Wanamaker Library Newsletter

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair will be held Feb. 10 -13 (Parent-Teacher Conference week).

The theme this year is "Paws for Books! Come. Stay. Read a Great Tale!" The students will preview the fair during library classes and create their wish lists. If you're looking for a Valentine treat for your students or maybe a new book for them to read on their days off for P-T conferences, please come and check out the fair!

Shopping online is also an option for families from Feb. 7 - 20. Families now have access to the Scholastic Store where thousands of best-selling books, collections, new releases, educational toys, games and more can be purchased. All online orders will be shipped to your home!

Another option is the availability of a student eWallet. It's a digital payment option for students and a way for parents to go cash-free!

The proceeds from the fair are used to buy books and other supplies for our library. We are excited to see you during book fair week!

Click below to view the book fair hours, sign up to volunteer, learn about the eWallet option, download the book fair app, or to shop online.

Thirteen 5th and 6th graders had the pleasure of meeting middle-grade author, Jasmine Warga (pictured above with our students), at the Heartland Literature Festival held at Washburn University. These 13 students in the WE before-school book club read one of Warga's books, A Rover's Story, before attending the festival.

The students had a blast listening to the author talk about each of her books and explain some of the choices she made while writing the stories. She said reading helped her to become a better writer and gave the students advice like "Pay attention. Be curious. And tell your stories!" She hopes that middle-grade students can see themselves in her books, and she always wants kids to feel hopeful when finishing her stories.

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The students rotated to different sessions throughout the day. They discussed the book and wrote poetry in one session, learned about and watched videos of actual Mars rovers in another, and a third session consisted of a Q & A with the author. Our students participated whole-heartedly and were great representatives of WE!

6th grader, Lily, stated that her favorite part of the day was having author Jasmine Warga autograph her book while her friend, Lorelai, said that the poetry break-out session was her favorite part of the day.

The festival is a collaboration of The Writing Conference and Washburn University. Because of their efforts, our students had a great day of exploring literature and learning from author Jasmine Warga!

The WE Book Club members spent the month of December working on Diamond Art bookmarks. They each chose from a variety of animal designs. The students enjoyed creating their masterpieces while chatting and relaxing. The end products turned out SO CUTE! One parent reported that her daughter made great use of her newly created bookmark over winter break!

All teachers were invited to the library the week before Winter Break to choose two wrapped "mystery" books to add to their classroom libraries. The choices were a surprise for the teacher since the books were covered in red, white, and black (WE colors) wrapping paper with the titles not visible. Each grade level had multiple age-appropriate books to choose from. Holiday treats of popcorn and M & M's were also available to satisfy anybody's sweet tooth!

The WE Student Council will be sponsoring a Bucks 4 Books campaign for 2 weeks during February. It will run from Feb. 10-21. There will be incentives for students to donate to the fundraiser throughout those 2 weeks. Some of the incentives include: Cuddle Buddy Day, Penny Day, Nickel Day, Dime Day, Quarter Day, Dollar Day, and a Teachers' Choice Menu.

The classroom donating the most money will be treated to a free lunch, and the classroom with the highest total in each grade level will earn an extra recess.

This campaign is a fun way to help teach the youngest students their money concepts, and it also provides our students with a chance to help other schools and libraries in need. The majority of the proceeds from this fundraiser will be donated to Angel House Orphanage in Africa to help build an elementary school and library. A representative of Angel House and currently a medical student in Tanzania, Emmanuel Pius, visited with our 4th and 5th graders this past October. He gave an enlightening presentation, sharing information and pictures illustrating the differences in the educational systems in Africa and America. Details of his visit can be found in my December Newsletter. Other monies from the Bucks 4 Books fundraiser are donated to local literacy efforts and also to our own library.

December was a busy month for the WE Student Council. All representatives and alternates were invited to go holiday caroling after school one day. The students gathered in the library for cookies before heading to Rolling Hills Health and Rehab to entertain the residents. They enjoyed having the students visit them, and many of the residents sang along with them. A special thank you to all the parents who helped transport the students to Rolling Hills.

In addition to caroling, the students also distributed snowman ornaments that they made especially for the residents to enjoy throughout the winter months.

This outing was the first time that WE Student Council members got to wear their new shirts! The shirts will be fun to wear on the days of our StuCo meetings and to community activites like this one!

The proceeds from the Boo Grams that the Student Council members sold to Wanamaker students the week of Halloween go towards charitable organizations each year. This year the Student Council members decided to donate the Boo Gram proceeds to The Villages, Inc. The Villages is a group home for youth who cannot live at home for various reasons. These donations were presented by the Student Council at the holiday assembly held on Dec. 20. Student Council sponsors are Mrs. Slimmer, Mrs. Reinert, and Mrs. Medlicott.

Thank you to our students and their families for the support of the Student Council's Boo Gram fundraiser held in October. Their generous contributions allowed WE to purchase holiday items for The Villages, Inc.

Feb. 2 and Mar. 1--Student Council Meetings in the library at 8:00 AM

Feb. 5-- All 3rd graders will Skype with picture book author Josh Funk to celebrate World Read Aloud Day

Feb. 7--Set up for Book Fair

Feb. 10-13-- Scholastic Book Fair

Feb. 12 and 13-- Parent-Teacher Conferences

Feb. 14-- No School

Feb. 10-21-- Bucks 4 Books Campaign sponsored by Student Council

Feb. 18-- 5th and 6th Grade Book Club meeting in the library at 8:00 AM

Feb. 28-- Battle of the Books meetings for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade lunch periods

Early March-- Dr. Seuss birthday party for all grades during library classes

March-- March Book Madness voting begins