Wednesday, May 16, 2018
This is our final update from the RCMS library for this school year! We ended the year with many awesome activities. We held our annual Scholastic Book Fair April 30th-May 3rd, and it was a success as always. Thanks for your continued support of our Book Fair; profits enable us to purchase books for not only the school library, but for Language Arts classroom libraries as well. Congratulations to Danielle Brown and Donna Akers, our two winners of the Book Fair gift basket raffle.
This is our final update from the RCMS library for this school year! We ended the year with many awesome activities. We held our annual Scholastic Book Fair April 30th-May 3rd, and it was a success as always. Thanks for your continued support of our Book Fair; profits enable us to purchase books for not only the school library, but for Language Arts classroom libraries as well. Congratulations to Danielle Brown and Donna Akers, our two winners of the Book Fair gift basket raffle.
We also would like to congratulate our winners of the last two coloring contests and challenge of the month gift card drawings!
-March/April I Will Always Write Back coloring contest: Danielle Brown, Silvana Mata Perez, Chloe Newton, and Jeremiah Hayes
-April/May coloring contest: Harmony Utley and Francesca Patchell
-March challenge of the Week gift card drawing: Riley Harrolle
-April challenge of the week gift card drawing: Colleen Steber
-March/April I Will Always Write Back coloring contest: Danielle Brown, Silvana Mata Perez, Chloe Newton, and Jeremiah Hayes
-April/May coloring contest: Harmony Utley and Francesca Patchell
-March challenge of the Week gift card drawing: Riley Harrolle
-April challenge of the week gift card drawing: Colleen Steber
Finally, yesterday marked the 5th annual Battle of the Books Final Four assembly! As in past years, again over 100 RCMS students qualifed to attend the Battle of the Books Final Four Assembly. Mrs. Leslie began by recognizing all participating teams not in the Final Four: The Banana Joes, Bespeckled Cephalopods, Fireflies, Team with no Name, The Scavengers, and the 2018 Reader Leaders. We also recognized those students who had read all 20 books from the Rebecca Caudill list, which are the books we use for Battle of the Books: Jorri VanDyke, Jon Turley, Tyler Smashey, and Colleen Steber. Finally, a special thanks to our teacher team, "To Read or not to Read," which consisted of Mrs. Blank, Mrs. Mann, Mrs. Tyler, Mrs. Lathrop, and Mrs. Page.
STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:
4th place went to Return of the Reading Rebels
3rd place went to Furious Five
2nd place went to Outcasts
1st place grand champions was the Furious 4! *First time ever repeat champions, and also the first team to ever make the championship round two years in a row!*
The Furious Four didn't stop there. They went on to play the teacher team To Read or not to Read, and pulled out a victory with a score of 13-4. Furious Four is also now the repeat overall grand champion!
Then, just for fun, the top 6th grade student team Return of the Reading Rebels battled against To Read or not to Read (since they are all 6th grade teachers), and that was a nail-biter of a match! The final score was Return of the Reading Rebels with 10 points and To Read or not to Read with 9 points; students prevailed again!
SO. MUCH. FUN! Stay tuned...maybe next year the teachers will finally claim their first victory!!!
STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:
4th place went to Return of the Reading Rebels
3rd place went to Furious Five
2nd place went to Outcasts
1st place grand champions was the Furious 4! *First time ever repeat champions, and also the first team to ever make the championship round two years in a row!*
The Furious Four didn't stop there. They went on to play the teacher team To Read or not to Read, and pulled out a victory with a score of 13-4. Furious Four is also now the repeat overall grand champion!
Then, just for fun, the top 6th grade student team Return of the Reading Rebels battled against To Read or not to Read (since they are all 6th grade teachers), and that was a nail-biter of a match! The final score was Return of the Reading Rebels with 10 points and To Read or not to Read with 9 points; students prevailed again!
SO. MUCH. FUN! Stay tuned...maybe next year the teachers will finally claim their first victory!!!
Friday, April 13, 2018
Caitlin Alifirenka, co-author of the 2018 One Book, One Community selection I Will Always Write Back, was here yesterday, on Thursday, April 12th! She presented to all RCMS students, St. Joseph middle school students, RCHS book club members, and interested people from the community. Caitlin’s presentation told her amazing true story, which began as a penpal assignment in her 7th grade English class and went on to span the course of nearly eight years of letter writing. These letters truly did change the lives of countless people, beginning with Caitlin and her co-author Martin, and their families. Caitlin’s final words of wisdom included the phrase “kindness is contagious,” as she discussed the amazing ripple effect that is possible from multiple small acts of kindness. She also encouraged students to realize the power of words, and to use social media wisely, only to build others up and never to break them down.
Other events throughout the day included a question-and-answer session with over 40 RCMS book club students, student book signings, and a community meet-and-greet reception with book signings, which was held after school in the RCMS library. Becca Leslie, teacher-librarian at RCMS, would like to thank RCCU #1, the RCMS principals and faculty, ERFAE, and the Carrie Winter Trust for faithfully supporting this project. What an amazing day!
Caitlin Alifirenka, co-author of the 2018 One Book, One Community selection I Will Always Write Back, was here yesterday, on Thursday, April 12th! She presented to all RCMS students, St. Joseph middle school students, RCHS book club members, and interested people from the community. Caitlin’s presentation told her amazing true story, which began as a penpal assignment in her 7th grade English class and went on to span the course of nearly eight years of letter writing. These letters truly did change the lives of countless people, beginning with Caitlin and her co-author Martin, and their families. Caitlin’s final words of wisdom included the phrase “kindness is contagious,” as she discussed the amazing ripple effect that is possible from multiple small acts of kindness. She also encouraged students to realize the power of words, and to use social media wisely, only to build others up and never to break them down.
Other events throughout the day included a question-and-answer session with over 40 RCMS book club students, student book signings, and a community meet-and-greet reception with book signings, which was held after school in the RCMS library. Becca Leslie, teacher-librarian at RCMS, would like to thank RCCU #1, the RCMS principals and faculty, ERFAE, and the Carrie Winter Trust for faithfully supporting this project. What an amazing day!
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
We are back from Spring Break and into PARCC testing this week. All the while, we are gearing up in excitement for our One Book, One Community author visit, which is next Thursday, April 12th! We cannot wait to meet Caitlin Alifirenka and hear her amazing story told firsthand! In the meantime, here is some of the fun we've been having in the RCMS library...
-In February and March, we had the following activities for Challenge of the Week: Valentine's Day Escape Room, "I Love my Library because" decorative hearts, Winter Olympics word search, Spelling Bee brain teaser, Volleyball drawing challenge, St. Patrick's Day fun facts trivia, and Easter Escape Room. The February coloring contest winners were Aliza Rios, Alexis Aidt, Destiny Russell, and Cali Wingert, who all received Merge cubes! The winner of the February Challenge of the Week gift card drawing was Alyia Moore.
-We have also had fun in the Makerspace building a roller coaster, working with a coding car, and experimenting with the Makey-Makey! Special thanks to Austin Vaughn for assisting Mrs. Leslie with the Makey-Makey instruction!
We are back from Spring Break and into PARCC testing this week. All the while, we are gearing up in excitement for our One Book, One Community author visit, which is next Thursday, April 12th! We cannot wait to meet Caitlin Alifirenka and hear her amazing story told firsthand! In the meantime, here is some of the fun we've been having in the RCMS library...
-In February and March, we had the following activities for Challenge of the Week: Valentine's Day Escape Room, "I Love my Library because" decorative hearts, Winter Olympics word search, Spelling Bee brain teaser, Volleyball drawing challenge, St. Patrick's Day fun facts trivia, and Easter Escape Room. The February coloring contest winners were Aliza Rios, Alexis Aidt, Destiny Russell, and Cali Wingert, who all received Merge cubes! The winner of the February Challenge of the Week gift card drawing was Alyia Moore.
-We have also had fun in the Makerspace building a roller coaster, working with a coding car, and experimenting with the Makey-Makey! Special thanks to Austin Vaughn for assisting Mrs. Leslie with the Makey-Makey instruction!
The library has been hosting I Will Always Write Back student book club meetings. Mrs. Leslie and the students have had a great time discussing the book together. Soon, we will begin preparing questions for Ms Alifirenka's visit and making welcome signs for her arrival!
Finally, have you heard about I Will Always Write Back on the radio? If so, it's because two students from the One Book Student Committee went with Mrs. Leslie to record the public service announcement about the book. Thanks Bella and Breena, for volunteering to be on the radio!
Friday, March 9, 2018
One Book, One Community 2018 was released today, as promised! We are proud to announce the One Book, One Community 2018 selection, I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, with Liz Welch, the New York Times bestselling true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
One Book, One Community 2018 was released today, as promised! We are proud to announce the One Book, One Community 2018 selection, I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, with Liz Welch, the New York Times bestselling true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
Every student at RCMS, as well as all faculty and staff, received copies of I Will Always Write Back. Additional books are available at RCMS, RCHS, St. Joseph School, and both the OCC and Olney Public libraries. Finally, over 150 copies have been distributed throughout many businesses and organizations in Richland County.
On Thursday, April 12th, Caitlin Alifirenka will be speaking and presenting in the RCHS auditorium at 8: 25, 9:25, and 10:25 to all RCMS students, St. Joseph School grades 6-8, and any interested community members. In addition, Alifirenka will meet with a smaller student group in the afternoon who earn special VIP status. Finally, there will also be a meet-and-greet book signing in the RCMS library from 3:15-4:00, open to the public. Having authors visit year after year is a blessing and serves as great motivation for students, especially when so many have read the book!
If reading the book does, in fact, inspire you to reach out and help others, this year the RCMS library is sponsoring the "Buy a Brick" program through the Seeds of Africa Fund, co-founded by Martin Ganda (one of the authors/main characters from the book.) For $1, you can buy a brick, which will help build Zimbabwe's first ever technological school, The Knowledge Center. Those interested can visit the RCMS library to donate. Paper bricks will display the name of those who donate, and we will build a paper "wall” of bricks in the library to demonstrate the difference our bricks will make!
The One Book, One Community program would not be possible without the generous donations provided through both the Carrie Winter Trust and ERFAE, both providing funds since the program’s start in 2007. This year, a very special thank you goes to RCMS principal Cris Edwards, who generously found funds to ensure that every single student (instead of the traditional number of just over half of students) received a book.
The One Book, One Community program would not be possible without the generous donations provided through both the Carrie Winter Trust and ERFAE, both providing funds since the program’s start in 2007. This year, a very special thank you goes to RCMS principal Cris Edwards, who generously found funds to ensure that every single student (instead of the traditional number of just over half of students) received a book.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Continuing the RCMS longstanding tradition, the One Book, One Community 2018 title reveal and book give-away is this week! And for the first time EVER, the entire student body will receive their own free copy! See the following clues (released daily Monday through Friday this week) to give hints to the title...
Day 1, CLUE 1
Day 2, CLUE 2
Day 3, CLUE 3
Day 4, CLUE 4 and CLUE 5
Day 5, CLUE 6 and Book Trailer/Title Reveal
Continuing the RCMS longstanding tradition, the One Book, One Community 2018 title reveal and book give-away is this week! And for the first time EVER, the entire student body will receive their own free copy! See the following clues (released daily Monday through Friday this week) to give hints to the title...
Day 1, CLUE 1
Day 2, CLUE 2
Day 3, CLUE 3
Day 4, CLUE 4 and CLUE 5
Day 5, CLUE 6 and Book Trailer/Title Reveal
Friday, February 2, 2018
The temperatures may be cold, but we've been warm here in the library with our various challenges and contests! December wrapped up with an ornament making activity in 5th block and a Lego Build challenge to build a Christmas or Holiday character. The winners for the December coloring contest were Vivi Carey, Kara Sager, Jordan Hamilton, and Myracle Nettles (not pictured), and they each received a 9-in-1 craft scissors set. The winner of the December challenge of the week gift card drawing was Emma Spillman.
The temperatures may be cold, but we've been warm here in the library with our various challenges and contests! December wrapped up with an ornament making activity in 5th block and a Lego Build challenge to build a Christmas or Holiday character. The winners for the December coloring contest were Vivi Carey, Kara Sager, Jordan Hamilton, and Myracle Nettles (not pictured), and they each received a 9-in-1 craft scissors set. The winner of the December challenge of the week gift card drawing was Emma Spillman.
December also wrapped up the One Book Student Committee, with our last meeting of "Christmas Cookies and Conversation." Students made their cases for their favorite books and then cast their votes for which book they thought should be chosen as One Book, One Community 2018! Stay tuned!!!!
January definitely did not disappoint! Challenges of the week have included: Tangram Pattern snowflakes, Winter themed crossword puzzle, and the 100 Toothpick Tower challenge (to celebrate the 100th day of school on January 31!) The January coloring contest winners were Claire Vaal and Garrett Cummins, and they each received an I Do 3D vertical neon pen. The winner of the January challenge of the week gift card drawing was Derrick Steele.
Finally, Mrs. Leslie’s Makerspace x-block recently completed a “stick together” collaborative sticker pixel puzzle, comprised of 3,996 stickers! Awesome!
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
There is a festive feeling in the air; the Holidays are definitely here! Here's what we've been up to...
New Makerspace Challenges of the Week:
-Successfully build with 1 of the 5 brand new sets added to the Makerspace, as follows: Little Bits Circuit Kit, Electronic Blocks, Mini Rail Roller Coaster, Snap Circuits 3D, Snap Circuits Light
-What are you thankful for? Write it on the "RCMS is thankful" pumpkin in the library!
-Paint a simple picture using the new water painting easel ("Buddha Board") in the library
-Make a Christmas Kindness Fortune Teller
There is a festive feeling in the air; the Holidays are definitely here! Here's what we've been up to...
New Makerspace Challenges of the Week:
-Successfully build with 1 of the 5 brand new sets added to the Makerspace, as follows: Little Bits Circuit Kit, Electronic Blocks, Mini Rail Roller Coaster, Snap Circuits 3D, Snap Circuits Light
-What are you thankful for? Write it on the "RCMS is thankful" pumpkin in the library!
-Paint a simple picture using the new water painting easel ("Buddha Board") in the library
-Make a Christmas Kindness Fortune Teller
Finally, the November coloring contest winners were: Breena Mick, Sam Vaal, Claire Vaal, Katie Smallwood and Rayna Turchi (not pictured). They each won a pair of emoji earbuds! The winner of the November challenge of the week gift card drawing was Mya Kessler.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Not surprisingly, over the past several weeks the Makerspace Challenge of the Week has had a Fall theme. The latest challenges have been as follows:
-Wings Wanted--Make a paper bat and see how it flies
-Lego Build Challenge--Build a lego jack-o-lantern
-Lego Build Challenge--Build a lego monster
-Build a free standing scarecrow--Use only craft sticks and wiki stix to construct your creation.
In addition, we chose winners for the October coloring contest! Destiny Russell and Willow Conn both won a deluxe paint by sticker book! Finally, Rowan Arvin won the Makerspace Challenge of the Week gift card drawing for October.
Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Not surprisingly, over the past several weeks the Makerspace Challenge of the Week has had a Fall theme. The latest challenges have been as follows:
-Wings Wanted--Make a paper bat and see how it flies
-Lego Build Challenge--Build a lego jack-o-lantern
-Lego Build Challenge--Build a lego monster
-Build a free standing scarecrow--Use only craft sticks and wiki stix to construct your creation.
In addition, we chose winners for the October coloring contest! Destiny Russell and Willow Conn both won a deluxe paint by sticker book! Finally, Rowan Arvin won the Makerspace Challenge of the Week gift card drawing for October.
Monday, October 23, 2017
I had a great time presenting as part of a panel discussion, learning at the concurrent sessions, and meeting and listening to amazing authors at the annual #ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association) conference. I am so blessed to have a job that I love!
I had a great time presenting as part of a panel discussion, learning at the concurrent sessions, and meeting and listening to amazing authors at the annual #ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association) conference. I am so blessed to have a job that I love!
Monday, October 16, 2017
First quarter has ended, and to celebrate and discuss, the One Book, One Community Student Committee met for the 2nd annual "Donuts and Discussion" session. We talked about all of the books on our list and why they would (or wouldn't) be a good choice for One Book 2018.
First quarter has ended, and to celebrate and discuss, the One Book, One Community Student Committee met for the 2nd annual "Donuts and Discussion" session. We talked about all of the books on our list and why they would (or wouldn't) be a good choice for One Book 2018.
Also, the RCMS Rocks group went on its first field trip to hunt and find rocks. It was so much fun!
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Time is flying as we are already nearing the end of 1st quarter! The Makerspace/Creation Station is back in full swing, along with the coloring contest of the month. So far, we have had the following activities as challenges of the week:
-Complete a library scavenger hunt
-Make a September 11 memorial ribbon
-Make a Lego Build of your favorite fruit (maybe an apple or pumpkin this time of year?)
-Make a pumpkin or leaf collage
-Make a pipe cleaner spider web
We chose four winners for the September coloring contest: Jozlyn Prior, Hope Burt, Myracle Nettles, and Grace Williams. Olivia Tyler won the Challenge of the Week drawing for September.
Finally, the new "RCMS Rocks" group has been meeting during 5th block. We are having several painting sessions, as well as two field trips to hide and hunt rocks! Here are some photos from all of the fun!
Time is flying as we are already nearing the end of 1st quarter! The Makerspace/Creation Station is back in full swing, along with the coloring contest of the month. So far, we have had the following activities as challenges of the week:
-Complete a library scavenger hunt
-Make a September 11 memorial ribbon
-Make a Lego Build of your favorite fruit (maybe an apple or pumpkin this time of year?)
-Make a pumpkin or leaf collage
-Make a pipe cleaner spider web
We chose four winners for the September coloring contest: Jozlyn Prior, Hope Burt, Myracle Nettles, and Grace Williams. Olivia Tyler won the Challenge of the Week drawing for September.
Finally, the new "RCMS Rocks" group has been meeting during 5th block. We are having several painting sessions, as well as two field trips to hide and hunt rocks! Here are some photos from all of the fun!
Thursday, August 31, 2017
We are already finishing up the third week of school! Since we are all well into our routines, it's time for some fun! The library coloring contest of the month is back starting TOMORROW! This month's theme is happiness, since we're all so happy to be back at school! Next week, we will also resume the Makerspace/Creation Station Challenge of the Week. Participation in both of these earns you chances to win prizes, so be sure to check it out!
In the meantime, did you know our school motto this year is "Be the Difference"? What an amazing motto; to make a difference, we must be the difference! Have you made a difference today?
We are already finishing up the third week of school! Since we are all well into our routines, it's time for some fun! The library coloring contest of the month is back starting TOMORROW! This month's theme is happiness, since we're all so happy to be back at school! Next week, we will also resume the Makerspace/Creation Station Challenge of the Week. Participation in both of these earns you chances to win prizes, so be sure to check it out!
In the meantime, did you know our school motto this year is "Be the Difference"? What an amazing motto; to make a difference, we must be the difference! Have you made a difference today?