October/November 2011
New Student Library Assistants: This past quarter marked the first time the library has had official assistants, and what a pleasure it has been to have six students from Mrs. Gagliardi’s class available before school to sort, shelve, and organize the books while they learn a bit about the Dewey Decimal System and all of the tasks that are part of keeping a library running smoothly. The first quarter assistants not only worked in the library, but they assisted in the school library program at large by reading Scaredy- Cat, Splat ! to Mrs. Worth’s kindergarten class. The kindergarten was delighted to see and hear this Halloween treat and the 5th graders performed with enthusiasm and energy.
Thank you 5th grade assistants for a job well done!
Ready to Perform
Splat Leads the Parade
Derry Librarians Rule!
As an outgrowth of the work with the 5th grade library assistants and their very inquisitive classmates, two casual conversations between Mrs. Evans and the Derry librarians led to a field trip to the Derry Public Library, and a workshop conducted at St. Thomas by a local author. Mr. Evan Bush, children’s librarian, and Ms. Erin Moulton, young adult librarian, graciously swept us into their worlds on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16.
Children's Librarian Evan Bush
After giving a tour of the newly renovated Derry Library, and telling the students about the new programs being designed just for their age group, Mr. Bush captured the students’ imagination with his multimedia telling of the Native American legend about Princess Scargo, and how she loved and cared for the animals and fish of Massachusetts a very long time ago. His tale included an intricately carved pumpkin, a very artistic film, and even a homework assignment to do some internet research on the many variations of the Princess Scargo legend. We’re certainly fortunate to have such a talented librarian literally around the corner from St. Thomas Aquinas School!!!
Author Ms. Erin Moulton
And Ms. Moulton’s visit was especially exciting because Mrs. Gagliardi had read her book, Flutter, to the 5th graders previous to Ms. Moulton’s informative and heartwarming presentation. Flutter is the story of four sisters, an incredible journey, and the power of family love. Ms. Moulton spoke to the students of her own journey to become an author including the 17 revisions she had to write before her book was finally published! Ms. Moulton spoke lovingly of the books and people who influenced her most, and kept the students entertained with stories of Vermont through the eyes of four little girls with boundless curiousity and imagination. Since Flutter also contains a legend, Ms. Moulton artfully led the students through their own quick legend creation before ending the workshop with an autograph session! The students were truly delighted to have had a chance to meet a real, live author!!!
