The Holy Rosary School Library Page

If you were unable to stop by the Library last week during Open House, click on the link so you can read a brochure explaining some of the library programs. If you have any questions, please ask. Thanks.Library brochure

Preparations are underway for the annual Summer Reading Challenge Celebration. Invitations are out and I need to know if there are any other students who met the challenge. If you know of one, please let me know. Thank you.

Can’t find your Summer Reading Challenge calendar? Click on this link and you can print out another. Remember that 15 minutes is all it takes. Enjoy and dream of pancakes.

Have you ever been searching a library or book store for one particular book and couldn’t find it? Yes, me too and I think that is frustrating. So, this year, I have created lists of authors not titles. If you read something so wonderful you need to tell someone about it, please send me an email. Happy Summer.

Click on the links below to find some terrific reading ideas.

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How do you celebrate your child’s birthday? Are there special birthday traditions in your household? Did you know that many families include the Library in their traditions? Yes, they choose to participate in the Birthday Book program. Here are some guidelines if your family would like to participate.

Select a book and bring it into the Library. When it is prepared for circulation a special bookplate, honoring the donor is inserted. During class, the book is showcased and the donor is the first one to check it out.

I wish you could hear the students talking about this program. I frequently hear conversations like this: “Wow, remeber when I really loved the Dumb Bunnies? I was so proud to donate this book so we had another copy in the Library!” “Yeah, and remember when Dan Gutman was my favorite author and I donated one of his books we didn’t have”. There are as many reasons to donate a particular book as there are students. Each book is a snapshot, reflecting the reader at that time and place in their lives. It is a gift that keeps on giving.

You can visit a book store or the Book Fair and now, you can shop online. At Amazon.com search the Wish List for “HRS Library”. Browse through the titles and you may find one that “is just right” for you and your family. Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you choose to complete the Math-a-thon online, these directions might help you to get registered and started.

Click on this link for to travel to the Math-a-thon site.

In order to become a participant, the student must register, by selecting the ‘Register to Participate link’ on the Math-A-Thon Home Page and following the process below:

From the image map of the United States, the student will click on the state in which their school resides.
After having selected a state, the student can search for their school by entering the first four letters of their school’s name and clicking submit.
The student may then select their school from a list of schools matching the submitted criteria, if the school is recruited and coordinator has registered.
The Web page of the selected school will display. From here, a student can choose to participate by clicking on the ‘Students Participate Now’ link on the top navigation bar.
The student will then complete the registration form by entering all of the required information and submitting the form.
The student will receive a Registration Confirmation page, followed by a Thank You page.
The student will also immediately receive a Registration Confirmation email, containing their username and password, along with a link to the Student Center Login Screen.
From this screen the student can go directly to the Student Center by pressing the Log in Now button.

For the last few weeks, the teachers and I have shared the twenty nominated titles for this year’s Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award. More than 100,000 young readers in Washington participated in this reading activity last year. The students value their votes, realizing it is quite prestigious for an author to claim that one of their stories was voted “the favorite” by the students. Ask your young reader which on the nominated titles they will vote for. The winner will be announced sometime in April. If you would like to view the nominated titles use this link to the Washington Library Media Association.

Destiny website main search page

I apologize to the readers and users of the Library page because this blog has not been updated recently. I assure you I have been energetically working to successfully convert the library database to a new management software. That is the Destiny Library Manager created by the Follett Software Company. Students and parents are now able to search for information from anywhere at any time. When you have access to a web browser, you can access the HRS catalog or relevant K – 12 web sites containing educator-reviewed, age appropriate information. The information in the catalog is presented in the familiar format of an online catalog. Younger emerging readers can choose a visual searching tool. Destiny Quest is designed to appeal to the 21st century social interactive learning style. Teachers have a resource to help develop and enrich the curriculum by easily finding standards-aligned resources.

Now, I am asking you to experience this software for yourself. You can access the software from two different locations. The first is from the front page of the Holy Rosary School website. On the right hand side of the page, under “Quick Links” look to the fourth entry and find the Online Library Catalog. Click on that link, choose the “Catalog” tab and you are there. You don’t need to log in. The second link is found on the top of this blog page. You may also click on this link. Explore our catalog for yourself and discover the wonderful resources available in our Library. Please feel free to share your comments with me and help me spread the news to other parents. Thank you.

What’s the Book Fair?
Three times a year, the Scholastic Book Fair truck arrives at HRS with thousands of great books for sale. Students, families, parishioners, neighbors and friends are invited to shop. The school library is transformed into a huge children’s book store with books, posters, and toys for sale.

When do the fairs occur?
Three book fairs will be held this year. The first Book Fair is now, during conference week. It also serves as a meeting place for families. Students are encouraged to stay in the library, browsing and reading while the parents attend the conferences with the other siblings. You may leave your Kindergarten child in the Library while you attend the conference downstairs in Kindergarten. The Book Fair returns with new selections during Catholic Schools Week. Finally, there is a “Buy 1 – Get 1 Free” fair at the end of May or early June. All the profits from that fair are returned to the students in their free books.

How are the profits used?
The profits from the first two book fairs are used to purchase new books that all students, parents, and teachers check out from the HRS Library.

Please explain the teachers’ wish list.
Teachers preview the book fair and record some suggestions of ideas of books they would like to have in their classroom libraries. Families may choose to purchase one of the books or purchase a gift certificate and present it to the teacher.

What is “One for Books” I saw in the flyer?
Scholastic matches any cash donations made to HRS during the Book Fair and will donate up to one million books to three nonprofit organizations: Kids in Distressed Situations; National Center for Family Literacy; and Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Look for the plastic jug at the cashier’s desk.

Do you take credit cards?
Yes. Cash, checks, debit cards and credit cards are accepted. Scholastic does not charge us any fees for using credit cards.

How much does HRS Library make?
25% – 30% of the net sales stay at HRS. We do charge tax and Scholastic pays the State of Washington. The percentage changes as the amount of sales increase. In addition, because we have a second fair during Catholic Schools Week, we can choose 10% in books from the carts and tables.

My child said there were prizes. How can we win?
Stop by the library and the Book Fair during Conferences. Each student may find and highlight their name on the class list. Then, using a random number generator, Mrs. Harris selects the winners. New winners are selected each day and each of the 11 winners will have $10 to spend at the book fair. Look for other surprise activities!

Do you ever need volunteers?
Yes! Volunteers are always needed and welcomed. During the Conferences, Mrs. Harris and the other Specialist Teachers work the cashier’s table so that all the parents may be with their families, but help is needed during setup and clean up. During CSW, volunteers are essential to successfully complete all aspects of the book fair providing a welcoming, organized environment for people to shop. Volunteers are also needed during the Buy 1 – Get 1 book fair at the end of the school year.

Why should I attend the Book Fairs?
The Book Fair is a great way for families to connect by reading together and sharing a love of books. Kids can associate books with reading and fun, not just homework. Share the joy.

What does Soma! Ota! Kua! mean?
In Swahili, “safari” means journey and reading is a life-long journey. Soma means read. Ota means dream and Kua means grow. That is what we want, students who Read! Dream! and Grow!

A new school year brings new classmates, new classrooms, new teachers, new subjects, new lockers, new uniforms and new books from the book fair. Scholastic has provided a web site with lots of book fair information, so check it out.

Visit the book fair. Use it as a meeting place for your family. Let your children browse and choose some new books that reflect their new interests or their new reading levels. Remember: “The more you read, the more you know. The more you know, the smarter you grow. The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice when speaking your mind or making a choice”.