Grades 3-5 have rotating "I'm Done" activities, including Lego block building. We had so many exciting creations, we had to set up a Lego "Hall of Fame" to capture all the creative energy!

We've been talking about great books that were made into movies and which is better to see first. Everyone is excited about the Dog Man movie, set to hit theaters at the end of January!

The holiday book collection was loved by all and included lots of new titles for this year! 3rd Grade's paper thankful chain was added to the decor.

These two words say it all: READ and DREAM. We've been busy in the library prepping for the new school year. Updates include a NEW FLOOR and new rugs to make our cozy corners even cozier, brand new book series, expanded graphic novel section, an updated easy reader nook with new titles AND improved signage throughout to make our lovely little library even better! 

Keep those suggestions coming at: noellemorgan@hpcsd.org or students may drop a note in the handy dandy library suggestion box.

For Fall we have focused on books and activities that remind us of what we are grateful for. 4th grade completed a collaborative thankful quilt that accompanied a reading of Last Stop on Market Street written by Matt de la Pena. Each student created their own square highlighting what they are grateful for.

2nd grade had lots of fun creating holiday plates featuring their favorite foods as we read books about different holiday traditions and meals.

Everyone has enjoyed contributing to our latest display for winter with notes about "What brings you joy?"

In the last quarter, all grades focus on nonfiction and research in library. First Grade is learning about pets! After reading about different types of pets and taking notes from nonfiction books, First Graders will adopt their very own pet rock! We'll also make a "pet pocket" for all of our research.

Who's ready for school? I'm excited to meet our new students here in the library. These first weeks in library are all about organization, book care and, of course, really great read alouds.

Do you have a favorite? This year we will have a suggestion box in the library. Believe it or not, there are already a few student suggestions that have been submitted. Book requests, ideas for new apps, any and all thoughts can be placed in the library suggestion box or emailed to: noellemorgan@hpcsd.org

Here are just a few of the books we're reading in the library these first days back. Not pictured here is the The Book with no Pictures by B.J. Novak which 2nd grade is thoroughly enjoying!

Would you believe the library suggestion box is already jam packed with ideas from our students? The suggestion box will be in the library all year and suggestions can be completely anonymous!

Everyone is already loving the punchy new read aloud rug and the way it brightens up the library! Students use the rug for story time and after check out when they read their books. Sometimes we pretend we're sitting on floats in a pool!

It's been so fun to see faculty and staff's favorite books from when they were kids. The display has given our young readers new ideas for books and gets everyone just a little more excited about reading! Be sure to check out our teacher favorites in the hall by the library.

Second grade enjoyed designing bridges at the Lego station after a reading of Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty. We practiced predicting what would happen in the story and reviewed famous bridges around the US. Others enjoyed designing a bridge with a ruler, pencils and crayons.

That's right, no shelf marker required! Students can find their favorite fiction and nonfiction books about topics like cats, dogs, and holidays. Just added: Superheroes!

The bean bags finally arrived and everyone is enjoying the new cozy corners. The cozy corners serve as quiet nooks that are perfect for relaxing and reading a new book.

In addition to ordering recent winners of the Coretta Scott King and Pura Belpre book awards, we have increased books overall that feature diverse characters and/or are written by diverse authors. This month, and all year, we celebrate Black history and culture. Students are encouraged to check out books from the display. For more information about diverse books and for book lists, visit WNDB (We Need Diverse Books): https://diversebooks.org/

And then there were two. It was a close competition between Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Smile series. Very close. But in the end, the winner is the very popular Smile series by Raina Telgemeier. This series is so popular, we just can't keep the books on our shelves. So...we will be ordering new sets of the Smile series (including Sisters and Guts) for our library. We also had 75 entries in our March Madness reading challenge. We are so proud of our North Park students who read two books for this challenge. Well done!!