Pumpkin Book Character Contest

Are you ready to join in the fun of our third annual Pumpkin Book Character Contest?  Info can be found in the picture.  If you have more specific questions, please stop by and see me one day.

The deadline to turn in your pumpkin is Tuesday, Oct. 22.  Voting will begin the next day.

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with this year!

Library Humor

Continuing with our celebration of Banned Book Week...

Shhh....we also have books about cats and squirrels.  Stop in and see for yourself.  

Until then, keep reading!

Celebrate Banned Book Week 2024

Banned Book Week is an annual event held during the month of September celebrating the freedom to read.  The books featured during BBW have all been targeted for removal or restrictions in libraries and schools.

Banned Book Week, which is sponsored by a coalition of organizations such as the ALA, The Children's Book Council, PEN America, and more that support the freedom to read, highlights the value of free and open access to information.  Each year, the organizations choose an honorary chairperson and an honorary youth chairperson.  Film director Ava DuVernay is this year's honorary chair.  Ms. DuVernay directed the film version of  A Wrinkle In Time, based on the book by Madeleine L'Engle, which has frequently been targeted in schools and libraries since its publication more than sixty years ago.

The honorary youth chair this year is SUMNER COUNTY'S very own Julia Garnett, who is a recent graduate of Hendersonville High School.  You can read a little of Julia's own journey of advocating against banning books in the current edition of the School Library Journal.

 

Graphic credited to The Little Book Place, Tunkhannock, PA

Stop by the library to view our display of more books frequently targeted books.

Until then, keep reading!

Mark Your Calendars For Our Halloween Trivia Night

We are super excited to announce we will be hosting another Halloween Trivia Night this year to benefit our library.  

Last year, there were 81 people in attendance and we are looking forward to a great turnout again this year.

Tuesday, October 22

6:30 p.m.

Westmoreland High School cafeteria

There will be a cash prize for the winning team. 

Door prizes will be given.

Light concessions will be available. 

Until then, keep reading!

Parent Tech Help

Hey, Parents!  Are you being driven crazy at home trying to monitor your child's use of their school-issued iPad?  If so, there's an app that will help with that. ScreenGuide is an Apple app that lets you manage your student's iPad outside of school hours.

Click HERE for a website with the how-tos of ScreenGuide plus so much more. This resource was put together for you by your Sumner County Schools' Librarians.  

Welcome Back!

Holy cow!  Welcome back, everyone.  How is it that today is the first day of school already?  It seems summers go by faster each year.  Of course, that may be because I'm just getting older.  Ha!

I am so excited to see all your smiling faces again, and I look forward to sharing some great books with you this year.  I hope you'll find many new stories that will become personal favorites.

You can count on the library to continue sposnoring many fun activities and events, including our Halloween Trivia Night, which was wildly successful last year.

We will begin rolling out iPads tomorrow to the 8th grade, followed by 7th grade on Friday.  Sixth grade will get theirs next week.  After that, I hope to get our ELA classes into the library for visits just as soon as possible.  

Finally, for those of you who like to donate to your teachers and schools, this is our library's wish list for this school year.  The items on the list will help us implement our activities and events.  If you order from the Amazon list, those items will be delivered to us here at school.  As always, we are so super appreciative of your support! 

Until I get to see you, keep reading!

P.S.  What was a good book or short story you read over the summer? Feel free to leave a comment if you'd like to share the title with us.  I enjoyed reading A Hopeful Heart: Louisa May Alcott Before Little Women.  Little Women is one of my favorite books and movies (esp. the 2019 version) and I liked reading about the author's life as a child and young adult.  

Not-so-fun-fact:  The 2019 version of Little Women was the last movie I saw in a theatre before the world was plunged into the Covid pandemic.  My husband and I were visiting our daughter in Chicago for Valentine's Day weekend in February of 2000 and the three of us went to the movies to see it.  A little over a month later, everyone would be sheltering in place, and that theatre closed down for a long time.  My family loves going to the movies, so I was glad when all the theatres reopened.

Celebrate National Library Week 2024

'The theme for National Library Week 2024, “Ready, Set, Library!,” promotes the idea that in our always-online world, public libraries give us a green light to something truly special: a place to connect with others, learn new skills, and focus on what matters most. Find your crew at your public library’s author talks, workshops, and book clubs.

No matter where you find yourself on the roadmap through life’s journey—navigating through school, preparing for a new career, launching a business, or raising a family—your library provides an inclusive and supportive community where everyone belongs.

Get ready to explore, become inspired, and connect with your library this National Library Week. Libraries are there for you, all the way to the finish line. National Library Week 2024 is celebrated Sunday, April 7th through Saturday, April 13th.'

We have a wonderful public library in Westmoreland, and I encourage you to stop by and get to know Ms. Lauren Rippy and her workers and check out what all they have to offer.

Second Annual WMS Egg Hunt

It's almost that time again.  This upcoming Saturday, March 30 will be the Egg Hunt sponsored by the library.  It will work the same as last year.  5 eggs will be hidden throughout the WMS school zone, meaning anywhere a student can reside and be eligible to attend Westmoreland Middle School.  Picture clues as to where the 5 eggs are hidden will be posted on our school Facebook page at 11:00 that morning.  

Should you find an egg, there are goodies and instructions inside on what to do next and how to claim your prize.

Prizes will be awarded the following Monday at school in the library,

GOOD LUCK, HUNTERS!

And the Winner Is...

On January 22, the ALA (American Library Association) announced all its book awards, and you know I've been anxiously awaiting to find out the winner of the John Newbery Medal.  

Drum roll, please...

This year's winner is The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers.  

“I’ve read just about every Newbery winner from the last 50 years or so, and my kids grew up reading them, too,” Eggers told The Associated Press in an email Monday. “Last night my kids were telling me how much that golden sticker meant to them as readers, and to have ‘Eyes’ among those books we love so much — it’s just surreal.”

To see a list of all 2024 ALA winners, check out their website HERE.

I'll be ordering one soon to have on the shelves here at WMS.  Be on the lookout for it.

Christmas Book Ornament Guessing Game Winners

Congratulations to our grade level and teacher winners in the library’s Christmas tree book ornament guessing game. Amazingly, these 3 students each correctly guessed 15 of the 20 ornaments.

(L-R)

7th grade Levi Ducommon

6th grade Trisana Lake

8th grade Alex Clark

There was a tie among our teachers with Ms Tammi Lake (pictured) and Ms. Lauren Werbowsky each correctly guessing 15 ornaments.