October 
With Halloween just around the corner, look for some spooky stories on the library display table.
We are also celebrating Indigenous People's Day, (October 8) so you'll find some books on that theme on the black book stand.
Upcoming Events!
On Monday, October 15th, our K-2 students had the pleasure of a visit from Korean author, Yangsook Choi, who talked about how she writes and creates her illustrations while listening to inspiring music. You can find her ice dragon drawing on the wall outside room 3.
Secret Garden bookshop plays host to local author, Bonny Becker (A Visitor for Bear) on Thursday, October 25th. She will be promoting her new book, The Frightful Ride of Michael McMichael, just in time for Halloween! It's a little off the beaten track for our Montlake Wolfpack, but worth a visit to hear a favorite author and maybe pick up a few books and support an independent book store.
On Friday, October 26th we will be welcoming acclaimed, S"Klallam Indian storyteller, Roger Fernandes to our school on. He will be presenting to the whole school at 1:00pm in the gym and we are very excited to hear from him as we continue our exploration of early Seattle history.
It makes me very happy to offer the library as a space for students to congregate during morning recess. As you can see, it's a place for quietly reading, sharing a book with friends, working on homework together or participating in the Great Puzzle Challenge. The team of 5th grade library helpers work to collect books and check them back into the library - I couldn't manage without their help.
The Great Puzzle Challenge is well under way! Some
elementary schools in the district are participating in a puzzle contest
to see which school has the Ultimate Puzzle Masters! Next
time you're in the building, pop into the library and put a few more
pieces into place. Ask your student or any of the staff for more
information. Our puzzlers have just finished their fourth puzzle - a pretty challenging Alice in Wonderland illustration! All are welcome to join in the fun!
Here are some of the books that I'm reading. Click on the book cover if you'd like to read a review and then maybe you could check it out from our library. Happy Reading!
If you're in need of some more book suggestions, try visiting this link and entering the title of a book you've enjoyed.
I love our Sasquatch lunch time book group gatherings! Students eat lunch in the library and chat about the latest nominee. Our next meeting will be Friday, October 26th, when we will be discussing Wish, by Barbara O'Connor. If you can't attend the meeting, you can contribute to the conversation on schoology.
The Towner Award nominees are on display in the library and our 3rd through 5th graders have already begun to take a closer look in order to cast their votes for a winner.
You can watch a video about the bald eagle featured in Beauty and the Beak here.
We will be exploring a new online resource Britannica as we read the Towner nominee, This is How We Do It. You can find explore this resource by logging on with the active directory, or visiting the link to online resources on the right of this page.
Our K-2 students are enjoying the 20 titles selected in the 2019 Washington Children's Choice Picture book category. I'll be reading those to our younger students and inviting the older Wolves to see what they think of this year's selection.
Next time you're in the building, come upstairs and check out the Otter Wall of fame! We already have a few names on the wall - students who read all 6 nominees for the Otter Award. 
Technology
Students will learn how to:
- log on to computers using their unique username
- create a password
- find books using the library catalog
- access online resources at school and at home
- navigate schoology (3 - 5th grade)
- participate in coding through code.org
- engage in lessons to foster digital citizenship
Digital Citizenship
Montlake students are digital natives and our job is to help them navigate that world in a safe and responsible way. To that end, I will be using the Common Sense Media curriculum and other resources with all students throughout the year.
Volunteer Information:
Volunteers keep our program going. In order to provide students with the highest quality of educational experiences it is necessary to rely on volunteers to support some of the ongoing non-student contact tasks like shelving of titles. If you are interested in attending and assisting in the library while your child is (or isn't) present please email Ms Rueth (dmrueth@seattleschools.org). Make sure you complete the required paperwork with Ms. Tiffany in the front office.
Volunteer opportunities include shelving, check in/out, book repair, special projects!