"If you start soon enough, you won't have to catch up."
-Anonymous
Did I really just go two months without writing anything in this blog? How embarrassing. But at the same time, I would just like to note for the record, that this very moment was the first time--apparently in two months--that I have seated myself at my computer with a self-satisfying grin and thought, "holy cow, I finished everything on my to-do list! Maybe I should catch up on the library blog!" So, it's been busy in here! Which is kind of awesome.
So, I guess this is going to be a catch-up blog.
Our FFB in December and January were great! It was nice to have time and space to wish everyone well over the holiday, and then greet people when we came back.
Mr. Brener showing off the holiday decor.
(Wow, that freshly-painted Reference sign looks great!)
The Feast
January's Feast
Our Donors Choose games came in! We had a fun day opening ALL the boxes and playing the chess, checkers, Chinese checkers, Sorry, and Life. The kids were incredibly excited and I learned quickly that maybe it wasn't a great idea to open all the games, all at the same time, before I got Ziplock bags to keep pieces in. Ah well, ya live, ya learn.
Euuch, those kids look creepy with their faces blurred out!
Next year I must work on getting the forms signed so that I don't have to do that!
Also, we started a chess club on Thursdays during lunch. Today we had about 30 kids! It was pretty awesome. My dad has been running it and teaching the kids the finer points of the game. He totally rocks.
I've been doing Book Talks, of course. Two weeks ago I did Matched by Ally Conde. I discovered that if I shut down the library--which means making ALL students present stop what they are doing and come hear the presentation, there is a bigger turn out. Tomorrow I'll be doing Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It's a freaking GREAT book. And older than Hunger Games.
I truly love it when I finish a presentation and the kids vie for who gets to check the book out first. That tells me whether or not it was a successful book talk.
Finally, Donors Choose, a pretty terrific website, got a GINORMOUS grant from the Wasserman Foundation, specifically for LAUSD schools. Apparently, a postcard was mailed out to the homes of each scholar in LAUSD with a gift code for $15. This could be used to fund a teacher's project! This is nothing short of awesome. If you haven't checked it out yet, and feel charitable, I highly recommend them. Even $5 can make a big difference!
I think that's about it.
Until next time...
Happy Reading!
