OLS CATHOLIC SCHOOL LIBRARY - Mrs Sullivan's Library Blog

Who is susie spinach?

11/12/2021

We were blessed by a visit from the author of The Adventures of Susie Spinach today for grades Wee-K4-4th grades in the library. The students enjoyed hearing from her about great character values that fit perfectly with our Catholic School values! Here is part of her note from the attached pdf:

I’m Anna Marie Giuffre author and creator of “The Adventures of Susie Spinach and the Little Gees” series featured at www.SusieSpinach.com. I’m the Philanthropist and creator of www.PurposefulAdventures.org leading the way teaching your little ones the importance to never give up! Live with purpose, build good Character and so much more. I was thrilled to spend the day with your kids at school today!

susie_spinach_INFO.pdf
File Size:	115 kb
File Type:	pdf

A copy of the hardcover book or other Susie Spinach products make great GIFTS! To purchase, CLICK HERE.
Bonus: part of the proceeds go to charity!

fall for ADD-A-BOOK!

10/5/2021

It's time to add NEW books to our library and our
ADD-A-BOOK event
is the main way we do this each year.

Here's how it works:

Students bring home the permission slip (see pdf) and if you decide to participate, just follow directions on the slip.
Students are welcome to participate anytime during the month of OCT.
When we receive the slip with payment, your student will be invited to choose from among scores of new books that are "in waiting" in our library office. These are books chosen especially to complement our K-8 collection.
Your student is then the first person to check out the NEW library book and a book plate is put inside the front cover to show who added it to our library this year!
When your student returns the new book, it will be available for others to check out and enjoy as part of our collection from now on.

Please click the pdf below to download a permission form (one is also being sent home with every student this Friday.)
If the form doesn't answer all your questions, please contact me.

AABpermission_slip_2021.pdf
File Size:	124 kb
File Type:	pdf

Hopeful additions to our collections, just waiting to be chosen during ADD-A-BOOK!

Good to know!

8/28/2021

This week, everyone had their first chance to check out a library book, or two. And they did so with no problem following our COVID-safe protocols.

I was also very pleased to introduce our wonderful, new Library Aide: Miss Caitlin Pippins! We’re here to serve every day throughout the school year. (Masks came off for a quick smile after school.)

Here’s what you need to know:

Everyone wears a mask in the library. A large container of hand sanitizer is at the ready before anyone browses the books. We also sanitize books after they're checked in, before we put them back on the shelves.
Books are due back after 1 week for K-2 and 2 weeks for Gr. 3-8 (the due-date card inside the back cover is the reminder, not a bookmark.)
A checkout can be renewed in the library; the student just checks it out again.
Overdue books: another library book cannot be checked out while there is an overdue book on a student’s record. Returning the book(s) clears the record (no fee).
The only time we charge a fee is for a lost book, which doesn’t happen until we’ve sent several reminders to look for the book (because we’d always rather get the book back.)
A school backpack is the best place to keep a school library book whenever it’s not being read (away from drink bottles please!)

I hope our students love our school library! Did you know that reading fiction helps develop empathy? And that that there’s a direct correlation between reading habits and success in life? Those are just some of the reasons that our aim is to empower every student to make a positive connection with books and information.

Please always feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or a book recommendation. Happy reading!

Books to RETURN, BOOKS TO DELIVER

5/6/2021

THANK YOU for shopping the OLS Book eFair. Your purchases earned $300 worth of new books for our school library!
Books that were purchased will be delivered to your students the week of May 17 here at school (or sooner depending on when the books arrive.) We look forward to hosting this eFair again next year!

ALL LIBRARY BOOKS are DUE by Friday, May 14th so that they can be shelved, then we begin the process of inventory for the entire collection to ensure that it is complete before school closes for the summer.
*Please help your student track down any books they've left at home so that we can clear their records and start fresh in the Fall.

Welcome to our ONLINE BOOK FAIR: april 23-may 2

4/19/2021

It's not too early to grab some great reads for this summer!
Our online Book "eFair" has thousands of titles with 80% available in paperback and great prices so that every student can find something. Look for your teacher's wish list and create your own wish list to share with family and friends.
BONUS: 25% of every purchase helps OLS acquire new titles for our school library.

Click on the image below to explore all this eFair has to offer, and read on Warriors!

Click anywhere on the image to explore the Book Fair

schoolwide events & library redesigns!

10/28/2020

TWO school-wide events in November!

“Series in Chief” Election is Nov. 2-3!
K-8 students are learing about the voting process by participating in our own elections. They're learning about the “candidates” using virtual Bitmoji "rooms" and they'll cast their votes online and we'll know the winner on Nov. 4th.
Students would love to tell you about the candidates! (The three most popular series according to checkout statistics.)

And here is the catch-up summary about changes to Library this Fall that I meant to post in September...oops!

Wow, what a Spring we had… and Summer! The masked-chaos of figuring out how to do school during a pandemic has morphed beautifully into a solid rhythm and a new normal. Having students in the library has been the best antidote for my pandemic blues and we’re so blessed to welcome them for safe & sanitized checkouts every day!

Miss Kinnaird and I made the best of our time in the library when students were at home and completely revamped some areas. Since the shared Library “CENTERS” activities are packed away for now (the building blocks and puzzles are sad), we re-imagined some of the spaces in here and the photos tell the story.

Library Specials classes began as a virtual event. I created grade-specific "rooms" using Bitmoji and the students enjoy exploring them. The read-alouds, interactive activities and information is at their fingertips from the safety of their classrooms or anywhere they can connect online. And this week, I am excited to welcome back K-3 classes for Library Specials. Thanks to Mrs. Dorn's help, we figured out how I can safely distance students for read-alouds and lessons inside our extra-large space, and take 1/2 a class at a time when numbers require it. I have so much to teach them about using our library catalog and finding a just-right book so this is great! Grade 4-8 students are able to explore the catalog onlne and request books for same-day delivery to their classrooms. And they come browse as often as possible too!

OUR jr. high section grew!

ADD-A-BOOK is Nov. 9-13!
This is when K-8 families can opt to cover the cost of a NEW library book and their student (who chooses which book) gets to be the first one to check it out! This is the main library fundraiser of the year and it's so important to keep our library up-to-date and relevant for our patrons.
A permission slip with all the details is going home with every student this week. Or, click the pdf below. As always, thank you for loving your school library!

Add-A-Book Permission slip

2020-fall-ols-flyer-4__2_.pdf
File Size:	121 kb
File Type:	pdf

Here's how we circulate in a pandemic

we "genre-fied" picture books

Now they're easier to browse, yay!

book fair and summer reading

5/15/2020

Our school BOOK FAIR is online now through May 24h just in time for
2020 Summer Reading!

OLS Catholic School BOOK FAIR

The link for our OLS School Books & More Fair is https://r3916.myubam.com/1567404
We hope your OLS School students will find fun options there to keep them reading & learning all summer!
Books will be delivered directly to your home with a minimal shipping fee. They will ship within a few days of the online purchase.

OLS School SUMMER READING 2020

Since we are unable to physically gather, we are very happy to offer our annual Usborne Books & More Fair online. But you may wonder...
WHY order from our online option when you already have online sources for books & activities?

Many of the Usborne titles, puzzles, and activity kits available in our link are NOT available anywhere else.
17% of sales will get reinvested in our OLS School library. (Thanks to our Usborne rep who is donating her entire commission for this!)
Usborne Books & More titles are designed for the JOY of reading and learning! The link offers a variety of categories from books to puzzles to hands-on activities.

The books have color, humor, a wealth of information on high-interest subjects, stunning illustrations, and simple text in titles for younger children, as well as chapter books through high school.
Should you have any questions or need recommendations, please feel free to contact me or our
Usborne Book Fair Consultant, Mandy Golightly, at [email protected]

Library Online (recent update 4/17)

3/16/2020

During this time of social distancing and the closure of the school building, please check back here often for updates to this list of resources to spark literacy fun at home!
#makereadingFUN

ACCESS BOOKS ONLINE
Free :

Google Classroom: OLS Broadcast - read-aloud videos from OLS faculty and staff. We miss you!
Jefferson County Public Libraries or Birmingham Public Library - browse and checkout eBooks & audio books for the entire family.

Free (temporarily) Books Online:

EPIC - access 40,000 titles, learning videos, quizzes and more. Get 1 month free.
VOOKS. - picture books, beautifully animated and read aloud. Additional activities are included. Households can get one month free (then $4.99/mo) & teachers one year free.

LIVE ONLINE
(If it's red just click on it. If it's on Social Media like Instagram or FaceBook (FB) I cannot link directly from here but this should help locate them using names/titles give below.)

Draw Every Day with JJK JARRETT J. KROSOCZKA

HPL Kids Facebook page (Hoover Public Library) live storytimes!

PeteTheCatOfficial via Instagram. Daily virtual storytimes.

PETER H. REYNOLDS daily read-aloud via his FB page from author of The Dot among others bestsellers.

MAC BARNETT via Instagram live: His humorous “Mac B Kid Spy” & “The Terrible Two” series are popular! I also find his picture books about Circle, Square and Triangle great fun!)

DAN GUTMAN via FB: author of My Weird School series, The Genius Files series, and baseball time-travel series (Honus & Me, Satch & Me, ...)

OLIVER JEFFERS via FB & Instagram: author/illus of many notable picture books including “Stuck” and “The day the crayons quit”

LIST of Virtual Author Activities

A LIST from School Library Journal

Archived but no longer live:
MO WILLEMS lunchtime doodle sessions Author of The Pigeon books, Piggie & Elephant... need I say more? (click the little arrows on the sides of the screen to see different episodes.)

OTHER RESOURCES

Homework Alabama has expanded their hours from 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. to access one-on-one virtual tutoring on all K-12 subjects.
LITTLE PROFESSOR bookstore in Homewood, offering curated collections, activity boxes and books... with delivery or curbside pickup!
Virtual Family Field Trips
National WWII Museum virtual field trips
Ed Companies offering free subscriptions

ALWAYS AVAILABLE
All ages:

Links on our OLS School library home page.
Wide Open School a free collection of online learning experiences curated by editors at Common Sense.
Schoolwide subscription to World Book Online offers a myriad of interactive exploration & learning.
SPRING READING CHALLENGE (for ALL Jefferson Co library patrons - win prizes!)
Story Time from Space - ASTRONAUTS read to you from space!
Smithsonian Tween Tribune (articles and quizzes for K-12)
Read Wonder & Learn (more than read alouds!)
Jack Prelutsky, the first Children's Poet Laureate
Shel Silverstein reads his hilarious poems aloud accompanied by animated cartoons, or make a bookmark, download puzzles and more.

Grades PreK - 3rd:

Between the Lions Early Reading Collection
Learning to Read (collection of interactive websites to build literacy skills, curated by ALA.)
Mo Willems - don’t miss the “Get Busy” link!
Dav Pilkey's Extra Crunchy Website-O-Fun
Dr Seuss Seussville
Eric Carle
Jan Brett
Jerry Pinkney

Grades 4th - 8th:

Scholastic Publishing uber-popular authors/series include Dog Man, Babysitters Club, Harry Potter, Wings of Fire, Ricky Ricotta and more!
Lauren Tarshis YouTube channel (author of popular I Survived series! )
Roald Dahl
Lemony Snicket
Cornelia Funke

Grades 6th - 8th:
Kwame Alexander’s "Bookish" YouTube channel (he interviews JEFF KINNEY on his first episode and many other great authors on other episodes) NOTE: He is an award-winning poet and writer for this age group but 2 of his books are are for ages12+ only: “Solo” and “He Said She Said”)

Rick Riordan's links to book extras and online activities (author of Lightning Thief and best-selling mythology-based series.)

Steve Sheinkin: author of award-winning suspenseful history books. Plus daily episodes of the new comic he is co-writing with his middle school daughter: Non Fiction Man

Expanding the Classics (list of links curated by ALA.)

HELP OUR LIBRARY GROW!

1/29/2020

It's time for ADD-A-BOOK!
Carefully pre-selected NEW books for our school family are just waiting, and hoping to become library books. If your family can ADD-A-BOOK from these selections, it will really help stretch our library budget. The cost is $20 per book since each has a special, guaranteed library binding.

BENEFITS to Add-A-Book!
1. Your student is the FIRST to check out the new library book that he\she ADDs!
with...
2. a personalized OLS bookplate inside the front cover.

How to ADD-A-BOOK
Click the pdf link below to download the permission form with details (these are also being sent home with students on yellow paper). Just follow the steps on the permission form:

2020-ols-flyer-3.pdf
File Size:	178 kb
File Type:	pdf

A student with a completed permission form + payment can come to the library in February and choose their 2020 ADD-A-BOOK, complete with all of the benefits listed above.
Note: Students with an overdue book should return that book before taking home the new ADD-A-BOOK.

THANK YOU for considering this option
to add NEW BOOKS
to our school library!

open house Jan. 24th

1/21/2020

Welcome one and all to our school's Open House on Sunday, January 24th from 2pm-4pm.
I especially hope you will come inside the library and take a look around. I regret that I am unable to attend, but you are invited to explore our library space, notice our books, and watch the informational videos that will be playing all afternoon.

Our current Library Bulletin Board made from student "Hearts for Jesus" that were our Christmas Tree in Dec.

If I can answer any questions, please feel free to contact me (in the drop down menu as "Contact Me") and I will be happy to reply. Enjoy your visit!