Scholastic Book Fair Success

Thank you for making our Book Fair an outstanding success!

Thanks to your contributions, we sold 469 books at our Fair. We raised over $1300 for our school, which we’ll use to benefit the library program and get more books into the hands of our students. We also collected more than $25 for All for Books™, a program turning Book Fair donations into books for children who cannot afford them.

If your child missed out on the Fair (or already finished every new book), there’s still time to shop! Our Book Fair will continue online through October 6. Your online purchases benefit our school. Click below to shop our Fair: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/indianriverschool

Good news about eWallets: If your students have unspent money in their eWallets, those funds never expire! They can be used to shop online or go towards funding an eWallet for our next book fair.

I hope to see you and your child at our Holiday Book Fair. Until then, happy reading!

A Genrefied Library

Last year, when I joined IRS, our fiction section was organized by author's last name and was difficult for our students to navigate. They would frequently ask for a specific genre (type/category) of books, but because the collection was not organized by genre, we had to hope that a keyword search in our online catalog would help us find the type of book they were seeking. This caused some frustration for our student patrons who were looking for a specific topic or genre.

Therefore, the library's summer project was reorganizing the fiction collection into genres instead. While the shelves are still "under construction" and lack some signage, the books are now much easier to browse, both in person and online.

I was extremely excited to unveil the new organization system during Library Orientations this year. In addition, to making it easier to browse and find books, there are other major benefits to a genrefied collection:

• Supports Reluctant Readers

Avid readers will find a book no matter the organization system. A genrefied collection makes it easier for reluctant students to find books that align with their interests, instead of getting overwhelmed by shelf after shelf and just grabbing a random book when it’s time to check out.

• Boosts Reader Independence

Genrefication helps students become more independent in the library by offering cues that help them find books they like on their own.

• Increases Student Engagement

The increased ease of use will boost student interest in books, as well as the library as a whole.

• Boost in Circulation

Genrefication can also lead to a boost in circulation, which means more students are READING!

• More Circulation Variety

A genrefied collection can lead students to browse other titles they may not have chosen before.

I look forward to seeing students enjoying the library this year! Happy reading!

Annual Report & Survey

Here's a recap of this year at the IRS Library. I've included preliminary survey results, but please fill out the survey if you haven't already done so. The feedback helps me to improve the library and its offerings. The survey will be open until the end of June.

Link to Survey

IRS Reading Magic Challenge FINAL Update

Thank you to all that participated in the Indian River Reading Magic Challenge this year! Though none of the houses collectively filled their cups, Hufflepuff was the closest by far. The students who completed their individual goals were treated to a free book or poster, as well as a Celebration of Reading where they enjoyed fun lawn games and popsicles! Congratulations!

Author Visit: Dan Abdo & Jason Patterson

We had a great virtual visit with Dan & Jason, who are cartoonists that make epic, silly, adventurous, comic books. The students were engaged with them and are excited to read their middle-grade graphic novel series Barb The Last Berzerker, which is a fantastical adventure comedy about a young warrior, a 400lb yeti and a mysterious magical sword.

https://www.danandjason.net/

Scholastic Book Fair: May 23-27th

Summer is around the corner and I’d like to remind everyone about the importance of Summer Reading. While summer gives students and teachers a much needed break, it’s also a time when many children forget to read. Children who don’t have access to books, learning opportunities or summer school lose 1-3 months of learning during the summer. In addition, teachers spend the first six weeks of school re-teaching forgotten information. Therefore, let’s make a pledge to get students reading this summer! 

We understand it gets difficult with family travels and sports, but remember it only takes 20 minutes a day. Read together, aloud and/or during dinner…Just Read! It’s an important habit to maintain.

• Reading 4 Books Improves the Summer Slide by 85%
• Reading 12 Books is Equivalent to Attending Summer School

Summer learning loss is real and it takes very little to prevent. Let’s spread the word and make this summer one filled with memories and reading!

Our Book Fair is coming up May 23 - 27. It’s a perfect opportunity to start obtaining summer reading titles. 5th and 6th graders have received 10 free books throughout this school year thanks to the CLIF Grant. In addition, the IRS Library is donating one free book from this Book Fair to each 7th and 8th grader.

Happy summer reading!

SETTING UP AN EWALLET

This is the easiest way to pay for the Book Fair!

1. Go to Book Fair homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/indianriverschool1
2. Scroll down to the eWallet section and click on "GET STARTED."
3. The Book Fair eWallet page appears. Next click on "GO to eWallet."
4. Create an eWallet account and fund with your desired amount. (If the book fair is in school, be sure to fill in the Teacher Name as this will make it faster at checkout.)

Once you have created your eWallet – share it with your friends and family that will want your child to build their home library. (The option to share will come up automatically and you can copy and paste the unique URL into an email, text, or social media post.)

Now it's time to shop! Your child will have access to their eWallet when checking out at the school Book Fair. Your child will either get change or can donate the remaining balance of the eWallet to the school library.

Live Author Visit: JP Voelkel

Enter the mysterious world of The Jaguar Stones books, where ancient temples come alive and danger lurks around every corner. It’s a place filled with history, mythology and the wonders of nature, where every day is a battle for survival...

Jon and Pamela (J&P) Voelkel are the author-illustrators of the Jaguar Stones series; Pamela does most of the writing and Jon does most of the illustrating. Their books tell the story of a city boy and a jungle girl - a mirror image of Jon’s wild childhood in Latin America and Pamela’s altogether tamer upbringing in an English seaside town. The Voelkels met in London, where they both worked at the same advertising agency, and now live in Vermont.

To research the Jaguar Stones, they and their three adventure-loving children have explored over forty Maya sites in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico; canoed down underground rivers; tracked howler monkeys in the jungle; and learned to make tortillas on an open fire. Jon’s most frightening experience was being lost in a pitch-black labyrinth under a Maya pyramid.

We had a very energetic and dynamic visit with J&P Voelkel as they got the students excited about their Jaguar Stones books and all of the adventures they went on to complete their research. The students and teachers were active participants, and Mrs. Follensbee even ate a bug!