
March 2008
The Sequoyah Breakfast kicked off the month of February for the
Media Center. Around 50 third, fourth, and fifth graders enjoyed delicious
Krispy Kreme doughnuts and juice and voted for their favorite Sequoyah
nominees. The student votes will be tallied and sent to the Oklahoma
Library Association this month. The Oklahoma Library Association announces
the state winner in April. Last year, our students chose The World
According to Humphrey by Betty Birney and it was the state’s winner as
well. This demonstrates our students’ recognition of good literature!
This month the Media Center will be busy again with celebrations and
excitement. We begin March with the birthday of Dr. Seuss and his national
NEA sponsored Read Across America Day. This year’s theme is “Grab a Hat and
Read with the Cat” and Mrs. Godfrey will once again dress up as the Cat in
the Hat for the Antler Alert assembly.
Another bookfair rolls into Deer Creek Elementary on March 28 and will be
open for students March 31-April 4. This fair is cleverly named the Reading
Roadtrip. Can our library be transformed into a Super-Highway of Books?
We will be sending home information soon about helping with the
bookfair. If you are able to help out, we would be very appreciative. Even
one hour of your time will help us tremendously. For each two hour shift
worked, Scholastic offers volunteers $6.00 worth of Scholastic bookfair
merchandise. Watch your children’s folders for this opportunity to help!
Too Good to Miss:
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot. Meg Cabot also wrote The
Princess Diaries. This book is the first in a planned series about a nine
year old girl who is moving away from everything she loves.
Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris. Fancy Nancy at the Museum. Fancy Nancy
Bonjour, Butterfly. Jane O’Connor. Fancy Nancy fans get excited! Three new
Fancy Nancy books including two early chapter books and one picture book
were published this month. Isn’t that magnificent, that’s a fancy word for
great!
February 2008
It is such an honor to be the Deer Creek Schools Teacher of the Year. Thank
you for your encouragement and support. There are so many outstanding
teachers in this district, I feel blessed to be here and to work with your
children.
December was a busy month for the Media Center. Third grade had another
visit from the quilt lady and began work on an Oklahoma quilt. All classes
were invited to attend a live teleconference between Deer Creek Elementary
and the USS Oklahoma Memorial Dedication in Hawaii. We were one of ten
Oklahoma schools that were able to participate in this teleconference. It
was a unique experience.
Highlights of January include shelf marker hokey pokey with the
Kindergartners, the Melvil Dewey Book Body with second grade, more
alphabetization work with first grade, mystery object books with third
grade, and fact and opinion with fourth grade. Our fifth grade Learn and
Serve group enjoyed teaching Seniors how to use our Smartboards.
February 1 is our Sequoyah Breakfast. Any third, fourth, or fifth grade
student who has read at least THREE Sequoyah books from our current Sequoyah
Masterlist is invited to attend. It will be held at 9 a.m. in the Media
Center. Students will be served doughnuts, juice, and milk and will be
asked to vote on their favorite Sequoyah book.
Thank you again to our many library volunteers who spend hours each week
helping in the Media Center. If you would like to be a library volunteer,
we can always use more help. Please contact Mandy Godfrey or come by the
Media Center if you are interested.
Please visit the Library Media Center
often.
Too Good To Miss:
(For Parents) Love and Logic DVDs
K-2: Fancy Nancy Loves, Loves, Loves by Jane O'Connor or The
Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi
(Illustrator of The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black)The Spiderwick
Chronicles will be in theaters on Feb. 14! Read the books first if you can!
3-5: 4 Kids in 5E by Virginia Frances Schwartz or Rules by
Cynthia Lord
2007-2008 Media Events
August: Library Orientation
September: Guest Reader's Program
November: Centennial Celebration, Fall Book Fair Blizzard, Author John
Brooks Visits
December: Quilt Making Workshop
January: Information Fun
February: Sequoyah Breakfast
March: Dr. Seuss's Birthday and Read Across America Day
April: Spring Book Fair (Reading Road Trip) and Author Visit
May: Third Grade Introduces "Brought to you by a book. . ."
2006-2007 Year in Review
August: Library Orientation
September: Herpetologist Visit
October: Parents as Guest Readers Program
November: A Scarecrow Visit
December: Fall BookFair
February: Sequoyah Breakfast
March: Dr. Seuss's Birthday and Read Across America Day
April: Spring BookFair
May: 5th Grade Puppet Shows; Cowboy Guest Speaker
Birthdays:
Letters will be arriving soon about our Media
Center's Birthday Book Club. The Birthday Book Club is a great way for
parents or grandparents to honor their student's birthday and a great way to
help raise money for new library books. For each child's birthday, a letter
is sent home inviting the parents and/or grandparents to donate $15.00 to
the Media Center in honor of a student's birthday. The student then gets to
choose a brand new book purchased for our Media Center. The student's name
is printed on a bookplate and permanently placed inside the front cover of
the book. The child also receives a birthday book club bookmark and other
small surprises. The student gets to be the first to enjoy the book and
then returns it to the library for others to enjoy as well. We really
appreciate your participation in this fundraiser. It helps us purchase new
books throughout the school year and adds fun and excitement to our Media
programs. Thank you and happy birthday!
