Wanamaker Library Newsletter

The end of the school year brings several special events to the library.

Thirteen 2nd graders completed the Bill Martin, Jr. Challenge. They read all 10 Bill Martin, Jr. picture book nominees and completed a form on each book that asked questions about the book as well as provided space for the student to draw a picture of their favorite scene from the story. These students were rewarded by being invited to eat their lunches in the library, followed by ice cream and brownie sundaes. Congratulations to Logan, Aminah, Brody, Henry, Jay, Logan, Payten, Nora, Aubree, Sawyer, Maddox, Adriana, and Ellie.

The Battle of the Books competition was held on Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17, in the WE gym. Eight student teams (47 students) and two staff teams (14 staff members) participated in the competition. Team members collaborated and earned points by being able to answer questions and identify quotes from the current William Allan White books.

There were 17 William Allen White books this year, so that was a lot of details participants had to be familiar with! I am so proud of all the students who exhibited leadership and courage by being willing to get up on stage and be quizzed over the books in front of their peers and some parents who were in the audience. Their perseverance and teamwork paid off!

There were some VERY close contests! The final round consisted of a match between the winning student team and the winning staff team. In the end, the student team pulled off the victory!

Thank you to ALL who participated or helped out in any way to make this exciting end-of-year activity possible!

A Used Book Exchange was held in the library the last week of school to promote summer reading. Students were invited to bring used books in good condition to be exchanged for another book(s) of their choosing. It's exciting to start the summer with a "new to me" book! Students were also given a scented bookmark to try out with their new books. Thank you to everyone who donated used books to the cause!

Did you know that reading during the summer can significantly improve your reading skills? Instead of losing knowledge during those lazy, hot, summer days, reading will help you gain new knowledge. The good news is that you can pick anything to read that interests you. It doesn't matter what you choose to read (the back of the cereal box works, too!); it's just important to do it!

Be part of Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library's Summer Reading & Events June 1- July 31! A trip to the library, bookmobile or tscpl.org is a great way to keep brains active and entertained during the summer months! Learn more about the reading challenge, the gallery's art exhibit for kids and events full of games, crafts and fun at www.tscpl.org/summer.

Wanamaker students who complete the summer reading program at TSCPL and bring their completion certificate to Mrs. Reinert when we return to school in August will be invited to an ice cream sundae/brownie party!

Many good things happened in the library this year! Here is a summary of some of the statistics and happenings that took place during the 2023-24 school year:

• The total number of materials circulated was 19,673.
• The total number of items housed in the WE library was 12,658.
• The total number of library lessons taught was 874.
• The total number of PebbleGo database logins was 11,546.
• Six 6th grade students acted as Library Leaders and helped out in the library on a weekly basis. Thank you to Easton, Lillyanna, Ella, Amarah, Hadley, and Aubrey!
  
• Four adult volunteers helped out in the library on a weekly basis. They were an important part of our village! Thank you to Judy Liezert, Judy Schultz, Sharlene Christensen, and Patty Jolley!
• Ice cream and brownie sundae party held for all students who completed the TSCPL Summer Reading Program.
• There was collaboration with the 6th grade social studies teacher and team on a Skype visit with 9/11 survivor, Robert Matos.
• The library and art department collaborated on a school-wide bookmark contest.
• Kansas Book Festival author, Stephen Johnson, visited in-person with all 5th graders.
• All 2nd graders participated in the Global Read Aloud author study and connected to students from around the world by using Skype, Padlet, and snail mail.
• The 2nd graders took part in two Mystery Skypes with classes from Pennsylvania and Kentucky as part of the Global Read Aloud.
• The 2nd graders participated in a Flat Stanley project with ELL students in Denmark by exchanging letters and slide shows with our international friends.
• In December classroom teachers were invited to come to the library and choose two new "mystery" books to add to their classroom libraries. Holiday treats were also available.
• Approximately 100 students participated in the Book Character Ornament contest.
• A Scholastic Book Fair was held.
  
• Nineteen classes participated in the March Book Madness Tournament.
• An annual inventory of the library was completed along with appropriate weeding of the collection.
• A Star Ways "May the Books Be With You" celebration was held in the library the first week of May.
• A new program, BookBreak, was brought to WE this year. BookBreak hosted a series of award-winning authors/illustrators in interviews geared to different grade levels. All students benefitted from this wonderful program. Thank you to the WE PTA for funding BookBreak!
• The WE Library was a recipient of an Auburn Washburn Foundation grant. It was used to purchase new non-fiction animal series for different grade levels. Thank you, Auburn Washburn Foundation!
• The Battle of the Books Competition involved 8 student teams and 2 staff teams.
• Thirteen 2nd graders completed the Bill Martin, Jr. Challenge.
  
• A Used Book Exchange was held for all WE students, so they could take a new-to-them book home with them for the summer.
• An End-of-the-Year traveling book promo featured the "Guac Star" and his book Bravo, Avocado!
• A Student Council Bucks 4 Books fundraising campaign resulted in a $1,000.00 donation to the American Library Association's Haiti Fund, helping to rebuild libraries around the world that have been destroyed by natural disasters. Additionally, the sales of 1700 Boo Grams the week of Halloween resulted in a $600 donation of holiday gifts to the Villages on behalf of Wanamaker Elementary.
• Student Council held 18 meetings in the library and performed several community service projects, including Christmas Caroling and also an Earth Day/Springtime activity at Rolling Hills Health Center. Mrs. Reinert was a co-sponsor of the organization.
• Mrs. Reinert attended the American Association of School Librarians national conference held in Tampa, Florida in October.
• Mrs. Reinert supervised two library practicum students.
• Mrs. Reinert sent monthly newsletters to the WE community to keep them informed on happenings in the library.