MPS Library News, November 2018
November kicks off the first of the holiday celebrations, which creates an air of excitement for everyone. The task of teachers/staff is to channel that excitement, while still meeting educational goals. Our November and December calendars are full (no one should be able to complain of being bored!) Quiz bowl, One-Act Play and Basketball all get started this month!
While our days and schedules can get really packed, having a solid planning system can help keep us on track. Students are given a planner at the beginning of the year. Planning is a learned skill and while some of our students are natural planners, others may require a bit of guidance and practice. There are several really wonderful application available for keeping track of homework, events and to-do’s. My favorite, and by far the most effective planning tool, is Google Calendar. This is a free download to anyone with a Gmail address. It’s very easy to set up and extremely user friendly. It can be color coded and personalized. Even better, it comes with alerts and reminders that can be texted or emailed to you. You can access the calendar via email. Google Calendar is free and available for both iPhones and Android phones.
The second part of our pre-holiday warm-up is staying healthy. Right about now, we start to see a lot of students and teachers getting hit by cold and flu. Along with the normal reminders of hand-washing, keeping hands away from the face, staying active, eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of sleep is critical for building a healthy immune system. Perhaps the combination of good planning and restful sleep can help us thrive during the next couple of months? Here’s to staying healthy!
Enjoy these articles on the importance of sleep:
Why Sleep is a Powerful Weapon Against The Flu
https://restonic.com/blog/sleep-powerful-weapon-flu
8 Health Hacks: Can sleep help fight the flu?
Flu Season and Sleep
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleepless-in-america/201412/flu-season-and-sleep
App of the Month: Google Calendar is a fantastic planning tool with multiple capabilities. Here is a great link to get started using it. https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/calendar/get-started/#!/
High School Book of the Month: Sythe by Neal Shusterman
From Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28954189-scythe
“A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.”
Junior High Book of the Month: The False Prince, by Jennifer Neilsen
From Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12432220-the-false-prince
“In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point—he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.”
Elementary Book of the Month: Benji and the 24 Pound Banana Squash by Alan C. Fox and Eefje Kuijl
From Goodreads: “With all his might Benji puts some seeds into the earth. Eagerly he follows the progress of growing. He lays in the sun beside his banana squash. He smells it, touches it, and puts sticks in the ground to measure how big it gets. A simple story that opens up children's eyes to one of nature's smallest and at the same time biggest wonders.”
Readers Welcome!
We feel that our school library also represents our community library. Patrons are welcome to come in and read our book and magazine selections, as well as checking out both print and digital books. We have a wide selection of titles, but if there are specific ones that you would enjoy reading, please send suggestions to robyn.carey@maywoodtigers.org. Patrons who have children in school can easily use their student's login information. For patrons who do not have children in school, but are interested in checking out both print and digital selections, we will happily set up an account. I am available for help with downloading the Destiny application on smartphones and/or accessing our library through the school's website.