It's a holly jolly Christmas!

Well, this month we will be focusing our library time on Christmas stories and of course Advent.  Helping children understand that the focus of Christmas is Christ and the preparation and renewal of spirit that comes with this time of year.  Second grade heard the story Waiting for Christmas about a boy who couldn't wait for Christmas to come, but with the help of his parents and some special advent calendars, he was able to understand that the waiting is a necessary and wonderful part of the Christmas season.
But of course Christmas wouldn't be complete without some silly stories and perhaps a visit from the Polar Express!  The library is teeming with wonderful Christmas stories.  Hopefully your child will be bringing one or two home to share with you soon.
In other classes, fourth grade is working on getting to know the Dewey Decimal System and how to locate non-fiction books in their neighborhoods with some help from Skoob, the Shelf Elf.  Seventh grade has a tall order, to finish reading an "oldie but a goodie" by the time Christmas break is over, so we can being our 7th grade project of redesigning cover artwork on old, but classic books.
Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season!

The Bookfair is coming, the Bookfair is coming!

The annual St. Joseph Scholastic Book Fair is just around the corner.  Come enjoy the events Oct. 29th through Nov. 4th.  This is a great time to get holiday shopping done for kids and their teachers!  The bookfair supports many areas of our school including teacher classroom libraries, the school library, the parish library and Religious Education classes. 
In the library, we will spend the next week previewing what the fair has to offer and getting the kids excited to buy books.  Also, did you know you can visit http://www.scholastic.com/ and check out what the fair will offer before you even get there?
This is probably my favorite school event.  Something about books and the way they smell and feel always makes me happy.  Hope to see you there.

Welcome to Fall!

Well, I can't believe it is the end of September already!  We are quickly approaching my favorite month and my favorite season....October and Halloween!  Students can look forward to all the spooky books coming out of hiding and also maybe some fun Halloween activities.
What are your children learning right now?
Kindergarten- how the library works and expectations
First and Second- Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books
Third- How to pick "A Just Right Book" or "Good Fit Book"
Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh- Listening to some really good read alouds(see below for the different books)!

Welcome Back St. Joe's Students

Welcome Back St. Joe's Students!  I am so happy to have the library bustling with students again! I am very excited to share many new books with the students this year.  I will update this site periodically with information on new books and upcoming library events.  So check back!