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Get Loud for Libraries! 📣 Celebrate Canadian Library Month in Our E-Library
Get Loud for Libraries! 📣 Celebrate Canadian Library Month in Our E-Library
Welcome to October, which marks the start of Canadian Library Month! This year’s national theme is "Loud for Libraries / Haut et fort pour les bibliothèques," and we are celebrating by highlighting the incredible digital world available right at your fingertips through our school's e-library platform.
Whether you are working on a research project, looking for a graphic novel, or trying to find your next favorite audiobook, our virtual shelves are open 24/7. Here is what is happening this month in our digital library.
📱 Dive Into Our Digital Collections
Skip the waitlists and explore thousands of digital titles. You can download our main reading app onto your phone, tablet, or school Chromebook to instantly access ebooks, audiobooks, and read-alongs perfect for middle school readers.
🔍 Research Databases for Class Projects
Don't rely on a basic web search for your upcoming assignments. Our e-library gives you free access to verified, student-friendly databases where you can find encyclopedias, magazine articles, and multimedia resources.
🗓️ Important Dates to Celebrate
Mark your calendars for these special events happening across the country this month:
• October 1–31: Canadian Library Month. Take some time to share what you love most about libraries.
• October 26: Canadian School Library Day. Celebrated on the fourth Monday of October, this day specifically honors the role that school libraries play in helping students learn, grow, and discover. Keep an eye on our digital app for a special one-day reading challenge!
💡 Librarian's E-Library Tip of the Month
Did you know you can customize your reading experience? Inside our reading app, you can change the text size, switch to a dark mode for night reading, or select the OpenDyslexic font to make the text easier to read. Explore the "Appearance" settings on your next checkout to find your perfect setup.
If you have any questions about accessing your account, resetting a password, or finding a specific title, please reach out via email or visit the library during your lunch break.
Special Seasonal & Community Events
• Medieval Week (Ending Oct 3): APL wraps up its popular Medieval Week immersive adventure on Saturday, October 3. Stop by to see Calgary's armoured combat society (The Silver Gryphons) trade the arena for the library, showcasing full-contact steel combat, leather crafting, and medieval dancing.
• Pumpkin Palooza + Tiny Ravers Dance Party (Oct 23): Bringing high-energy family fun to the library on Friday, October 23, from 5:30 PM onward. It features seasonal pumpkin themes paired with a lively dance party designed for young kids.
• Croptoberfest (Oct 14): A full-day social crafting and scrapbooking crop event running from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Early Literacy & Children's Programs
• Drop-In Rhymes & Songs: Meeting every Tuesday and Wednesday morning (including October 6, 7, 13, and 14) from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM in the Children's Area. This 30-minute drop-in program focuses on music, movement, and flannel board stories tailored for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers up to age 5.
💻 Technology & Leadership Programs
• Inspire NextGen STEM Leaders (Ages 12–17): This recurring Saturday program gives youth hands-on experience in coding, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital art. Alongside building technical skills, participants develop teamwork and leadership capabilities.
• October Dates: October 3, 17, 24, and 31.
• Locations: Rotates between Program Room 5 and the FortisAlberta Program Room 2.
• Create Space Explore Day (All Ages): Happening on Friday, October 30, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM in Rotary Create Space 3. Middle schoolers can drop in for a curiosity-driven session to experiment with cutting-edge library tech and hands-on creative gear.
📚 Book Clubs & Creative Opportunities
• Homeschooled Teens Book Club (Ages 13–18): Meeting on Thursday, October 8, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM in the Starry Skies room. The reading theme for October is Mysteries. Middle schoolers can drop in to chat about their favorite mysterious reads while enjoying snacks with friends.
• Kid Librarians Initiative (Ages 12 and under): To celebrate Canadian Library Month, APL is selecting two book-loving youth to design their own eye-catching book recommendation displays in the library. Applications must be submitted by Monday, October 5.
🛡️ Hands-on History & Gaming
• Medieval Crafting for Teens: On Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM in the Qualico Communities Create Space, youth can kick off October by learning basic traditional leatherworking techniques to build their own custom crest.
• Drop-in LEGO Club (Ages 5–12): Held on Saturdays (such as October 3) from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. A perfect weekend hangout spot for younger middle schoolers to tackle weekly building challenges.
🍁 Level Up Your Kitchen Skills for National Cookbook Month!
🍁 Level Up Your Kitchen Skills for National Cookbook Month!
Did you know that October is National Cookbook Month? You don't need a physical kitchen to start exploring—our school’s e-Library is packed with digital cookbooks perfect for student chefs! Whether you want to master a classic Canadian treat, learn the science behind baking, or find the ultimate after-school snack, your next favorite recipe is just a click away.
Log into our e-Library platform today and search "Cookbooks" to browse our collection of e-books. Find a recipe, grab an adult to help, and cook up something delicious this month!
Here’s how you can participate:
Share photos or videos of your favourite Canadian cookbooks!
Host a National Cookbook Month event in your area and post about it online!
Cook a recipe from your favourite Canadian cookbook!
Write about your favourite Canadian cookbooks!
Take a photo of your Canadian cookbook collection!
👻 Unlocking the Creepy Chronicles: Spooky E-Books Available Now!
👻 Unlocking the Creepy Chronicles: Spooky E-Books Available Now!
Looking for a thrill that will make your spine tingle? Skip the library lines this spooky season and dive straight into our school's e-library! Whether you love a good psychological scare or an atmospheric ghost story, we have the perfect digital download to keep you reading past your bedtime.
Grab your tablet, dim the lights, and check out these bone-chilling titles available instantly on our digital lending platform:
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman: A dark and twisted classic about a girl who discovers a hidden door to a parallel world. Everything seems better there—until her "Other Mother" wants to sew buttons over her eyes!
• All These Bodies by Kendare Blake: During the summer of 1958 there is a gruesome string of Midwest murders where the victims are found completely drained of blood. When a 15-year-old girl is found covered in blood at the latest crime scene, she agrees to confess—but only to Michael Jensen, the local sheriff's son and an aspiring journalist.
• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson: Follows true-crime aficionado Stevie Bell as she begins her first year at the prestigious, remote Ellingham Academy, determined to solve the school’s famous, decades-old kidnapping cold case. However, her historical investigation quickly becomes an active one when the mysterious killer returns to the campus and a classmate is found dead.
• Just Beyond - The Scare School by R.L. Stine: Middle school students Jess, Josh, and Marco encounter a terrifying, cyborg creature hiding in an empty classroom. This shocking discovery whisks them away to a nightmarish, alternate reality school hidden just beyond the boiler room, where they must figure out a way to rescue trapped children and escape back to their own world.
📱 Ready to Read?
Log in with your student credentials to SORA to start reading on your device right away. Don't forget—you can find even more frights by filtering your search by the "Horror" or "Ghost Stories" genres!
Meet Sora: Your NEW Free 24/7 Digital Library! 📱🎧
Meet Sora: Your NEW Free 24/7 Digital Library! 📱🎧
Ready to read what you want, when you want? Meet Sora, our school’s NEW digital reading app. With Sora, you can borrow thousands of amazing eBooks and audiobooks for free on your school Chromebook, phone, or tablet.
No late fees, no lost books, and no trips to the library required!
🚀 How to Get Started in 3 Easy Steps
Download or Open the App
On a school Chromebook: Click the Sora icon in your app launcher or go to soraapp.com.
On your phone or tablet: Download the free Sora app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Find Our School: Open the app and click "Find my school."
Search for Rocky View Schools.
Log In and Explore! Click "Sign In."
Use your standard school login credentials (the same username and password you use to log into your school computer or Google account).
🔥 Cool Features You’ll Love
Audiobooks for on-the-go: Put on your headphones and listen to a great book while walking to school, doing chores, or relaxing.
Customize your screen: Change the background color, text size, and even switch to a font designed specifically to help readers with dyslexia.
Earn badges: Track your reading streaks, unlock achievements, and see your personal reading stats.
Keep your place: Sora automatically remembers exactly where you stopped reading or listening, even if you switch from your Chromebook to your phone.
💡 Pro-Tip: Add Your Public Library!
Want even more books? You can connect your local public library account right inside Sora. Tap the menu icon, select "Add a public library," and search for Airdrie Public Library. Now you can search both collections at the exact same time! Happy reading!
If you get stuck or need your login information reset, email Mrs.Frey at kfrey@rockyview.ab.ca
Sora Recommended E-Book of the Week
Sora Recommended E-Book of the Week
The Box in the Woods
by Maureen Johnson
Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she’s back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer.
But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines, formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls—the site of the notorious unsolved case, the Box in the Woods Murders. Back in 1978, four camp counselors were killed in the woods outside of the town of Barlow Corners, their bodies left in a gruesome display. The new owner offers Stevie an invitation: Come to the camp and help him work on a true crime podcast about the case.
Stevie agrees, as long as she can bring along her friends from Ellingham Academy. Nothing sounds better than a summer spent together, investigating old murders.
But something evil still lurks in Barlow Corners. When Stevie opens the lid on this long-dormant case, she gets much more than she bargained for. The Box in the Woods will make room for more victims. This time, Stevie may not make it out alive.
Interest Level: Young Adult
Marigold Library Card Permission Forms
Marigold Library Card Permission Forms
With Marigold, you will have access to more than 25 excellent resources ranging in content from eBook and eAudiobooks, to study and test prep resources, research portals, language learning courses, and more.
Students in grades 1-7 need a permission form to access Marigold resources. To receive your Marigold login, please fill out this permission form and send it to kfreyrockyview.ab.ca
Marigold: Book of the Week
Marigold: Book of the Week
The Jumbies
By Tracey Baptiste
The start of an exciting series filled with Caribbean folklore and daring adventure.
Corinne La Mer claims she isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They’re just tricksters made up by parents to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest, and shining yellow eyes follow her to the edge of the trees. They couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?
When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger at the market the very next day, she knows something extraordinary is about to happen. When this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, danger is in the air. Severine plans to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn’t know she possessed to stop Severine and to save her island home.
Grades 4-8
(Taken from Marigold)
Featured Marigold Resource
Featured Marigold Resource
Readers' advisory resource with relevant book lists and read-alikes so you can find your next favourite book.
What is "Readers' Advisory"?
Readers' advisory is about recommending and researching books for someone. You may be doing readers' advisory without even knowing it! Part of a librarians, or Learning Commons Facilitators, job is bringing people and books/resources together. Sometimes we need something to help us and NoveList is a wonderful resource to help. NoveList uses book lists and read-alikes to help you find something that you will like.
Contact
Hello!
My name is Mrs. Frey and I am the new Learning Commons Facilitator for Discovery Trails Online School.
If you would like to schedule an appointment with me, request a book or provide feedback my email is kfrey@rvschools.ab.ca
Thank you!
"Libraries were full of ideas—perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons" - Sarah J. Maas
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