Hello! Welcome to Mrs. K in the Library! 

Spring Has Sprung...

Happy Spring!

Isn't it wonderful to once again welcome the warm spring breeze and sunshine? Spring is in the air and that means we will be wrapping up this school year very soon. Although I am sad to see the year end, I am very excited for the activities that we will be working on in the library from March-May. I plan to add as many exciting projects and books into their weekly library visits as possible, and kick-off our summer reading program before we leave for summer break. Thanks for a wonderful year, Fairfield!

What's in store for your child this SPRING?

1. March Madness! We will pair up some of our favorite reads from last year, and determine which title is this year's winner for favorite read aloud at Fairfield Elementary?

2. Our 3rd and 4th grade Book Clubs will be finishing their last book in April. Which book will they choose as their favorite to win "Fairfield's Mock Newbery Award"? Book Clubs will then work on a special project to finish out the year...

*  3rd grade books: "Matilda", "The Tale of Despereaux", "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane", "El Deafo" and "Charlotte's Web"

* 4th grade books: "Wonder", "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library", "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", "New Kid" and "Restart"

3. Poetry! Poetry! Poetry! April is poetry month and our 4th graders will get to make a special poetry video using the green screen to "rap up" their time at Fairfield Elementary.

4. The summer Olympics are coming and it's off to the races at Fairfield Elementary! Students will be testing the waters with their boats created in MakerSpace, answering Jeopardy questions about various books and then shooting hoops for team points and possibly working on a school-wide project with me, Mr. Besand, Miss Bright, Mr. Sommer and Mrs. Guirreri! 

5. Do you have a 2nd or 3rd grader that's interested in joining News Crew, Legendary Leaders or Book Club? Check out the club page for information on our different clubs, and make sure to sign up in the library at the end of this year to be included in next year's activities.

6. We will kick off our summer reading program in May with a taste of the different genres in the library. What books will catch your interest this summer? Fantasy? Mystery? Adventure? 

*We will also have prizes for students that participate in our reading program this summer. Look for more information to be coming home soon on how to get involved!

*Please continue to ask your students what they are doing in the library...

What's happening Fairfield? 

Pictures from Right-to-Read week, literacy night and our Spring Book Fair...Students had a week filled with Super Mario activities including: flashlight reading in the reading caves, lunch in Bowser's castle, Drop Everything And Read (4th graders read to our younger grades), daily book trivia questions, lunch served by Princess Peach, and of course Bowser! What a great week of reading!

MakerSpace

I hope that your children have shared with you that our school has a lot of amazing opportunities for them to be a part of each and every day! One of these opportunities includes hands-on learning in the library. Along with the traditional process of picking out a library book, the library is also a place for students to imagine, create, investigate and problem solve. Our MakerSpace area continues to be a favorite place in the library for our "makers" to create and invent. As our students get to know the school and explore the library, please ask them what they are doing in the Media Center and look for evidence of creativity from your little one soon! 

Library Rules: Be a Panther Do! Not a Panther Don't

Welcome Back, Fairfield! With all of the changes in the library it is very important that we follow the rules in our new space, so that we can enjoy it for years to come. Mr. Besand, and Fairfield's very own Panther, helped me make this video about library rules. Thanks Mr. B, and thank you Panther, for helping our students be a Panther Do...not a Panther Don't! Check it out below...

I want to help! 

We are collecting donations all year to help replenish inventing materials. Some items might be new, but others might often be found at home or in your recycling bin. If you are able to donate, please send them in with your child to the Media Center or front office. 

Suggestions for items that can be donated...Empty TP and Paper Towel Rolls, plastic/paper cups, popsicle sticks, straws, toothpicks, tape, construction paper, aluminum foil, glue sticks...anything that makes you think, "What could a child make out of this?"  Thank you so much to everyone that sent in donations last year! 

Overdue Books and Book Care

*Please return books that were checked out last year as soon as possible! If your student no longer attends Fairfield Elementary, and now attends another Pickerington school, please return overdue books to your current school library. They will send the books to the appropriate library for you. Any books that are not returned will be charged in Infinite Campus.

Your child has access to thousands of books through the library's collection and will not be charged late fines for overdue books. While it is important for students to learn responsibility when it comes to borrowing library books, it's more important to me that the student gets to check out a book that he/she enjoys in the library and develops a love for reading. I want visiting the library to be an enjoyable experience, so you will never see a charge unless in circumstances where items are lost or returned damaged. However, most of the books that are late or overdue are our most popular titles. Please help me in encouraging students to return the books in a timely manner so that all of our students can enjoy our library materials.

Students learn basic book care rules in the library, but please help your child select a safe, dry place to keep their library book at home. It's a good idea to always put them in the same place, away from areas where food and drink, pets and toddlers could cause damage, and where they can be located quickly on library day. Sometimes accidents happen. If a book is damaged, please return what is left to the library. We will determine if the book can be repaired or needs to be replaced and assess the appropriate fines. (Fines are NOT assessed for normal wear and tear.) 

The Power of Choice In The Library

WHAT'S THE BENEFIT TO LETTING KIDS CHOOSE THEIR OWN BOOKS?

Many young readers view reading as work, and once a kid loses interest, it can be difficult to get them back. As a librarian, one of my biggest goals each year is to inspire a love of reading. But how do I actually do that? Researchers tell us it all comes down to finding the right book for our students. But as we all know, that isn't always as easy as it sounds.

I believe that NOTHING compares to letting a child read what interests him/her. We may dislike choices like graphic novels (or what we used to call comics), the potty humor books (yes, that's you, Captain Underpants), or yet another princess, superhero or Minecraft series. However, the freedom to explore empowers young readers. When children choose a book, they practice decision-making and develop a positive relationship with reading. When your child visits the library, I will allow them to choose the book that they are interested in reading. 

Additionally, I will do my best to surround students with diverse reading material, add new titles to our collection on a wide range of topics, and make suggestions based on their interests and reading levels. Exposing new readers to a variety of genres can also help them find the books that they love. Graphic novels and manga were not something I knew much about before becoming a school librarian (and I may still not be a fan of this style of reading material for myself) but, the students eat them up! Graphic novels entice reluctant readers with their unique approach to storytelling, motivate kids to read more and coax kids into looking for deeper meaning within texts and pictures. Reading comics and graphic novels 100% counts as real reading. The world is more visual than ever before...Doesn't it make sense that kids would gravitate toward the visual appeal (again, not for me) of graphic novels? The way I look at it, it's time spent reading instead of staring at screens, and interaction with books and engagement with reading has greatly increased since introducing this section in the library.

Children that have positive experiences reading and interacting with books, no matter their age, will want to do it again.

And when they do it again, they might choose the same book (sometimes it's about comfort), author, or genre; or they may choose to experiment with something different. The key is that THEY are the ones doing the choosing. It is one of the simplest ways we can inspire a child to love reading. 

*If you are ever concerned with what your child is reading from our library,  please don't hesitate to contact me, or send your student back in with their book choice. As a parent myself, I believe that while it's important for children to make book choices on their own, you know your child and what is important to your family and beliefs. If you feel that your child is reading a book that is not appropriate for them, please send them back in to make another choice.