Friday Family and Friends Library Nights with Ms. J! 

Friday Family & Friends Library Nights are my happy place. Family literacy is one of my greatest passions. Why? Because when grownups and children read together, they build a lifelong love of reading. The school library is honored to support this precious family literacy time at home. In these moments, our students become lifelong learners and communicators, sharing stories, asking questions, and building understanding with the people they love.

But here are the facts:
For 6 weeks this fall, OWN families and friends joined in the library to embark on library improvement projects and children enjoyed extra opportunities to shop for books, make crafts and meet new friends across all age groups. The evening program will be on pause until March 1, but daytime and occasional evening opportunities will be available before then. Please email the librarian at jhinds@owncs.org or stay tuned for Bloomz announcements. And mark your calendars for the next March 6 family volunteer night!

Here's more about it:
Children and parents work together on fun library improvement projects, like a Book Return Box monster! We grow our community garden, and reorganize our art closet. Kids recommend books to each other, and the librarian and local library graduate students also chime in with ideas. “Have you read all the Dragon Masters series books yet?” “What’s your favorite, Junie B. Jones or Ivy and Bean?” The conversations and laughter flow as we barcode and label books, alphabetize bookshelves and box up old books to donate to our Little Free Library downstairs. In these collaborative moments, students become principled contributors—taking responsibility for shared spaces—and caring community members who look out for others by donating books and improving our shared environment.

Our hands are busy and we're all united in a shared purpose—improving the library. This shared purpose nurtures the balanced learner, engaging both heart and mind, while also encouraging students to be open-minded as they listen to diverse book recommendations and perspectives. The children who come to Library Nights tend to participate more robustly in Library class because they have built a relationship with the librarian with the support of their parents. The parents also reach out with more ease—we all become friends through working side-by-side. Books bring us together.

There is a feeling of boundless joy in this room with thousands of books. Libraries are the heart of a community, a meeting place, a way to connect. Here, our learners become inquirers, exploring stories and ideas with curiosity; thinkers, as they problem-solve real library tasks; and risk-takers, as they try new books, new projects, and new friendships.

Can't wait for what's to come! Thank you, Ms. J for all that you do at OWNCS!