If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen

What features would you want to see in a car? What would you want that car to look like? 

In the story, If I Built a Car, Jack has some big dreams to include in his creation! 

Our students have been creating their own vehicles using a lot of imagination! They brought them home on their library day. Be sure to check them out! 

I hope you all enjoy your winter vacation and I will see you in 2017!

Ms. Hebert

Reading is an Investment

The Reading is an Investment program is brought to us from our State Treasurer’s office. The program uses literature to help talk about being responsible with money.  The program takes a two-prong approach to promoting financial literacy -- class or library instruction and personal reading.

So far this year, we have read stories and then discussed; saving money toward a goal, how we spend money, how we make money, and making big decisions such as; if we could use money to help someone else.

You will soon see a reading log coming home with your child. If you choose to complete the log and mail it to the State Treasurer’s Office by March 15, 2017, then your child has a chance to win a $250 college savings account! The reading requirements include 3 titles that have to do with money which are being read during their library time! You will see inside their log is a sticker with the titles already read.

Happy reading,

Lynn Hebert & Mary Ann Barnes

Our Kinder and first graders have been learning about QR codes!

What is a QR code? How can it be useful?

We have QR codes posted around our library which can provide more information about a topic or book. QR codes are used often in books, advertising, and now education. Our students are taking turns using an app on our iPads to scan QR codes and explore where they take you. We have talked about QR codes being shortcuts to information. We learned about book trailers, which are mini movies about a book that help you think about if you might want to read that book.

Can you think of a place you may have seen a QR code recently?  

Happy scanning!

Lynn Hebert & Mary Ann Barnes

Our second graders are learning how to use our library catalog system!

Ever wonder if our library owns a certain title? Is that title here now?

Our Follett Destiny library catalog is able to share that information with a few keystrokes!

We learned how to locate the catalog and create a bookmark which allows a shortcut right to the library catalog when they login to their school google account. We practiced title, author, subject, series, and keyword searches. We also introduced the understanding of call numbers being the book’s address. We talked about the different sections in our library and what a call number starts with leads to that section. All of the Colchester school libraries use the Follett Destiny system so this knowledge will help them in their future student career as well!

Happy reading,

Lynn Hebert & Mary Ann Barnes

We  have been learning about voting this week in conjunction with the Red Clover book, Granddaddy's Turn.

After hearing and discussing the book, we practiced the voting process with each class.  They received a ballot, had time in a voting booth, and we were able to tally the results (supporting Math curriculum too!). Our votes did not have anything to do with the current election, they were about characters or food. This experience helped the students have a stronger connection to our story.  We talked about how ballots are private, and how everyone needs the opportunity to have a voice!

 Happy Reading,
 Ms. Hebert 
      and
Ms. Barnes

Thank you to all of the families that visited our book fair! We have so many happy readers in our community! Our online fair is still going on if you haven't had a chance to visit yet. The online fair ends on Nov. 1st. The link to the online fair is:
                                  http://www.scholastic.com/bf/unionmemorialschool

The students really seemed to enjoy the pirate theme of this fair. We had many aaarrghs voiced over the week! We announced the estimation jar results during lunch times on Oct. 20th. In case anyone missed it, there were 66 pieces of pirate gold in the jar. One of our second graders was only 3 pieces away with her guess! Anya went home with a poster and book from the fair.

A special thank you to all of the volunteers that helped with: sales, wish lists, organizing, setting up, money management, locating, packing up, and making smiles happen every hour of our fair! We could not do this with out you!

With appreciation,
Ms. Hebert

Welcome to the UMS Fall Book Fair!

Students will begin their Bookaneer voyage on Monday or Tuesday with a class preview. During the preview, the students each create a wish list of their top 3 favorite books. The wish list will go home with them so you can talk as a family.

Our purchase hours are:

Tuesday, Oct. 18th - 5:30 to 7:00 pm

Wednesday, Oct. 19th - 8:30-4:00 & 5:30-7:00 pm

Thursday, Oct. 20th - 8:30-3:30

We also have an online fair:

http://www.scholastic.com/bf/unionmemorialschool

The online fair will be open Oct. 12th to Nov. 1st.

Hope to see you at the fair,

Ms. Hebert

Free books

Have you seen the word DISCARD stamped in a library book? Students have an opportunity to choose a "free book" during their library visit. The free books could be donations to the library that we did not have room for in our collection or books that we no longer have room to house as we add to our library shelves. The former library books will have the word DISCARD stamped inside. As well as a line across the UMS barcode on the back cover. The free books are taken home and do not need to be returned. If your family is done with the book, feel free to pass it along to others.

Another location that houses "free books" is the Little Library on our playground. Anyone is welcome to choose a book from there to enjoy. You may keep it, pass it along to someone, or add new free books  to the Little Library.

Hope you all enjoy a good read,
Ms. Hebert

Welcome to UMS

This week in our library we read about animals. We made connections to other stories as we were enjoying read-a-loud. Several groups noticed that the artwork in our My Big Dog story was done using a mix of drawings and photographs. Then we made a connection to Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems which also uses that technique. This is one group watching a Knuffle Bunny video at the end of class.

Some of us can't wait to read our new borrowed books! 

I hope you all enjoy your long weekend & Happy Reading,

Ms. Hebert

A Book Fort!

This fort is made of books! 

Don't you want to go inside to explore?!

If you could build with books, what would you create?

See you all soon & happy reading, Ms. Hebert