GIVE A BOOK TO INDONESIA: Pages to Grow

Indonesia Week 2009 has come and gone. It was another wonderful experience for both teachers and students. We were able to experience dance, music, art, food, and crafts of this diverse archipelago. Thank you Lanny Jizhar!
This Indonesia Week was especially busy in the PEL Library. On Thursday and Friday the children were able to buy books in Bahasa Indonesian for a kampung in Bintaro. They have set up a small library and have been in desperate need of books . Our 6th graders have been working in conjunction with the WatSan, a yayasan that works with disadvantage Indonesian communities to improve water and sanitation conditions through educational activities. Watsan was working under the guidance of Yayasan Emmanuel, but has grown to establish an independent organization in Indonesia. One of the requests from this community was to set up a public library. The library is up and working, but the book collection is very limited. This was another wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about being responsible world citizens by giving to their host country. The response was overwhelming. Students, teachers and the PEL community contributed more than Rp14.8 million worth of books in two days. Each student was able to sign their book and stamp it with a Pattimura Library stamp.
Pages To Grow is a Blog that was created by my Grade 11 son, Jared Smith, who is working on his IB service project. He is working with four Grade 8 students Isabella, Mansi, .... , .... on acquiring books for distribution in Indonesia. A blog has been created for others in the global community to help with this cause. You can visit his site at: http://pagestogrow.blogspot.com/search?q=pagestogrow

BUYING A MAC

HOW IS BUYING A MAC LIKE BUYING A BANJO?

I think it must have been in the 1980, but I am not good with remembering dates. I decided that I would learn how to play the banjo, Now...you have to realize that I am not musical at all. I can't sing, I can't read notes and I had traumatic experiences in school with music teachers. I love the banjo, so I walked into a music store and brought a 5 string banjo. No problem there, the problem came when I left the store with the banjo. How can a non-musical person walk around with a banjo. I felt like an impersonator and as I walked it was difficult to actually hold this instrument close to me. This is the same feeling I had today when I brought my mac. I've never had a mac and don't know how to use them, who did I think I was. Once again there was that feeling of being an impersonator, and holding the box in a detached way.
BUT...writing my blog on my new mac on flock is lovely and wonderful and much easier than learning the banjo...so far!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Ms. Polonsky's Favorites

Here is that FAVS favorites list:

THE HUNDRED DRESSES (F EST)

SHAKESPEARE'S SECRET (F BRO)

THE LIGHTNING THIEF (F RIO)

DRAGONKEEPER (F WIL)

HATCHET (F PAU)

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (F PAT)

SHILOH (F NAY)

ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHIN (F ODE)

NUMBER THE STARS (F LOW)

IQBAL: A NOVEL (F DAD)

DEAR MR. HENSHAW (F CLE)

STRIDER

INDIGO BLUE

CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY (F CUS)

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH (F JUS)

THE CITY OF EMBER (F DUP)

STAR GIRL (F SPI)

THE GOLDEN COMPASS (F PUL)

PENDERWICKS (F bIR)

PLATFORM 13 (F ISS)

CRISPIN (F AVI)

A SINGLE SHARD

TORNADO (F BYR)

BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE (F DIC)

ESPERANZA RISING (F RYA)

HOOT (F HIA)

SKELLIG

MIDWIFE APPRENTICE (F CUS)

BUD, NOT BUDDY (F CUR)

WALK TWO MOONS (F CRE)

THE TIGER RISING (F DIC)

THE LION BOY (F COR)

ELLA ENCHANTED

SILVERWING

THE WANDER (F CRE)

THE ARTHUR SERIES

REDWALL

ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY

DRAGONWINGS (F YEP)

MOLLY MOON (F BYN)

SPIDERWICK

MAGYK/FYTE/PHYSIK

DOG SENSE

FRINDLE

THE INVENTION OF HUGO GABRAI

Things that make you HAPPY

THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY!

How could it be that I can get excited about placing my favs (favorite) list on a website. I guess it could be because right now they are sitting on my desk on 4 stapled together post its. Just how techie is that when one of the PEL kids asks me for a recommendation of one of my favs and I take out this ratty stapled together post it. Not anymore! Watch out, because now there is the PEL Library Blog. I actually danced around my house today singing, "I have a blog, I am cool."

Yes, these are the things that make me happy and tomorrow just watch out as I place my favs on here and recycle the post it list!

STAY TUNED

WHAT YOUR LIBRARIAN READING???

What is Mrs. Polonsky Reading NOW:

TEST by William Sleator: I am wondering if this book should be a MS book or a elementary book??? So far I am thinking it is more for MS.
REVIEW: Library Media Connection (October 2008)
Romeo and Juliet meets High Stakes Testing and Political Corruption in William Sleator?s latest novel. Sleator does not deviate from the style that he is known for in this young adult novel that would appeal not only to teenagers, but also to any teacher or administrator with a stake in public education or any person running for an elected office. This book could become controversial in a school, because a teacher sides with students and works with them to create a protest against the XCAS, a test that determines schools? AYP (adequate yearly progress), funding, and students? graduation. Other teachers join the protest as well. This is a well-written work of realistic fiction with believable characters that are well developed. The cover and designs throughout the book are very relevant as well.

Ribbons
I just finished Ribbons by Laurence Yep. Grade 5 this could be an interesting multi-cultural read.
A promising young ballet student cannot afford to continue lessons when her Chinese grandmother emigrates from Hong Kong, creating jealousy and conflict among the entire family. I think Bryanny is reading it now. Ask her what she thinks about this story.

Laurence Yep is a dependable author whose books I highly recommend.

If you like his writing try Dragonwings, a Newberry Honor book that takes place in the early twentieth century, when a young Chinese boy joins his father in San Francisco and helps him realize his dream of making a flying machine.

We now have 27 of his books in the library. You can do an author study and READ them all!