Target Grant!

I was very excited today to get an email from Target in my inbox.  I received a $2000 grant from Target to start having Kindergarten Book Clubs here at Forest North! 

These book clubs will include family members, and students will get to own the books they receive as part of the Kindergarten Book Club.  Students will be invited to take the book home to read, and come back to a special event with their families where we will read together, do a craft, and have a snack.  I didn't expect to receive $2000, so we might be able to do it with other grade levels as well!

I applied for this grant back in May - I'm so excited to get this started with our students!  Thank you very much, Target, for supporting early literacy & Library Services!

Photo IDs

Mrs. Vetter & I are hard at work this week getting a photo taken of every single student for their new Student ID cards!  These cards are used at breakfast, lunch, and in the library. We have a fancy new card printer, camera and tripod to do it.  So far, we've seen hundreds of beautiful smiles, and we can't wait to see more. 

As students have come through the library to take their photos, I've talked to them about the importance of these cards- keeping them looking brand new, and how to be responsible with it.  We liken it to an adult's credit card- no stickers, no marker, no holes, no bite marks, and we don't bend, break or lose them. If we adults lose a credit card, there are lots of consequences!  Luckily, replacing a lost card for a student is a little easier. I use funds I make through the book fair to purchase supplies for each student to have one card per year.  After that, though, it is the student's responsibility to pay for any additional cards.  Since the cards now have these beautiful color photos, a replacement card costs $5. It is RRISD district policy that students must have an ID card for lunch/breakfast and the library- it makes the lunch lines go way faster. Ms. Jacobs, our fearless leader, is collecting strategies for our campus-wide systems with classroom teachers to make sure they help keep students' cards where they should be.  I'm going to do something special for classes that lose zero cards this year, as in previous years, so let's work towards that goal together, Eagles!

Team Library 2014

Mrs. Vetter and I are thrilled to be starting a second year as Team Library here at Forest North.  We can't wait to get books in your hands, Eagles!  See you Tuesday, August 26th.

PIE Grant: Slither & Squawk

I'm always on the hunt for new ways to get money for the Library.  One of the best ways is to write a grant annually for the Partners in Education Foundation here in Round Rock ISD.  I was awarded once in 2010, and this is my second time to win.  I'm very excited to get some new books on animals for our Eagles!

Welcome Walks 2014

Mrs. Lavender, our newest addition to the 5th grade team, and I had a blast yesterday going to all of the new students in her homeroom to welcome them to 5th grade! I got to see some familiar faces and a few new ones I can't wait to get to know, as well.  What a wonderful start to the best school year yet.  I already love working with Mrs. Lavender and I know her students will, too!  (She's a big fan of the Texas Bluebonnet Award- what else do you need to know!?)

RRISD 2014-2015 Kick Off Celebration!

Over 6,000 teachers celebrated yesterday at the Dell Diamond with RRISD Superintendent Dr. Steve Flores to kick off the best year ever! We got so motivated for our upcoming year- it was great! We enjoyed performances by the McNeil Choir, the Elementary P.E. teachers, and a tricycle race. The RRISD Partners in Education Foundation announced their grant winners for the year, and Forest North was lucky enough to have two winners- Ms. Matuschak won a grant for Math Kits for 1st graders to take home and share with their families, and I won a grant for $1000 worth of new animal books for our students to check out. I'm really excited to buy some new titles for all of us to share! This event was really special and got us so excited to see you all. Enjoy your last days of summer, Eagles, because we can't wait to see you next week!

Library Lock In

We had the 1st ever SUMMER READING LIBRARY LOCK IN this past week here at Forest North.  27 students attended our marathon reading session and it was a blast! 

Kids read their hearts outs both online (earning us MyON minutes in the district's contest!) as well as reading paper books around the library.  Many older students even got a jump start on their Texas Bluebonnet Award reading for the 2014-2015 school year!  

Many thanks to all the wonderful FNE staff who came out to help run this event - Mrs. Talley, Ms. Moore, Mrs. Koester, Mrs. Rhea, Ms. Lynch, Ms. Lorestani, Mrs. Shetty, Mrs. San Miguel, Mrs. Hermansen, Ms. Bell, Mrs. Chadney, Mrs. Stewart, Ms. Rideaux, Ms. Decker, Ms. Johson, Ms. Sayaovong, Ms. Velasquz, Ms. Matuschack, Mrs. Skala.  What a dedicated staff we have.  

A special shout out to our fearless leader, Ms. Jacobs, for spending the entire day in the library and staying committed to our kids even between school years!  

We had a special treat at the end of the day- Rita's Frozen Custard donated enough slush to feed our entire crew of readers.  We really appreciate them supporting our school and our students.  It was delicious, Rita's - we will all definitely be back!

Summer Reading Pep Rally

In May, we had a Summer Reading Kick off Pep Rally in the cafeteria, complete with a flash mob dance! We hope to see all of you at the Library Lock In on 8/8. It's going to be awesome, Eagles!