RRISD Summer Reading Program

Keep reading this summer! Student have many opportunities to read this summer and keep up the skills they acquired over the school year. Our district is hosting a summer reading program to promote reading in many different ways. The Round Rock Express has partnered with RRISD and has provided reading logs for each student. Spike, the Express mascot, even visited our school!

Visit http://www.roundrockisd.org/summerreading for more information!

Library Update

It was a busy fall in the Jollyville Library! We hosted two authors, Phil Bildner and Steve Swinburne, kicked off our Bluebonnet reading program with our 3rd through 5th graders, received almost $5000 in series books through a Partners in Education grant, launched the "One Book, One Community" initiative and had a record number of student visits to the library!

January will be a busy time in the library with students researching their Science Fair projects, voting for the Texas Bluebonnet Award, and reading Armadillo Books (kindergarten through 2nd grade). We are also looking forward to R. J. Palacio, author of Wonder, visiting the district in February. 

Keep reading!

Welcome Back to School!

Welcome to a new school year in the Jollyville Library! Many exciting things are already happening! Students are checking out books, using our online resources, and learning many great skills.

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are learning about the Texas Bluebonnet Award and reading Bluebonnet nominees. Each student who reads at least five nominees will get to participate in the statewide vote for the Bluebonnet Award in January.  Books read by teachers and parents count towards each student's numbers.

This week our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will also get a visit from author Phil Bildner, a Texas Bluebonnet Award recipient. Our students always enjoy Mr. Bildner's presentations, and our fourth graders especially love his writing workshops.

Round Rock Reads - Summer Reading Initiative

Jollyville students are pledging to spend time reading this summer! Reading impacts all areas of achievement; lifelong readers are lifelong learners. Avoid the “summer slide” and help your child maintain or advance his or her reading skills over the next few months.

Many area libraries offer summer reading programs to keep children engaged and excited about books. Here are two libraries that provide free library cards for all RRISD students:

The Austin Public Library: http://library.austintexas.gov/youth-project/srp

Sign up for the summer reading program online or in person. Students set an individual reading goal for the summer.  Meet that goal and get a free book from the Austin Public Library!

The Round Rock Public Library: http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/library/

Students who read 20 minutes a day receive prizes for reading 20, 30, 40, and 50 days this summer! There are also special prizes for students who go beyond the 20 minutes of reading a day.

Also, don’t forget about the wonderful online resources provided by our school district.  Look for usernames and passwords to these resources in your child’s Thursday folder. Many of these resources include books that can be read online, magazine articles, educational games, and much, much more! Just click on "Research Resources" on the right of this page to see all of the online sources we have available!

Science Fair Help in the Library

Science Fair is under way! One of the components of each science fair project is background research. Students must research their topic and cite the sources they used in their research. All 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders have spent time in the library getting familiar with our online research resources and reviewing how to cite a variety of sources.

Our online research resources may be accessed from home through the library web page. Usernames and passwords are needed for home access - check your science fair packet for this information.  4th and 5th graders also have this information on the inside cover of their school agendas.

The library is usually open from 7:20 am - 3:10 pm each day for student use.  Here are some additional times the library will be available to students and their families for science fair support:

Tuesday, December 11 and Tuesday, January 15: 5:00 - 7:00 pm

Thursday January 10 and Thursday January 15: 7:20 - 3:30 pm

Come to the library during any of these times to find print resources, use the computers, and get assistance with online resources.

Bluebonnet Library Night - Thursday, Nov. 29

All 3rd, 4th and 5th graders are invited to attend our 3rd Bluebonnet Library Night!  it will be held this Thursday night from 6-7 pm at England Elementary.  Students from Jollyville, Forest North, Sommer and England are invited.  This Library Night celebrates the book Postcards From Camp and will feature a camp song singalong and camp themed snacks. We hope to see you there!

Texas Book Festival!

The Texas Book Festival is this weekend! It will be held on the state capitol grounds on Saturday, Oct. 27 and Sunday, Oct. 28. This is a free event that will include storytelling, author presentations, live music, and more!  All authors at the festival will have book signing times as well. You do have to purchase the books at the festival in order to have them signed.

Please visit the festival web site for a complete schedule and additional information:

http://www.texasbookfestival.org/

Jazz in the Library!

All 3rd, 4th and 5th graders are invited to enjoy Library Night at Jollyville Elementary on Thursday, October 18, from 6-7pm. We will celebrate the book Play, Louis, Play and hear live jazz performed by Phil Borerro, a professional trumpet player.  Students from England, Sommer, and Forest North are also invited.

Bluebonnet Party - Under the Mambo Moon

All 3rd, 4th and 5th graders are invited to a Bluebonnet Party on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at Sommer Elementary.  We will be celebrating the book Under the Mambo Moon. The event is from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Sommer Library and will feature Ballet Folklorico dancers.

This event is part of a series that celebrates four different Bluebonnet nominees at four partnering school libraries: Sommer, England, Forest North, and Jollyville. I hope to see you there!

Mrs. Carter

Special Reading Spot Photo Contest ends Aug. 31!

Grab your digital camera, a favorite book, and capture a special reading spot or pose to enter. Students might be found reading near an important landmark, in a tree, or any place their imagination takes them. In the photos, students should be visibly reading a favorite book. The 10 most creative pictures will win, and these photos will be enlarged for display in the library and shared on the morning news. All participants will receive an award, even if the image is not chosen for display in the library.

Contest rules:

 - The school-wide contest runs from NOW until August 31, 2012. Late entries are not accepted.

 - Participating students must turn in a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 photo print of their entry along with a participation form.  Note: Use the highest resolution your camera will allow. Participation forms are available in the library or on the library web site.

 - Entries will be voted on by staff and the ten winners will then need to provide a digital version of their image so that we can enlarge it for display in the library.  Winners need to provide digital images to Mrs. Carter at christine_carter@roundrockisd.org. 

Please note that camera-phone photos do not have a high enough resolution to print in an enlarged size.       

     

New Bluebonnet Form is Up and Running!

The new Bluebonnet Entry Form is ready to go for all students putting Bluebonnet nominees on their summer reading lists!  The Bluebonnet program is available to all Jollyville students entering 3rd, 4th, or 5th grades.  The Texas Library Association encourages students to "Read five, then decide".  All students who read at least five nominees get to vote for the Bluebonnet Award winner in January.  Jollyville students who chose to read 10, 15, or 20 nominees are eligible for other awards and prizes. Try out a Bluebonnet nominee today!  

Summer Fun Book Fair: May 5-6!

The Jollyville Library is having a book fair at Barnes and Noble Lakeline on Saturday, May 5th, and Sunday, May 6th. If you visit the store on either date and let the cashier know you support Jollyville, a portion of your purchase will be donated to the library! Family and friends can go to ANY Barnes and Noble location on those two days and give the cashier our book fair code to support us as well: Bookfair ID 10734523.

You can also visit BN.COM/bookfairs to support us online from 05/05/2012 to 05/11/2012 by entering Bookfair ID 10734523. Share this information with your family and friends!

On Saturday, May 5, there will be lots of in-store activities for families to enjoy.  Here is the schedule of events:

10:30am – 11:00am    Robotics Demonstration

Students in the JVE Robotics Club will show off their creations!

11:00am – 12:00pm    JVE Staff Pet Parade

Some of our JVE staff will have their pets on hand for you to meet!

12:00pm - 1:30pm      JVE Celebrity Reader Story Time

Listen to stories read aloud by Jollyville celebrities!

1:30pm – 2:00pm        Flip Flop Fashion Show

Decorate a plain pair of flip flops at home, wear them to the store, and come be a part of our show!  Prizes will be handed out for Most Creative, Best Summer Theme, Best Reading Theme, etc. Participants must be in the Children’s Area at 1:30pm. Open to JVE students only.

2:00pm – 4:00pm        Face Painting



While you are there, you can pick up information on Barnes & Noble and Austin Public Library Summer Reading Programs! Get an application for a free library card from the Austin Public Library! Pick up lists of cool summer reads for each grade! Check out JVE teacher wish lists for great end of year gift ideas! Celebrate your school spirit by getting a vanilla bean Frappuccino in one of our school colors: Ocean Blue, or Green Monster!

Celebrating Seuss!

Jollyville Elementary recently celebrated Seuss Week!  Each day students dressed up in a different way to honor a Dr. Seuss book - crazy socks for The Foot Book, green clothes for Green Eggs and Ham, etc.  There were Seuss stories, a trivia contest, and a Character Parade on Dr. Seuss' birthday! What a great week of reading, learning, and fun!

Bluebonnet Votes Are In!

Students across Texas voted for their favorite Bluebonnet Nominee and the results are in: The book The Strage Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, has won the Bluebonnet Award this year.  Jollyville 3rd and 4th graders got to Skype with Mr. Angleberger earlier this year.  You can watch a special video Mr. Angleberger made here:
Tom Angleberger Video

Take a look at some of our students participating in the Jollyville vote below:

all finished voting!

another round of voters

Mrs. Carter is ready for Voting Day!

New Year, New Books!

January has been a busy time in the JVE library! 2012 began with the arrival of 10 boxes full of new books for the library!  Our library budget got an extra amount this year because Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Migl "weeded" so diligently last year.  Libraries weed books much like people weed gardens.  We remove dated, worn books from our collections in addition to books that just don't ever get checked out.  This makes the overall collection stronger and gives our shelves room to showcase all of the wonderful items we have to help students learn and grow.  Our weeding paid off when our budget was doubled for the year so we could add new books to replace some of the ones we removed.

Students are loving the new titles as well as the transitional chapter books we added with a grant from the RRISD Partners in Education Foundation.

As we look forward to the new semester, we also want to celebrate some of the wonderful events that occured in fall of 2011 - an author visit from Phil Bildner, the reveal of our new chapter books, a visit from Dave Titus, the String Man Storyteller, and a visit from storyteller Freddie Carnes for our Pre-K and Kindergarten students.  Enjoy the photos! The library is a happening place!

Phil Bildner signed books for JVE students

We gave Mr. Bildner a JVE shirt and he also signed our "Sluggers" poster that hangs in the library.  

Mr. Bildner sent us a photo of him wearing his JVE shirt on the Brooklyn Bridge!

Our revamped transitional chapter book section - ready for ribbon cutting!

The String Man shows students some great string figures

Kindergarten friends work together to make a star!

Freddie Carnes shares folk tales from around the world with Kindergarten and Pre-K students

Mr. Carnes' puppets - used for a traditional Chinese folk tale

Next Year's Bluebonnet Nominees Revealed!

On Saturday, October 22, authors Jack Gantos and Phil Bildner were on hand at the Texas Book Festival to reveal the 20 books selected as nominees for next year's Bluebonnet list!  There are so many great books - they will be fantastic reads for our third, fourth and fifth graders next year!  You can take a sneak peek at the 2012-2013 list here: http://www.txla.org/sites/tla/files/groups/TBA/docs/TBA_12-13.pdf

Mrs. Carter picked up some great new books for our library signed by their authors.  She also met up with a few other friends you might recognize.  You never know who you are going to run into in downtown Austin!

Jack Gantos and Phil Bildner share the 2012-2013 Bluebonnet List

Bad Kitty and Mrs. Carter

A couple of Star Wars characters, but no Origami Yoda today

Phil Bildner is Coming!

Jollyville 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will have a visit with Phil Bildner on October 24!  Mr. Bildner is the author of the Bluebonnet Award winning book Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy. His book, The Hallelujah Flight  is one of this year's Bluebonnet Nominees, and he has written or co-written many other fantastic books.  Mr. Bildner has visited Jollyville for several years, and students always enjoy their time with him.  Our fourth graders will be treated to a Writing Camp led by Bildner, and 3rd and 5th graders will hear his author presentation.

Mr. Bildner will be available to personalize books that students order in advance.  All orders need to be in to the library by Tuesday morning, October 11. Order forms are going home this week, or you can print out the form here: Bildner Book Order Form

RRISD Partners In Education Grant, Reading Photos on Display!

Exciting things are going on in the Jollyville Library!  Last week we were awarded a $2500 grant from the RRISD PIE Foundation.  These funds will be used to expand our transitional chapter book collection.  These books bridge young readers from picture books to traditional novels.  Transitional chapter books usually have larger print and more illustrations than other chapter books, as well as easy to follow story lines.  Many series such as Junie B. Jones or Magic Tree House fit into the transitional chapter book category.  The familiar characters and repetitive story structures in these series support young readers.

Our library is also now decorated with the Special Reading Spot contest winners.  Ten entries were selected by our voters to be displayed in the library.  These photos will be on display until we have new winners from next year's contest. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Stop by the library to see our beautiful photos and our GIANT check on display!

Bluebonnets, Yodas and Readers, Oh My!

Welcome to the first installment of the Jollyville Library Blog!  Our school year is off to a great start and students are quickly learning library procedures and checking out lots of books.

Third, Fourth and Fifth Graders are reading the Bluebonnet nominee books in order to be able to vote in January.  Some students will soon be getting our Read It Forward going as we prepare for our Battle of the Bluebonnets!  They will have the opportunity to read a book from the Bluebonnet list and pass it along to a friend to read when they are done.  Students who read at least ten Bluebonnet books will be eligible to compete in our Jollyville Battle of the Bluebonnets.  Top scorers from our battle will represent Jollyville at the District battle!

Last week our fourth graders got to visit with Tom Angleberger, the author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, via Skype.  Mr. Angleberger talked about the writing and publishing process and led us all through making our own origami Yodas.  This week third graders will have a visit with Mr. Angelberger!