School News

It's our last Beehive Book to vote on this year and this story about friendship and making mistakes is very relatable for everyone. Rita and Ralph are best friends who love to hang out every day. They make daisy chains and do finger plays and the cha cha cha with each other. But one day their game of Sticks and Stones gets a little out of hand and they both stomp home to sulk. Who will apologize first? Do they both need to apologize? We'll ...

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This week I am reading Hey Water, by Antoinette Portis, to some of the classes. It's a Beehive Book nominee in the informational category. We are talking about the difference between fiction and non-fiction, how this is different than a picture book with a made-up story. This is a very simple yet informative book about water - how we get it, where it comes from, and it's many different forms. There's even a brief explanation of the water ...

We are down to our last 3 Beehive Book read alouds and this is a fun one! Mouse, Shelly (turtle) and Rabbit are trying to get home before dark. When Mouse suggests they use the shortcut through the creek, Rabbit reminds him that's where the crocodiles live. But Mouse hasn't seen a crocodile in the creek before and he's sure it's safe. As they begin their journey and Mouse describes what crocodiles are like, we can clearly see what the ...

This week we are talking about all things graphic novel during library time. There are so many different kinds of graphic novels, I thought it would be fun to teach students how to select one they might like, how to read graphic novels and what to watch for. These type of books are here to stay - they are so popular with kids, they are great for reluctant readers, visual readers, really any reader. Just like regular books, there is a wide ...

In celebration of Black History month and as a Beehive Book nominee, we are reading Sulwe this week. Written by award-winning actress and producer Lupita Nyong'o, Sulwe is a #1 New York Times bestseller based loosely on the author's experience growing up with darker skin than anyone in her family or school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright. But a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes how she sees herself. ...

It's book fair time again in the library! Join us Monday and Tuesday 4-7 pm to check out all the offers from Scholastic. This book fair benefits all of our hard working teachers and allows them to purchase books through Scholastic dollars for their classrooms. You can also buy a book for your child's teacher and donate it to their classroom by putting it in their brown bag in the library. Many teachers have wish lists available to help you ...

This week we are reading the companion book to The Very Impatient Caterpillar, which won the Beehive Book Award last year. It was also our Upland Terrace school favorite! It's hard to resist the adventures of this little creature. In the first book he couldn't wait to get out of his chrysalis and emerge as a beautiful butterfly. It took a lot of patience to go from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Now, he's trying to catch up with a group of ...

I finally have my Beehive Book voting bulletin board up and it is so fun to track our progress reading and voting on Beehive Books. So far, our favorite picture book is When Pencil Met Eraser, with 317 votes! This week I am reading another Beehive Book nominee, The Box Turtle, by Vanessa Roeder. When little box turtle was born without a shell, his parents reassured him he was more than just a shell and they improvised with a brown box for his ...

This week we are reading It Fell from the Sky by the Fan Brothers. This author/illustrator sibling duo puts out the most beautiful combination of artwork and story - we have their other books here in the library and they are likewise wonderful. Students love to check these out. In this newest story, a small bouncy ball falls from the sky into a garden. We get the perspective of the insects, who say this is the most amazing thing they've ever ...