A Book Tasting at Chez Squeak!

 

 Welcome to Chez Squeak! 

Please wait to be seated!

 

Of all the amazing activities we had during Reading Week, the one I am the most excited to share with you was our library's very first "Book Tasting"!  The enthusiasm expressed by both students and staff will ensure that this will not be the last time I host this event!

Greeting each class at the door as they arrived for their "reservation"

As they came into the room, each student selected a seating card from the tray.  This randomized which table each student would start at.

Each table had a variety of books for the students to "sample".

While some background "cafe" music created the right atmosphere, students browsed through their books.

I filled each place setting with books that I thought the kids would love to discover. 

These are the books that often get overlooked in favor of the more popular picks that the kids already know about!

When students found a book they wanted to borrow they filled out a "Reservation Slip".

DING!  Every time I rang the bell, the students would get up and move to the next table.

It was a fantastic day of students discovering and sharing some wonderful books!

So why was my restaurant named Chez Squeak?  When I went shopping for table card holders, I found these adorable examples.  They reminded me of my year-long theme "Be the Mouse", which means to be persistent.  (I'll be writing a blog entry explaining the connection; stay tuned!)

At the end of the day I had piles and piles and piles of books that the students had reserved.  So, the following week I created a notice that I could slip into their books during book look and announced that they'd be allowed to take home EXTRA BOOKS!  The excitement shown by the students when I made that announcement was amazing!! 

 

Thanks for visiting! 

Please stop by again soon!

Who is the Mystery Reader?

Happy Reading Week!!  

On Monday we kicked off another fun-filled Reading Week!  Mrs. Vocatura and I welcomed students as they entered our decorated foyer, and that was just the beginning of many surprises to come!

Today we challenged the students with a Mystery Reader game.  Throughout the day I played recordings of various staff members reading aloud a portion of Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.  All day long students were stopping me in the hall to tell me which ones they had guessed and which ones stumped them.  I'm happy to report that it caused a lot of excitement among both students and staff!

Now you can play the at-home version!  Click on the links below to listen to each segment.  Can you guess who the mystery reader is?  To reveal the answer, click and drag to select the hidden text!

[If you're having trouble revealing the answers, you can click here to see a complete list!]

Click here to listen to Part 1!

Part 1 was read by Nurse Tuck!  

Click here to listen to Part 2!

Part 2 was read by kindergarten teacher Mrs. Lee!  

Click here to listen to Part 3!

Part 3 was read by Principal Scanapieco!  

Click here to listen to Part 4!

Part 4 was read by art teacher Ms. Guastini!  

Click here to listen to Part 5!

Part 5 was read by school secretary Mrs. Mitkowski!  

Click here to listen to Part 6!

Part 6 was read by PE teacher Mrs. Sorensen!  

Click here to listen to Part 7!

Part 7 was read by kindergarten teacher Mrs. Smith!  

Click here to listen to Part 8!

Part 8 was read by reading teacher Mrs. Vocatura!  

Click here to listen to Part 9!

Part 9 was read by music teacher Mr. Zielski!  

Reading Week 2019: A Universe of Stories!

Reading Week 2019:

"A Universe of Stories!"

We enjoyed another amazing week celebrating readers and reading!  Events were planned for every day of the week, and we had a blast!  One of my favorite activities involved our students creating bookmarks to donate to the Ashaway Free Library.  ❤️

Students in every class were given a blank bookmark to decorate which included the library's hours.  At the end of the week, a big of group of the kids met me at our local public library to present them to the director, Miss Heather! 

 

 

The bookmarks are on display at the circulation desk for members of the community to choose from!  "A Universe of Stories" was our school's Reading Week theme, and it will also be Ashaway Free Library's theme for their summer reading program.  We hope that, by participating in this project, our students will be encouraged to visit the library themselves to see their bookmarks and experience this wonderful community resource.  (If you haven't stopped by recently, you should definitely visit and see their incredible new program space!) 

This student visited the library recently and found her own bookmark!

Do stop by the library soon!  In the meantime, here are some examples of the incredible designs our students created.  Enjoy!!

(Click any image below to enlarge!) 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Reading Week 2018: Readers Are Leaders!

Reading Week 2018:

"Readers Are Leaders!"

We enjoyed another amazing week celebrating readers and reading!  Events were planned for every day, and I'm so happy to share some of these incredible memories!!





Kick-Off: Illusionist David Garrity
Students and staff enjoyed a hilarious and eye-popping magic show presented by the vary talented David Garrity.  His pro-reading message was the perfect kick-off to a week of fun and surprises!  (Huge thanks to our PTO for sponsoring this terrific event!)

Click to enlarge!

Tuesday: Guest Reader Day
Community leaders and special guests visited classrooms and shared a favorite story with our students!

Click to enlarge!

Wednesday: Pop and Swap
Our PTO sponsored another successful Pop and Swap after school.  Students and their families were invited to pop in to select from an enormous number of donated books and, while there, enjoy a popsicle, a lollipop and some popcorn!  Games and activities were also available, and everything at the event was absolutely FREE!

Click to enlarge!

Thursday: Reading Buddies
Some wonderful book sharing took place as older students read aloud with younger students!

Click to enlarge!

Friday: Family Read-In
Families were invited to come in to the school to enjoy some reading time together!

Click to enlarge!

ALL WEEK: Spuds in Duds
My student teacher, Miss MacLaughlin, got this idea from another librarian and we agreed to bring this fun new activity to Ashaway School!  Students were invited to dress up a potato (yes, a real potato!) so that it resembled a book character of their choice.  The response was incredible, and everyone enjoyed the display throughout the week in the library.  We knew they wouldn't last forever, so I took lots of pictures to preserve the students' creativity and hard work!  Awesome job, kids!!!

Click to enlarge!

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to making this year's Reading Week an enormous success, ! 

It was truly a spectacular celebration!