Check It Out!

As winter approaches, seasonal books are on display, filled with tales of snowy adventures and festive cheer. Additionally, Talia has curated a list of top graphic novels that promise captivating storytelling for both seasoned fans and newcomers alike. It’s also always exciting to see what kinds of books are circulating a lot lately. The 2024 Guiness Book of World Records is popular, as are Mo Willems’ big books of Gerald and Piggie adventures. The second graders have recently discovered many of the shorter chapter book series and are popping into the library throughout the week for the next book in the series.

We're also thrilled to announce we had a fully funded Donors Choose fundraiser to support creative projects for our Library Centers model. Thank you donors! In addition, Sanderson and Colrain Central teamed up to apply for a grant to update our nonfiction collection since both these libraries had smaller book budgets than the other libraries. We are the lucky recipients of a nation-wide grant from the National Education Association Foundation’s Student Success grant program! Each school library will be able to add $2500 worth of nonfiction books to meet students’ interests and to offer texts with current information. Thank you to the NEA Foundation!

Did you know that even our youngest learners at BSE get to visit the library? Throughout the week, each of our three preschool classes ventures down the long hallways to spend a half hour singing, moving, playing, and enjoying stories in the library. It is my hope that this basic introduction to the library community will spark a lifelong interest in reading and telling stories. Our weekly themes often connect to the changing seasons, which means we just had to read and sing about snow this week!

By now, our K-6 students know that library time is much more than simply enjoying and borrowing books (though that’s certainly a highlight). In fact, they look forward to December because for the fourth year in a row, we are calling it our ‘Month of Code’! Students in all grades are asked to think like computer scientists as they engage in various interactive lessons. They are considering the question, “What makes a computer, a computer?”, they’re reading biographies of important figures in the history of computer science, and then finally, they’ll be challenged to create their own code to program both offline (younger grades) and online (older students). We have also been fortunate to recently add many new titles to our collection related to these topics. Check out a few of them below!

• Lillian Whitsett, BSE Librarian

December 2024

How do computers do what they do? This December, students will be exploring concepts around coding in the library, both online and offline. We will make and solve secret codes, read about famous programmers, and experiment with block-coding using code.org’s engaging “Hour of Code” programs. One goal of the Mohawk Elementary School Libraries is to teach students how to use technology safely and responsibly, and part of this education includes understanding how computer programs work.

The Sanderson Library recently received some very exciting news! Along with Colrain Central Library, Sanderson is a recipient of a nation-wide grant from the National Education Association Foundation’s Student Success grant program! This fall, Sanderson and Colrain Central teamed up to apply for a grant to update our nonfiction collections in the effort to bolster our annual budgets. This grant will allow Sanderson and Colrain to add $2500 worth of nonfiction books to each of our libraries. Thank you to the NEA Foundation!

Last, I wanted to share the wonderful posters created by 5th graders in recognition of National Native American Heritage month. For this project, students used our online databases to research one of the Native American authors or illustrators featured in our library. Students also explored Native Land Digital to discover the ancestral homelands of each author. Working in groups, they used Google Drawings to create posters that were informative, symmetrical, easy to read, and eye-catching. They did great work!