Week in Review: Pre-Winter Break Festivities

The week before Winter Break was filled with festive activities and squirrely children of all ages.

Monday was the second day of Scientists in the Field research for the 6th graders. And speaking of SIF, on Tuesday Mrs. Bornmann and Ms. Melinson found out they were accepted to present about Scientists in the Field at ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), a conference focused on STEM in education.

Monday was also the Glass Knife’s annual holiday get-together, the Latke Throwdown. Students brought their favorite holiday dishes to share and Ms. Melinson read The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming.

Tuesday was music in the library. Ms. Keys and Ms. Hoyos brought their Middle and High School choir and orchestra to the library to serenade students and faculty with beautiful music during lunchtime.

On Wednesday we had our last Book Club of the year, which you can read about here. On Thursday the Sophomores turned in their first draft of their Sophomore Project papers (!!!)

Thursday was also Cookies, Coloring, and Conversation, a popular activity among students and staff alike. With roaring fire on the screen and classical music in the background, students relaxed while coloring and eating cookies.

Friday was a bit of a race as we counted down to Winter Break. As part of their community service day, a group of middle school students were in the library making Valentine’s Day cards for veterans, new service members, and first responders, as well as gift bags for Dyer Kelly School.

Alums returned on Friday for the annual alumni panel, but before that, they had lunch in the library and mingled with students and faculty.

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Have a great break, everybody! If you need an ebook, or two or three, here’s a link, or connect through Cavnet where you can find the password if you forget it.

December Book Club

We had our final book of 2019 (and of the DECADE!) on Wednesday. Ms. Melinson started us off by sharing some Best Books of 2019 and Best Books of the Decade lists. She then shared what she’d been reading – Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, the author of The Night Circus. Ms. Melinson described it as “disgustingly beautiful” and a cross between Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store and The Night Circus.

Heloise read Frankly in Love and called it wonderful and similar plot-wise to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but much more realistic. She said the realistic plot and characters who sounds like high school students were a breath of fresh air. Mr. Cunningham read The Case of the Missing Men, describing it as a cross between Nancy Drew & David Lynch.

Anna read a graphic novel call Roadqueen and said the art and story were super cute. Layla read an An Abundance of Katherines and enjoyed, though she found the love equation confusing (why is there so much multiplication?!) Samhita read The Toll, the final book in the Scythe series. She’s sad the series is over, but liked the ending better than she expected to. Mr. Wells read The Water Dancer and found it thoughtful and horrifying. He’s hoping to read Beyond the Unknown in preparation for the author’s visit.

Then Ms. Melinson asked what people thought some of the best books of the decade are. Responses include The Testaments, The Hate U Give, the Champion series, A Gentleman in Moscow, and The Night Circus.

Check out all the books we’ve discussed in past Book Clubs at our Goodreads page.

Week in Review: SIF & Sip

We had a low-key week in the library as we countdown to winter break (one more week!)

The Chinese Club met on Wednesday and were in for a quite a treat. Jason’s mom brought a variety of Chinese teas and treats for students to try. She explained the tea pigs (or tea pets) were there to pour any excess tea over into the tea tray. They are made of the same clay as some of the teapots. Over time the tea builds up on the pigs, coloring them different shades. She also talked about some of the traditions of tea.

On Thursday Ms. Mitchell’s Movie Making elective filmed a few scenes in the library, which included dancing on the tables.

Friday saw the first day of SIF-related research in the library. Mrs. Bornmann’s 6th graders got a research overview, an introduction to databases, and learned about searching with keywords.

Week in Review: SIF Kick-Off!

We returned from Thanksgiving break to find December and fall had finally arrived: temperatures below 70 degrees, rainy days, and this gorgeous tree in front of the library:

This week the 6th graders began their joint English and Science project, Scientists in the Field (or, SIF). On Tuesday students browsed the different SIF books bookstore-style where they were arranged in groups by theme. Check out some of the subjects below:

Students then ranked their top choices from each category. On Wednesday the 6th graders had a Google Hangout visit with one of the Scientists in the Field authors and scientist, Dr. Caitlin O’Connell. Dr. O’Connell is an elephant scientist and author of The Elephant Scientist. She spoke to students about her work and then took questions. After the visit, the kids were given their SIF books.

On Friday, the National Art Honor Society hosted a student art show inside of the library. View their work below:

Bonus:

Tuesday was our biggest and fluffiest library dog’s birthday – Quaffle! Quaffle turned 3 years old and celebrated by bringing Scooby Snacks to share with everyone.