Welcome Back

Welcome back Panthers! Hopefully by now you are settling into your new routine and schedule. We are working hard to get the library ready for you and can't wait to get you in here. With the Book Fair coming up September 18-22, we will start scheduled library time on the 25th (Monday). Classes will come every two weeks based on Friday being an A day or B day. The schedule is set up so that there are no classes on Mondays and only one class every other Tuesday so that students can use the library on their own time and teachers can schedule time to come in for research or anything else they may need it for. This year we have the opportunity to have Penny the service dog joining us in the library much of the time and she is looking forward to meeting her new high school friends.

We have some great things planned this year so make sure to watch the blog and website to stay up to date. Congrats to those who participated in the BINGO game over the summer and earned their free book from the book fair. We will be posting winners of the drawings soon!

Summer Reading...Just Do It!

Don't let summer blues get you down! With it coming quickly I'm sure there are some big plans in the works for some of you and others are wondering how you are going to fill you time. Never fear, your library staff is here! This year, Spectrum is doing a summer literacy program. We have introduced it briefly, but we will be doing a BINGO game. Parents and students decide together whether the picture book or chapter book game is appropriate for the student's reading level then get to work reading! In the chapter book game you may use one book for up to 3 squares and in the picture book game you can only use each book for one square. Return your cards by September 1 with at least one BINGO and you will receive a free book at the book fair (up to $10). Each BINGO will earn you an entry into our drawing for some great prizes and BLACKOUT will earn you an extra entry (13 total).


Also if you have a business that is interested in donating some prizes or money to purchase prizes feel free to contact myself (melanie.castillo@spectrumcharter.org) or Dobby (sdobson@spectrumcharter.org) and we can work out the details. Who is ready to win???

READY......

SET......

READ!!

Book Club CANCELLED...School Winding Down

Hey there Panthers! With everything going on next week, we are going to have to cancel book club. Please plan on joining us when we start up next year in September!

School is winding down this year so the library staff is getting geared up for next year so we can hit the ground running! Look for exciting programs coming your way! Next week we will be sending out information about the summer reading program! You can win free books and fun items from community partners so practice your BINGO skills.

As always, if you have books you would like to donate to the library or if you have book requests, please talk to Ms. Melanie so we can get that worked out. Keep working hard...just 3 more weeks!

Book Fair!

Next week, May 1-5, is our Scholastic Book Fair! The best part is that we qualified to have this fair as a Buy One, Get One FREE sale! Everything is BOGO! It is a great time to stock up on books for the summer and a great time to help us stock the library ;)! Buy a book for you and get one for the library free! Look for the high school library basket at the fair for our wishlist and if you want to see a book from the fair in our library please ask Ms. Melanie before adding it to our basket. For parents that want to volunteer at the fair, they can earn even more free stuff plus it counts toward their volunteer hours. We hope to see you at the BOGO Book Fair!

Book Club Reading Selection

I'm happy to announce that the Book Club selection is Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. I have multiple copies available in the library that can be checked out by students and staff. We will meet on May 16 @ 2:45 in the HS Library to discuss the book and introduce a summer reading incentive program. A little birdie told me there may also be treats at the meeting. Here is a brief synopsis of the book from www.goodreads.com:

"Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days it’s just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts stories to the same online site as he does.

Jason can be himself when he writes and he thinks that PhoenixBird — her name is Rebecca — could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to meet her, he’s terrified that if they do meet, Rebecca will only see his autism and not who Jason really is.

By acclaimed writer Nora Raleigh Baskin, this is the breathtaking depiction of an autistic boy’s struggles—and a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in."

Book Club Suggestions

If you have any books you would like considered as part of our book club for the 2017-2018 school year, please get them to Ms. Melanie before the end of May. We will be finalizing the schedule before school gets out this year and we would love your input! Parents, you are welcome to join us for book club if you would like! It will be open to parents, staff, middle school and high school students. When choosing a book, consider the length, it must be appropriate for ages 12+ and the more accessible it is to acquire, the better.

Amazon Wish List

Some of you may have seen that I have set up a Library Wish List on Amazon. All books on the list have been requested by students or complete a series that we have part of already in the library. I know our students would love to have books from the list purchased. We've already had a few donations come in and many were checked out within a couple of hours of being cataloged and on the shelves. For most of the books I put the paperback edition on the list, but if there is a hardback and your finances allow it, we would definitely prefer the hardback so it lasts longer in our library. Mostly, we just want books on the shelves! If you are considering donating used books, please make sure they are appropriate, are in excellent condition and have been published in the last 5 years (unless they are on the lists) or are Classics or Award Winners. Bring donations in a clean bag or box and they can be left in the office with Ms. Sarah or can be brought up to the library in the high school. Thank you all so much for your help to make this a library the kids want to be in!

Book Club!

We are starting a Book Club that will be open to students, staff and parents. Our first meeting will take place April 18 at 2:45 and we will introduce the book we will be reading. The next meeting to discuss the book will be May 16. We will meet in the high school library (rm 411). If you are planning on coming, please let Ms. Melanie know so that we can see if we can secure enough copies or if participants will need to find it elsewhere. Any copies available will be checked out on a first come, first served basis and regular check out policies apply (may be checked out for 2 weeks and renewed once as long as there isn't a hold on it). The more participation we can get, the better!

WELCOME TO YOUR LIBRARY!

Welcome Panthers!
I'm so excited to welcome you to your library and to our library blog! Here is where I'll keep you updated on upcoming events, give you reminders, highlight books/authors and have fun! We have some great things headed your way so stay tuned for some exciting announcements!