We Have a Winner!!!

Every year our third, fourth and fifth grade students enter the Lee County Bookmark Contest. They create a bookmark during library class following the guidelines provided by the Lee County Public Library. Every year has a different theme. This year was "Dive Into Reading." Today, Sherry Hill, a librarian from the Lee County Public Library System visited our school to tell us that one of our students won second place! Congratulations, Celina!!

You can see your child's entry in the contest at the downtown Fort Myers Lee County Library by the computers in the young adult section during the month of November.

Growing Vegetable Soup!

Did you know that God was a gardener? Genesis 1:29 "Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." and Genesis 2:8-9 "Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food."

Today in library Miss Shrader talked with the preschool students about how God planned the seeds to grow up to look just like their parents! Miss Shrader dressed up like she had been gardening, and showed the students her gardening tools. The class talked about all of the things that are needed for seeds to grow up to be fruits and vegetables. She read the story Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert, and then showed the children vegetables that were featured in the story. Afterwards, the students enjoyed smelling and feeling the different kinds of vegetables.

Another Great Book Fair

The books are all packed up and the decorations are all gone...the book fair is over! Thank you to our crew of volunteers that helped to set up the book fair, tear down the book fair, and help monitor shoppers while the book fair was going on! We had more volunteers than ever this year, and that made everything a lot easier, thanks! Also, a huge thanks to Mrs. Peggy Benton who called all the volunteers and got you all to come in. She also did a great job on the decorations as always.

Sales were down a little this year, but that's okay. The kids had a great time, and they got some good-quality reading material to enjoy, and the library still earned over $1000 in free books and materials for your students to enjoy. I can hardly wait until the next book fair in the spring!

Been to the book fair yet?

Your librarian has been dressed very strangely this week. Tuesday she was from the outbacks of Australia, Wednesday she was in Mexico, Thursday she sported the pith helmet of an African explorer and today...I think she is from India!


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Our students have been enjoying seeing Miss Shrader dressed in her costumes as she reads around the world. But, they have loved buying books from the book fair!


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Silly Shrader in a sombrero and serape. Read around the world!

The Fall Book Fair Starts Next Tuesday

It's almost that time again! The Scholastic Book Fair is on the way with lots of new titles for our eager readers to enjoy! Come visit the book fair and see the new Library Media Center next week.

What: The Scholastic Book Fair!

Where: The Fort Myers Christian School Library Media Center, located on the 2nd floor of the Children's Center (elementary building.)

When: September 8-18, 2009

Times: 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. every school day

Hope to see you all there. Stay tuned... there may be some special events happening at the book fair that you will want to know about.

Library Media Center Changes!

I deeply apologize for not updating my blog sooner. As some of you know I had a very bad case of pneumonia last spring and was close to death. I thank the Lord that I was spared! It took several months for me to fully recover from my illness, and then I got right to work with a huge project that most of you have heard about, combining the two library media centers into one!

What a huge project combining the two library media centers and making just one LMC has been. I started the day after school was over for students, and didn't finish until one week before the teachers had to return. Whew! Just made it. Along the way I had a lot of help from my super-duper LMC volunteer Mrs. Peggy Benton. My lovely daughters were reluctantly helpful, but I couldn't have done it without them. And a huge shout out to Jeff Hoffman, First Assembly of God Maintenance Director, and his crew that helped me to get the big stuff moved, everything painted, hung and looking pretty. I still have some small stuff that needs finishing, labels, direction signage, etc. But the place really does look great. Here are some of the changes:



All of the reading area is in the main part of the LMC now.












The circulation desk from the middle school was moved over. This desk is smaller and more appropriate for the elementary students that use the LMC the majority of the time.






All of the chapter books and nonfiction books are in the main section of the LMC.

The storybook corner has been moved to the new reading room, that is for the younger elementary children.

All of the books for our youngest readers are in the reading room, along with the storybook corner. The little ones just love their new space!

The Book Fair is Coming! The Book Fair is Coming!

We already preparing for our spring Scholastic Book Fair. Can you believe it? The book fair is scheduled for May 11-22, 2009, from 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Mrs. Benton, my wonderful library volunteer, is also our book fair chair person, and she could really use your help! If you would be able to volunteer with the book fair there are several ways we could use your help.

1. Before the book fair working on promotional materials. You may help make decorations, or flyers.

2. On the afternoon of May 7 helping to set up the book fair.

3. During book fair hours, 8 a.m.-11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Helping to supervise students, tell little ones the prices of the books, and keep the books all straighten up.

4. After the book fair on May 22, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. helping to take down the book fair and pack it up before the weekend.

Please contact the school if you would be able to help.

BREAKING NEWS: Running at the same time at the spring book fair in May, and again at the fall book fair in September, the library will be having a used book sale! We are selling books that are getting too old for our library collection for just 25¢ each. Come in and check it out!