Fifth Grade Projects with Students in MD and CA

The fifth-grade Integrated Technology students are currently participating in an exciting project.  They have become "Tech Pals" with students from Hampton Elementary in Baltimore, MD and Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School in Santa Ana, CA.  The students are using the website Edmodo to share introductory letters and participate in discussions.  They will also be using Google Docs to create a presentation about their cities/states and VoiceThread to debate topics and talk about their favorite things.  The students are having a great time and learning a lot about people living in other parts of the country. 

Read Across America: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

On Friday, March 2, we will celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday and Read Across America day.  We have many activities planned in the library which include the following.  We hope that you will join in the celebration!

• Share your reading with the world!  Email Mrs. Young or bring to the library a picture of yourself reading in your favorite spot or dressed up as your favorite book character and you could win a Scholastic Book Fair gift certificate (beginning March 21) or a goody bag filled with prizes.  Send pictures to dyoung@newlondon.k12.wi.us.  Mrs. Young will post pictures on our library blog. All photo entries are due by Sunday, March 4.

• Guess how many eggs are in our Horton Hatches an Egg guessing jar.  The jar will be out all week beginning Monday, February 27.  The winner will be announced Friday, March 2 at the end of the day.

• All day check-out contest on Friday, March 2.  Every 5^th person who checks out a library material will receive a prize.

• Get caught reading.  Mrs. Young will be walking around the school throughout the day on Friday, March 2.  If she catches you reading, you will receive a prize.

Skype with Afghanistan

One of our 5th grade students introduced her mom to her class today.  This introduction was not in person, however.  It was through Skype.  Her mom is in the army stationed in Afghanistan.  Students had the chance to ask her questions about being in the military and her experiences.  See pictures below from today's event.

Scholastic Book Fair soon to Arrive

We are excited that the Scholastic Book Fair will once again be making its way to our library.  Our fair will take place beginning Wednesday, March 21 and continue through Tuesday, March 27.  Your purchases go toward providing new materials for the library.  The book fair will be open during parent-teacher conferences on March 22 and 23. 

You will also have an opportunity to win a Scholastic Book Fair gift certificate.  We are running a Read Across America photo contest during the week of February 26-March 2.  Students can submit photos of themselves reading in their favorite places or dressed up as their favorite book character.  Up to five winners will be drawn for gift certificates.  Photos can be emailed to Mrs. Young at dyoung@newlondon.k12.wi.us or dropped off in the library.

Protect your Accounts with Strong Passwords

It is very important in today's world to use strong passwords to protect our online accounts.  How many of you have strong passwords that include letters, numbers, capital, and lowercase letters?  Password Bird is here to help you create passwords that you will remember but no one else will guess.  Here's how it works: go to www.passwordbird.com and fill in the three boxes with your information.  Password Bird will create a unique password based on your responses.  If you do not like the password created, you can have them make a new one for you based on the same information.  Give it a try and find a unique, secure password waiting for you.