2-4-1 bookfair next week!!

Next week the 2-4-1 bookfair is back for 4 days in the library!! Before school, at lunch and after school you can come in and take advantage of the amazing deals that Scholastic sends us. Any adults interested in volunteering please come and see me ASAP, we need all the help we can get!!

See you soon!
Ms. B

Mo Willems is coming to Vancouver on June 10th!!

Tickets are in high demand, so if you are interested please follow the link to Vancouver Kidsbooks and call them ASAP!

http://www.kidsbooks.ca/kidsbooksevents.htm?AdID=285

We read a lot of these books in the library and the kids love Willems' sense of humour and his heart.  This is a great way to expose your children to literacy!! Tickets are $15 each and you get his free book and for every family member who joins you, you can choose a different title.

Happy Reading!
Ms. B

In one week I will be back to the library...

Hi Dragons,
It has been a long time since I updated this space and it is high time I did!! I have loved being the VP, and I have learned so much from the experience.  It is not the end though, but the beginning of new and exciting things that will be going on in the library!! Here are some things to look forward to:

1. In the library over the next few months we will be working on learning about ourselves and how to manage our strongest emotions (self-regulation and self awareness).  We will be reading books, watching short video clips, practicing scenarios and having deep discussions about building our own personal tool kit of ways to handle a variety of situations.  In the final stages of the unit, all students will be creating an identity square, the students will choose a symbol that represents them the best and we will be putting them up all over the school.  The intermediate students will be sewing their squares and the primary students will be using glue to create their squares (unless their are some volunteers who would like to help me sew with the primary students??).  It would be really valuable if students could also be talking about all the things they are learning about at home; these conversations could happen at the dinner table, in the car ride to sports or just at a quiet moment before bed.  

Top pic: My son working on one at home (he is in Grade 1)

Bottom pic: Identity squares/patches from other schools I have worked at

If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, please email me at kborthwick@sd38.bc.ca or come and stop by before school (Mon-Thurs) or after school (Mon-Wed).

Happy Reading,

Ms. Borthwick 

Welcome Ms. Dalziel!

The library is open and things are almost back to normal.  Thank you to all the students who have returned their library books from last school year, however, there are still many missing.  If anyone finds books under the couch or under their bed, please return them ASAP, those books have been away for far too long!
We have a new face in the library, Ms. Dalziel who is teaching Library prep to some of the primary classes.  Welcome Ms. Dalziel and thank you for helping keep the library stay so clean and organized!
Ms. Dalziel, Mrs. Allchin and I cannot do it all! I do not mean run the world, I am talking about keeping the library organized and clean! If you have any spare time and love books, volunteering in the library is perfect for you! Come by and visit Ms. Borthwick or Ms. Dalziel in the library to ask any questions and/or to get training.
 
I have been busily trying to get some new books out on our shelves! Stay tuned for a variety of new books available in many different genres...
A new series to look for:

Also, there will be a Scholastic Book Fair coming soon:
November 17th-20th 8:30am, lunchtime and 2:45pm.  Any adult who would like to volunteer for the 830am shift or the 2:45pm shift can email me at kborthwick@sd38.bc.ca.
We will be selecting a group of students to volunteer during lunchtime sales.

I love Scholastic Bookfairs as much as any student, however, this year our focus will be on the books not the little gadgets or erasers.  We will also be offering a lot of prizes (books!) for all the students in the school to promote the love of reading.  Reading is the most important life skill and can open up many opportunities and experiences.  Without it, students are left frustrated, unmotivated and lacking confidence.  However, forcing kids to read books they do not like, is not the way to foster their love of reading, it has actually been proving to deter kids from reading altogether.  Many studies have shown that kids need to pick out their own reading materials in order for them to be engaged.  Any kind of reading counts, for example: hockey magazines, blogs about video games or graphic novels...we have to support their choices and encourage them to take risks once they are comfortable enough in their reading abilities.  If you have any questions or concerns about your child's reading or their library choices, please feel free to contact your child's teacher or come and see me (Ms. Borthwick) at any time.   

Welcome Back!!!

Wow, it has been far too long since I have written to the Dixon Community! The learning commons is ready and waiting for everyone to come and enjoy! What is a learning commons you ask? It is a space that is beyond the library...it is a place where people read, learn, inquire, ask questions, make connections, reflect, transform thinking, make inferences, talk about learning, problem solve, think critically, giggle, play, smile.... We have been using the library like this for awhile and now you know its official name of it!!!

I look forward to seeing everyone come through the door.  Just remember that any books from last school year still need to be brought back asap! If they are not back within the next two weeks, I will have to send home a notice and possibly a bill for the missing book(s).  I know that will not happen, because everyone at Dixon is committed to be socially responsible.

As always, we are looking for some more help in the library and in a few weeks I will be offering a training session for new volunteers, stay tuned for the finalized date and time.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to come by or contact me at the school by phone.

See you soon!
Ms. Borthwick
604-604-6608
kborthwick@sd38.bc.ca

I survived - The Japanese Tsunami 2011

This book is a very suspenseful page turner and at the end there are facts about the tsunami.
4.5/5
Bryan

Underworlds

This book is full of adventure and mystery, and mythology and a very good book. 4/5
Bryan

It is about three friends that travel to the Underworld to save their friend that has been swallowed by Hades. I liked the part with the Myrmidons fighting the three friends in the bronze tower. My favourite character is probably Jon.

I didn't like the part where Charon says they can't have a trip back across the Styx river even though he said it was fine to have a round trip

Filip 

The Secret Science Alliance

Good job Eleanor Davis must of took a long time! It's about 3 guys and a girl and they make science stuff. Cool! Love it!
Filip

3.1415926! This book is a great book for readers that like comics and makes you hungry for more! Pi anyone? A+
Bryan

The Unwanteds

A fantasy of art and magic outside the gray, gloomy walls of Quill.
Unwanteds is a fascinating and suspenseful book. Everybody has to escape death more than once. Death comes with the mutter of the mouth or flick of a wrist. "Quill prevails while the strong survive" until Artame and Quill find peace.
Chloe

This book is full of magic and fantasy! 6.5/10
Bryan

Llama Drama - In it to win it

Book read: Llama Drama

The book is about llamas competing  between themselves. It is OK but I would rate it a 6 out of 10 because I expected it to be funnier. Also there wasn't enough action for me.

I enjoyed the parts with the two bad guys named Bolt & Dolt.

Filip Grade 4  Div.3

http://www.amazon.ca/Llama-Drama-Win-Rose-Impey/dp/0007494815/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390968257&sr=1-4&keywords=Llama+drama+in+it

Dixon's Readers Choice!

We just started yesterday and already I have a review! Well done Filip in Div.3
For other students who want more chances to win some books and to have their voices heard, please send me your reviews at kborthwick@sd38.bc.ca

Happy reading!

The voting will begin at the end of April, so there is lots of time to read all the books....

Readers Choice

Readers Choice is a new club that we are going to try out this winter.  It is a way for the Dixon students to have their voice be heard about which book is their favourite.  There will be 4 French novel titles and 6 English novel titles and there will be 5 copies of each text.  The students can read as many as they can and vote the week before spring break.  To earn more votes and a chance to win some of the leftover books, students can hand in a short review of the book, that I will be posting on the bulletin board outside the library.  This is not a mandatory club, we will meet once and then it is the responsibility of the student to come and exchange for a different title.  I hope we have a good turnout and I look forward in seeing which book becomes Dixon's Choice 2014!

Happy Reading!

Scholastic Book Fair is coming in December!

Mark you calendars for some quick and easy holiday shopping and to further our love of reading at Dixon!

Monday, December 9th
Wednesday, December 11th
Thursday, December 12th

The Book Fair will be open before school, during lunch and after school on these three days. We will see you there!

Look for Scholastic Book Fair posters around the school!

Parent volunteers who are available to help these days please contact Ms.Borthwick at kborthwick@sd38.bc.ca

DART Assessments

Hi again,
I just wanted to let everyone know that there will be no library exchanges or visits this coming week. I will be helping with DART which is our District Reading Assessment. DART helps teachers decide which reading techniques need to be focused on in the classroom. I also incorporate some important reading strategies in Library lessons as well. For example, this past month we have been working on making connections to ourselves, to other stories and to the world, while reading specific texts or stories. As always, if there are any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Ms. Borthwick

Drop Everything and Read and the Grand ReOpening

Last week was a very busy week, and not just because it ended with Halloween! On Monday we had our DEAR event and our Grand ReOpening of the library. Why are those events important you ask? Especially since the library has been reopened for awhile now....Well the Grand ReOpening of the library was to say thank you to all the members of the Dixon community who were a big part of the library renovations. The volunteers who helped box up the books,to the workers who built of the the shelving units, to the teachers who had no library access for a month and of course to the PAC members who raised all the money for our beautiful new tables, new chairs and our giant carpet! A lot goes into any renovation, but this was a pretty special transformation for the community at Dixon Elementary to enjoy for many years to come.

DEAR is also a very important event that promotes life long readers and learners. University studies show that a love for reading greatly improves your academic abilities now and in the future. Contrary to what some may think, you do not need to read a specific genre to become a genius. Many students love what they love, and sometimes pushing them too far outside their comfort zone is not always a good idea. Some students may naturally love to read novels, whereas others love the facts and information they absorb while reading Non-Fiction books.  The most important thing is that students read for at least 15 minutes everyday, and that is what Drop Everything and Read is all about.

If you have any specific questions about home reading and different genres, please do not hesitate to call me or come by for a visit on the days that I work, which are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Keep reading!
Ms. Borthwick

Adrienne Gear in the house!

I was so excited to be a part of a special presentation that was put on today in our school library for the Dixon Staff.  Adrienne Gear, who is a well known Reading and Writing guru in the lower mainland came to share her wonderful tools with many of the teachers today.  She had great ideas and practical lessons, that I am sure will start being used in classrooms soon.

On a different note, I am finding that some books are coming back into the library wet, ripped or just plain damaged.  I will be talking to the students about book care and respect for the items they borrow from the library.  Please encourage your kids to think about a safe place for books to stay while at home, and also make sure books are not stuffed into bags close to liquids.

Thank you for your help and support!

Ms. Borthwick

End of September already.....

One more school day left in September?! The last two weeks I was out of the library helping teachers and resource staff to complete our District reading assessments.  It was a wonderful experience reading with all of our students, they did a great job and I look forward to seeing their progression.  If you came to see me about volunteering, I am so sorry I missed you, please come back next week. My schedule this year is a little more straight forward, I will be working: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  We do have a library schedule but it may still change this week, but hopefully our first official week in the library will be fun, challenging and exciting!

Keep reading everyday no matter what!
Have a restful weekend.

Ms. Borthwick

Week 1- I think everyone survived!

It seems like everyone had a wonderful, albeit busy first full week of school.  I was open for a few days this week and met some of the new class combinations for the year.  I am really excited about all of the energy and enthusiasm I saw for reading! Very few students took less then the maximum and I had a few students who wanted to take out more!!!

The library will be open three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday until lunch).  If you have any questions about my availability, please feel free to come by to discuss it with me.

I am thinking about collaborating with the PAC and choosing a night that we can offer some help to parents who are finding it difficult when helping with research projects at home.  We have many helpful resources that can be accessed at home and they are available in a variety of languages.

The library will be officially opened for regular exchanges by the beginning of October. Stay tuned for more information regarding our grand opening of the new library.  We are excited to invite some of the main people who helped to make the library the beautiful space it is today!

So many things to be excited about!
Keep reading,
Ms. Borthwick

Welcome Back!

A new library and a new school year! Lots of things on my to-do list this year and if anyone would like to come and help out I am always looking for library volunteers. I will post a list of tasks and time commitments for anyone who is wondering if they could come and help out.

The library will be open for business by the end of September and keep a lookout for all the new books available to borrow in the library!

In October we will be having a Drop Everything And Read day and an official Library Grand Opening on the same day!!!!  There will be cake, lots of reading and a chance to dress as your favourite literary character, so much to look forward too!

Come by and visit,
Ms. Borthwick

2 for 1 Bookfair

Hi Dixon Community,

Just a few quick messages:
Next week we are having a 2 for 1 scholastic book fair. 
It will be from Monday to Thursday, 8:30-9:00, 12:15-1:00, 2:45-3:30.
New volunteers are welcome!
Come to browse or buy, adult titles will be available as well as excellent summer reading for kids.

Another quick message, all books need to be returned by Monday, June 17th so my helpers and I can get all the books ready and organized to start the next school year.  If you have any problems finding books, please do not hesitate to come see me in the library and I am sure we can figure something out...

Summer is almost here, but do not forget to keep reading even for just 20 minutes every day!

Ms. Borthwick