Stanwood Middle School Library Newsletter
Stanwood Middle School Library Newsletter
February 2024 in the SMS Library
February 2024 in the SMS Library
Ms. Byrum & Mrs. Palmer
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SMS Students: Your school has been chosen to take part in a national poetry contest!!
SMS Students: Your school has been chosen to take part in a national poetry contest!!
Join us in showcasing student poetry in the 30th edition of the
Join us in showcasing student poetry in the 30th edition of the
YOUNG AMERICAN POETRY DIGEST
YOUNG AMERICAN POETRY DIGEST
We want kids excited about writing! Although all forms of poetry are encouraged, we highlight "haiku" poetry! A panel of educators will review the poetry submitted and select poems to be published that they feel are well written based on the child's age and grade! See below for poetry guidelines or stop by the SMS Library to ask your librarian for details! The ten schools submitting the most poems accepted for publication will receive a $100 award! For ALL GRADES K-12. Poems will be judged based on overall quality of the poem in light of the student's age and grade level. Criteria: Creativity, Age-appropriate language, Structure, Sensory/Figurative images, and Poetic techniques.
DEADLINE to Submit: March 15, 2024
Students: Want to have your poetry published in a book? Submit a poem to the national poetry contest for the Young American Poetry Digest! Details here → ➡
Poetry Submission Requirements:
We feature haiku poetry but all forms of poetry are welcome
Poems must be 80 words or less
Handwritten or typed
Unlimited submissions from each teacher/school
Multiple submissions per student are allowed but please limit to one page of poetry
Submit poetry online at: YoungPoets.org,, or mail to:
Expressive Education
P.O. Box 189
Horseshoe Bend, ID 83629
Visit the website: www.youngpoets.org
Haiku is a three-line poem that follows a 5-7-5 syllable format: Example below:
Haiku by Jessica Barnes, Age 6
Looking at the waves
Dolphins play in blue waters
Sandy, peaceful beach
28th Annual National Student Poetry Contest
28th Annual National Student Poetry Contest
The America Library of Poetry
The America Library of Poetry
$500 Grade Prize and many other prizes will be awarded!
$500 Grade Prize and many other prizes will be awarded!
Details below:
Official Rules the the 28th Annual National Student Poetry Contest:
Poem must be no more than 20 lines! (any subject)
Any style except concrete & blackout provided the content is school appropriate.
Scan the QR code and click “enter contest online”
Entries must be made online or mailed by April 30, 2024.
Visit the Website: www.libraryofpoetry.com
See Ms. Byrum in the SHS Library for more details! Visit the website for full details on guidelines.
Relax with a good book!
Relax with a good book!
Don't for about the
BOOKMARK CONTEST
Reminder: Stanwood Middle School Students: We are having a bookmark contest. Prizes will be awarded!
The theme is: “Kindness.”
Bookmarks judged on originality, design, and reproducibility. Stop by the SMS Library to get pick up a bookmark template!
Deadline to enter is March 31, 2024.
Warm up to a good book!
Important Literacy Dates in February
4 – Take Your Child to the Library Day
5-11 – Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
7 – Charles Dickens’s birthday
12 – Judy Blume’s birthday
14 – International Book Giving Day
14 – Library Lover’s Day
19-25 – Freedom to Read Week in Canada
26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day
In February, let's celebrate the books we love!
February 7th – Safer Internet Day – Teach and review internet safety.
February 17th – Random Acts of Kindness Day – Books about friendship and kindness are a great fit.
February 26th – Tell a Fairy Tale Day – Bring out all the fairy tales!
All About Love – Display any books about family and friendship (or for older students, relationships!)
International Book Giving Day, celebrated every year on February 14, is a day to do exactly what the day says — give books.
This special holiday is celebrated by book lovers all over the world. It is a day to share your love of books with someone — especially children — who might not have access to as many books as you do. It’s not a coincidence that International Book Giving Day falls on the same day as Valentine’s Day — it is a day of love after all. International Book Giving Day is about two things — a love of books and a love for fellow human beings.
National Read In The Bathtub Day is a yearly observance on February 9. Reading a book in a warm bath guarantees a calm feeling of relief as the literature therapeutically works its magic. You don’t have to worry about what noises are out there or any disturbances while you’re in the bath. You just get to focus on what you’re reading for as long as you want. The relaxation and scented bath would grant you an unforgettable experience!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
JOHN STEINBECK
John Steinbeck (born February 27, 1902, Salinas, California, U.S.—died December 20, 1968, New York, New York) American novelist, best known for The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which summed up the bitterness of the Great Depression decade and aroused widespread sympathy for the plight of migratory farmworkers. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1962.
What are the Sasquatch Awards?
What are the Sasquatch Awards?
The Sasquatch Awards are novels for grades 4-6, open nominations, committee selected, student voted. Twelve great books are nominees. But only one will win. Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders can participate in the voting process by reading at least two of the nominees. The nominations for 2024-25 are now closed. The selection criteria includes the following considerations: Reading enjoyment, reading level, interest level, Genre representation, racial diversity, gender representation, diversity of social, political, economic, or religious viewpoints, Washington State interest, effectiveness of expression, and imagination.
2024 Sasquatch Award Nominees!
The Winner for 2023 is:
TWINS, BY VARIAN JOHNSON AND SHANNON WRIGHT
Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran -- a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?
Varian Johnson is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Parker Inheritance, which won both Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awards; The Great Greene Heist, an ALA Notable Children’s book and Kirkus Reviews Best Book; and the graphic novel Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright, an NPR Best Book.
Varian was born in Florence, South Carolina, and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BS in Civil Engineering. He later received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is honored to now be a member of the faculty. Varian lives outside of Austin, TX with his family.
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