Peggy Eddleman Author Visit 11/12/15 for 3rd-5th graders!

Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List author Peggy Eddleman is coming from Utah to visit 3rd-5th graders on the afternoon of Thursday, November 12th, here in the Forest North Library.  We are so excited to welcome her and learn from her experiences. Peggy's book, Sky Jumpers, has been well known around Forest North this fall because it's on the Bluebonnet list!  The new sequel, The Forbidden Flats, is also out!

We are so lucky to host her here at Forest North, and Peggy has also agreed to sign books- even those that were previously purchased!  If you haven't purchased a book yet, they are available now (& through November 9th) for $6.05 if submitted with the form below.  Paper copies will be sent home as well of this form.  All copies will be paperback. 

Peggy has also agreed to eat lunch with a lucky handful of Forest North readers. Interested students should submit a 1 page persuasive essay about why s/he should be chosen for this lunch by Monday, November 9th. After our lunch, Peggy will be doing two sessions on how to be a writer and to tell us about her editing and revising process. 

This is a special opportunity to learn from a master of her craft, fine tune our writing TEKS, and celebrate reading here at Forest North.  I'll see you then!

Pumpkins Provide 5 Senses Lesson

by Guest Blogger: Mrs. Young

The kindergarten students and Mrs. Young have been experimenting in the library!  After reading The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis, we broke into groups and used our senses of sight, touch, hearing, and smell to observe small pumpkins.  Mrs. Young brought a large pumpkin to each group to use these same senses to explore the inside of a pumpkin.  Then, each group got to use their sense of taste to explore a spoonful of canned pumpkin.  Science in the library is awesome!

 

Next Gen Digital Library

Mrs. Young and I are so grateful for the opportunity to provide digital experiences to our students as they learn with iPads this year in the library.  So far we've already used iPads with book clubs to explore the South Pole via a live feed, to learn about verb tenses & homophones with an assessment app called Nearpod, and have used the digital touch screen to make a giant chart about context clues.  We are saving time by using the online catalog on the iPads, instead of having to jot down call numbers and go back and forth between a desktop and the stacks. Two students are serving as interns to help manage the iPad collection, taking care that the devices are charged and security stowed overnight. We are starting our giant project with Library Leaders and other groups on campus to film "Reading Rainbow"-style book talks that promote our collection and get the word out about new, exciting books on our shelves. The excitement is palpable, the ability to instantly engage & assess is so convenient, and kids are getting access to technology that is new to many of them, preparing them to be the "techies" of the future! 

Bibliotherapy Book Clubs

Mrs. Peyton and I are thrilled to be doing another year of joint book clubs.  Our Bibliotherapy book clubs focus on a social skill or life experience, target a group of kids who match that skill or experience, and read a book to help discuss it. We are bowled over every semester by how engaged these students get, how focused they are, how responsible they are with their reading, and how it bonds us together as a group.

We started two groups a couple weeks ago.  We're reading Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri with a group of 4th grade boys, and Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie with a group of 3rd graders. The students are already reading and responding in our meetings.  We're building relationships together in our group and having a lot of fun.  Check out Aiden reading this book- he has always been an outstanding reader.

Library Leaders' Book Talks!

Library Leaders are up and running at Forest North this fall.  Check out this video of Amber from when she received notice that she was accepted into the Library Leader program! They have been helping customers before school during Wake Up & Read, working hard during recess during Book Fair to help customers write Wish Lists, and drafted scripts for Book Talks that we edited at our 10/19 meeting. These Book Talks will be posted on our YouTube channel, and will also be turned into Aurasmas so that all FNE students can check out these Book Talks while they browse for books in the library.  Come check them out at the library soon!

Forest North Raises Funds for Coins for Coats 2015

What's that I hear?  The sweet sounds of coins dropping into juice jugs are about to ring out across campus! The Coins for Coats campaign across Round Rock ISD starts on 10/15/15. Students are encouraged to bring spare change & dollar bills to donate, and all the money is given to the Round Rock Serving Center to help children in need of coats this winter.  All eligible students will be given information from the nurse to attend the Coat Drive on 10/31 at the Dell Diamond.  Thousand of students, including those at Forest North, will receive vouchers for these free coats, thanks in part to your change.

The most generous class at Forest North will be invited to spend 30 minutes reading in the library with the lights off, while their teacher gets extended planning time.  We call it FLASHLIGHT FRIDAY!

Check out this flyer for more information about this cause very close to our hearts- feel free to click on it for a printable, larger version.

Forest North Staff Book Club Picks "At the Water's Edge" for October 2015

Wow, readers!  This month marks our staff book club's 26th choice.  That's a lot of reading!

The FNE Staff Book Club started in 2011.  We read a book each month, chosen by a vote, and meet a staff member's house to discuss it, and announce the next book.  Our September title is "At the Water's Edge" by Sara Gruen, who is famous for her bestseller "Water for Elephants."  This title was nominated by our substitute principal, Shelly Hohmann.

The Library is giving away a free copy of "At the Water's Edge" for staff members.  To enter the contest, leave a comment about why you love the FNE Staff Book Club- don't forget to put your name so I can enter you into the drawing!  Winner will be drawn at random.

Monster Book Fair Wrap Up!

Thanks so much to all the students, parents, neighborhood community members, alumni, currenty & former Forest North staff who bought books, made wishlists, helped set up, and helped tear down the Monster Book Fair! 

Also, thanks to our students & staff for pausing on checkout, lessons, and reliable access to the copier! We really appreciate your flexibility while we try to raise money for the Library. Check out these facts:

• $6,100.30 worth of merchandise sold
• $1525.08 earned for author visits & new library books
• 62 books purchased as gifts for teachers 

Hope you had a screeeeeeeeeeeeaming good time!

Love,

Mrs. Fournier, Mrs. Young & Mrs. Vetter

Team Library

Eye Popping Pastries with Parents!

Congratulations to Alex in 1st grade for correctly estimating 90 eyeballs in the jar!  Thanks to all the parents who attended our Eye Popping Pastries with Parents event to support the Book Fair.  We'll see you at the Forest North Carnival on Friday 5-8.  Come buy a book after petting a lemur or before dunking a teacher!