Drum Roll Please!!!

The winners are...Amelia, Bella, and Raven!! This team of 5th graders won the spot as the Glenbrook representatives for the Battle of the Books! Congratulations girls!!

A HUGE thank you goes out to EVERYONE who participated!! You were all such hard workers, I'm very proud of each and every one of you!!! I hope that next year we'll get another great group of readers!!

New Books Have Arrived!!

The library just received an order of 99 brand new books (with more to come)! Ms. Rodgers worked hard at processing them and they are now available for check out!! Please stop in when you have time and "check out" our new books!

Just a small sampling of the new books we recently received!

Storybirds in Kindergarten

The kindergarten classes have been working really hard on writing stories together. This is the end result of the activity that we did with one class. I'm so proud of them!!!

Be sure to look out for more published work by other kindergarten classes!!

Music Class in the Library!

Who would have thought that we could have a music class in the library? Well, we can and we do! This week Mr. Pierre brought in his 5th grade music classes to collaborate with me on a research project. We worked with the students to help them research their music class choices for 6th grade. The students used the Chromebooks in the library and their Google Drive to access a Big 6 Unit that will help them to make an educated decision about their music choice for middle school. The students spend two class periods down in the library and any additional time their teacher gives them to finish up their research. At the end of the project, the music teachers from the middle school come over to Glenbrook and the students are given time to interview the teachers and ask any questions they couldn't answer during their research time. In the end, students make a decision about which 6th grade music class they would like to participate in next year and if their parents give them the okay, they are set! Check out some pictures of hard at students hard at work:

eBooks? In the Library? Yes there are!

We have eBooks in our library! This week I have been introducing eBooks to the second grade classes. We have MANY titles that have unlimited checkouts (every adult and kiddo in the building can check them out at the exact same time!) and a few single use books as well. These books can be accessed online or through an internet ready device such as: iPad, iPod, iPhone, Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet, etc. How do students access this on their own without the help of a teacher or myself? They can easily follow these directions:

1. Click on the following link:  https://wbb13745.follettshelf.com/shelf/servlet/presentshelfform.do?site=13745
2. Log in with your district username and password. {If you have forgotten this information, your teacher should have it or you can contact me the next school day!}
3. Once you have logged on, you can search through all of the different eBooks that we have available. Remember, the books with the "infinity" symbol are unlimited copies!!

Concerned about late books? With eBooks you don't have to be! Once you have checked a book out, you can keep it for two weeks. When your two weeks are up, the title is automatically removed from your account. Need it again? Check it out again!

Here are a few more questions you may have and answers as well!

How do I access this app on my device? If your device is internet ready, you just need to open up your browser and follow the steps above.

I want to read my book in the car while I'm on a long trip and I don't have internet access. What do I do? This is a simple fix! You just need to download it to your device while you are still connected to the internet. For Apple devices, you can download a free app in the App Store called "Follett Enlight". Once you've downloaded this you can enter in your username and password and the code: wbb13745 in the address (URL) bar.

From here you can access your account just like you would online. Click on "download" next to the title and you are ready to go!

When you need to return your book, you need to remove it your device first by clicking on the "Move Online" button to return it to your account. Then you may go back online and return the book.

As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll help you out!!!

Fun Fact Friday!

Did you know that it is pretty much impossible to keep your eyes open when you sneeze? And if you do manage to keep your eyes open, your eyeballs could pop out?! DON'T FREAK OUT! I was only kidding, kind of!! I recently spent a couple of days sneezing up a storm and try as I may, I could not keep my eyes open! Closing your eyes when you sneeze is a reflex, we having very little control over that. So, that part is true. The second part, the one about your eyeballs popping out, not so much. Apparently we don't have any muscles behind our eyes that will help a sneeze move your eyes. Thank goodness!! Sneezing is officially safe now!! Sneeze without fear!!

Source: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/sneezing-eyeballs-pop-out.htm

Fish Food: Written and Illustrated by Karl Kralapp

Glenbrook Elementary has it's very own resident author and illustrator!! Art teacher, Karl Kralapp, has recently published a children's book, Fish Food. He is debuting it this week during Glenbrook conferences but will also have an autograph session in town at the coffee shop! If you get a chance, please stop by and check it out. We are so proud of you, Mr. Kralapp!!!