Welcome Back!

Happy September, Stone families!  

My name is Esmé Raji Codell (also known as Ms. Esmé), and I am your lucky school librarian, looking forward to my sixth year in the Stone library!  I will continue to work hard to make the space a welcoming one, and a place where your children's recreational reading and informational needs are met.

Those of you who had me last year will know that the library is more than a place where we check out books...this is a teaching and learning place!  Primary level children hone in on listening skills and library protocols while enjoying literature-based crafts and wonderful picture books, both fiction and non-fiction.  Students start formal book check-out midway through second grade, where they treasure-hunt in our phenomenal collection and also learn book care and enjoy their first author study. We look forward to our annual Parade of Books (which will be in the spring this year) and our Family Reading Night (which will be later this fall) and our Autumn Arcade (a new event; I'll keep you posted!).  

As children grow older, we build confidence and knowledge as we explore award-winning literature, genres, we synthesize our storytelling skills, research in real-world contexts, we look into the lives of people behind the books we love (and sometimes meet them in person!) and learn to articulate artistic style.  We read aloud across the grade levels, dive into the Dewey Decimal and databases and navigate the world of cyber-safety and digital citizenship.  We prepare for high school and beyond with media literacy skills and high-level reading and discussion experiences.  We create citations, analyze credibility and build skills that defeat plagiarism.  Overall, the library experience will help to prepare your child to be a lifelong reader and a thoughtful, capable and responsible citizen of our country in this technological age.  

An especially busy year is anticipated since circulation keeps going up and up (hooray!).  Parent volunteers are welcome for the un-glamorous but always deeply appreciated jobs of shelving, craft preparation and general tidying chores.  We do ask that all library volunteers be trained, so if you are interested in helping out, please attend the parent library volunteer meeting on Tuesday, September 15th at 3:05 in the school library.  If you miss that meeting, don't worry, another one may be offered later in the fall.  Additionally, our Amazon wish list will be updated around Open House.

The library sees all the children in the school and has a specialized curriculum and needs, and as such, we welcome donations of any of the following supplies:  small index cards, baby wipes, glue sticks, plain paper plates and bowls, Post-It notes and credits to Michael's craft stores.   We always appreciate flowers, which help to make the space welcoming to all...a garden of reading!  We also welcome your used book donations; if they don't suit our school library's collection development needs, they are redistributed to classroom libraries and to the community.  Thank you!  

Parents, please be sure to check out the link to "School Stuff" to learn more about the library's policies, objectives and grading scale, "Helpful Hints for Home" to keep the learning going long after the last bell rings and my personal website, PlanetEsme.blogspot.com, to get to know me a little better and see what's on my shelf.   Please also feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or just to say hello or to arrange a visit as a guest reader!  

Happy reading and welcome, everyone!