Thanks to the University Park community for its support throughout the 2011-2012 school year!  And special thanks to principal Dana Williams without whom nothing I've done at UPark would have been possible because it was she who invited me to join her team!

Keurig is coming!  Thanks to the generous donation of Jim Connors, we're getting a Keurig B150 Office Brewing System.  This is something I've been hoping to add to our little library for many months.  Now, if you love coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or even iced beverages, there is no reason for you to avoid a trip to the library before or after school.  Bring your own K-Cups and brew your favorite drink before you head off to work or come in for a refreshing post-work cup of coffee.  And please thank Jim for his contribution to the UPark library.

Thanks to all the UPark families who contributed to our Books & Breakfast and Tales@Twilight events this year!  I greeted many new participants at our last assembly in the library on April 19 and we had a great turnout.  Please remember that we have but one more gathering on the calendar.  Haven't been to a B&B or T@T previously?  Check out the animated slideshow below for a glimpse at what you've missed.

Once more, UPark families came through with a wonderful breakfast for our March Books & Breakfast.  Thanks to all the moms & dads who contributed to the meal portion of our event.  It was quite a surprise to have a video-journalist from 9News join us and record the festivities.  Thanks to the parents and children who spoke so kindly of our little library and my efforts here.  UPark is a tremendous place to work and I'm...fortunate...blessed...to contribute to this community.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to all the families who provided food for our most recent Tales@Twilight.  I was (very) worried we wouldn't have enough food and drink on hand for all who registered to attend the event (I accepted a lot of last-minute sign-ups), but so many University Park moms & dads, including those who couldn't attend, came through with mountains of eats and a bevy of beverages that we had leftovers for the faculty & staff the next day [standing ovation].  Also, Gary Hallam merits special recognition, as he arrived early to set up the food tables and stayed after with his wife Jennifer to clean up.  So, too, did Jenn Bruns!  I thank them all for their assistance.  Finally, I extend my gratitude to all who donated legacy books to our little library.  We added over thirty new books to our collection thanks to the generous donations of many wonderful UPark families.  Cheers to you!

Tremendous thanks to the UPark moms and dads who provided the healthy food and beverages for our latest Books & Breakfast!  If you'd like to contribute to the meal portion of future library events, please contact Kelly Raeburn or Nancy Berendt.

One of the reasons we had so many books to choose from at our last Tales@Twilight and the previous Books&Breakfast is because William Rejebian and his cataloging team at the Educational Technology and Library Services department made it possible.  Bill received 163 books from a Follett Library Services order I placed in October at the department's Fox Street building on November 14, 2011—three days prior to our last B&B event.  He and his team worked diligently to prepare the books so that I could make them available to the UPark students who attended the Books&Breakfast with their parents and siblings.  Those children were able to check out up to three books that day and have their chosen books marked with a special bookplate I created, recognizing them as the first people to check out the books from our school.  Please, if you attended either or both of our most recent library events, contact Bill and send your thanks to him and his team.  Here's his contact info:

At Back to School Night in September, several UPark moms & dads pledged to sponsor magazine subscriptions for our library during the 2011-2012 school term.  In the weeks that followed, other families offered to sponsor subscriptions that went unfilled on BTSN.  My thanks to the following families for providing a resource to our students that had been absent when I arrived!  Your support of our library has been critical to making it a more dynamic space for the children.  Cheers to you!

Sponsoring Family	Magazine	Sponsoring Family	Magazine
Jason & Kristen Monroe		Dawn & Scott Miller
Katie & Aaron Thomas		Jen & Brian Frenkel
David & Kathy Thomson		Jen & Brian Frenkel
Estela Zuniga & Miguel Florencio		Kip Rithner & Casey Rohn
Susan Fox & Ted Pinkowitz		Nancy Whittemore & Mike Bendure
Sara & Scott Carpenter		Kerri & Todd Coffey
		the Schmidt family