Welcome to the St. Anthony Learning Commons!

September, the beginning of a new school year when all the students return to school with new shoes, new hopes and stories of summer reading and visits to the public library.

The question that I am most frequently asked upon returning to the Learning Commons in September is:  "Do you have any new books"?

In my quest to keep our Learning Commons shelves current, I have been known to pass off
gently used or not-so-recently-released books as "New to our Learning commons", with great success.

Who says a new book has to be brand new from the bookstore?
Personally every time I read a book that I've never read before, I refer to it as a "new book". 
And since most Canadians are becoming more aware of the trend to recycle, reuse and re-purpose, used books which are frequently donated to our school, have become staples that not only fill the shelves but the minds of young students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to purchase at the large retail book stores.


Here are some of our "recently loved" titles this September:

1. Le petit prince. Vol. 1, 2, 7 and 8 Comic books. Adapted from the original novel by, Antoine de Saint Exupery
2. Pokemon. Race to danger by Tracey West
3. B Magical. The missing Magic by Lexi Conner
4. Spelling B and the trouble with secrets by Lexi Connor

 Happy Fall

Welcome to the St. Anthony Learning Commons!

September, the beginning of a new school year when all the students return to school with new shoes, new hopes and stories of summer reading and visits to the public library.

The question that I am most frequently asked upon returning to the Learning Commons in September is:  "Do you have any new books"?

In my quest to keep our Learning Commons shelves current, I have been known to pass off
gently used or not-so-recently-released books as "New to our Learning commons", with great success.

Who says a new book has to be brand new from the bookstore?
Personally every time I read a book that I've never read before, I refer to it as a "new book". 
And since most Canadians are becoming more aware of the trend to recycle, reuse and re-purpose, used books which are frequently donated to our school, have become staples that not only fill the shelves but the minds of young students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to purchase at the large retail book stores.


Here are some of our "recently loved" titles this September:

1. Le petit prince. Vol. 1, 2, 7 and 8 Comic books. Adapted from the original novel by, Antoine de Saint Exupery
2. Pokemon. Race to danger by Tracey West
3. B Magical. The missing Magic by Lexi Conner
4. Spelling B and the trouble with secrets by Lexi Connor

 Happy Fall

Book Club

Our club has been up and running for the past 4 weeks and I must say, it's been quite successful.

The club consists mainly of grade 5 and 6 students who meet with me every second Friday at lunch recess to read a great book, discuss the characters and the plot, have a snack and a few laughs.
.

The students enjoy the casual atmosphere and usually only argue about who's turn it is to read!

Our book is called "The Terrible Two" by Jory John and Mac Barnett. It's a book about finding new friends, fitting in, and making your mark. 

Check out the book's website and read about the plot, the list of characters and other books in the series:

terribletwo.com

What's new - Spring 2016

Our Makerspace is up and running again with new and exciting new activities!

Tetrix Robotics

Lego We Do

Squishy Circuits

A new Dash Robot (by Wonderworks) and companion Dot plus accessories!

Building Lego Walls The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well". Lego has been around since 1932 and has inspired several generations to create, build and has also been used in the classroom for years as a tool for teaching math and science and can be especially useful in grades grades 1, 3 and 5 here in Ontario where, Structures and Mechanisms are such a big part of the science curriculum. It is also a great opportunity for educators to make this a part of their differentiated classroom. 

At its most basic level, differentiating instruction means “shaking up”what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn. In other words, a differentiated classroom provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products so that each student can learn effectively. Carol Ann Tomlinson, How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, 2nd ed. (2001), p. 1 

The idea of Lego walls and Lego tables was first introduced to the Library Techs in our Board a few years ago by Donna Presz, former Supervisor of Library Services. I remember reading the emails thinking, Lego what?? The point Donna was trying to make was that it was time to think outside the box. The new Learning Commons model was causing a ripple effect across North America. A shift in thinking required some creativity to make our spaces viable again and realign us with 21 st century Learning. With this shift came smarter technology as we saw the introduction of SmartBoards, eResources, Netbooks, Chomebooks Ipads, Wifi, flexible furniture, brightly coloured walls and of course, empty Computer Labs. Many of us were inspired to do some interesting things with that empty space but none inspired me as much as the idea of the Maker Space and building a brightly coloured Lego Wall. The Lego wall, being a “​fixed station​”​in our Maker Space here at St-Anthony, can be used at any time and is often a collaborative activity especially among the primary grades. The structure itself is made of recycled particleboard, which our very creative custodian, Bob Lavergne, salvaged from an old tech cart. We purchased some Lego plates and Bob carefully measured out the surface and then glued them to the wall using carpenter’s glue. After letting the glue dry overnight he then screwed the corners of each plate with very small screws. Another screw was added to the middle of each plate for extra support. Buckets of Lego and Duplo blocks were salvaged from dusty basements, classrooms, math room, and a few were even purchased to complete the project. We now have a busy Lego Wall which, at any one time, can be home to a medieval castle, a vertical marble maze, a battleship or a simple greeting for guest

Check out Canada's top Children's Books!

http://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/top-100-canadian-kids-books/

October

October...

With the cooler weather and shorter days upon us, we tend to spend more time indoors than out. And although it's important  to keep our bodies active, it's also important to keep our minds active as well. What better way to ensure a sharp mind than by reading!!!

For some, reading can be a challenge while others look forward to time spent with an armful of good books from the library.  For those reluctant readers, try reading books with the same theme. I've found that when I read a certain type of book to the students, they will ask me the following week if I'm going to read another book of the same author, plot, series etc.  The magic number is usually 3.

Try three books in a row, perhaps one each night before bed if it's a picture book, or three chapter books from the same author or genre, for the older kids.  Remember those Nancy Drew or Babysitter Club books from your childhood? I couldn't get to the library fast enough to keep up with my reading.

Just remember that not all children are avid readers. Some are more reluctant or less confident. It's important to help them choose books that are at their level and that will capture their attention. For emerging or beginner readers, use the 5 finger rule; have them read to you while counting the words they can't read on the fingers of one hand. If they get to 5 fairly quickly, then the book is not right for them. It's important to help them with the words they struggle with but you should also help them choose another book that they are comfortable with.

Each student is coming home with a book from our Learning Commons here at St.Anthony but you can always supplement that with a quick trip to the Ottawa Public Library or perhaps you would prefer to browse their collection on-line and simply put your books on hold so you can pick them up later.  Remember, it's completely free!!
biblioottawalibrary.ca. 

Here are a few suggestions for a Halloween theme which are available in our Learning Commons:



Other great themes this month are:

Thanksgiving

Autumn

And if you prefer an eBook for your IOS device go to:
www.http://library.ocsb.ca

• Select St. Anthony from the list.
• Enter your child's username (6 digit student number preceeded by the letter "s".
• Select Follettshelf, which is our eBook library and select your eBook.
• We have over 1900 titles to choose from.
• Open the book and preview it or "checkout" on your device for two weeks. 
• The book can be found by clicking on the little "backpack"at the top right hand side of the screen. 
• There is no need to return the eBook as it will simply disappear after 2 weeks.