Library News
We have been busy in the Library since July!
There are lots of new books in the library. We hope you come and see if there is something that you would like to read.
We are working on our second community puzzle. This one is Halloween themed. We hope we can get it finished before Thanksgiving break. If you have not added a piece to the puzzle, stop by and add to it. The puzzle is for everyone in our MVA community.
For Viking Day, students participated in a Dewey Decimal Dice game and earned fun bookmarks.
Prior to Labor Day, students could visit the library labor day display and learn about the history of workers rights in the United States. Students who took the 12 question quiz and scored 75% or higher (9 correct) received a candy prize.
We hope that everyone who grabbed a Book Monster Design remembers to turn it in this week! We need them by November 4th at the latest!
Teacher Samara's students have been writing to their Pen Pals in Belgium.
We are excited that we now have a Library Club - Club Odin. We meet on the first Thursday of the month to plan fun activities - like the slime one we just had. Join us at our next meeting, November 6th (changed to Wednesday because of the lunch event on Nov. 7). The Library Club - Club Odin will be hosting a game at the Fall Festival. Hope to see you there.
On October 9, Ms. Faiai's students learned about how and why to get a library card and visit our local libraries. Here is a link to the presentation.
On October 30th, Ms. Malo's students found their "booooook" ghosts applying what they had learned in their Dewey Decimal lesson by Ms. Martinez.
Have a great week,
Ms. Vattuone
Pen Pals
ELD students in teacher Samara's class have begun a pen pal correspondence with 13-14 year old students from Turnhout, Belgium. Languages spoken in Belgium include Dutch, German, and French
The fist postcards have been sent and they should hear back from their new friends in a month or so. The Pen Pal Project is an ongoing project that Ms. Martinez has continued to support during her time at MVA as a Library Tech. One of the many reasons we are lucky to have her in the library!
Library Club: Club Odin October Event: Slime Time, Monday 10/21 and Tuesday 10/22
The first 40 students who signed up, got to make slime in the garden during lunch.
In addition to the fun of getting sticky and experimenting, students learned about the science of slime. Many realized that it is a similar to oobleck in that it is a non-Newtonian compound, which means it doesn’t behave like a solid or a liquid. It doesn’t have its own shape; slime will fill whatever container it is placed in. You can pick it up like a solid, but it oozes like a liquid. It is elastic and stretchy and will even bounce like a ball.
Chemistry: How does slime form?
Slime is made when a polymer interacts with a gelling agent. When the activator and polymer are combined, a unique chemical reaction occurs creating that signature slime texture. The result: a combined substance with weak bonds that stretch before breaking.
Slime forms when the borate ions in the slime activator (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue and forms this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linking. Typical slime recipes call for clear or white PVA glue (the polymer) and an activator (gelling agent). The activator is usually powdered borax dissolved in water, liquid starch, eye drops, or contact lens solution.
The glue is a polymer and is made up of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules will flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until you add the borate ions to the mixture, and it then starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubbery like slime.
Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!
Slime is a Polymer.
A polymer is a large molecule made up of many smaller molecules, called monomers, that are joined together in a repeating pattern. Polymers have unique physical properties, such as toughness, high elasticity, and viscoelasticity.
The word "polymer" comes from the Greek words poly- meaning "many" and -mer meaning "part," "segment," "units," or "particles".
Polymers can be natural or synthetic, and are found in many everyday materials, including:
Plastics: Bottles, toys, vinyl siding, and packaging
Cosmetics: Shampoos and other hair care products
Contact lenses: Made from polymers
Food: Proteins, starches, gelatin, gum, and gluten
Fabric: Nylon and polyester in jackets and sneakers
DNA: A natural polymer that stores genetic information
Keratin: The protein that makes up hair and nails
Library Club: Club Odin
The purpose of this club is to engage, educate and empower all MVA students and community by building community and improving the library experience. We will plan & host library events during and after school. Everyone is welcome to join the club and participate in the activities.
Our leadership team is:
President: Lindsey Rojas (pictured) , 8; Co-Vice President: Lxandro Musser, 7; Co-Vice President: Ximena Garcia, 7; Secretary of Records: Antonio Ruvalcaba, 7; Treasurer: Dante Martin, 7
Club Members’ Meeting
1st Thursday of the month at lunch in the library
October 10
November 6* WE RE MEETING ON A WEDNESDAY!
December 5
January 16
February 6
March 6
April 3
May 8
MVA Mock Election - Tuesday, November 5th
On November 5th at lunch in the library or Room 403, students who have registered to vote, can exercise their civic right and duty and participate in the democratic process by voting in the mock election.
Why Vote?
Voting gives you the power to create positive change for your community and determine a better quality of life for you and your family. Voting together with your neighbors, family, and friends ensures that your shared values and issues are prioritized, that you play a key role in choosing who represents us, and where government funding and resources will go. The more we vote, the more powerful our voices become, and the likelier the issues that are important to us will be heard. Voting impacts every area of our lives, from health care to jobs to racial justice. When we vote, we’re choosing the people and the laws that shape the direction of our communities. Using our power and voting makes sure we have voice in the future.
Misinformation Dashboard: Election 2024
A tool tracking the topics and tactics of 2024 election misinformation
Election misinformation poses an existential threat to democracy but can be difficult to analyze and assess through individually debunked falsehoods published by different fact-check organizations. Collecting and cataloguing examples of misinformation reveals valuable insights into the common disinformation tactics and narratives that threaten to influence public opinion about the 2024 election.
