Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Welcome Back!

We are off to a terrific start in library and most of the classes who have visited so far, have had a chance to check out at least one book.  By the end of next Monday, all students will have had the pleasure of finding something that is "just right" for them.  I hope you take the time to ask your kids about their books - great conversation starters that I often forgot to include with my own kids and often asked the close-ended: "how was school today?"  Instead try, "Why did you choose this book?  What is the main character like?  Can you tell me what happens in the story?  What do you think the book cover tells you about the story?"   

Hopefully we can all take the advice of the following "classroom rules:"

I love my find from the Target Dollar Bin!

Friday, August 21, 2015

Summer Reading

Hi all!  I hope you have had a fun summer filled with relaxing days and plenty of sunshine.  Of course, I also hope that you have had a chance to dive into a good book too.  I always have a huge stack of books to read and this summer was no different.  I still have plenty more to go, but here are several that I listened to from our Follett Shelf (we have a wide range of ebooks and digital audiobooks to check out!)

Nightmares
Nightmares by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

This audiobook, read by the author/actor Jason Segel, was fantastic!  Leave it to an actor to create a multitude of voices for the many characters within the story.  It's a little scary, but in a nice way.  Be sure to laugh at the nightmare world that we all face at one time or another.  This book is on our Winchester Reading Rocks reading list as "horror"; I'm not wild about scary things, but I highly recommend this one.  Good for a strong 4th grade reader and up, but the audio is approachable.  The content might be something to consider before recommending to younger grades or those who get creeped out easily!

Check out this clip to get a "feel" for the book.


Sunday, June 7, 2015

Battle of the Books 2015





On Tuesday, June 2nd, thirty 4th and 5th graders from across the district competed in our 6th annual Battle of the Books.  There they demonstrated their knowledge by answering questions based on the Winchester Reading Rocks books that they read.  We all had a great time, and although Lincoln did their best, Muraco took home the plaque again this year


The 2015 Team included (back row) Anthony Galvagna, Fiona Broderick and Ada Russell; (front row) Andrew Houllahan, Farrah LaMontagne and Audrey Stahl.




Friday, May 8, 2015

Old Fashioned Research


Fifth graders are preparing to begin some final projects in their respective classrooms.  Since their topics were very broad, they began to try to find some general information browsing through a U.S. History Encyclopedia set.  This uses their inquiry skills:  "What do I need to know?  Where can I find information? When did this take place"  Sitting with the right resource can help in their search.  Next step, citing their resources!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Authorfest 2015

Once again, our Lincoln halls were bustling with five different authors and illustrators as they visited students today.  Thank you for the inspiring words, encouragement and laughter you brought to each of our students!



Wednesday, April 1, 2015

No April Fools Today!

Joseph Bellistri, Grade 1 in Mrs. Kennedy's class, traveled to the Boston State House with his family.  He and 11 other students from around the state were honored as award winners in the Massachusetts School Library Association's 2015 Bookmark Contest.  What fun!


This year, April 1st also marked Library Legislation Day where school and public librarians lobby in efforts to raise awareness of the importance of libraries.  State Senator and Winchester resident, Jason Lewis, was honored with the Joan C Gallagher Legislator Award for his support and commitment to school libraries.  Cheering him on is Winchester School Committee member, Susan Verdicchio, another strong voice for our libraries.  Thank you both!


Friday, March 13, 2015

What is GAFE?

For the past several weeks, 5th graders have been introduced to GAFE (Google Accounts for Education).  Every student in the WPS district has their own educational gmail account.  The difference between an educational account and a regular gmail account is important to note.  Students can only communicate with individuals in the Winchester Public Schools -- with other students, teachers, etc.  They can not email outside of the district, nor can anyone contact them from the "outside" world.  This introduction allowed them to experiment with inserting images (and citing them!), using color when appropriate, sharing and constructive commenting.

They creating a document showing their "favorite book,"  then worked with a partner sharing one document to post information on online etiquette and as a quick "wrap up" assessment, noted what they learned about GAFE.  Here is a sample of their thoughts:



Niklaus
I learned how to comment,and how to share documents  with other people in my class.I also learned how to send messages in my google apps for education.
Fiona

I learned that there are many different ways to use google. such as, classroom, drive, docs, slides, etc. I also learned how to share documents with other people and work on documents with other people.
Tabitha
On google docs I learned that everything is actually much easier than it seems. I could share my work with friends and teachers. It was quite easy to collaborate with a partner on slides while making a presentation. I especially liked uploading my artwork to my own drive and commenting on others’ work. Google was really fun to use and work with!

Sunday, March 8, 2015

And the Winner is...

Last Sunday, I attended the Massachusetts School Library Association Conference.  During the evening award ceremonies, winners were announced in the 2015 Bookmark Contest.  Over 90 Lincoln students participated earlier in January and nine were chosen to represent our school at the state level. For the third year in a row, Lincoln has had a winner!


Div 1 HM1.jpg

Joseph Bellistri, a first grader in Mrs. Kennedy's class, was awarded an Honorable Mention in Division 1 (grades K-1) of the statewide conference.   I'm so proud of Joseph and amazed at the work created by your kids.  Stop in and see the beautiful library bulletin board displaying their artwork when you visit for conferences this week!

Monday, March 2, 2015

What do librarians enjoy at a library conference?

Why, to meet authors and illustrators of course!


This is Mo Willems, Caldecott and Theodore Geisel winner of Elephant & Piggie, Knuffle Bunny and more.  Fun!