Old Town Elementary School Library

Parents and Students!  Are you stumped for where to go for quality science fair resources? 

Don’t just trust Google to bring you the best information.  Go to the following high quality resources for information you can count on.  I guarantee that it will save you time compared to wading through millions of hits from a Google search.

Please visit our research resource website (link on the right hand side of this page) for the following amazing sites:

If you need the passwords for these resources, check in your school directory or grab a form in the library.  Due to user agreements, we are not allowed to post these passwords online.   If you are in dire need of the passwords right away, you can Meebo Ms. Thrift at ote.library or Yahoo IM Ms. Thrift at tallicedlatte.  (I’m a parent, I’ve been there, ha!)

In addition to our fabulous databases mentioned above, librarians across the district have compiled the following list of recommended websites:

http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/

http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html

http://www.juliantrubin.com/fairprojects.html

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair.html

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas.shtml?From=body

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/

You can also contact me any time if you need specific help.  Best of luck in all your research needs!

Ms. Thrift

If you are going to be maintaining a library shelf, you will have to pass “THE TEST”.  )  I promise it won’t be too bad!

Here’s the link: http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valmstrum/s2s/utopia/library4/src/library4.html

If you have chosen a Fiction or Everybody shelf, you will have to take the following tests:

• Shelving- Alphabet Genius Level 4
• Reordering- Alphabet Reordering Level 9

If you have chosen a Non-Fiction shelf to maintain, you will have to take the following tests:

• Shelving-Dewey Decimal Super Genius Level 8
• Reordering-Dewey Decimal Level 10

After you have completed the tests (at home or at school), please print out the certificate.  Please note, the certificate will only pop up at the end if you made zero mistakes.  If you made a mistake, simply retake the test until you get it right and print out the certificates. 

Bring your certificates to me in the library and I’ll take your picture.  Then we can put up the shelf label and you will be official!

Library workers will need to commit to come in once a week during recess to maintain your shelf.  Sign in like usual.  If you finish before your time is up, ask Ms. Thrift or Ms. Hudson for additional tasks.  Sometimes we have special jobs like stamping new books or running errands.  Remember, you are at the library to work, not have social hour with the other workers.  Smile a lot and be willing to help students who ask you questions.

Thanks for your help in making your library fantastic!!

Ms. Thrift

Make plans to come to the book fair the week before Thanksgiving break.  This is the perfect time to stock up on holiday gifts!  Also, don’t forget about Thanksgiving Lunch happening in the cafeteria on Tuesday November 15th.  Come on in before or after lunch for convenient and fun shopping.  All purchases benefit the school library!

 Tuesday, November 15th 7:30-6:00pm

Wednesday, November 16th 7:30-3:30pm

Great news, Old Town 4th Graders!  Phil Bildner is coming to our school on Thursday to have a special writing camp!  You are in for a treat!

Check out his website at www.philbildner.com

http://www.biography.com/people/steve-jobs-9354805

This website is authored by A&E Television Channel.  Updated biography on Steve Jobs, including his early career, personal life, health struggles, and a photograph.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/06/stevejobs-biography_n_997494.html

This website is authored by the Huffington Post.  Brief biographical data with an embedded AP video on his major accomplishments.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html

This is a copy of the letter that Steve Jobs submitted for his resignation on August 24, 2011.

I need your feedback!  I’m about to place a book order and I need to know what YOU want to see in the library.  Please comment to this post with your suggestions.  Also, if you know we have a series but not the latest book of that series, let me know and I’ll do my best to get it!

Thanks!

Ms. Thrift

~~~~~~Congratulations to Aria S. for winning the contest!!~~~~~

Ready or not, here we go! The new school year is here, and I’m excited to be back. I hope you had a good time on vacation and got to have some fun. I went tubing on the Comal river in New Braunfels and also spent a lot of time visiting my family in Fort Worth. Some of you may remember that I also got a new puppy at the end of the school year.  Snickers has already grown up so much!

I hope you had a chance to read some good books while you were away from school. My favorite children’s book that I read this summer was The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found. It’s on the Bluebonnet list and it is so amazingly written. It reads like a movie!

Comment below and tell me YOUR favorite book from this summer and why you liked it. I will randomly draw one person’s name from everyone who comments to win a prize! The prize will be getting to choose a free book from my office! Students and faculty at Old Town can enter to win. Good luck!

Here’s a picture of the Comal River:

And a picture of Snickers peeking out of his dog door. He’s all wet from the sprinkler:

Welcome back to Old Town for another fabulous school year!

Ms. Thrift