World Read Aloud Day is Coming Soon!

Check out the authors that will be Skyping with our students on or around February 1st! To learn more about World Read Aloud Day, please visit here!
Thank you to all of our participating authors for taking time to talk and inspire the children of Topsfield!  Also, a big thank you to Mrs. Klipfel for organizing all of our WRA Day Skypes!  
Kindergarten welcomes Betsy Devany!  We are looking forward to our first Skype visit with children's author Betsy Devany.  We have enjoyed reading her adorable book, Lucy's Lovey, this week in library!

Find out more about Ms. Devany by visiting her website! Click here!

First grade welcomes Sue Fliess
   
     Find out more about Ms. Fliess by visiting her website! Click Here!


Second Grade welcomes David A. Kelly The author of the popular Ballpark Mysteries series and Most Valuable Player series will join us for the first time this year.  We are already huge fans of Mr. Kelly, since the first book in his Ballpark Mystery series was The Fenway Foul-Up.  Great choice!          Find out more about Mr. Kelly by visiting his website! Click Here!
Third Grade welcomes Lauren Maganizer We have had the pleasure of talking with Ms. Magaziner in past years and are very excited to have her join us once again on World Read Aloud Day!
       .
Find out more about Ms. Magaziner by visiting her website! Click Here!
Fourth Grade welcomes Jarrett Lerner!  We are looking forward to our first Skype visit with children's author Jarrett Lerner.  Mr. Lerner captures the attention of our students with his hilarious books about robots, knights and so much more.     Find out more about Mr. Lerner by visiting his website!  Click Here!

Trick or Treat Yourself.....

Trick or treat yourself to some spoooooooooky 

books this month at the Proctor Library!

Our 5th graders gave book recommendations for classmates who want to "R.I.P.- Read in Peace"
Good news for those of you looking for an October books minus the spook...these recommendations cover multiple genres!

Everything MCBA! Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2018: Massachusetts Children's Book Award Nominees 2018-...

2018-19 MCBA Children's Book Award Nominees

Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Sponsored by Salem State University Master List 2019 Award

Everything MCBA! Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2018: Massachusetts Children's Book Award Nominees 2018-...

Anderson, J.D. (2016). Ms. Bixby’s Last Day.
Arnold, E. (2017). A Boy Called Bat. 
Barnett, M. (2015). The Terrible Two. 
Blabey, A. (2016). The Bad Guys #1.
Chad, J. (2016). Science Comics: Volcanoes. 
Connor, L. (2016). All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook. 
DiCamillo, K. (2016). Raymie Nightingale. 
Dinerstein, E. (2016). What Elephants Know.
Dumas, F. (2016). It Ain’t so Awful, Falafel. 
Gannon, N. (2017). The Doldrums. 
Gidwitz, A. (2016). The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog. Grimes, N. (2017). One Last Word.
Hahn, M. D. (2016). Took: A Ghost Story.
Hale, N. (2015). The Underground Abductor.
Kelly, J. (2015). The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate.
Lord, C. (2015). A Handful of Stars.
Martin, A.M. (2014). Rain Reign.
Nielsen, J.A. (2015). A Night Divided.
Pennypacker, S. (2016). Waylon! One Awesome Thing.
Ponti, J. (2016). Framed: A T.O.A.S.T. Mystery.
Reynolds, J. (2016). Ghost.
Rhodes, J.P. (2016). Towers Falling. 
Shovan, L. (2016). The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary.
Tavares, M. (2015). Growing Up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Repubic All the Way to the Major Leagues. 
Wolk, L. (2016). Wolf Hollow. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THE MCBA 2018
Everything MCBA! Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2018: Massachusetts Children's Book Award Nominees 2018-...

Summer Reading Rocks at the Topsfield Town Library!

Topsfield Schools & Topsfield Town Library Summer Reading Program 2018 2018 Summer Reading Program Goal-Read 15 hours before August 8th     Topsfield Public Schools and the Topsfield Town Library have collaborated to create a summer reading program that encourages students to read throughout the summer.   By reading throughout the summer, students can sustain their reading skills, be fully prepared and confident to start the next grade level, and be entered into prize drawings.        The library theme is “LIBRARIES ROCK” and when you go to the public library, not only can you check out books but children can participate in some really great programs related to music and rhythm! To register in the summer reading program you must: Be between 5 and 12 years old. Use the link to register and log your minutes:Log your reading online! Audiobooks, Podcasts, and Read-Alouds count towards your minutes too You will win a Topsfield Fair prize pack if you read and log 15 hours Every Friday at 9:00AM the Topsfield Public Library will do a prize drawing for anyone who has logged 2 hours of reading The Topsfield Public Library offers other summer reading programs to students who are not between the ages of 5 and 12 years old.   *0-4 - Young Kids (Summer Reading Bingo Sheet) Available in the Children’s Room and as a pdf on the Topfield Town Library Website  print one from home. * 12- 18 - Teen Summer Reading Log your reading online!

Books Bring Dreams to Life Bookmark Contest....Let the voting begin!

We have been voting this week on the bookmark in each grade level that best illustrates the theme "Books Bring Dreams to Life".  The students who participated created amazing bookmarks that show many different interpretations of the theme.  Our district-wide theme this year, Dream Big, resonates so well in this artistic display in the library.  They will be on display this week and next week, the winner in each grade level with be announced. 
Thank you to all students who participated!

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Grade 4 entries....great participation!! 

Grade 5 entries

Grade 6 entries

5th Annual Bookmark Contest

 

The Proctor School Library is having its 5th Annual Bookmark Design Contest. This year’s theme is “Books Bring Dreams to Life” 1. Open to students in Grades 4-6 2. Entries must fit inside the lines of the bookmark. Bookmark entries can be done in color or black ink/pencil. Generally, work done with a thin Sharpie-type felt pens show the most detail. 3. One entry per student. 4. Bookmark designs should be submitted by Thursday, May 10th  at the end of the school day. 5. Bookmarks will be displayed during the week of May 14th - May 18th. . 6. Students in each grade will vote for their favorite grade level bookmark during library. 7. Winners will be announced at an all-school assembly in May. 8. The Library will print winning bookmarks and make them available to the students at the grade level of the winner.  Only first name of winners and grades will be released. 9. Have fun!      For a copy of the bookmark template or any questions-                        See Mrs. DeFrank in the library!

MCBA winner announced!

Massachusetts Children's Book Award 

2018 Winner

The War that Saved my Life

by

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 

 Massachusetts Children's Book Award

2017 Honor Books
(in random order)

Restoring unstructured play to a generation of kids!

GLOBAL SCHOOL PLAY DAY IS HERE!

Fenway and Hattie padlet....what do you think so far?

Wild Robot....ROZZUM-what does it mean?

2017-2018 MCBA is here!!!

              MCBA 

Click here to visit Everything MCBA for reading lists, book trailers, author interviews, and so much more!  This is your MCBA place to be this summer!!

Here is this year's list.  Get ahead this summer and start reading!

Massachusetts Children’s Book Award
Sponsored by Salem State University

Master List 2017 Nominees

Abbott, Tony, The Forbidden Stone

Angelberger, Tom, Inspector Flytrap

Baptiste, Tracey, The Jumbies

Bradley, Kimberley Brubaker, The War that Saved My Life

Camper, Cathy, Lowriders in Space

Draper, Sharon M., Stella by Starlight

Gibbs, Stuart, Space Case: A Moon Base Alpha Novel

Hilton, Marilyn,  Full Cicada Moon

Hunt, Lynda Mullaly,  Fish in a Tree

Jamieson, Victoria, Roller Girl

Jennings, Ken, Maps & Geography

Levy, Dana Alison, Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

MacLachan, P.atricia, The Truth of Me: About a Boy, His Grandmother, and a Very Good Dog.

Milford, Kate, Greenglass House

Nye, Naomi Shihab,The Turtle of Oman

Oppel, Kenneth, Nest

Pearsall, Shelley, The Seventh Most Important Thing

Perkins, Lynne Rae, Nuts to You

Sands, Kevin, The Blackthorn Key

Shurtliff, Liesl, Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk

Spinelli, Eileen, Another Day as Emily

Stroud, Jonathan, Screaming Staircase

Wicks, Maris,  Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean: Science Comics

Woods, Brenda, The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

Woodson, Jacqueline, Brown Girl Dreaming 

How many books have you already read?

***Remember you need to read or listen to at least 5 of the nominated books by March 2018 to vote for your favorite.  **** 

Bucket Fillers =Instant Smiles

This morning, Steward School Student Council members got together and filled some buckets....

No.....not with rain water, although we would have plenty for that! We took time to fill each others personal "buckets".  These are the "buckets" that get filled when we receive a kind comment or when a friend offers to help us out.  The "buckets" that get drained easily when we have a negative interaction with another person or words come out that we wish we could take back.  

As student leaders, the third graders found out just how easy it can be to fill someone's bucket with this easy activity.  Each of us (I did it, too!!) wrote our name on paper and each member rotated through and wrote something on each paper.  Some wrote compliments and others jotted down a memories that they remembered with that other person.  When we were done, our own paper was filled with unique and bucket-filling words that definitely brought smiles to our faces so early on a Tuesday morning.  What an awesome way to start the day!

                                                   How could YOU fill someone's bucket today?

If you are looking to talk about becoming a "bucket filler", check out the book, 

How Full Is Your Bucket

 by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer

Life is Good in the Tri-Town Schools and here is why!

         On Tuesday, April 11th schools, all across the United States, were celebrated by students and teachers.  Using the hashtag #LoveMySchoolDay, teachers in the Try-Town shared what makes our schools wonderful places to learn, share, create, and inspire. It is easy to see that teaching in the Tri-Town gives us the opportunity be part of a learning community that prepares students for their future, larger academic and social communities.   Thanks to Steve Guditus, Director of Educational Technology, Tri-Town School Union, for putting together this Storify link that captured  how #Life is Good in the Tri-Town!  Click here to see how awesome our schools are: #LoveMySchoolDay

They read....they came....they voted!

                     MCBA Voting party

On March 16th, we threw a party in the library to celebrate all of the students who took the MCBA challenge.  Each student had to read 5 of the nominated books and write a book review in their Google Classroom. 

Here is a list of the nominated books:
2016-2017 MCBA Nominated Books 

 Votes were cast.....

El Deafo by Cece Bell was the winner here.  Which book will win for the state?
We have to wait until Monday, April 3 to find out.  Stay tuned!!
 

Friends gathered.....

Games were played.......

MCBA Pictionary was a hit. We have great readers AND artists at Proctor!! 

Chances were taken.....

                                                We had a lucky raffle winner take home the 2017 Newbery Medal Winner, 
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.  
Congrats, Jenna!!

Most of all....
one VERY proud librarian celebrated 
with some pretty amazing 
Proctor students!!

MCBA Voting party

Thursday, March 16^th

3:00-3:45

Proctor School Library

Proctor students who have read 5 or more Massachusetts Children’s Book Award nominated books are invited to join the party and vote for their favorite title.  Refreshments (really yummy ones….) will be served.  Any student who wishes to vote but can’t come to the party can vote during library class during the week of 3/13/17.

In order to vote and attend you must:

-Read 5 or more titles from the MCBA book list

-Complete 5 Book Reviews online in Google Classroom

(lists are available in the library or online  MCBA book 

Hope to see you there!!! 

Any questions?

 See Mrs. DeFrank in the library or email at kdefrank@topsfieldps.org