It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

Can you believe we've been off-campus for eight days because of a "snowpocalypse"?  It was great to see our on-campus teachers and students in the hallways again today!  Ms Margocs asked teachers to choose whether or not they'd like library time this week, knowing that some will want to take the time to reconnect with students, making sure their basic needs are being met and connecting them with resources to meet their needs.  We will catch up with classes who need to do so next week.  For those who have library this week, here's what it looks like:

PreK will continue exploring feelings with the fun-but-meaningful book How Are You Peeling? by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers.  We'll talk about all the feelings we had during our snowy and icy weather!

Kindergarteners (and a third and fifth grade class!) will be laughing as we read Underwear! by Jenn Harney.  Lots of rhyming and homophones in this story!

First grade will focus on worrying and what we can do about it through Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival.

Second graders will be deciding when it's okay to try and be first, and when it's better to just relax and "go with the flow" with Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Straw.

Third grade is working on using effective keywords for online searches.  It helps to really know what you're looking for, and what sites you can trust for valid information.

Fourth and fifth grades are loading the EasyBib add-on to their Google accounts for citation purposes, talking about plagiarism and copyright as we do so. 

We are extending our Kindness Week offerings as students have belated Valentine's Day celebrations!  Here's a sampling of the books we have that focus on kindness:

Curbside Grab & Go Book Delivery Service will be back up and running tomorrow evening!  If you receive an email that your books are ready, please drive by the portable side of the school to pick them up.  We'll be out there from 5p to 630p.

Welcome back to our library, Dillo Readers!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

We had an interesting week last week, didn't we?  Snow and ice, power and water outages, grocery stores running short of food...it's no wonder that when the sun came out, a lot of neighbors headed outdoors--including me, to the front porch to read.

I finished A Wrinkle in Time, and am delving into the next book in the quintet, A Wind in the Door.  The story is much deeper reading from an adult perspective--one more reason for grownups to revisit the books of their childhood from time to time.  L'Engle's series is a mix of science fiction, fantasy, and religion, woven with the classic theme of good versus evil.  I couldn't help but think of Mrs. Frizzell and her "Magic School Bus" as the characters were taken into the mitochondria of the youngest Murry sibling, Charles Wallace.  I wonder if Joanna Cole was influenced by this series?

For professional reading, I'm currently turning to We Got This:  Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be  by Cornelius Minor. I'm having to digest Minor's message a few pages at a time; he gives me a lot to chew on.  The first lesson he provides is on listening to our students, something I need to work on as I get accustomed to my "new" campus.

It's Monday, and I'm reading a childhood favorite and a thought-provoking professional book.  What did you read while we were snowed in last week? 

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I bought myself a boxed set of "The Wrinkle in Time Quintet" from our online Scholastic Book Fair in December.  I didn't even know there were five books in the series until I purchased it!

I remember reading the first two when I was in school (elementary?  junior high?), but I don't think I got any further than that.  So this past weekend, I started from the beginning, acquainting myself once again with the Murry family, the equally misfit Calvin, and the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which.  Maybe now that I've got a few more decades under my belt, I can wrap my mind around a tesseract.  I'm sure I'll glean a lot more social commentary from this series that was begun before I was born; already the language has me smiling.

It's Monday, and I'm revisiting an old friend of a book and hoping to finish the whole series this time.  What are you reading on this cold and snowy day?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

 We have a new interactive bulletin board display in the hallway, next to the library entrance:

All staff and students are asked to contribute to our "reading piles".  The best recommendations come from friends!  

Ms Margocs delivered goodies to our Dillo readers who read at least five Bluebonnet Award Nominee books and submitted their reading "log".  Students on and off campus received a copy of a nominee from this year that they hadn't read yet, as well as a mini-notebook, "RRock Reads" pencils, and bookmarks.

We will have a new read-aloud club starting after Spring Break!  Ms Margocs will be reading books from next year's Bluebonnet Award Nominee list to help students get a jump start on the program.  The first book, The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling, is also on the Lone Star list for middle schoolers, so fifth graders will want to participate, too!

Read-alouds and lessons this week:

PreK is looking for animals in different habitats using I See a Kookaburra by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.  Ms Margocs tried using Google Jamboard with this book for the first time with our virtual learners--they did a great job navigating with the help of their teacher, Mrs Woodall.

Kindergarteners are learning that sometimes the wolf isn't the bad guy in Watch Out for Wolf! by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Charles Santoso.  Text-to-text connections can be one big surprise!

First graders are exploring anger management with Fergal and the Bad Temper by Robert Starling.  Counting, breathing, and exercising can help blow off some angry steam!

Second graders get to see Tom Percival's idea of what a worry looks like (and learn how to shrink one) in Ruby Finds a Worry, one of our Armadillo Readers' Choice books.

Third through fifth graders are getting a lesson in email etiquette, and flooding their teachers' inboxes as practice.

We still have Grab & Go Curbside Delivery happening every Tuesday from 130p-230p and Thursdays 5p-630p!  With the cold front coming in, we may be watching for cars through the door this Thursday evening; we'll have the sign out so you'll know we're there.

Have a happy Valentine's Day, Dillo Readers!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 It's the week before Valentine's Day, so let's talk books about love and friendship!  Here are some you can find on our Anderson Mill Library shelves:

The Seeds of Friendship gives us a great example of how to make friends when you move to a new home:  find a common project to share.

All Are Welcome has quickly become a library classic, featuring inclusivity and a place for everyone.

Students are drawn to favorite characters, like My Little Pony!

This Newbery Medal winner was also on our state Bluebonnet List a couple of years ago.  Hello, Universe features an ensemble cast with friendships that develop from a shared purpose.

Matt de la Pena doesn't shy away from some of the heartbreaking aspects of love in this bestselling book; be prepared to discuss some of the pictures with younger children.

It's Monday, and I'm thinking about all the books we have in our library featuring friendship and love!  What will you be reading this Valentine's week?

It's Wednesday! What's happening in the AME Library?

We have new books in the library!  Award winners, board books for PreK, series continuations, and Spanish versions of favorite books make up this shipment.  Just in time for the booktalks Ms Margocs will be doing during some library visits this week!

It's Black History Month, so we've got books featuring famous Black Americans, Black authors, and Black illustrators on display.

Read-alouds and lessons this week:

PreK is helping Ms Margocs read I Went Walking by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas.  The repetition, animals, and colors give us lots of reading practice.

Ms Margocs is getting to use a funny voice again while reading The Very Impatient Caterpillar with kindergarten classes.  The story is a great reminder to use self-talk "I can" statements, deep breathing, and other strategies when we have big feelings.

First and second grades are using what they know about fairy tales to solve a digital breakout and save Red Riding Hood from the wolf!

Third through fifth grades are booktalking this week.  Ms Margocs will be featuring our new books, as well as those from the Black History display. 

Congratulations to the nine students who read five or more Bluebonnet Award nominees and voted online for their favorite!  They will be getting a special treat from the library on Friday!

Need books to read at home?

BookSpring is offering to send children's books to homes hit with financial hardships in Central Texas.   BookSpring is an Austin-based literacy nonprofit with the mission to build early literacy in children and families through healthcare, education and the community.

To apply, follow these links:

English Application

Spanish Application

If you do not have access to internet you can call (844) 368-9651 to request books by leaving a clear voicemail with your information.

Want to have fun AND learn with technology?

Success High School is hosting our 3rd Annual (now virtual) Youth Code Jam February 8-12, 2021.  It is free and exclusively for RRISD students.  Our virtual event has challenges, workshops (both pre-recorded and live), and resources on various topics including Scratch, GitHub, Python, video creation, and more.  Challenges will be judged by volunteers (including Success teachers and City of Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan) and prizes will be distributed to campuses.

The Code Jam is open for K-12 student registration and the link to the site is https://www.communitycodejam.org/ .  Students will be sent the password granting them full access prior to the start of the event.  

See you in the stacks, Dillo Readers!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

First day of February, and this month comes with several themes to celebrate and connect with books.  Let's start with Black History Month and some of the books we have on our AME Library shelves.

We've got lots of books featuring the events, movers and shakers of the civil rights movement:

We have biographies of Black artists, explorers, and scientists:

There are novels and picture books by Black authors and illustrators:

Which books have you read?  Which look interesting to you?  We'll have some on display and can help you find the rest!  

It's Monday; what Black History book will you connect with this month, as a window, mirror, or sliding glass door?