"The Grinch Who Moved Library Books"

The Forest North Elementary Library is excited to have a group of student library aides this year called Fournier's Friends, because they help Mrs. Fournier, the librarian. Fournier's Friends are a group of dedicated students who work in the library. We wrote, filmed and edited this movie together. Thanks to Dr. Seuss for inspiring us with his book "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." This movie aired at our Dr. Seuss' Birthday Party at Forest North on 3/6/2012.

Jacob's Letter

One of my favorite parts of being a librarian is that I get to work with every single student in our whole school! Some students write me notes and letters, and I keep them in a special place, and if I ever feel overwhelmed or frustrated, I look at them and it makes me remember why I love my job! Here's a special letter I got on Monday from Jacob. What a nice letter, Jacob! Thank you for thinking of me and making my day.
(Dear Mrs. Fournier, You are the best library teacher. You always help us find books and tell us where books are. Is it a hard job to be a library teacher? PS I want to be a library teacher they're cool. From Jacob)

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" was the winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. This is a touching animated short about the magic of reading, libraries, and even a little about librarians!

Thank you Forest North!

The library is thrilled to announce that Forest North Teacher of the Year and Paraprofessional of the Year were both won by our two person library staff. Mrs. Fournier and Mrs. Lajaunie are humbled by this honor and are especially happy to win as a team, because their teamwork is the secret to the library's success. We appreciate your support and thank you, staff and faculty, for believing in what we do! Keep reading, Eagles.

Online Book Fair through 10/21

The Book Fair was an intergalatic success! Please feel free to access our online bookfair through 10/21 and buy more books. 25% of all sales go directly back to the FNE Library to buy library books for students. So far, we have raised $935 for the FNE Library. Hopefully we can get a little more through our online book fair. Thanks for your support, Eagles!

Unusual Reading Spot Contest

The FNE Library is excited to announce the Special Reading Spot Contest!

Is your family traveling somewhere special for Thanksgiving or Winter Break? Grab your digital camera, a favorite book, and capture a special reading spot or pose to enter.
Students might be found reading in a refrigerator, near an important landmark, in a basketball hoop, or any place their imagination takes them. In the photos, students should be visibly reading a favorite book (see examples below). The 10 most creative pictures will win, and these photos will be enlarged for display in the library and shared on the morning news. All participants will receive an award, even if the image is not chosen for display in the library.

Contest rules:
*The school-wide contest runs from NOW until Tuesday, January 11, 2011.
*Participating students must turn in a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 photo print of their entry along with a participation form. Note: Use the highest resolution your camera will allow. Participation forms are available in the library on this blog!
*Entries will be voted on by staff and the ten winners will then need to provide a digital version of their image so that we can enlarge it for display in the library. Email digital copies to Mrs. Fournier!
*Please note that camera-phone photos do not have a high enough resolution to print in an enlarged size.

Happy Reading!
-Mrs. Fournier

Library Award!

Mrs. Fournier won an award! The Round Rock ISD Library Services Department has awarded Mrs. Fournier $4200 towards the purchase of new books for our students! That's about 1 book per student!

How did she earn it? For keeping the collection fresh and weeding out overworn or unused books, for increasing circulation in the library 25% in one year by buying new, exciting books that students want to read!

Mrs. Fournier already has a wishlist that's worth $10,000 of books, so she'll pare it down and place her order soon! Look for these bew books before the semester ends!

Library Grant

Mrs. Fournier and Ms. Decker co-wrote a grant together earlier this year to buy a Promethean Board for the Library. Promethean Boards are a fun way to learn! Imagine a huge interactive whiteboard that students can use to engage with by using their finger or a stylus to drag and drop pictures, draw, write or spell. The cost of a Promethean Board is $1772.70.

We found out today that we were awarded the full amount from the Round Rock ISD Partners in Education Foundation! This PIE Grant came to award the money to Mrs. Fournier with a big check in the middle of a meeting. Mrs. Fournier gets kind of nervous with surprises, but was still thrilled to receive the money.

Volunteer Tea!

This Library Night, we focused on thanking our Volunteers! All Forest North parents were sent home a flyer to invite them for a special Volunteer Tea. We had food, friendship and fun gifts! Thanks, volunteers, for all that you do! The event was sponsored by the Special Areas team- Mrs. Lanahan the art teacher, Ms. Potral in PE, Mrs. Hermansen in Music, and myself. Teachers were kind enough to bring a dish to share! Parents received mugs with a variety of tea bags inside.

In the spirit of volunteerism, my special librarian thanks go out to all the book shelvers and rubber stampers! I couldn't do it without you- your help enables me to better serve your children and I am so grateful for that. Volunteerism is a special trait that speaks louder than words. There is no greater gift than your time. Thank you so much!

(photo: Brenda Speck, volunteer. Lisa Perkins, Kindergarten teacher. Annie Muir, volunteer)

The library is the heart of the school!

April is National School Library Month. In April, we are celebrating the library a different way every day! Today, we wanted to prove the library is the heart of the school. Every student was given a red heart to write why they love the library, and we posted them outside our doors.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful reasons you love the library, Forest North. It was such a special day and made Mrs. Young and I feel special too. We love our jobs! <3