Book Week thanks!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make Book Week a success. 

A huge thanks to the teachers at WPS for all your mahi - embracing bookish activities for the week, and to the support staff for your help and support! 

Thank you to all the children in whanau harakeke who helped me with set up, wish list visits, thanking the visiting author and more.

Thank you to all the guest readers for sharing your love of books with the children.

Thank you so much to the parents who helped at the fair - it was lovely to meet some of you for the first time. You dived in at the deep end and were awesome! 

Thank you to Read NZ Te Pou Muramura for our visiting author, Weng Wai Chan, and a huge thanks to Weng Wai for your energy and enthusiasm.

Thanks to all the children and teachers who dressed up for the Book Character Parade, and the parents who went to so much effort with costumes.

It was also the first ever Aotearoa NZ School Library week, and a huge thanks to SLANZA and the sponsors for the fabulous resources.

Thank you to WPS parents and whanau for supporting the fair. We raised almost $2000 in books for the school library. It is great to be able to stock the shelves with new, exciting books for the children.

I hope I've remembered everybody. There were so many acts of kindness that week that it's a bit of a blur. 

I'll write a post on the happenings of the week soon.

Exciting bookish things on the horizon!

Kia ora,

There is so much to share that I thought I'd try to cover it all in a blog post.

Books Alive Programme

Firstly, I just wanted to let you know that LIANZA (Library & Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa) is running a programme called Books Alive, featuring the authors and illustrators of the finalists of the NZ Children & YA Book Awards.

Children can learn about illustration, learn about maps and stories, listen to Q&A sessions with authors, watch "Books in Action" sessions hosted at local libraries, etc. 

Here is the link for the full programme, for you to dip into as it suits:

https://lianza.org.nz/events/books-alive-online-events-virtual-storytimes/books-alive-calendar-2022/?fbclid=IwAR0BSSVzEiqPP0HORcOn4cft3F4QQDj8wNoUn0Q2dZ9eYW4dVxRl01PH7Bk

Teachers can use this resource at school, and parents can also access this at home.

There is also a Virtual Storytimes programme:

https://lianza.org.nz/events/books-alive-online-events-virtual-storytimes/virtual-storytimes-calendar-2022/

Enjoy!

Woodlands Park School Book Week
8 - 12 August

Our annual Book Week will be jam packed with events and activities that generate excitement around books and reading. There will be a Scholastic Book Fair in the library. Parents can visit on the following dates and times:

Monday 8 August: 2.30 - 4 pm

Tuesday 9 August: 8.30 – 9.30 am and 2.30 – 4 pm

Wed 10 August: 8.30 – 9.30 am and 2.30 – 4 pm

Thursday 11 August: 8.30 – 9.30 am and 3 – 4.30 pm (later afternoon start due to author visit)

Friday (9-12 August): 8.30 – 9.30 am 

I am looking for parent volunteers to help me during the fair opening times - at the desk and on the 'shop floor'. Please email me at library@woodlandspark.school.nz if you can offer up half an hour or 1 hour to help out. Thank you!

During Book Week, we also have a visiting author, Weng Wai Chan. I have read Lizard's Tale, her award winning chapter book and it was an exciting historical fiction adventure. It won the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction at the NZCYA Book Awards in 2020. Here is some more information about Weng Wai:

https://www.read-nz.org/writer/chan-weng-wai/

On the last day of Book Week (Friday 12 August), we will have a Book Character Dress Up Day, with prizes for the winners. I will also be running a bookmark design competition at lunchtimes, with prizes.

Our Book Week falls on the first ever Aotearoa NZ School Library Week. The hard-working team of librarians at SLANZA (School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa) worked with the award-winning illustrator, Paul Beavis to put this together. It is downloadable here:

http://www.slanza.org.nz/uploads/9/7/5/5/9755821/slanza-activity-guide__5_.pdf

Do have a look at this excellent resource.

Well that's all for now. Keep well.

Kate

Date correction

An International Children's Book Day event, mentioned in my previous post, is this Saturday, not 2 April.

Time in NZ: 

Sat, March 26, 2022

12:00 PM – 2:00 PM NZDT

Here is a link to register. I have posted information about it in my previous blog post.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/international-childrens-book-day-tickets-288917729707?fbclid=IwAR378QXCAdgrpoRI1h557eXNrSWky_C7C3wKbmUfeJPr3Fx55ZgB48vbAJY

Library news

Kia ora,

I'm thinking of the families affected by covid. I hope anyone who is unwell is better soon.

Library news

It's been great to have the library open this term, and I so enjoy the class visits. The children seem to be delighted to get their noses into books.

Encouraging a love of reading

The new display board arrived this term and I asked teachers if children could help me make a new display, by colouring in some butterflies. There were many beautiful submissions. Here is the display we made:

 

Inquiry

Children and teachers can also borrow books from a display on the whanau's various inquiries - with a selection of books on "What do scientists do?", science experiments, and water (the water cycle, plant life, weather), etc. Besides the display is a crate full of books on these topics - for teachers and children to borrow.

Upcoming events

International Children's Book Day - Sat 2 April

Celebrate International Children's Book Day 2022 by listening to a conversation about Maori and Cree children's storytelling (starting on the hour in your time zone).

Parents, this exciting event falls on a Saturday. If you would like to sign up for this online event, please use the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/international-childrens-book-day-tickets-288917729707?fbclid=IwAR378QXCAdgrpoRI1h557eXNrSWky_C7C3wKbmUfeJPr3Fx55ZgB48vbAJY

National Simultaneous Storytime, Wednesday 25 May

I have registered our school for the National Simultaneous Storytime. Last year the children listened to astronauts reading from an international space station. 

This year up to two million children in Australia and New Zealand will read the same book on Wednesday 25 May. I have bought a copy for the library and will share it with teachers. There is more information in the link below, and some free activities and resources: 

https://learnfromplay.com/national-simultaneous-storytime-2022-book-activities/

Take care, Kate

Ka kite ano

Farewell to the year sixes 

Wishing you all the very best with your future. I have loved getting to know you all over the years. 

Thank you to the class librarians and lunchtime librarians for all your help and support. If any of you need references for librarian jobs at your next school, please email me.

Thank you to the book club for sharing your reads with me and with each other. Thank you to the drawing club girls - we had many years of fun! I'll keep that going after you have left. Thanks to Max for initiating the Minecraft chat club. I may find someone to keep that going too. 

Thank you to the Roundabout Reporters for all your excellent work. 

Thank you to those of you who have shown me some of your creative writing (keep going - you have talent). 

Thank you to the avid readers who kept asking for new books to read - you kept me on my toes. 

Thanks to those who just loved being in the library at lunch - we became a community - a whanau. 

I will miss you all so much!

Arohanui, Kate

Please return your books

Kia ora tamariki,

There are still 191 books out. 109 children have books out. So even if you only have one or two books out, bringing them back makes a big difference. If you've already returned all your books, you're a legend!

My automated emails are not currently working and I am looking into that, so in the meantime, this is just a general notice to say, please bring your books back next week, as it is the last week of term.

Many thanks!

Click 'n collect library books

Thank you Woodlands Park School for your enthusiastic response to the Click 'n Collect library book system. I appreciate all your kindly worded emails, and the children's excitement around getting books to read!

So far I've issued books to 68 children, and a few of those have whizzed through their first books and ordered more. Just a reminder as to how it works:

1. Please go to the library website: https://nz.accessit.online/WDL00/#!dashboard and search for books you would like to order. 2 books per child (on top of whatever books they issued last term)

2. Check the website to see if it they are available.

3. Email your request to library@woodlandspark.school.nz

4. I will find your book, issue it, and get it ready for collection. If I can't find the book you requested, I will email you to offer alternatives.

5. Keep an eye out for an email about your collection time.

6. Collect your book from the front gate of school by phoning 8175140 when you arrive.

7. If you'd like to return your books when you pick up more books, that's great.

Here are some of the freshly covered new books, available now.