Stanwood Middle School Library Newsletter
Stanwood Middle School Library Newsletter
March 2024 in the SMS Library
March 2024 in the SMS Library
Ms. Byrum & Mrs. Palmer
Embedded Files
Library Hours:
Monday: Open all day (7:20 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.) Mrs. Palmer
Tuesday: Open from 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. for book checkout and returns & lunch activities
Wednesday: alternating Wednesday's - Open all day (7:20 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.) * see note below
On the alternate Wednesday 's- 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Thursday: Open all day (7:20 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.) Mrs. Palmer
Friday: Open all day (7:20 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.) Ms. Byrum, Librarian
* Library is open full days on the following Wednesday's at SMS: March 6, & 20; April 3 & 17; May 1, 15, & 29; June 12
Free time activities in the library at lunch: Chess, puzzles, Uno card game, Battleship (plus other board games), coloring pages. Open during both lunches. No food or drink in the SMS Library.
March Literacy Calendar - 2023
March is National Reading Month
also: Small Press Month
1 – International Hug a Librarian Day
2 – World Book Day in the UK & Ireland
5-11 – Read an E-book Week
5-11 – Return Borrowed Books Week
16 – Freedom of Information Day
21 – World Poetry Day
26 – Robert Frost’s birthday
30 – Pencil Day
In March, let's celebrate
In March, let's celebrate
READ ACROSS AMERICA!
READ ACROSS AMERICA!
March 2nd is Read Across America Day, a day to celebrate our favorite activity. The day was established by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 to help get kids excited about reading. On National Read Across America Day, students, teachers, parents, and community members around the nation come together to read books and celebrate the joy of reading — join us!
Traditions of the Day: His stories are typically read on this day to celebrate the joys of reading and encourage a habit of lifelong reading. Often, reading parties are hosted at homes, schools, and libraries!
March 2nd celebrates the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and the National Education Association to endorse the importance of reading. A lesser-known fact about Dr. Seuss is that he created the word nerd. The first documented use of the word was in the 1950 book he wrote titled If I Ran the Zoo, about a boy named Gerald McGrew who visits a zoo and ponders what it would be like if he ran it. So in a way, Dr. Seuss is partly responsible for nerd culture.
Check out Recently added books, popular titles and eBooks in the SMS Collection on our Destiny Discover Catalog!
Check out Recently added books, popular titles and eBooks in the SMS Collection on our Destiny Discover Catalog!
Destiny Discover Catalog: type in your search terms and get started!
Check out our eBooks!
How credible is that information? Click on the article to find out!
Google or Gale? Choose the right source for the right type of information.
Where to find reliable sources?
Where to find reliable sources?
Choose the right source for the right type of information. Go to the Research Toolkit website for more information.
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.
March 5-11 - “Return Borrowed Books Week” is observed yearly in the first week of March, a holiday to encourage people in overdue possession of library books to return them.
Freedom of Information (FOI) Day is an annual event on or near March 16, the birthday of James Madison, who is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and the foremost advocate for openness in government. Each year, the James Madison Award and the Eileen Cooke State & Local Madison Award are presented by ALA on Freedom of Information Day to recognize those individuals or groups that have championed, protected, and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know.
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.
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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