Best Holiday Movies, Shows & Books for Kids

Best Holiday Movies for Kids

When you're ready for some quality family time amid the chaos of the season, there's nothing better than curling up with one of our holiday favorites, from all-time classic holiday movies for kids to sweet holiday-themed romance for older tweens and teens.

Best Holiday TV Specials

Help kids get into the spirit of the season with a fun holiday adventure -- most of these titles are replayed on television during the holidays or are available on DVD.

Holiday Books for Kids

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or something else entirely, this list of our favorite children's holiday books will help you make wonderful family memories. Choose from the best of the season and get lost in the imaginative illustrations and unforgettable stories. Happy reading, and happy holidays!

Thank you, Common Sense Media!

"Shelf Stick" movie trailer

Austin, Tyler, Haley and Brady got together and wrote a script for a video to show how to properly use shelf sticks in the library. Austin is the camera man and the others are our talent. We spent several lunch recesses taping it until we got it as good as we could.

 

Shelf sticks are important because they mark the spot on a shelf where a book belongs.

 

First we put the stick on the shelf, then we take the book off. We look at the book and decide if it's 'just right' or not. If we decide we want to check out the book we take the stick and move along. If we decide it's not the book we want, we put it back where the shelf stick is holding the spot.

This is how we can keep the library neat! If books get put back into the wrong spot it's very hard to find them again. Imagine if someone moved your house away from its address. How would you know where your house is?

 

 

 

 

How many books are we checking out?

Irving IMC has circulated more than 11,000 books since we opened in September. That's about 915 books per week. A grand total more than 3,000 books higher than last year! Way to go, Irving Readers!

Books They're Ho-Ho-Hoping For

Books They're Ho-Ho-Hoping For!

"When you give a child or a teen a book, you are creating a memory that will last a lifetime. What’s more, books offer so many options. Are you trying to find a book for an early reader? Choose a picture book or a Great Beginner Read. Does your grandchild love non-fiction? Take a look at the Great Family Reads section. Has your niece read every book known to man? There are some brand new books on this list that she may not have seen yet. Do you struggle to find just the right book to entice your child to read? These selections are sure kid-pleasers that will meet any interest. The ReadKiddoRead holiday gift list has something for everyone: realistic fiction, science fiction, and non-fiction; animal stories, mythology and adventures; sad stories and stories that will make your kids laugh out loud." -- From Read, Kiddo, Read!

New books are here!

It's an exciting day. Boxes of new books have arrived. :)

State Superintendent Tony Evers Visits Irving

We were all very excited to have State Superintendent Tony Evers visit Irving School today. Every student in the school signed a welcome sign, which Mr. Evers took with him to hang in his offices at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Our beautiful library was filled to the brim with WAWM district administrators, state and local media, and others. Superintendent Evers announced his ideas regarding "Fair Funding for our Future: A plan for school finance in Wisconsin."

 

 

Respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn and Safe

Library Expectations

 At Irving School we are all working on behavior expectations in each part of the building. In each area we define what it means to be respectful, responsible, ready to learn and safe. So far we've done the cafeteria, hallway and bathrooms. Here are our expectations for behavior in the library.

The Library Helpers are working on creating short videos to illustrate each expectation. We will link to these videos using QR codes on the expectations bulletin board. We are also creating videos for other areas of the IMC, including such things as technology tutorials and the proper way to use library shelf-sticks.

Common Sense for Parents and Teachers

In today's media saturated world it's good to get some advice about ...well, everything! Common Sense Media has a great website with book, movie and app reviews. They also give tech advice on keeping your home computer safe from hackers. There are lessons for teachers on cyberbullies and advice for parents, too.  Just about any media related question you have is here and updated frequently. You can also sign up for regular e-mails.

Most recently they have an article with links and support so you can talk to kids about hurricane Sandy. It's a great resource. Check it out!

Common Sense Media

Thank You!

The book fair was a success! We had over $1,500 in sales and earned $600 in scholastic points, plus a big stack of books. We will have another week long book fair May 6 - 10 (including the May 9 art show evening). We will also have a One Night Only book fair on January 29th during the spaghetti dinner and math night event.

We are saving up our book fair points to purchase a wireless PA system to use during different school events. We're a little less than half way there!

Thank you for all your purchases. Most of all, thank you for encouraging your children to read.

Computer Lab open to parents!

I know that it is sometimes difficult to have computer and internet access at home. So, we are opening the Irving computer lab to Irving parents.  The computer lab will be open from 3:30 - 5:30 every Thursday.

I will be available to help you with anything I can. You can use the computer to see what kinds of things your kids are doing online or you can use it for your own private business. We can create an e-mail address and set up useful accounts online. We can even print things that are important to you. I can also help you to use the West Allis public library resources.

You don't need to make an appointment, just drop in!

Book Fair is open!

The Book Fair is up and running!

We are open for business until Wednesday, October 24th. There are several options for purchasing books. You can stop by after school on Monday & Tuesday, or join us at the PTA Meet & Treat on Wednesday evening. You can also send money in an envelope to school for your child to shop during the school day. If you would like to come during the school day, be sure to check in at the Office first.

The newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid is available for pre-order for $8.49. Pay now and it will be delivered to school on November 13th!

Don't forget you can also try something new and purchase book fair books online. The online bookfair goes until November 2nd! http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/irvingelementaryschool

Thank you!
Mrs. Hausknecht.

We are making more sticks.

Library Helpers have been busy making more shelf-marker sticks. We use them to mark the spot on the bookshelf where our book goes back as we browse. We got some paint-stirring sticks from a local store, borrowed some gel markers from Mrs. Sheehy and let our creativity do the rest! These are very helpful when it comes to keeping the library neat and the books in order.

"Scare-your-kids-into-reading" boooooooklist

James Patterson started up this blog to help his son, a reluctant reader. It's a great resource for high-interest book titles!

This months feature: The "Scare-your-kids-into-reading" boooooooklist.

"All of us – adults, teens, and children – enjoy a scary chill: the anticipation of a creaking door opening in slow motion, waiting for someone – or something – to walk through, and then a wind gust slamming that door shut. BANG! What better time of year to indulge in stories that make our spines tingle than Halloween? So bring them on – ghosts and ghouls, wizards and witches, haunted houses and black magic.

Take some time each evening for your family to share some spooky stories. Cuddle up close, and read these books together."


http://blog.readkiddoread.com/halloween-boo-o-o-o-k-list/

Book Fair October 18 - 24

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Irving IMC on October 18! Try something new and purchase book fair books online. http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/irvingelementaryschool

2012 - 2013 Library Club

Applications for new Library Club are due to Mrs. Hausknecht by Wednesday, September 19th. Library Club is for 4th and 5th grade students. Members meet during lunch recess at least once per week. We do things like pick up books from classrooms, sort books, neaten up the shelves & decorate the library. Something new we are doing this year is filming short instructional videos for QR codes around the school.

You can pick up an application in the library!