NEWS FROM THE STACKS
Elise Rodriguez, Librarian
Library at Lamplighter is a place as well as a class.  Our purpose is to READ, because it is joyful, nurtures our imagination and makes us well-rounded.  Each week students have access to over 6,000 books in our collection.  Children, kindergarten and up, check out library books for a week or more.  We do not charge late fees.  We simply ask that you take care of the book as if it were your own and return it so that someone else can discover it the way you did.
At this time of year, children are working hard to remember, "Is there Library today?"  Here are our meeting days:

Early Childhood:  Bell/Demiratas & French/Campbell ~ Friday Library Day (Kindergarteners remember to bring back your books!)

Lower Elementary with Ms. Brandon:  Wednesday Library Day

Lower Elementary with Mrs. Brown & Mrs. Safri: Thursday Library Day

Upper Elementary with Mrs. Bradfield & Mrs. Sohani:  Thursday Library Day

Middle School: ongoing access to our library for personal reading & research.

Weekly, students give impromptu oral presentations on the book(s) they are reading.  (If you are an emerging reader, the illustrations are crucial to the story and yes, that is reading.)  We discuss characters and plots; we practice the Dewey decimal system; we read "for the words" and we read for comprehension.  My goal is for every student to be at home in every library they visit.

I am invited to pen a Library article for our Lamplighter newsletter monthly.  Please look for Library news on the first Monday (or Tuesday!) of the month.  I will highlight our Library class adventures; share student anecdotes; and book reviews.

The ride home on Library Day can be a book discussion time for you and your child.  READ ALOUD at home with your children through high school.  This is my mantra.  When your child outgrows your lap, sit by the fireplace or under a tree in the yard.  Make ice cream sundaes or popcorn and make reading an event in your house.  It works- I promise.

Highlights of our Library reading/discussions during back-to-school:

Early Childhood:  ask your child about the "little boy and the map" in How I Learned Geography by Caldecott Honor author Uri Shulevitz

Lower Elementary: chat about Robert McCloskey's Blueberries for Sal & the plot involving two mamas and their "children"

Upper Elementary:  we have begun a year-long discussion on the Coretta Scott King book award.  Chat about the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Middle School:  ask about Newbery award-winning author Sharon Creech, and a little treasure called Love that Dog and its sequel Hate that Cat.  Intrigued by the titles?  Ask about the plot!

I invite you to email me at erodriguez@lamplighterschool.org to share how reading is special in your home.  Our Library Web Page is under construction, and I look forward to posting Reading Tips throughout the year.

Tuesday, September 6th is National Read a Book Day!

Happy September!