Enjoy the break!

Penny War! The Winner is...

The Penny War has come to an end, and you guys (and gals =) are AMAZING!! We collected an impressive amount of money to help "Feed the Children" and "School of Champions"...

Our class winners:

Monday - Miss Brockbank's Third Grade class
Tuesday - Mrs. Hancock's Fourth Grade class
Wednesday - Mr. Olson's Fifth Grade class
Thursday - Mrs. Hutchison's Second Grade class
Friday - Mr. Wyatt's Sixth Grade class

On Friday, Mr. Wyatt's class dropped an "Atomic Bomb" and managed to come from behind to win the Penny War! Congratulations, and a GINORMOUS thank you to all who participated!

This Week in the Library...

The Penny War has begun!!

Also, we are reading from a Story Collection this week...
There are six stories in this collection, and they are the sweetest Christmas stories. We will be sharing several of them during the next two weeks.

This week in the Library...

...we will be learning about our December service project!

We will be collecting our spare change through a "Penny War!" The money collected will be donated to Feed the Children Vallarta & School of Champions. A family from our school is traveling to Puerto Vallarta this Christmas, and will be delivering our donation along with a Christmas card that we are all signing during our library time. I'm so excited to be sharing the bounty that we are blessed with, with others that are not as fortunate. SO, be saving up your spare change, ask your parents if there are any extra things you could do around the house to earn a little money to share with these wonderful children in Puerto Vallarta.


The "Penny War" guidelines & rules are posted HERE, and your teacher will also go over them with you. I can't wait for the fun to begin, next Monday!

The votes are counted and...

HASHBROWN WINTERS wins!!

HELP!!

I cannot decide which book to read with you next! SO... I'm hoping you will vote, either here on the blog, or at the actual voting site in the Library.

Choice #1: Wolven by Di Toft

Choice #2: Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Choice #3: Hashbrown Winters and the Mashimoto Madness by Frank L. Cole

We will be counting votes and determining the winner next week, so VOTE NOW!! =)

Busy week!

What a busy week we have ahead of us! Lots going on as we kick off the holiday season...I love this time of year, and all the fun things we get to do. Speaking of fun things....

(image from www.amazon.com)

Our Kindergarten classes get to check out books this week! We've been practicing putting books back on the shelf the right way, and learning how to take care of library books, and now comes the true test! They will be checking out books and taking them back to class with them, then remembering to bring them with them next week when they come back to library. That might be harder than it sounds, but they are all amazing students, and I know they will be responsible with their library books.

The rest of our students will be getting ready for Thanksgiving by reading Thanksgiving Treat by Catherine Stock.

(image from www.amazon.com)

Such a sweet story about a darling little boy who just wants to help with the Thanksgiving dinner preparation...read it, you'll LOVE it!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I'm feelin' groooovy... =)


PEACE OUT!

Don't forget the halloween parade at 9:30 today, and class parties this afternoon! Eat a carmel apple for me! And don't forget to BRUSH YOUR TEETH! =)

Here's our "spooky" book of the week...

(image from www.amazon.com)

I love this book, because it brings to life several characters from classic "scary" novels. Most of us recognize the characters, AND what classic tales they come from. I was surprised at how many students already knew the origins of the characters. This is a fun book, and it makes me want to serve hot cider and cookies to all who visit the library! Happy Halloween!!

'Tis the season...

...for halloween books! Scary stories, and MONSTERS! =)

so here's what we will be reading this week...

(image from www.flashlightpress.wordpress.com)

This is the funnest book! I just love it! My favorite part are the illustrations, and I learned that this is the illustrators (Howard McWilliam) first picture book. He amazes me, and if I ever write a children's picture book, I want Mr. McWilliam to illustrate it for me =) I better get busy writing...

We are always sad to see the book fair leave, but it's over and it's back to regular library business this week. YAY! Continuing with our theme "Chews" to read a good book,
our story of the week is:image from www.goodreads.com
It's a VERY cute story about sticky, ICKY-STICKY bubble-gum!

WOW!

Tomorrow is October! Hasn't this first month of school just flown by? I KNOW you've all been busy, I can tell. Want to know HOW I can tell? If you've been keeping an eye on our gumball machines, you've probably noticed it as well. We have collected over 786 total GUMBALLS in our giant gumball machines! You have been busy READING!! I'm SO impressed! That's a lot of gum chewing, i mean... book reading =)

Keep up the good work and keep reading! Remember...
"Chews" to read a good book!

"Chews" to read a good book!

"Chewsing" to read a good book is our theme this year, right? So i found this great book, to go along with that theme. We are reading it this week during library time. It's all about Walter Diemer, and how bubble gum came to be. It's a great read!

(image from www.simonandschuster.com)

Interesting facts about gum (included in this book):

If you chew gum nonstop for a year straight you will lose
eleven pounds... =)

Detectives can find criminals by comparing their chewed gum
(an imprint of their teeth is left in it) to their dental records.
Chewing sugarless gum can prevent tooth decay.

Susan Montgomery Williams of Fresno, California, is the record holder for the largest bubble - twenty-three inches.

"Bubble Gum Alley" in San Luis Obispo, California has been the place to stick your chewed gum (on the walls) for over forty-five years. ICK! Click on the link to see a picture...
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/bubble-gum-alley.html

The Book Fair is coming...!

October 4-7, 2010
Cascade Media Center

fliers available NOW in the Media Center!

Woo hoo! There are loads of grrrreat books! I'm always excited when the book fair comes! Come pick up a flier and start shopping!

WELCOME BACK!!

It's SOOO good to be back at school, and I'm SOOO excited to see everyone!

This year we are collecting gumballs!

For each just right book that you read you can put your name on a gumball and we will add them to our HUGE gumball machines! We will be collecting them by grade level, so help your grade... fill your gumball machine by READING!!

image from www.school.discoveryeducation.com

WHAT??

School starts NEXT WEEK?? Holy smokes! Did your summer fly by as fast as mine did? Hope your read loads of books!

Don't forget that "Back to School Night" is next Tuesday from 4-6 pm, and I can't wait to see you! I hope you will all stop by the Library and say "Hello!"

WELCOME BACK!!

It's SUMMER!!

Happy Summer to everyone!

Don't forget about summer library starting...

Wednesday, June 9th
12:00 noon until 2:00 pm

Then every Wednesday until the end of summer! Can't wait to see all of you again! Remember...READ, READ, READ!

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program

Barnes & Noble bookstore has a wonderful summer reading program!

www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp

click on the link above to access their web page. You can print off a "Reading Passport," this is a booklet you can keep track of the books you have read in, and when you fill it up, you can return it to Barnes & Noble and select a FREE BOOK! I LOVE free books! =) Also at this site there are activities that parents can do with their children! It's always fun to spend time together...

Our library will be open this summer on Wednesdays from 12:00 - 2:00 pm, beginning June 9th. I'm excited to see all of you there!

Library book round up!

It's that time of year! Wow! It's Library book round up time!

All library books need to be returned to the library by May 14th. If you have lost your library book(s) make sure you talk to your parents and decide a way that you can earn some money to pay for the replacement of those books. Remember our Media Center Manners?

- Be Quiet
- Be Respectful
- Be Responsible

Being responsible means that when you check out a book, you are RESPONSIBLE for it. Keeping it safe from damage, knowing where it is (not lost =) and returning it on time. I will be sending out notices for those who do have lost books, to help you remember...

ALSO...

Summer Library! Wednesdays beginning June 9th and running through Wednesday August 11th, from 12:00 noon until 2:00 pm. Come see me and check out a GRRREAT book!

Make a splash! READ!

Can you tell what book this is? Leave a comment and tell me if you think you know...

WHAT??

There are only 7 weeks left of school?? WOW! This year has FLOWN by!

I hope you enjoyed your Spring Break...it's time to buckle down and finish this year off GRRRREAT! (That was a cougar growl, in case you didn't recognize it =)

We are still waiting to hear if we will have summer library or not, so keep checking back...we hope to have a decision soon. Also, keep looking for those misplaced library books, and bring them back to the library. All library books are due back by Friday, May 14th.

It is Teacher Appreciation here at school, so be sure and tell your teacher "THANK YOU!!" They help you learn and grow, and those are two of their all-time favorite words =)

"THANK YOU," for being wonderful Cascade students!

It's Literacy Week!

Literacy Week Activities

Monday - Assembly 12:15-1:00 pm
Kids take a pledge "I turned off the TV and read instead!"
Sign the banner during the week when you complete a full day of no TV.

Tuesday - Lunchtime Activity - Draw a picture of your favorite book and we'll hang it up in the halls. You'll receive a bookmark!

Wednesday - Parents Social - Parents are invited to bring a book to exchange or just mingle from 8:00 - 9:30 am in the library. Drop the kids off and come in for a treat and visit!

Thursday - Dress up as your favorite storybook character and get a treat at lunch.

Friday - "Pick a book" - Each student will have a chance to pick a book to take home. classroom read-a-thons will be sometime during the day.
~ ~ ~

In connection with Literacy Week, we are collecting genly used books March 15-25 to be used for each student to "Pick a book" on March 26th. The leftover books will be donated to the United Way. Simply drop off your books in the bin, located near the office.
~ ~ ~

READ EVERY DAY!!

READING IS F-U-N!

Saint Patrick's Day!

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day, and even if you are not of Irish decent, you can still celebrate!

You can start by reading this...
or even this....

It's always fun to celebrate with a good book! (images from www.alibris.com)


OH! And don't forget to wear green!
It's also "CRAZY HAIR DAY" tomorrow! Whew! What a busy day!

SPRING!!

Holy smokes! It's been forever since I've posted...been a little busy, just like you!

It's almost spring! I can feel it in the air, I can see it in my flower beds...the tulips have poked out of the ground! It's such an exciting time of year, and my favorite time of year!

Here are some great books to "spring" into....

FICTION

An American Spring by Kathryn Lasky
The Big House by Carolyn Coman
Everything New Under the Sun by Anne Mazer
It's a Dog's Life by Bob Balaban
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty Birney
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

PICTURE

Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett
Elliot Gets Stuck by Andrea Beck
In the Moonlight, Waiting by Carol Carrick
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
Waiting-for-Spring Stories by Bethany Roberts
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

NON-FICTION

Crafts to Make in the Spring by Kathy Ross
In Our Backyard Garden: Poems by Eileen Spinelli
Spring Celebrations
The Magic Wings: A Tale from China by Diane Wolkstein
The Gardening Book by Jane Bull
Little Green Thumbs by Mary Ann Van Hage
The Kids Nature Book by Susan Milord

Happy Spring! Keep reading!

The bookfair is HERE!!

Our Spring book fair is here! We have lots of new books and exciting activites for everyone!
Hours:

Monday, February 1 1:00pm - 3:00 pm
Tuesday, February 2 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Wednesday, February 3 10:30 am - 12:30 pm lunch and look
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Thursday, February 4 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Come see all the wonderful new books!

the bookfair is coming, the bookfair is coming...

I'm a winner!!

Ya know, it really pays to check author's blogs... (links available on the side bar) I just won a copy of Frank Cole's book "Hashbrown Winters and the Mashimoto Madness" !! I'm SO excited, I can't wait to read it! image from franklewiscole.blogspot.com

hashbrown winters book TWO!!

THE 2nd BOOK IS OUT!! "Hashbrown Winters and the Mashimoto Madness"
THE FINALISTS HAVE ALSO BEEN PICKED IN THE CREATE-A-CHARACTER CONTEST!

Come join in the fun on Monday January 11th at 6:00 PM
Sandy (Southtowne) Barnes and Noble 10180 S. State Street

Find out who the winner is and get your signed copy of the book.

If you are unable to make this event I will also be doing a signing at the Orem Barnes and Noble (330 East 1300 South) January 12th at 6:00 PM.

The first 100 to buy a book will get a free imagination journal.

Thanks,
Frank Cole
Author of the "Adventures of Hashbrown Winters" Series
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We are currently reading "The Adventures of Hashbrown Winters" in our Library, and
WE ARE LOVING IT!! it's TOO FUNNY!! We are anxiously awaiting the "Mashimoto Madness"!

Welcome back!

Can you believe it? The break is over! Why do the breaks go by oh so quickly??

Welcome back!

We've got loads to do in the next few weeks...including a book fair! I LOVE, love, LOVE bookfairs! I hope you have been keeping track of how many "just right books" you've read over the break...so you can add a few popcorn kernals to our buckets. Over the break I read "Shadow Thieves" by Anne Ursu...

...it kinda started slow, but boy did it pick up the pace! I'm glad I stuck with it, because I've completely enjoyed it. My next reading adventure will take place within the pages of "Into the Woods" by Lyn Gardner. (image from www.valorebooks.com)
I can't wait!!

Have i mentioned that I LOVE reading?? =)