As we are getting closer to the end of the school year, please be aware that
all books (library books, textbooks, class novels)
must be returned by Thursday, May 29th.
Library books, textbooks, and class novels need to be returned in one of the designated book drops located in our libraries, no later than Thursday, May 29th.
If you need a reminder of which books you currently have checked out, you can always email library@aisz.hr or login to the library catalog and check under My Info.
Return all library books to the school, no later than Thursday, May 29.
Fill out the Library Summer Check-Out Form - for students that are in Lower School
The form needs to be filled out separately for each child
Summer check-out starts Monday, June 9.
Please note that you will not be able to check out summer books if all of your previously checked-out books are not returned.
Did you know that studies show that children and teens who read during the summer are better prepared for school in the fall? Also, reading for fun results in significant gains in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
The library is also organizing a summer reading program called Summer Reading Fun. The purpose of this activity is to encourage recreational reading over the summer. Students can keep a reading log (see options below) in which they will write down the titles of the books they’ve read. Students that read 15 or more books during summer will be invited to an ice cream party in September! This is open to all students.
Young students can do this activity with their parents. Books do not have to be in English.
The end of the school year and summer vacation is just around the corner. This means it is time to return all your books and get library books to read over the summer. It is the perfect time to pick up a good book - strictly for enjoyment or to practice newly acquired reading skills.
Studies show that children and teens who read during the summer are better prepared for school in the fall. Also, reading for fun results in significant
gains in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
The library is again offering returning AISZ students the opportunity to borrow library books over the summer holiday starting June 9. The students can check out up to 30 books for the summer and should return them during the first week of school. Any lost or damaged books must be paid at their replacement cost.
AISZ has access to online ebooks and audiobooks via the Sora OverDrive platform! Our school is a member of the CEESA OverDrive Consortium which is a larger ebook and audiobook collection that is shared with multiple schools. This means our school has its own account but has access to a larger collection that is shared among other joined schools in the CEESA region.
OverDrive Education is the leading digital reading platform for K-12, delivering the industry’s largest catalog of ebooks and audiobooks to over 50,000 school partners across the globe. The student reading app, Sora, provides 24/7 access to books with powerful learning tools and insights to meet the needs of students and educators.
Students can access the app through the school’s email account. They can access it by the AISZ Goggle Suite, by downloading the app, or through this link
Sora offers dyslexic font and high contrast settings throughout the app’s interface and in individual ebooks.
Dyslexic fonts can help alleviate some symptoms of dyslexia, like the turning and swapping of letters. For those with low vision, high contrast options can improve readability and app navigation.
To turn on dyslexic font and/or high contrast mode in Sora, navigate to General settings under Sora’s main menu and select Dyslexic font and/or High contrast under Display.
Note: Some ebooks don’t have the dyslexic font display option.
From April 4-8 we will be celebrating
Fantasy Library Week!
On Monday, April 4, LS students can come to school wearing their PJs while US students can come wearing comfy clothes!
From April 5-7, a famous fantasy books writer, K.C. Julius, will be visiting AISZ and hosting various workshops for all of our students, as well as for parents.
On Wednesday, April 6, all AISZ students are encouraged to come to school dressed up as their favorite Fantasy, Fairytale, or Superhero character.
On Friday, April 8, we will be having Harry Potter Day and will start our morning with a Quidditch Tournament! Students are encouraged to come to school wearing Harry Potter colors.
Through Library Week, K.C. Julius will stay with us for three days, allowing many opportunities for all of our students to work with our visiting author.
In “a previous life”, Kristan was an international educator, teaching at the International School of Belgrade, The American School in London, The Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel, and Jakarta International (now Intercultural) School. She has developed a writing curriculum and conducted countless writing workshops for students, teachers, and the wider school community.
Beyond the Green Door (published under Kristan Julius) is a YA fantasy set in Hutanya, a world in which water has become a precious commodity. A revised edition is scheduled for re-release under a new title, Beyond to Hutanya, in July 2022. The Drinnglennin Chronicles, her bestselling epic medieval fantasy series, was released in 2020 and is the culmination of a story that has been running through her head for over a decade. A classic tale of adventure, sword & sorcery, romance, intrigue, and betrayal, The Chronicles combines all of the elements of the stories she personally loves.
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Join us for a Parent Session with the author on THURSDAY, April 7 at 8:10 in the Black Box.
The author will talk about her long, and sometimes arduous, author journey, and what lessons she learned about perseverance and possibilities along the way.
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K.C. Julius’s website: https://www.kcjulius.com/
From April 6-9, we celebrated Library Week. Each day, reading was celebrated differently, and, according to different topics, students and teachers were encouraged to dress up and participate in various workshops and activities. The week ended with a book-inspired movie afternoon and a sweet surprise for our Lower School students.
Below, you can find a video recap of the whole week, as well as all the different grade levels' catch-a-book videos.
A big THANK YOU goes out to all the students, teachers & parents that supported us during this week and joined in our celebration of reading.
More info, photos & videos can be found on our Instagram page: aisz.library
HOW TO PLACE YOUR ORDER
To encourage reading, and to make buying books in English easier, we are continuing with the Scholastic Book Club. You can go directly online to browse and order the latest books.
Please place your order online by Monday, November 9th, 2020. All book orders will be shipped to the school. We will then sort all the books out (following Covid guidelines) and distribute to each classroom and to each student.
If you have any questions regarding placing your order, email us at: library@aisz.hr
To encourage reading, and to make buying books in English easier, we are continuing with the Scholastic Book Club. Each month, your child will bring home Reading Club flyers. Together you can choose books selected by teachers and experts and then order online. You can also go directly online to browse and order the latest books.
For every €1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school library will earn 20¢ in Scholastic rewards.
VISIT http://eu-schools.scholastic.co.uk/american-school-of-zagreb
BROWSE and SHOP from a selection of great books. You can click on Mini, XD, or Teen
ADD the books that you would like to order into your basket
CHECKOUT when you are ready to place your order
ENTER your email address and password
FINALIZE payment details for your order and checkout.
Please place your order ONLINE by Friday, September 19, 2019. All book orders will be shipped to the school. We will then sort them all out and deliver to each student.
If you have any questions regarding placing your order you can email intschool@scholastic.co.uk or call 0044 1993 893474. You can also contact Ana Grubac (librarian@aisz.hr).
We are very fortunate to have an opportunity to meet Julia Donaldson, a world famous English writer. Thanks to the Zagreb Book Festival, on Tuesday, May 22, we will be taking our students (PreK 3- Grade 3) to the Museum of Arts and Crafts where Julia Donaldson will share her books, and maybe even a small play.
Julia Donaldson is an English writer, playwright and performer, and the 2011–2013 Children's Laureate. She is best known for her popular rhyming stories for children, especially those illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which include The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man.
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On Wednesday, May 23rd, we will have 5 Lower School teams (Grades 3-5) competing in our annual Battle of the Books competition.The competition (in the style of a ‘Jeopardy’ game, with buzzers, for the competing teams) will start at 13:30 in the Multi-purpose room.
The students have worked hard in order to be ready for the competition; each team of students read the 10 books from the given list, as well as composed and submitted questions to Mrs. Grubac for the competition.
The teams are:
1. The Book Stars (Lara Pichler, Luka Nisandzic, Anja Marija Sprljan, Jack Rowe)
2. Fear Free (Bundy Milusheva, Eunchae Lee, Gabby Nichols, Sara Ukic)
3. King Morl (Rory Kohut, Lovro Goldstajn, Oliver Horvath, Minwoo On)
4. The Golden Trio (Caterina Cioni, Anita Kasickova, Rihaal Zaidi)
5. The Winners (Leona Grubac, Lina Mlinarevic, Hana Kasickova, Sonia Stestekevych
*Names in bold are team captains.
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On Thursday, March 9th, we will have 5 elementary school teams competing in our annual Battle of the Books competition.The competition (in the style of a ‘Jeopardy’ game, with buzzers, for the competing teams) will start at 13:30 in the Multi-purpose room.
The students have worked hard in order to be ready for the competition; each team of students read the 10 books from the given list, as well as composed and submitted questions to Mrs. Grubac for the competition.
The teams are:
1. The Book Lovers (Lara Pichler, Luka Nisandzic, Anja Sprljan Marija, Jack Rowe)
2. The Reading Strawberries (Bundy Milusheva, Eunchae Lee, Mia Schwoebel)
3. The Three Bookateers (Roman Rousek, Bruno Lovric, Oliver Jonathan Horvath)
4. Red Falcons (Ivan Mezhiboskiy, Andrea Zanetto, Nadija Mexhibovskaya, Hayun Che)
5. The Cotton Candy’s (Luna maravic, Holly Armstrong, Ema Sprljan, Nelly Tewes)
*Names in bold are team captains.
Did you know that studies show that children and teens who read during the summer are better prepared for school in the fall? Also, reading for fun results in significant gains in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
The library is also organizing a summer reading program called Summer Reading Fun. The purpose of this activity is to encourage recreational reading over the summer. Students will keep a reading log (AISZ SummerReading Fun Log) in which they will write down the titles of the books they’ve read. Students that read 15 or more books during summer will be invited to an ice-cream party in September! This is open to all students.
Young students can do this activity with their parents. Books do not have to be in English.
" POSTCARDS TO LIBRARY"
We always want to hear about your reading adventures so we ask you to send postcards to the library all summer long. Send a postcard to the library from where you are, with info about what you have been reading. And when school starts, all the postcards will be displayed in the library for everyone to see cool summer readings. Address it to: The American International School of Zagreb
Mrs. Grubac/ Library
Vocarska 106
The elementary school Battle of the Books is scheduled on Tuesday, May 24th at 13:30 in the MPR. For more information, please look at the slide show.
Students started forming teams of 3-4 members and are busy reading and getting ready for the competition scheduled February 22nd. Here is the list of books:
How to Get a Girlfriend
by Leo, Alex and Matej
In May 2014, three Senor Kindergarten boys, Leo, Alex and Matej, won the Scholastic Kids are Authors' competition with their non fiction picture book, How to Get a Girlfriend. This is the first time the grand-prize has been awarded to students reading outside of United States.
A reception and book signing will follow the Award Presentation in the MPR.
BANNED BOOKS WEEK: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
September 22-26
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information.
This year’s Banned Books Week’s highlight is graphic novels because they continually show up on the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom’s Top 10 List of Most Frequently Challenged Books. The most current list for 2013 includes two graphic novels: Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series at the top spot and Jeff Smith’s series Bone at #10.
“Our most basic freedom in a democratic society is our first amendment right of the freedom to read,” said ALA President Courtney Young. “Banned Books Week is an opportunity for all of us to stand together protecting this fundamental right for everyone and for future generations. We can never take this precious right for granted.”
Throughout the week, the library will have displays, videos and discussions on banned books and the freedom to read.
For more information on Banned Books Week, please go to:
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek
On Monday, September 15th, AISZ celebrated the International Dot Day. This event has been inspired by the book the Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The Dot tells the story of a caring teacher who reaches a reluctant student in a remarkably creative way. In Reynolds’ book, the teacher dares a very resistant Vashti to “make her mark.” Vashti’s breakthrough begins with a simple dot on a piece of paper. Encouraged by her teacher, she sets off on a journey of self discovery and creativity, and ultimately, inspiring others. What begins with a small dot on paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence.
Elementary students have read the book and have seen the video of the book in the library. They have also
enjoyed various Dot inspired art activities in Art class with Mrs. Arno.
Did you know that studies show that children and teens who read during the summer are better prepared for school in the fall? Also, reading for fun results in significant gains in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
The library is also organizing a summer reading program called Summer Reading Fun. The purpose of this activity is to encourage recreational reading over the summer. Students will keep a reading log (AISZ SummerReading Fun Log) in which they will write down the titles of the books they’ve read. Students that read 15 or more books during summer will be invited to an ice-cream party in September! This is open to all students.
Young students can do this activity with their parents. Books do not have to be in English .
" POSTCARDS TO LIBRARY"
We always want to hear about your reading adventures so we ask you to send postcards to the library all summer long. Send a postcard to the library from where you are, with info about what you have been reading.And when school starts, all the postcards will be displayed in the library for everyone to see cool summer readings. Address it to: The American International School of Zagreb
Mrs. Grubac/ Library
Vocarska 106
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Students started forming teams and are eagerly reading books. The competition will be end of May. Here is the list of books:
The battle is on!
Students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 have an opportunity to participate in the Battle of the Books competition. They need to form teams composed of 3 or 4 players and start READING the books from the list. The list is also available in the library and on the AISZ online library catalog under Resource lists. Since they will be competing in teams, they can choose to read all books individually or share the books among the team members. Every time a student reads a book they need to submit a question. They then get a sticker to stick to put on their shield. The actual competition will be in March!
Elementary School Competition 8:30 MPR
Middle and High School Competition 13:30 MPR
Study:
spelling,
part of speech,
definition,
use in sentence,
synonyms
Example:
decide
verb
definition: to make a choice or judgment
synonyms: choose, conclude, determine, figure, name, opt, resolve, settle
I decided to eat pizza for lunch.
All students are invited to participate in our Warm Up To Books - reading promotion program. The purpose of this activity is to encourage recreational reading.
Students log in the titles on the provided chart. Students will receive the following gifts when each goal has been achieved:
4 books = Warm Up to Books Bookmark
6 books = Warm Up to Books Pencil
8 books = Warm Up to Books Bag
10 books = Warm Up to Books Certificate
This is open to all students. Young students can do this activity with their parents. Books do not have to be in English. Reading assignments do count but homework does not. This activity will run until the end of Winter Break and all forms should be turned in by January 15th.
The form can also be found in the library.
The library is organizing an ice-cream party for all the participants of our summer reading program. The purpose of this activity was to encourage recreational reading over the summer for which students also kept a reading log in which they wrote down all the titles of the books they’ve read.
The following students have read at least 10 books during the summer (and have turned their logs in) and are invited to our party:
SK – Alexander ; Grade 1 -Olivia, Anna; Grade 2 – Hana, Abigail; Grade 3 – Giulia, Zoe, Sophie; Grade 4 - Timur , Noella, Anders, Sarah;
Grade 5 – Alessandra, Lara, Randi, Vera, Yutong ; Grade 6 – Magdalena, Casper; Grade 7 – Daniyar.
We will meet in the library at 12:15 on Tuesday, October 1st. We will play games with Mr. Mandaric, followed by book sharing and discussions with a well deserved ice-cream in the shade.
Middle School Students – if you cannot come to the party, make sure to get your ice-creams during your lunch break!
(September 23-27)
15 Books Banned for the Most Absurd Reasons Ever
The 100 Most Frequently Banned Books 1990-2000
Books Challenged or Banned 2012-2013
Banning Books in the 21st Century
Did you know that studies show that children and teens who read during the summer are better prepared for school in the fall? Also, reading for fun results in significant gains in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
The library is also organizing a summer reading program called Summer Reading Fun. The purpose of this activity is to encourage recreational reading over the summer. Students will keep a reading log (AISZ SummerReading Fun Log) in which they will write down the titles of the books they’ve read. Students that read ten or more books during summer will be invited to an ice-cream party in September! This is open to all students.
Young students can do this activity with their parents. Books do not have to be in English .
" POSTCARDS TO LIBRARY"
We always want to hear about your reading adventures so we ask you to send postcards to the library all summer long. Send a postcard to the library from where you are, with info about what you have been reading. And when school starts, all the postcards will be displayed on a bulletin board in the library for everyone to see cool summer readings. Address it to: The American International School of Zagreb
Mrs. Grubac/ Library
Vocarska 106
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Watch a cool ES BOTB 2013 video!
The battle is on! Students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 have an opportunity to participate in the annual Battle of the Books competition. This is a great way to encourage students to read and share the enthusiasm for books. They need to form teams composed of 3 or 4 players and start reading books.
Since they will be competing in teams, they can choose to read all books individually or share the books among the team members. Every time a student reads a book they need to submit a question. The students will be using the buzzers for the competition which is very exciting for them. The competition will be held in the MPR on May 6th.
MIDDLE SCHOOL BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
The Middle School students battled on March 19th! Check out the photos:
On April 11 and 12, the PTA and AISZ hosted DAVID GREENBERG!!!
David has presented Poetry sessions to our younger students, a Civil Rights one to our older students and has done a Writing session with HS. The teachers have enjoyed his session on Writing and everyone was invited for a Family Writing Evening that was filled with loads of fun for children and adults. On top of that, David was so kind to spend the whole Friday visiting classrooms, talking to students, signing books......He was AMAZING!
Check out the photos :):
David's Presentations
Session for Elementary Students:
Poetry Assemblies: Filled with dozens of dazzling illustrations from Greenberg's books, these assemblies are fun, funny, and inspirational. Not only do children laugh, chant refrains, and taps along with the beat, but teachers and parents do as well. Kids leave saying, "I want to be a writer when I grow up!" Greenberg dynamically and expressively performs his rollicking poems for kids (click on book covers to see reviews). His poems are filled with alliteration, acrobatic meter patterns, and snazzy rhymes. Students are so captivated by the joy of Greenberg's performances they leave his assembly quoting their favorite lines. The assembly is, in essence, standards based academics wrapped within memorable entertainment. Greenberg weaves explanations of the various elements that activate good writing into his performance. He discusses the fierce perseverance necessary to succeed and emphasizes the key importance of the writing process.
Session for Middle and High School Students:
Civil Rights Assemblies: This assembly grips the listener. It inspires us to be our best. It is filled with basic American history. It deals with our challenges as a nation and what has made us great. Based upon his novel, A Tugging String, Greenberg discusses the racial attitudes in the United States at the end of the Civil War, and how deep prejudice against blacks still persisted. He talks about the rights denied to blacks, emphasizing that although blacks technically had the right to vote, they were quite often denied it in practice, and thus denied a voice in our political process. He talks about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery to call attention to this injustice, and the response of the racist governor of Alabama, George Wallace. He discusses how King (helped by Greenberg's father) used the courts to peacefully overcome the forces arrayed against them, bringing about the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ultimately, he shows how this has helped to make America a far better place. Greenberg draws the connection between the institutionalized bullying of the racists and the bullying that persists today.
Writing Workshop for Grades 9 and 10
David Greenberg has lectured around the world on writing instruction. Based upon lessons he's developed, workshops are intensive, personalized writing sessions that exude a spirit of love for language. Based upon unique, highly motivational lessons, students write impressive, thoughtful work.
Teacher Session - Thursday - 15:15 – MPR
Teacher In-services: Based upon the writing workshops Greenberg has conducted internationally, these sessions are refreshingly fun in tone, yet absolutely practical in content. They provide teachers with numerous, unique and compelling writing lessons that they can implement in their classes immediately.
Family session -Thursday Night - 18:30
Family Evening Presentations: Loads of fun, the purpose of Family Writing Night is to bring kids and parents together in an important educational activity. Greenberg starts the evening session by reading several of his poems. Next, he demonstrates a writing activity at the projector, and family groups collaboratively try their hand at the same sort of writing (which always has some sort of family theme). Kids clamor to take completed work home as a memento.