Thank You and Congratulations!

First I would love to give a huge THANK YOU to my library sub Ms. DiPietro. She did an amazing job taking control of the library while I was out on maternity leave. Which of course brings me to her wonderful idea of the Falcon Fall Reading Contest! Not only was the contest fun for all who participated but I found it enjoyable to watch. I think it was awesome to see students reading books, using Destiny Quest from home and school, and writing reviews! What a great way to stay involved in the library!

The contest ended a week ago and the winners were announce at morning announcements on Tuesday. Thank you to everyone who participated. Here are the winners:

K-2 Group: 1st place - Ava Dalawari KB
                   2nd place - Charlie Krappman KA
                   3rd place - Luke Roa 1A

3-5 Group: 1st place - Shaylin Jani 4B
                  2nd place - Daniella Salazar 3B
                  3rd place - Robert Giradello 5A

6-8 Group: 1st place - Elizabeth Nail 7B
                  2nd place - Julia Nail 7A
                  3rd place - Amanda Hill 6B

What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving Feast

Do you know the real story behind Thanksgiving? Is it just about remembering the Pilgrims and Indians? Are we supposed to give thanks for what we have while remembering those who have less? Do we pray to God and reflect on our year? What about stuffing your face with Turkey, while watching football and planning out tomorrow's Black Friday shopping trip? There are so many ideas behind Thanksgiving; traditions from the past that have become the celebration of today, but where did it all start? What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving as we know it today came from three different types of celebrations. The first comes from a long ago time when people celebrated and rejoiced after a successful harvest. When colonist arrived to the New World from England they brought this tradition with them. The second celebration is another tradition from the Pilgrims who felt the importance of religious observance to thank God through prayer and feast. These celebrations would occur anytime of the year.  The last celebration is the commemoration of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock and surviving a harsh winter with the help of the local Native Americans.

As a national holiday Thanksgiving was first celebrated on November 26, 1789 when President George Washington issued a proclamation declaring the day of thanks for the blessings God gave the new nation and its independence from Great Britain.

     "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness"

After that first declaration various harvest and thanksgivings were celebrated but it wasn't until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Tuesday in November a national holiday that Thanksgiving was consistently celebrated as a nation.  In 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday in November. He did this to give people living during the Great Depression more time to make money before Christmas.

Squanto

 We all know the story of the Pilgrims and Indians but it has become more myth than truth. Yes there were Pilgrims who struggled though a harsh winter. Yes there where the Native Americans living near by who were known as the Wampanoag. One particular Native American man named Squanto helped the Pilgrims survive. But the true story isn't really happy and peaceful. It is sad truth that the Pilgrims stole from the Native Americans. They also treated them badly and thought the Native people weren't as good as the Pilgrims. They stole to survive and believed God was on their side. It is the way people thought back then. After the harsh winter they gave thanks to God. The spirit of Thanksgiving can be seen in the actions of the Wampanoag Indians. Instead of hating the Pilgrims for their bad deeds they helped them survive.

Thanksgiving should not only be a time to give thanks for all we have but a time to remember how far we have come. Perhaps the real first Thanksgiving wasn't born from good behavior but the spirit of Thanksgiving can be found in those first events.  The Pilgrims did overcome a harsh winter. While they may have abused the Native Americans they also learned from them. Truly, the Pilgrims would not have survived without the help of their new found neighbors. It was Squanto who helped establish a peace treaty between the various Native American tribes and the Pilgrims.

How fortunate for us to be able to learn from our past, good and bad. Thanksgiving is a celebration that requires each of us to reflect on our lives and give thanks for our blessings. Let us all remember our beginnings from that first harsh winter of desperation to becoming a country to today's blessings. Living in Pasadena may not make it easy to realize where our food comes from but take the spirit of those long ago celebrations of a good harvest and rejoice in the good things to eat. Remember the Native Americans and their willingness to try peace even though they were wronged. Will you thank God for your school, family, food, shelter, friends? What else can you give thanks for?

Happy Thanksgiving Falcons!



As always, I used library resourced to search for information about Thanksgiving. Here are my citations.

1. Newman, Jason. "The Real First Thanksgiving." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012
2. White, David. "The First Thanksgiving." Social Studies for Kids. 15 Nov 2010: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 20 Nov 2012.
3. "George Washington: Proclamation for a General Thanksgiving (1789)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012
4. "Squanto."  American History. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012
5. "Squanto." Image. AP/Wide World Photos. American History. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
6. "Thanksgiving feast." Image. Library of Congress. American History. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
7. "The American Thanksgiving: The Evolution of a Tradition."  Thanksgiving Primer. 1991: 4-7. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 20 Nov 2012.

Falcon Fall Reading Contest Prizes

If you can read and write, then you can WIN PRIZES!

There's only  ELEVEN more days until the Falcon Fall Reading Contest 2012 officially ends.  How many raffle tickets have you earned?  Already, over 20 students have earned mini-prizes...will you be next?

 

The GRAND PRIZE drawings for all grade groups will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012.  

    



Additional prizes are being displayed in the St. Philip Library, including Target and Cherry on Top gift cards, candy, coloring books, and more!

Continue reading books and writing reviews, Falcons!

Qualifying Books for the Falcon Fall Reading Contest 2012

 Types of Books that Qualify for the Contest:

1. Any book under the Science Fiction Genre (To check if the book falls under Science Fiction look up your book in Destiny Quest.  Under “Narrow Your Search” click on “Genre.”  If “Science Fiction” is listed then the book qualifies.)
2. Any Mystery Genre book
3. Any Fiction books related to Fall or any Fall Holidays (Halloween, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving)
4. Any Scary Story Books (i.e. Goose Bumps # FIC STI)
5. Any Non-Fiction book related to Fall or any Fall Holidays (Halloween, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving)
6. Any Non-Fiction Books related to myths of monsters (i.e. Zombies # 398 KRE)
7. Any Non-Fiction Books related to animals, insects, arachnids, or reptiles related to the Fall Holidays previously mentioned (i.e. Spinning Spiders # 595.4 BER)
8. Any Fiction or Non-Fiction Books related to Fall Sports including Football, Soccer, and Basketball

If you have a question about whether or not a book qualifies for the contest, please ask the librarian!

 

Qualifying Book Reviews:

1. Your review must state something you specifically liked or disliked about the book.  It must convey that you have read the book! (i.e. I really liked this book because it had an unexpected ending.  Or, I didn’t like this book because the main character was too arrogant.) 
2. If your book review is too short and not descriptive (for example, This book was good) it will not be accepted.  You will have to rewrite the review for it to qualify and help you earn raffle tickets.
3. If your review spoils the ending of the story, your review will not qualify.
4. If your review does not appear in Destiny Quest within 4 days of you writing it, then your review has either been rejected and you must rewrite it, or you must check with your librarian.
5. Book reviews should be a minimum of 1-2 sentences long. 

Falcon Fall Reading Contest 2012 Commences!

Logging Onto Destiny Quest from Home

1.  For quick access, click on this link: https://stphiliptheapostle.follettdestiny.com/common/welcome.jsp?context=saas20_0403174

2.  Click on "St. Philip the Apostle School," which should take you to the Destiny Quest homepage.  If unsure about whether or not you are on the correct page, click on "Quest Home."

3.  On the same panel you will see a tab that says "Login."  You must be logged in in order to write a book review.

4.  Usernames are the students' first initial followed by the whole last name in lower case.  Punctuation is ignored.  For example, the username for John Smith's would be jsmith and Jane D'souza's would be "jdsouza."

5.  Each student from grades 1-8 have already created a password.  If they have forgotten their password, they must come to the library to be reminded of their password OR request a new password.  Once logged on, use the search bar to locate the book you have read.  The title should appear as a small icon, sometimes accompanied with a picture of the book's cover.  Click on the title you wish to review.

6.  A new screen with "Title Details" will pop up.  Make sure that you have clicked on the tab "Reviews."

7.  Once on the proper tab, click on "Add Review."

8.  Another screen will appear asking for you to rate the book and leave a comment.  Each student must accompany their star rating by writing a minimum of 1-2 sentences using details to describe why they liked or disliked the book.  To simply write, "This book is awesome!" or "I do not like this book." is not acceptable because there are no details describing why the book is awesome or why you don't like it.   When writing reviews, students should aim to help future students know whether or not it is a book they would enjoy and should spend time reading.

9.  Once the review is written, click "Save."  The review will be sent to the librarian for final approve.  Once approved, the review will appear on Destiny Quest and the student will earn the amount of raffle tickets corresponding to the book read.

Please stay tuned for further updates and details!  Happy Reading!

Thank You!

Well another book fair has come and gone. It is probably one of my favorite events. I just adore seeing children and parents getting excited over books. As part of the St. Philip's book fair tradition parents are given the opportunity to purchase books for the classrooms and library. I thought I would give a shout out to the people who donated to the library. So here goes....

Donated by Alisa Balian

Donated by Alexander Balian

Donated by The Norton Family

Donated by Roxanne Key

Thank you for the wonderful books!

How I start off the new school year

I like to start every new school year by reading a book about libraries to the students. This year I choose The Library by Sarah Stewart. I am often discovering library books that I didn't know we had. This is one such book.  After reading it I was charmed by the sweet and engaging pictures as well as the rhyming sequences.

Elizabeth Brown doesn't like to play with dolls, and she doesn't like to skate. What does Elizabeth Brown like to do? She likes to read lots and lots of books. The story follows Elizabeth from birth, when she dropped out of the sky to old age when she donates her house and books to her town.

I love the pictures by David Small. This is one of those books that ask you to take a close look and find hidden objects within the main picture story. In almost every illustration we see Elizabeth's teddy bear. Often times the bear is imitating her. There are also lots of cats and even a few dogs hidden in each photo.

The rhymes help children anticipate the story. Most classes who have heard the story end up finishing the sentences for me.


"Elizabeth Brown
Walked into town
that very afternoon.


Elizabeth Brown
Walked into town
Whistling a happy tune.


She didn't want a bicycle,
She didn't want silk bows.
She went strait to the courthouse-
'May I have one of those?'


The form was for donations.
She quickly wrote this line:
'I, E. Brown, give to the town
All that was ever mine.'"

If you have not read this book, I highly recommend you check it out as well as other books by husband and wife team Sarah Stewart and David Small.

Shrinking Days, Frosty Nights

This Falcon's favorite season is the fall. Sometimes, living in Southern California can be a bit of a disappointed when it comes to the fall. I long to see trees changing color, pick fresh apples, and feel the nippy air. Unfortunately, there aren't that many trees that change color, you have to drive pretty far to pick apples, and on days like today there is no nip in the air, only a forecast of 91F!!!!! EEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!

So I must turn to books and my own dreamy imagination to FEEL the fall. One book that I absolutely adore is a book of poetry that takes you from the first inkling of fall to the last flight of a birds journey south for the winter. Shrinking Days, Frosty Nights: Poems About Fall by Laura Purdie Salas is an excellent collection of poetry just right for Kinder-gardeners to 3rd graders. The text is big and the photography is vivid. The language is simple and easy to understand yet follows many familiar poetic patterns. There is even a section at the end of the book titles The Language of Poetry. Words such as Couplet, Rhyme, Rhythm, Haiku and many more are introduced and explained.

"Buried under crispy leaves
Squirrel finds a treasure
Tucks it in his hiding place for
Winter dining pleasure"

If there is one thing we have an abundance of it is Squirrels. Personally I think they are adorable creatures and I relish watching them play in the tree outside my window. They are often scurrying around hiding and digging up acorns. Really they make me laugh.

What is your favorite part of the Fall?

Los Gatos Black on Halloween

"Under October's luna, full and bright, the monsters are throwing a ball in the Haunted Hall. Las brujas come on their broomsticks. Los Muertos rise from their coffins to join the fun. Los Esqueletos rattle their bones as they dance though the door. And the scariest creatures of all? Wait until you see them!"

This book is a little bit Halloween and a little bit Day of the Dead but mostly it is a whole lot of fun! The narration  is poetic and the illustrations are haunting with a traditional Mexican flair. I enjoy reading this book to different classes for Halloween because of the mix of Spanish and English words. Perhaps the text is a bit redundant but it never seems to bother the children. I prefer having both the English and Spanish words because I am not very good with Spanish!

"At medianoche midnight strikes-
The witching hour the werewolf likes.
The bloodhounds bay, los perros howl.
Beware! The wolfman's on the prowl."

This book won the Pura Belpré Award for both illustration and text. The Pura Belpré award is given annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. I definitely agree Los Gatos Black on Halloween  has all that and more. The children love to see their favorite Halloween characters celebrating one of their favorite holidays.

Bats in the Library

Every year I look forward to Halloween. It is certainly my favorite holiday. I love decorating the library and reading the children Halloween stories. Usually I stretch cobwebs all over my desk. They extend from shelf to shelf giving the library a haunted look. This year is no exception. The first of October came around and I had out my cobwebs and spiders.

While walking into the library today one of the kindergarteners exclaimed, while flapping his jacket wings,  "WOW! I sure am glad there are webs in here cause I am a bat!"  I had to laugh because one, my spiders and cobwebs have never made me think of bats before and two, because I had planned to read a "batty" book. I love when little things in life manage to tie into each other unexpectedly.

Bats at the Library written and Illustrated by Brian Lies is a charming book depicting a group of bats who learn that the local librarian has left a window open. The bats love "Bat Night at the Library", often hoping the librarian will forget to shut her window. They fly in ready to explore and read their favorite books. The best part of their adventure is story time, when each bat becomes lost in the world of imagination.

Brian Lies' illustrations draw you in with a beautiful combination of texture and light. That bats seem to glow in the darkness. This book is perfect to read on a cozy rainy day by the fire. Young and old will be charmed by the bats adventure into the world of books and imagination.

Come on FALL!

According to the calendar it is Fall. The time of year for frosty nights and chilly winds. Where we in Southern California hope to see some leaves change colors. We start buying pumpkins and planning our Halloween costumes. Its the time to enjoy fall sweaters with jeans and boots.

SO WHY IS IT SO SO SO SO HOT?!?!?!? Doesn't the earth realize that the calendar has changed. We have moved from Summer to FALL. "Aye yai yai" Apparently the earth isn't dictated by human inventions such as the calendar!

Since I AM dictated by the calendar (especially since I work at a school) I am going to stick firmly to the idea that it is indeed the Fall. In my imagination I am wearing a cute sweater with jeans and boots. I am surrounded by pumpkins and pine cones. I am browsing the library shelves for books about the fall....

...And what do I find? Fletcher and the Falling Leaves. This is one of my favorite books and quite an ironic find considering my current mood of longing for signs of Fall. Fletcher is a young fox who notices that the world around him is changing. Fletcher becomes very concerned when his favorite tree starts to look dry and brown. His mother explains that it is only Autumn and that the tree will be fine. While Fletcher tries to comfort the tree and have faith in his mother he becomes positively alarmed when the wind starts blowing the leaves off the tree. Poor Fletcher tries in vain to rescue the leaves and heal the tree.

"Round and round and round whirled Fletcher after the swirling leaves"

This is an adorable book about change and growing up. It teaches that each change is a bit of a miracle and the end result could be just as beautiful as the beginning. Truly this book warms the heart. With patience and careful education Fletcher begins to understand life.

While Fletcher and I differ, I am slightly desperate for the change of season and Fletcher is saddened and scared by it, I believe the hardest part of the process is waiting for whats next. Whether it is a well traveled experience, I myself have witnessed 27 changes of season, or your first time, patience makes the change all the better. You just might learn to enjoy change no matter how slow or fast it may be.

Welcome to the 2010-2011 School Year!

There are a lot of things in store this year for the SP Library. As I look around our space I am happy to see full shelves with books just waiting to be opened. Three short years ago our little library hardly existed and now there are books on every shelf. As the students start coming back to the library they will be given the opportunity to explore the different sections and look at books. We will also be reviewing book care and how to be a good library citizen. 

For Kindergarten this is an entirely new adventure. The next few weeks will be spent listening to school and library stories. One of my favorites is Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten. This alphabet book that takes the reader through the first day of kindergarten and explores how the teacher and students prepare for the big day.  

Welcome to the NEW SCHOOL YEAR!