What's New @ the Library
Sapphire Library Welcomes High School Authors!!
On February 10th, the library and computer lab were buzzing with stories as 10th grade students from Megan Rivelli’s Honors ELA classes visited Sapphire to share the picture books they had written with some of our first graders. The high schoolers had clearly worked very hard on their books and did a great job sharing them with our students. Sapphire kiddos were super impressed with the stories and left the experience inspired to make books of their own. Way to go authors!
And the winner is....Farmhouse!
Every January the American Library Association (ALA) holds the Youth Media Awards to celebrate children’s book authors and illustrators. One award given is called the Caldecott Medal, and this medal is awarded to the “most distinguished American picture book for children.” In honor of this award, each year, the students at Sapphire Elementary spend several weeks engaged in our own Caldecott Medal competition. The children read, evaluate and discuss several picture books that are in the running for the Caldecott Medal, and then they vote on the book they think should win. This book is awarded the special “Sapphire Elementary Mock Caldecott Medal” which the book will then proudly display in our library. It’s always an exciting time in the library and the kids get very passionate about the book they think should win.
The three books Sapphire students considered for this year’s Mock Caldecott were:
Knight Owl – written and illustrated by Christopher Denise
Nigel and the Moon – written by Antwan Eady, Illustrated by Gracey Zhang
Farmhouse – written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall
November 2021
A busy library is a happy place, and this year the Sapphire Library is back to being super busy and super happy! We are loving seeing our kiddos smiling , laughing, reading, building together and enjoying all the wonderful things the library has to offer and thought you might enjoy seeing them too!
September 2021
Welcome back friends! It is so good to have our school filled with your beautiful faces again! We're getting ready to welcome you all back to the library to begin checking out books beginning the week of September 13th. Over the next two weeks, all Sapphire students will get their library card and take home their first library book. Woohoo! Library books can be kept for up to two weeks, but students are welcomed and encouraged to bring their books back sooner if they are finished enjoying them. Students can come to the library every day to exchange their library books! We hope families will be on the lookout for these library books and will enjoy sharing these books with their children. Happy reading!
September 2020
Welcome back to the library friends! Boy have I missed you all! This year might be starting off a differently than past years, but one thing that is not changing is the fun we are going to have in the library this year! I hope you are ready for a great year of reading, learning, sharing, laughing and dancing. We have a lot of great new books I can't wait to share with you when you join me for your library special. Mrs. Baisley and I are looking forward to welcoming you back to borrow books from the library soon too. It's going to be an exciting year!
September 2019
Exciting news...our students will begin bringing books home from the library this week! The kids are anxious to check out books from our awesome collection and we are excited about our library being busy again with happy, smiling readers! Students can check out one library book at a time and are able to keep their book for up to two weeks. However, they are certainly welcome to return their book sooner if they are done enjoying it. Children are welcome to come to the library and exchange their library book for a new one every day if they would like. That being said, each teacher has their own policy for how and when they have their students come to the library to exchange books. The only rule we have is that a student must return the library book they have before they are allowed to check out another book.
Tips for taking care of library books:
Please create a special place in your home to keep our library books safe from toddlers and family pets.
Please keep food and drinks away from library books. Sticky fingers and spills can make pages dirty and cause permanent damage.
Please encourage your child to use a bookmark to keep their place instead of folding down a page corner.
Encourage them to return their books on time -- it's always fun to get a new book!
Most of all, I hope that you will enjoy reading and exploring these books with your child!
Happy reading!
Fall 2018
What's new at the library is the library itself. We were lucky enough to have an opportunity to remodel our library and as a result, our new "Library Media Center" is bright and exciting and super kid-friendly. The best part is the kids are absolutely loving their new library and are finding it easier than ever to find and enjoy books that are just right for them all on their own. If you haven't had a chance to see our new space, I encourage you to stop by during our upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences and check it out! In the meantime, here's a glimpse at our before and after:
October 2017
Happy October! The children are well into the swing of things in the library and have been just amazing. They are checking out books like crazy and enjoying lots of wonderful stories during library class. They are especially loving the Pigeon and Elephant & Piggie stories by Mo Willems -- we can’t keep them on the shelves! We have spent most of the month focusing on the important jobs the author and illustrator do in creating the books the children love to read. Kindergarteners put their imaginations to work thinking about the story they want to write and even became illustrators, learning to draw the Pigeon just like Mo. First graders actually became the author and illustrator of their own little books inspired by “The Library Mouse” and did a terrific job telling stories that had never before been told. The childrens’ work is hanging up in the library hallway...if you’re in the building stop by and take a peek!
September 2017
Welcome Back! We are looking forward to another exciting year at the Sapphire Elementary Library! Your children have begun visiting the library for library classes (or library orientation) and library books will be coming home soon. First graders will get their library cards and begin checking out books by September 20th. Kindergarteners will get their library cards the following week, and all the children should be bringing books home by September 29th. The kids have been learning about how to take good care of library books and are excited about choosing their own books! Please look for their library books in their backpacks and I hope you enjoy sharing them with your child. Happy reading!
November 2016
Happy Fall! The children have been checking out books like crazy…they checked out more than 2,000 books in the month of October alone! Hopefully you have seen library books coming home with your child and have been enjoying reading them together!
Our students have been busy in the library learning a lot about the people who make our books…the author and the illustrator. Kindergarteners learned that they all have stories to tell and even learned to draw one of their favorite character, the Pigeon, just like Mo Willems. They are now acting as the judges in our annual Sapphire Elementary Mock-Caldecott Awards, deciding which recently published book has the best pictures. The books in the running are shown below. Stay tuned for the results after Thanksgiving!
First graders had a chance to be authors and illustrators of their very own “mouse-sized books” left for them by the Library Mouse. They did an amazing job with their books and they are now on display in our library hallway. If you get a chance, stop by and check them out!
As always, it is a pleasure to have your children in the library! We are looking forward to more wonderful stories and tons of library fun!