Calling all Volunteers!

We sure could use some help!  Mrs. Fournier & Mrs. Vetter have a million books to shelve, and we also could use some help getting kids the books they are interested in reading! We also are looking for someone to help us regularly with the Birthday Book Club, The Rainbow Reading Challenge, and some other programs we have going on.  We also are constantly cataloging new books, and would love help getting them covered in mylar and processing spine labels for them.

We would love some regular helpers that could spend a couple hours a week helping us keep the library running smoothly so we can focus on our book clubs, programs, and lessons.   You could come for a couple hours a week, and schedule it around when your student's class comes for their weekly checkout time! 

If you're interested in joining Mrs. Fournier's Remind.com text list, to get periodic updates on when she needs help, use these instructions.  The Library is the heart of the school, and a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of Forest North & keep connected to your child's school life!

Bluebonnet Book Clubs

We had some amazing book clubs last spring here at Forest North, reading this year's Bluebonnet nominees for us, and making these cool book trailers.  Check out these videos for Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng, & Pickle by Kim Baker!  

Join this year's Bluebonnet Lunch Bunches to listen to audio books while you eat.  It's going to be so fun!  More information about how to sign up for these coming soon, but 4th grade's Lunch Bunch will be on Thursdays & Fridays, and we'll listen to Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo.  5th grade's Lunch Bunch will be on Tuesdays & Thursdays, and we'll listen to Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead.  It's going to be so fun, Eagles!  Mrs. Fournier will have other Book Club opportunities throughout this school year, so keep your ears and eyes open!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: The Book Fair is Upon us!

Library Leaders Announced Today

Mrs. Fournier was thrilled to receive tons of applications from students wanting to be Library Leaders!  Mrs. Fournier carefully graded the applications this week to see which students displayed the most organization, customer service skills, neatness, and library skills. The top 2 applications in each class will be invited to serve as Library Leaders this fall! She will be delivering contracts to the 2 chosen leaders per class today.

Teachers Read Texas Bluebonnet Award nominees at Forest North

Here at Forest North, 3rd-5th teachers really love to participate with their students.  We have many teachers (Ms. Bell, Mrs. Peyton, Mrs. Koester, Mrs. Stewart, Mrs. Rhea & Ms. Lynch) who are planning on reading all 20 nominees this year and participating in the Battle of the Bluebonnets here on campus!

Check out these dedicated Eagle staff members as they talk about which was their favorite Bluebonnet nominee so far this year.

Armadillo Readers' Choice Award

 Mrs. Fournier was so excited to kick off the Armadillo Readers' Choice Award at Forest North last week.  The Armadillo Readers' Choice Award is chosen by K-2 students in Round Rock ISD annually since 2005.  Ten to twelve outstanding picture books are nominated by RRISD Librarians, and a committee of Librarians (including yours truly!) designs activities to enrich the reading experience for students. Learn more about this year's nominees at the Armadillo Readers' Choice website!

I started last week with a fun one- I read Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos to all 3 of our Kindergarten classes.  We had a blast!  It's a really funny book with a great ending.  After we read it, we each looked at 4 mustaches, and voted for our favorite ones.  After we voted, we made a graph of the votes, and compared which mustache had the most votes, and which had the least, and everything in the middle.  We talked about what else we noticed with the graph, as well.  Many students noticed that the graph looked a lot like the lunch choice chart they complete daily in their classroom.  

Second graders also had fun with Mustache Baby. They were really able to understand the inferences they were making throughout the book, and became more aware of the process of activating their background knowledge and making predictions based on it. Second graders have already gone through the Armadillo process twice before- Hailey in Ms. Johnson's class was so excited to get started, she wore her special mustache dress for the occasion. I had to document the cuteness- how precious is she?

The committee worked really hard this year to include lots of fun texts for the K-2 students to get excited about, with great connections to curriculum students are already covering in their classrooms.  It's a win win.  I can't wait to share the rest of the list with Forest North, and to kick off the program with 1st and 2nd grades!

In the spring, when we finish reading all 10 books, we come into the library to vote for our favorite, and have a dance party to celebrate!  It's one of my favorite celebrations of the year. I will announce the Top 3 Forest North winners on our morning news show (KEGL Channel 16 News - the top rated News Show at Forest North!) and then will later announce the RRISD Top 3, when those are announced.  We present a special plaque to the author of the winning book. A special thanks to my co-Librarians for helping me to plan these awesome lessons for our students, and for recommending such a great list of books this year. Can't wait to see who wins this year!

Sir ReadALot's Castle

Lords & Ladies, 

Hear ye, hear ye! 

Lady Fournier & Lady Vetter, keepers of the books & guardians of the realm, do hereby invite you to attend a special event - Sir ReadALot's Castle, also known as Ye Olde Book Fair. 

Forsooth, students are cordially encouraged to purchase Book Fair tomes & tokens to support their school library, and to kindly click the magical scroll to the right to learn of the wonders and special events that Sir ReadaLot's Castle shall bestow!

Loyally,
Lady Fournier & Lady Vetter
Keepers of the Book
Guardians of the Realm