LITERATI BOOK FAIR

This year we decided to partner with a new book fair vendor called "Literati Book Fairs," and it turned out to be a wonderful success. We want to express our sincere gratitude to all the dedicated parents who volunteered their time and effort to make this event such a great book fair.

We raised over $3000 in book rewards! Every single dollar will be allocated toward purchasing new books for our library. Some funds have already been used this year to buy new releases, and the remaining amount will be set aside for next year's additions. 

I am excited to announce that our next book fair with Literati is scheduled for February 2024, with another great selection of books.

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

We had a incredible and touching experience celebrating Dia de los Muertos this year. Our ofrenda, set up on the story steps by some amazing parent volunteers, was absolutely gorgeous. It was a stunning display that captured the essence of this beautiful tradition. I hope that this was just the beginning of a new school tradition here at Short. The outpouring of appreciation and engagement from the community, even if they weren't personally familiar with this tradition, was incredible. We look forward to creating more memorable ofrendas in the years to come, honoring and celebrating our loved ones.

AUTHOR VISITS

We had the pleasure of hosting two wonderful author visits in collaboration with our local independent bookstore, The Village Well, in Culver City. It was an enriching experience for our students. I heard many kids say, "I can't believe we are meeting a REAL author!". 

Aisling Fowler, the author of the captivating middle-grade fantasy novel "Fireborn," engaged our 3rd to 5th graders. She shared insights into her writing process, read excerpts from her book, and led a fun creative activity where each child had the opportunity to create and draw their own monster.

Gela Kalaitzidis, the author of the charming and funny picture book "Ozzie and Prince Zebedee," delighted our TK to 2nd graders. She read her book and provided insights into the process of writing and illustrating a picture book.

We extend our gratitude to The Village Well for their support and to Aisling Fowler and Gela Kalaitzidis for sharing their time and talent with us.

Stay tuned for more exciting author events in the future!

"QUIET" RECESS IN THE LIBRARY

Many kids enjoyed coming to the library during their recess for "quiet recess" this year, although often it wasn't so quiet at all. During "quiet recess," students had the chance to explore books individually or with friends. They also enjoyed playing board games, unleashing their creativity by building cool structures with brain flakes and magna tiles, expressing themselves through drawing and coloring, practicing their origami skills, making zines, lending a helping hand in shelving books and dusting, and sometimes just  taking some much-needed rest.

The popularity of "quiet recess" sometimes led to busy days where we had to create a waitlist to ensure everyone had a chance to participate. I look forward to continuing to provide a vibrant and welcoming space for recess.

ZINE CLUB #1

Our first ever Zine Club, an after-school program led by yours truly, was so much fun! Zines (pronounced zeens), which are DIY publications resembling small handmade books or self-published magazines, took center stage.

The beauty of zines lies in their limitless possibilities for self-expression and creativity. With no set rules, we dove into making zines of all shapes, sizes, and topics. And we made lots and lots of them. We even ventured into uncharted territory by colllaborating and producing our very own school newspaper zine, Shorts! We learned how much work it takes to create a newspaper, and hope we can do more of these next year.

To culminate our Zine Club, we hosted a mini zinefest. This special event allowed the kids to trade their unique creations with one another, fostering a sense of community and expanding their personal zine collections.

I am hoping Zine Club will return in Spring 2023, and will be open to 2nd - 5th graders. Keep an eye out for more details as we embark on another creative journey together!

2023 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Three new summer reading book recommendation "magazines" were created this year. Check them out! They take a lot of work to create, so I really hope you all will use them. Feel free to bring these magazines along to your local public library or bookstore. They can be handy guides to help you find engaging books that will captivate young readers. Remember, the key to fostering a love of reading is to empower kids with choice. Encourage them to explore various genres and formats, whether it's wordless books, picture books, graphic novels, audiobooks, magazines, nonfiction, or chapter books – every reading experience matters. 

VOLUNTEERS

I want to thank everyone that came to help volunteer this year, especially during the book fair and with the arrival of all of those new books. I am truly grateful for all your help. Please consider volunteering next year too :) 

5TH GRADE CULMINATION

On a personal note, my oldest child, culminated this year. She has been here since Kinder and it has been a joy seeing her and her classmates grow up in this community. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to become our librarian in 2019 when she was finishing up 1st grade. I got to follow her grade and help them along on their reading journey from books like Elephant and Piggie, through Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, to such a wide array of books in so many genres in just a few years. I will be (and am already) quite emotional to see these kids I've known since Kinder graduate. I wish them all good luck in their next big adventure in middle school. 

I hope many of them will keep their love of books and reading and come to visit sometimes! I miss them already. 

WISHLIST

If you would like to help keep our library great and make it even better, please check out our library wishlist.