Mo Willems Fun with Kindergarten

Mo Willems and Pigeon

Photo by: Marty Umans

The kindergarten classes have been reading about Pigeon, the feisty and stubborn main character in the beloved series by Mo Willems. Pigeon has been teaching the students lessons on how to treat library books, the proper way to look at books, and how to behave in the library by NOT doing any of these things correctly himself. He is quite a mischievous bird.

Most recently, our kindergarten friends have been learning how to draw Pigeon by watching a how-to video starring Mo Willems himself! They have to listen carefully and follow directions. They are having a great time and their drawings are awesome!

The Mark Twain Award Nominees

Every year the 4th and 5th grade students are introduced to the 12 books that comprise the 2014-2015 Mark Twain Award nominees. If they choose to read at least 4 books from the list, they are eligible to vote for which book they think should receive the award. In addition to earning a vote, they will also receive a free book and a cookie from Mrs.Czaicki. Sounds like a sweet deal! Some of the students have even challenged themselves to read ALL 12!!!

The 12 nominees are:

1. Freaky Fast Frankie Joe, by: Lutricia Clifton

2. The Mighty Miss Malone, by: Christopher Paul Curtis

3. The Shadow Collector's Apprentice, by: Amy Gordon

4. Pinch Hit, by: Tim Green

5. Chomp, by: Carl Hiaasen

6. The Young Healer, by: Frank N. McMillan

7. Capture the Flag, by: Kate Messner

8. Wonder, by: R.J. Palacio (Mrs.Grebe's favorite!)

9. The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook, by: Joanne Rocklin

10. Ordinary Magic, by: Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

11. Liar & Spy, by: Rebbca Stead

12. Privateer's Apprentice, by: Susan Verrico

There are some really great books on the list, and we challenge young and old alike to read at least four books along with the 4th and 5th graders!

3rd Graders Tinkering in the Library

This Week in the Library...

This week, students discovered how exploring their interests through building, tinkering, and creating can give them ideas that may lead to exciting careers as adults. We learned about the inventor of Goldie Blox, Debbie Cox, and what inspired her to create these interactive toys. We even have Goldie Blox in our Sappington Library Makerspace! How cool is that?



Since school began, we have been hearing so many positive things from the students as they explore the Sappington Library Makerspace. They have been very excited about all of the new changes.

These were a few of the things we heard:

"This is the BEST day of my life!" -student, 3rd grade/Gardner

"It's like we're doing surgery on this speaker!" -student at the take-apart center, 5th grade/Folluo

"I'm asking for one of these for Christmas!" -student exploring the 3-D printer, 5th grade/Folluo

"The new library is awesome!" -student, 2nd grade/Girse

"I like the new library better than the old library!" -student, 2nd grade/Hammock

"Wow! This year is going to be awesome!" -student, 1st grade/Porte

"I like the library and makerspace better than PE now!" -student, 4th grade/Flinn

Students Explore with Makey Makey

Students enjoyed using the makey makey invention kit to play music with play dough as the keys.  

Creation Station and Idea Shelves

During professional development, the staff also had the opportunity to use the creation station to build something that represented our character education touchstone, "In and Out of Class, Friendship is a Blast."    All of their creations will be housed on the "Idea Shelves."  The theme will rotate monthly and student creations will ultimately be located here.

Teachers Tinker in the MakerSpace!

As we prepared for our students to arrive during our 2 days of professional development, the staff was able to explore many of the exciting tools that can now be found in the library's Makerspace.  Stations were set up around the room to allow the teachers time to "tinker" and learn about coding, Lego Robotics, Legos, GoldieBlox, the take apart center, and the new 3D printer.   

3D Printer

Our 3D Printer is here!  

Here's is quick video of it in action.  

The students are going to have so much fun designing and printing their creations.