As we finish the school year for 2009, I would like to express my thanks to all those who have sent cards and gifts to the library, and especially to the Homfray family who have made a generous donation to the MPPS Graduation Library Fund. I have already bought a book on Bradley’s behalf, it’s called Australian Backyard Explorer and it’s sure to be popular with our older students because it’s all about tales of adventure and survival.

It’s been a pleasure working in the library this year – so many wonderful stories to share, and it’s a privilege to spend my days discussing books with thoughtful and intelligent students. 

Best wishes to everyone for the Festive Season.  Enjoy a safe and happy holiday!

Thanks to the generosity of the MPPS Parents and Friends Association (PAFA), Miss Hill has had a whole lot of money to spend on some nice new books. 

To fill some gaps in our non-fiction collection, Miss Hill bought books about sustainability and the environment:

•  A set called Energy Choices: bio-fuels, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, solar energy, water energy and wind energy;
• A set about Recycling: clothing, drink cans, food and garden waste, glass, paper and plastic bottles and bags;
• A set called Environmental Footprints: clothing, energy, shopping, and water.

Miss Hill also bought some great new science and technology books, to make Miss Cavedon happy because she loves science!

• A set about Forensic Investigations
• The A-Z of Scientific Discoveries

We also needed some new books about Celebrations and Festivals

• Family celebrations
• Indigenous Australian festivals
• State and National festivals

And for the juniors unit about Australian animals, we now have some books about unusual animals:

• A set called Australian Animals: Emus and cassowaries; Goannas and water monitors; Mallee fowls and lyrebirds; Potoroos and numbats; Quokkas and quolls and Tree kangaroos and wallabies
• A set called Dangerous Creatures (from the desert, the forests and woodlands, the grasslands, mountains and polar regions, oceans and tropical rainforests).

For the Juniors unit about Community Helpers, we’re getting

• a set called Emergency Workers (animal rescue, police, fire, sea rescue and surf lifesaving)

Just for fun, we’re getting a set called Extreme Jobs: stunt performers, zoo keepers and high-rise workers, and to make Miss Spychalla happy in the art room, we’re getting Artists at Work (clay artists, metals artists and wood artists).

And – because everyone is interested in it, Miss Hill bought a set called Money (banking, budgeting, earning money,history of money, making coins and banknotes, and fundraising).

It’s because the PAFA is so good at fundraising that we will soon have these great new books, so thanks PAFA!

This term all students had the chance to vote for their favourite book in the annual YABBA awards….

and the winners are….

 Congratulations to the winners!

This book is a very funny book and has a very looooooooooooong heading. The author of this book is Dav Pilkey. Dav Pilkey has written other books of Captain Underpants and this is my favorite Captain Underpants book because the two boys in this story called Harold and George write comics about Mr Kupp as Captain Underpants. I am WARNING you never snap your fingers at Mr Krupp or he will turn into a Super Hero. This is where the trouble starts. I am not telling you any more.

My favorite chapter is To Make a Long Story Short.

By Kiran, 5/6 DW

The book Dragonkeeper is written by Carole Wilkinson

The book is about a young slave girl who lives in Huangling and works for Master Lan, a cruel master that makes her feed the emperor’s dragons which are deep underground. She makes Master Lan food but she only gets the left-overs of his food – the slave girl doesn’t even know her name.

BEWARE: SPOILERS (This means, don’t keep reading this if you haven’t read the book because it tells you what happens.)

After one of the dragons dies, she thinks it was her fault and promises the gods that she will take care of the other dragon. Once the slave girl starts hearing the dragon they go on a mysterious trip to the ocean which no one believes in and they discover many things about themselves.

I love the part when the slave girl and the dragon are with Jiang Bing and when their cat becomes a sorcerer and tries to attack the dragon (Danzi) and the slave girl. I would recommend this book for people who like adventure and action stories.

By Daniel (5/6DW)

This book is about a 12 year old called Jack Williams. The author of the book is Edward Packard. Edward Packard has written many other stories, but this one is my favorite book he has written so far because Jack Williams has a dream to become a soccer star.

Jack Williams loves soccer and always plays and plays. He trains in his back yard, and he has a little sister.

By Zak (5/6DW)

We’re doing an author study of Jackie French in the junior classes and this week we read Diary of a Wombat.  It’s very funny!

After we read the story we talked about how Jackie had ‘helped’ her pet wombat to write his diary, and then we decided to write some diaries about our pets, or the pets we’d like to have.

This is Jonny’s ‘Diary of a Lizard’

Diary of a Lizard               Name Jonny                        Class 2JM

Jonny's lizard

This is Amirthaa’s ‘Diary of a Monkey’

Diary of a Monkey                                       Name Amirthaa                        Class 2JM

Teachers who want to try the same activity can download the activity sheet here:  Diary of a (insert) worksheet

Children in the Junior grades are doing an author study about Jackie French because she’s one of our favourite authors, and this week we’re reading Too Many Pears. In this story, the family has to think of a way to stop Pamela the Cow from eating all the pears.  They give her 600 pears and then she’s sick of them and never wants to eat pears again.

So this made us think: what could parents do to stop children eating too many lollies?  Give them 600 lollies, and then the children will be sick of them and never want to eat lollies ever again!   We did a PMI about this idea…

Plus - what’s good about the idea?

 I would have a lot of lollies! (Bailey, 1LR)

I will get more for my sweet tooth. (Owin, 1 LR)

Lollies are good for treats. (Ilma, 1 LR)

It will be awesome to eat 600 lollies. (Charlee, 1 LR)

They are yummy! They are so sweet! (Taleah, 1 LM)

Minus - what’s bad about the idea?

They are not healthy.  You’ll get fat and you’ll get sick. (Jordan V, 1 LM)

You will get a stomach ache. (Lakmini, 1 LR)

You will get sick,  you will stay in bed. (Thanasi, 1 LM)

They will make you sick and you will vomit. (Jordan T, 1 LM)

I will go hypo! (Phoebe, 1 LM)

Not going to school because you feel sick. (Mason 1 LM)

Interesting - what’s interesting about the idea?

That you will get the lollies that you like. (Vanshika, 1LR)

That you can see all those lollies in your room! (Dilara, 1LR)

Where could you put all those lollies? (Habib, 1 LR)

I would have the chocolate ones first. (Maeve 1 LR)

You will have a giant lolly bag! (Mina 1LM)

You could hide the lollies, then they can’t find them! (Dinel, 1 LM)

My hand gets tired from drawing them all! (Jayden I, 1 LM)

Over the holidays I’ve been reading student blogs from around the world as a support commenter for the Edublogs Student Blogging Challenge. 

Right here in Australia I found Zakk’s blog - he’s in year 6 and he’s going to Bellarine SC next year.  He’s very kindly given me the link for making a South Park avatar.  Here it is:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/avatar/

This wordle about the Great Depression was made by Kaylah, Marya and Elizabeth.

If you want to make one too, click the wordle link in the RHS menu!