Francis Scott Key Elementary School         francisscottkeyschool.org

November News

Tracy Heffernan

Are you hungry for a good book? Our students proved to be amazing bookworms during our third annual read-a-thon this month! Their reading tallies are incredible, and the reading habit which supports life-long learning got a big boost!

In addition to the recognition for top reading classes and individuals with a special classroom visit by Author-illustrator Ashley Wolff (Ms. Bindergarten, Stella and Roy books) we have a special visit to library classes with author Mina Javaherbin (GOAL!) on November 12. She inspires through her life story and her wonderful books.  She also inspiresall the student writers to continue exploring and creating.

What a wonderful happy reading fall season! Truly something to be thankful for!

We are beginning a great easy way to support the library and refresh our collection. The Birthday Book program, an opportunity for each child to donate a new, hardback book to the library in honor of their special day, really helps keep the titles current and enticing to our young readers. Each donated book will have a permanent bookplate inside with the students’ name, and each student will receive a certificate of thanks.  These books will go straight into our collection for checkout!.  Summer birthdays can donate anytime during the school year too!  I have a wish list of titles if you need inspiration.

Happy Reading!

Fall 2010

This is Your FSK Library!

 

 Tracy Heffernan – Librarian

     Welcome to FS Key and a new wonderful year of reading in the Peggy McFadden Library!

Our library is a lively welcoming place, with biweekly visits from every classroom, readaloud every visit and lots of new books coming into the collection from donations and other sources.  All students are welcome at lunchtime each day the library is staffed which is Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Our computerized collection offers access to the collection information by making the online catalog available from any computer including from home, as well as the library home page with a resource list of student safe links for internet searches from home, classroom or computer lab. www.follett.sfusd.edu  and choose FS Key.

Our space continues to evolve with new areas for Lunch Box reader books, a teacher resource area and the beginnings of an AV resource shelf.

We have begun to utilize our nonfiction collection in a focused way for classroom teams doing a tandem project with a Traveling Resource Library: a bin with preselected books for Mission, animal reports, Native Americans, etc to go class to class on a schedule to make all relevant materials available to all grade level students. In addition, we utilize the computer lab for building research skills.

LUNCH BOX READERS continues at both lunchtimes, 20 minutes of reading offered with unbarcoded paperbacks; 11-11:20 1st lunch, 12-12:20 2^nd lunch.

Special Programs throughout the year:

Our Fall Readathon successfully created money for mural painted by Ashley Wolff on the library bungalow, and supports literacy projects for our community.

Read Across America is celebrated March 2 and all students receive certificates of participation after readaloud in the classroom or library as part of this nationwide literacy day.

 Poem in your Pocket Day is in April, and many classrooms will be participating in choosing a poem, putting it in the special “pockets” provided by our school library, and sharing their poetry for the asking on that day.

3^rd Grade classrooms are participating in a citywide SF project – creating the ABC’s of SF to be displayed at the main Library in May also!

Come support the library by volunteering, working with the PTA on the Readathon, and by reading to your child every night! Together we are growing readers and leaders at FS Key!