Cookies.  We've baked dozens of sugar cookies to pass out to Highland students this last week of school.

Cookies are a symbol of good will during the holidays but remember not to eat too many! 

Top Ten Things to do over break:

10.  Go for a walk.

9. Write a thank you note to someone.

8. Make a craft.

7. Draw a picture.

6. Play in the snow.

5. Call a friend.

4. Write a story.

3. Explore websites on our Highland blog.

2.  Play a board game or card game like UNO.

1. READ a BOOK!  (of course)

Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas!  Happy Kwanzaa!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Highland students and families;

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  We all have much to be thankful for everyday.
Count your blessings.  Write them down.    Share them with each other. 

If you think you don't have anything to be thankful for;  think of your mom or dad, think of friends at school or in your neighborhood, think of a teacher at school who cares about you, think of your strong and healthy body, think of the beautiful library your school has and all the books in in that you are able to read.

with warmest wishes,

Mrs. Holt

(who is very thankful to have such a fun job
with amazing and smart students to inspire!)

Here are some Thanksgiving related games and websites to enjoy if you find yourself with some
extra free time over the long weekend.

Primary Games-Turkey Pardon.
Thanksgiving information
Kaboose-Thanksgiving
Thanksgviving puzzles

Book Fair Fundraiser and News

Look at all the pennies many of you brought in!!  They were so heavy we had a hard time lifting them. Mrs. Wheeler has taken them to the bank to be counted and  we will give you a final total later today.  Thank you, Thank you to all those that cleaned out their change jars for us.  Many students will benefit from this fundraiser. 


Here are the top five titles we've sold: 

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Do-It-Yourself by Jeff Kinney
2. Barbie Princess; Best Friends Rock! by mary Mah-Kong
3. Wild Life by Cynthia DeFelice
4. There's a fly guy in my soup by Tedd Arnold
5. Summer Jackson; Grown up by Teresa E. Harris


What books would you like to buy at the book fair?

Highland Girls Read! part Two

5th Grade Book Clubs

Our book club has begun for the year and we read In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Betty Boa Lord.  We had lots to discuss from bullying, Chinese culture, baseball, and the difficult process of feeling at home in a new country.

We now have the task of choosing our next book.  Click on your first choice in the survey below.

Celebrate October with picture books!

 The air is chilly, the leaves are turning brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows and Halloween is not too far away. There must be books that match up with this time of year...

Here's are a few picture books for Fall and Halloween:

For the youngest try Leaves by David Ezra Stein and Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall, ill. by Shari Halpern; both books celebrate the joy of leaves and the changing season.

Poetically written, Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher and Kate Kiesler, shares the mysteries of that big, bright moon that greets us in the night.

My best pumpkin picks are The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler and Will Hillebrand and Pumpkin Day by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.

Have fun with Halloween by reading Where's My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi and John Manders, Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet! by Lisa Desimini, or The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duvall and Paul Meisel. 

Behind the Mask by Yangsook Choi is a great Halloween tale for 3rd and 4th grade students.  Kimin uses his grandfather's Korean dancing mask to dress up and understands more about his grandfather in the process.  

If you are looking for books on Fall, pumpkins, witches, or Halloween we have these and many more.  Come browse the Highland Library today!

Library Learning August-September

Last week students in the library worked on a variety of skills.  Even learning how to handle a shelf marker is key to their development as a student. 

Kindergarten: It was there first week of library and we talked about book care and library expectations.  For fun we read Manners in the Library by Carrie Finn and Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss.  Each kindergarten student checked out a book from the kinder bins.

First Grade: Our emphasize is on reading, reading, reading this first month or two.  I read Book! Book! Book! to them also and then in small groups we checked out from the easy reader section.  We worked hard to find a book that matches with their reading skills.  After all students have checked out Mrs. Wheeler and I have been reading individually with students to get a feel for their reading levels.

Second Grade: We read Stella Luella's Runaway Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst.  The challenge was to solve the mystery and NOT spill the beans before the end of the book!  Not one student blurted out the title of the missing book...Goldilocks and the 3 bears!  Yeah for 2nd grade!

Third Grade:  We also read the mystery book, Stella Louella's Runaway Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst.  At the end they all were able to tell me the title of Stella's missing book.  This is a perfect genre book that also had us talking about book care.  Students were excited to share the clues and connections they made to figure out the title.

Fourth Grade:  Students are taking a close look at the Dewey Decimal system.  This week they worked in pairs to find a section of the library that matched their index card topic.  Next week they will use Destiny to locate their topic.  They are just thrilled to get their fingers on the computers...

Fifth Grade:  Students will make videos to explore and explain Highland library expectations.  The first week they merged into a small group and picked the expectation they plan to focus on.  This next week they started to write out a script using informal speech outline of Introduction, body and Conclusion.  The week ahead will have them finish their script and practice together as a group.  Students will use the Asus tablets to film their final project.

I'm looking forward to more great projects here @highlandlibrary!

August brings end to summer fun!

Don't worry...we plan to have plenty of fun back at school.  So pack up your back packs and let's embark on the best school year ever!  I've read lots of books this summer and I hope you have also.  Be prepared to share with me what your favorite activity was over summer break.  We have much to explore in books, on-line, and in our own backyards so come prepared with your brain ready to go.

Highland 2nd grade votes

An interesting look at why we need a research model!

Celebrating Ruby Bridges

Hot New book @ our library; Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick,

Kindergarten and Karma Wilson

2nd Grade explores Alphabet Books

and a second one: