Proctor loves to Party!

CELEBRATING the MCBA 

with our awesome Proctor readers!

On Thursday, March 17th all students who participated in the Massachusetts Children's Book Award reading challenge were invited to a V.I.P. voting party after school.  Over 100 students joined the challenge and even though not everyone could come, we had a great time celebrating our love of books!
 The results aren't in from the state, but we had a clear winner at Proctor.  The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate got two thumbs up from our readers. Read all about Ivan and his incredible story

My new title for this crew: The Awesome Readers Club!  

MCB...yay!!!

Votes and Treats!

Our readers had to choose from a list of 25 books...not an easy choice! 

Even some personal creative writing was shared among friends.  Very impressive!

Literary Silliness! 
Thank you to all readers who participated,
voted, and joined in on the party! 

Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Voting Party

Who? Any student who has read 5+ books on the MCBA nominee list (students who cannot attend may vote in library class this week)

To see the list, click here: 2016 MCBA list

When?  Thursday, March 17^th from 3:10-3:45

Where? The Proctor School library

What? voting ballots….book chats….refreshments….

Congratulations to all students who made the commitment to read and vote!!

World Read Aloud Day

World Read Aloud Day

What is it?

Every year World Read Aloud Day calls global attention to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories.  This year World Read Aloud Day is on Wednesday, February 24th. 

How Does Steward School Participate?



The amazing Mrs. Klipfel organized Skype visits with various authors for each grade level.  Thank you, Mrs. Klipfel, for putting together such a wonderful experience to tie in all that World Read Aloud Day is about.  Also, thank you to our World Read Aloud Day authors for taking the time to Skype with us and share your love of books with our students!

Meet the Authors!

Wednesday Feb. 24th

10:30-10:45 Grade 1 Michelle Edwards  http://michelledwards.com/

11:30-12:00 Grade 3 Lauren Magaziner  http://laurenmagaziner.com/author

12:30-12:50 Grade K Sue Fliess http://www.suefliess.com/

Friday Feb. 26

11:30-11:50 Grade 2 Katy Duffield http://www.katyduffield.com/ABOUT.html

 

Directors in the making!

     As a result of our December book club, two amazing Proctor readers showed interest in extending our discussions and activities. There have been rumors (and some wishful thinking) that the Land of Stories will end up on the big screen one day, so Ben and Andrew decided to make a book trailer to entice readers and future movie goers to read this book.  

     They are putting in many hours and lots of creativity using ChatterPix and iMovie to create their masterpiece.  We look forward to sharing it as soon as it ready for release.  Stay tuned!!! 

......and how about the Caldecott Medal???

                         2016 Caldecott Medal Winner

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, illustrated by  Sophie Blackall, written by Lindsay Mattick and published by Little, Brown and Company, an division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

 

Finding Winnie is an incredible account of the friendship and love shared between a soldier and the real bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh. Blackall beautifully interprets this multi-dimensional family story through her distinctive Chinese ink and watercolor art, capturing intimate and historical details perfect for a child’s eye. 

 

“Children will be enchanted by Winnie’s journey from the forests of Canada to the pages of the Hundred Acre Wood. Blackall offers a tour-de-force of visual storytelling,” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Rachel G. Payne.

The Caldecott Honor Books for 2016 are:

Trombone Shorty, pictures by Bryan Collier and words by Troy Andrews and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. 

 

Waiting, illustrated and written by Kevin Henkes and published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 

 

Voice of Freedom:  Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and published by Candlewick Press.

 

Last Stop on Market Street, illustrated by Christian Robinson and written by Matt de la Peña, published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

To learn more about the Caldecott Medal and past winners, click here:

All about the Caldecott Medal

A Winning Pair

The 2016 Winner of the John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children's literature is.......

"Last Stop on Market Street," written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson.  The book was also given a 2016 Caldecott Honor book award.  

So, both author Matt de la Pena and illustrator Christian Robinson have alot to celebrate!  Here is a short book trailer.  Watch it and then read the book.  You won't be disappointed! 

Happy Holidays from the Library!

Look and see what's coming up next at our Book Club!

Come to the next

Proctor Book Club meeting!

When? Tuesday, December 22^nd at 8:00 am

Where? The Proctor Library

With who? Other Proctor kids and Mrs. DeFrank

What do I have to do? Read the book (see Mrs. DeFrank if you have tried to get a copy of the book and need help.)

Why?  Well, because you love books, talking about them,

doing crafts, eating snacks and maybe meeting a new friend or two!

**Sign up on the clipboard so Mrs. DeFrank knows you are coming.**

Questions?  Chat with Mrs. DeFrank J

 Hope to see you on the 22^nd!

One month down and many more to go!

Our first monthly book club just finished up with our first book, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo. Our group got together in the beginning of November to kick off the month and finished up just before the Thanksgiving break.

We had a lot of fun and did so much more than talk about Flora and her bizarre furry friend, Ulysses.  Our group extended our time with 

• watching video clips of Kate DiCamillo herself talking about how she got inspired to write the book, 
• creative magnetic poetry on cookie sheets, 
• creative word lists and definitions for Flora and Ulysses very decorative vocabulary
• journaling and creating our own animal superheroes
• and of course, laughing and snacking!

Here is Kate talking all about the book, about writing, and sharing her gift of humor and story telling to a group of young (and eager!) fans!

And finally......

....our poetry that was inspired by the one and only Ulysses was created.  Enjoy the samples that were created!

UP NEXT......

DECEMBER: The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

Meeting dates:     Tuesday, Dec.1st (tomorrow!!) 8:00am (Proctor Library

            Tuesday, Dec. 22nd 8:00 am (Proctor Library)

Everyone is welcome to come and see what the Proctor Book Club is all about!

Proctor Book Club

Monthly Book Choices

Join us in the Proctor Library at 8:00am for one of the monthly meetings or all of them.  All students are welcome and encouraged to come! 

*********************************************

November 10^th and 25th            Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

December 1^st and 22^nd              The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

January 5^th and 19^th                   Athlete vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack

February 2^nd and 24^th               Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace by Nan Marino

March 1^st and 15^th                      Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes

**************************************************

More book club selections and meetings in

April, May, and June. 

Stay tuned for more info!

 Do you love to read?  Yes?!!

Do you love to talk about the books you’ve read?  Yes?!

Join the Proctor School MCBA Book Club!!

                                           

Here are the details:

• ·         Each month we will be reading one of the books on the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award nominee list.  As you know, you have to read at least 5 titles on the list before April to vote.  For more info on the MCBA, visit https://www.salemstate.edu/mcba/
• ·         The club will meet up twice a month.  The first time, we will talk about the first few chapters of the book, our first impressions, questions, connections, etc. The next time we meet will be a wrap up session to talk about how the book ended, final impressions, thoughts, critiques, thumbs up or thumbs down. 
• ·         Related activities will be done during our book club meeting related to the theme of the book.  Activities may be connected to art, music, science, etc.
• ·         If you have already read the book for the month, you are still welcome to join us and be part of the group…just no spoilers J
• ·         Finally, you can choose which months you would like to participate.  Join the months that interest you or take a risk and read a book/genre that you don’t think you’ll like….you just might surprise yourself! 

I hope you’ll join me and chat about one of my favorite things….books with many of my favorite people…Proctor readers! 

Any questions?  Come and see me in the library or email me at kdefrank@topsfieldps.org

                                                                                               

Mrs. DeFrank

November’s Proctor Book Club Selection

 (see meeting dates below)

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures 

by Kate DiCamillo

It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16052012-flora-and-ulysses

Meeting Dates/Times

Meeting 1: Tuesday, November 9^th 8:00-8:45am

***Come with first 12 chapters read already…they are very short chapters!!***

Meeting 2: Wednesday, November 25^th 8:00-8:45am

If you would like to be part of the November Book Club, either fill out the bottom of this paper and leave it in the library or email Mrs. DeFrank kdefrank@topsfieldps.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’d like to be part of the November Book Club!  _________________________(name)

I’ll read the first (very short) chapters of the book before we meet on 11/9/15 at 8:00am in the library.

David visits the Steward School Library

Most elementary school students are in love with a mischievous, bald-headed boy who eats dog biscuits, cuts his way through the cafeteria line and breaks the cookie jar as he is reaching high to get a forbidden treat.  

 Author and illustrator David Shannon created the book when he was 5 years old. David Shannon went on to make No, David! a bestselling, Caldecott Winner in 1999.  

While children think the book is hilarious, No, David!  can be confusing to a parent or teacher when first reading it. Adults may worry that children will imitate David’s bad behavior, but really, the children love to look at each page, tell David "No!" and use inferencing skills to figure out exactly what happened and what bad choice their little bald-headed friend made.  When we read these books aloud in the library, we turn each bad choice around and come up with better choice David might have made.   

The first graders had some fun with David in the library over the past few weeks.  We read some of these:                  

Then the fun began.  I posed the question, "What if David came to our library at Steward School?"  Hands went flying up and all of the possible trouble that David could find in the library came alive.  We brainstormed No, David, No scenarios and then came up with Yes, David, Yes solutions.  

After, the first graders chose one to write and illustrate.  These will be made into class books that can be checked out from the library.  Keep a look out for these first grade creations and check one out!  

Finally, we invited Mrs. Klipfel to join us and create a movie on her iPad about David in the Steward School library starring my first grade friends.  I will be sharing this video at an all school assembly later this month. 

Enjoy the video!!

http://safeshare.tv/w/KEbQBRAKHy

Welcome back to the library!!

General Information

Topsfield Elementary School Libraries

 

 

When does my class check out books?

 

Your class will visit the library once a week for a lesson and check out time.

 

How many books may I check out at a time?

 

Kindergarten and First Grade: 1 book

 

Second Grade:  1 book (September-December)/2 books (January-June)

Third Grade-Sixth Grade:  2 books

 Exceptions to the checkout limits will be made when students are working on a class project or when they need books upon special request of a teacher.

 
I lost or damaged a book, what do I do? 

 

At the Proctor School library, books that are lost or damaged must be paid for or replaced. Before taking payment for a book we request that you look everywhere possible at home. We will ask the classroom teacher to check classroom shelves. We also double-check the shelves in the library. Once we have exhausted all possibilities a check can be sent in for the cost of the book. Checks should be made out to: Town of Topsfield.  If you would like to replace the book, a similar copy (hardcover for a lost hardcover, etc) can be sent in with your child. 

 

My child checked out a book I’m not sure is appropriate for him/her to read. What should I do?

All books in our library meet selection policy rules approved by the School Board. This does not mean that every book is appropriate for every child due to interest, readability or content. Teachers and library staff help students make selections by teaching about what good books include and how to decide if a book is right for you. We ask new readers to look for books that have pictures. After this coaching, checkout decisions are up to the students. We suggest reading with your child as a wonderful strategy for knowing what books your student enjoys reading.

 

 

And the 2014 Newbery Winner is......

 

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

 

I just finished reading it this weekend and suprisingly, I loved it.  I'm not a huge fan of graphic novel/fantasy books and thought that DiCamillo's story would be just too quirky for me.  I was wrong.  It was a funny, heartwarming story about a girl who loves superhero comics and very little else and a squirrel that she saves from a near death encounter with a vacuum.  The journey between these two unlikely friends took unexpected turns and ended a chapter too soon.  I found myself disappointed that the book was over! 
Another interesting thing about Flora and Ulysses, it has elements of a graphic novel mixed within the traditional text writing.  Give it a try...it won't disappoint!

 

 

 

 

The Newbery Medal is the most prestigious award given in children's literature.

 

The Newbery Honor books for the year are: