Week in Review

It’s been non-stop this week at the Matthews Library! All this week Ms. LaComb’s 7th graders have been coming in to research Feudal Japan for their projects.

On Monday we began March Madness with Mr. Kuiper’s and Ms. Lyon’s history classes. Students chose books based on their covers and first lines. Check back in April to see how the books fare!

On Tuesday the Candy Fairy gave candy to the classes who sent in selfies during the All School Read on Read Across America day.

Tuesday was also the second meeting of the Harry Potter Club where students discussed taking over next month’s Book Club and making it Harry Potter themed.

On Wednesday we had our monthly Book Club, which you can read all about here!

Friday was the Renaissance Faire where students proceeded through the campus, then to the lower school for the Maypole Dance, and feasted with Lords and Ladies in the middle school quad. From there, life in the Renaissance is represented through various guilds. Check out the botanical books from the Apothecary that students worked on in the library!

 

Week in Review: Seuss Edition

This week we primarily focused on celebrating Read Across America Day, where we had outrageously cool and comfortable seating all day in the library for students to quietly read. We had tea/hot chocolate for students and specialty coffee and treats for teachers.

Tuesday we had a short-but-sweet visit from the woodwind chamber group during lunch; they played us a couple of songs and we can’t wait to hear more of their selections in the future!

Throughout the week, we had Ms. Burns’ 7th Grade Science class in the library to work on their botanical books for the Renaissance Faire. Students spent their class time researching the origins of plants and their uses during that time period and tracing illustrations. Lookin’ good, you guys!

Week in Review: Moratorium Edition

Another week has zipped right along over here in the library. We’re going to blame the warmer weather. Isn’t it delightful? We think so. We also had a boatload (a real, scientific measurement, just ask any of the science teachers) of activity going on within your favorite glass-box-full-of-books on campus.

On Tuesday we had our Teen Read Week Raffle Winner lunch for Keerti and her three pals. They enjoyed a quiche, salad, and some ginormous brownies.

We also had a Spanish poetry contest in the library. High School students (and some Lower School students!) read poems in Spanish to the delight of all. They even had a special guest judge—a reporter from Univision! We were slightly relieved that she did not bring a camera with her (we’re still recovering from our minute of fame during Polyglot “Cat in the Hat”).

On Thursday we had chaos the Sophomore Moratorium. Sophomores piled into the library and worked hard researching and taking notes for their Sophomore Projects. Ms. J and Ms. Fels doled out quesadillas during lunch, which were much needed to carb up for the remainder of the school day.

Friday Ms. Burns brought in her 7th Grade Science class to research plants for the annual Renaissance Faire. We love these books in particular because they…well…they have pretty covers. Can ya blame us?

And at the end of the day on Friday, Glass Knife staffers worked hard to set up for the ~*nighttime*~ Speakeasy. Your narrator would post photos of this, but it has not happened yet and she lost the keys to the Tardis (typical), so instead here is a photo of a few of the staff members caught prepping for the evening of poetry:

Last Week in Review: Glass Knife Retreat Edition

Last week we had a flurry of activity in the library, otherwise known as Finals Week. After observing Martin Luther King Day on Monday, we had a library full of High Schoolers looking to escape the rain between taking their finals.

Perhaps the most exciting activity we had last week was the Glass Knife retreat. Staff gathered on Thursday for several hours to plan this year’s magazine. They feasted on a buffet of Thai food before getting down to the nitty gritty details.

We were also pleased to have the 7th Grade History class in to work on their Renaissance Faire characters with a “choose your own adventure”-style site that the library made for them.

Behold! The evolution of the Renaissance plant booklets!

Hear ye, hear ye! Our middle schoolers spent 5 days in the library researching plants and their uses during the Renaissance. Not only did they learn about the origins of the plants, but they also learned about uses, whether they were poisonous, how they were used in cooking and medicine, and even made sketches of the plants. They took all this information and created booklets for display at the Renaissance Faire on Friday. Great job, guys!

 

Renaissance Plant Projects

In case you weren’t able to see all the Renaissance plant projects on display at the Apothecary Guild at the Renaissance Faire, we have them on display at the library, so come by and take a look. The 7th graders from Ms. Burns class did a great job on their books!