September in the Library

There is a lot happening in the library during our first month of school!

As we welcome our boys back for a new year, September in the library is about laying a foundation. Before we ask students to become stronger readers, researchers, and thinkers, we want them to understand the space that belongs to them: how to use it, how to care for it, and how to navigate it.

Week One: Library Orientation

We begin the week of September 8 with library orientation for every student in Kindergarten through Grade 5.

Our first read-aloud is The Book of Rules, which gives us an opportunity to talk about the expectations and routines that allow a library community to work well. Those conversations look different depending on the age of our boys.

Our youngest students consider concrete questions such as, What do we do with our bodies, voices, and books in the library? By second and third grade, we begin asking why particular rules exist and what might happen if we did not have them.

Our fourth- and fifth-graders take the conversation even further by considering how their individual choices can affect everyone else's ability to read, learn, explore, and enjoy a shared space.

The larger lesson is that our library does not simply contain books. It is a community and our

boys are members of it.

Week Two: Monthly Calendar Connection

During the week of September 15, our boys will explore calendar awareness through September from the Calendar Kids series.

Our youngest students will work with foundational concepts such as the month, date, days of the week, and seasons. As students get older, we'll expand those ideas to consider how calendars help us organize our time, anticipate what is coming, and plan.

But this week also brings something especially exciting to our library.

A First Author Visit

On Friday, September 18, we will welcome acclaimed author Wade Hudson for our first author visit of the school year! Mr. Hudson will share his picture book, Black Boys, I See You, with our students.

This book celebrates the beauty, talent, dignity, strength, and dreams of Black boys while acknowledging that they will also encounter challenges as they make their way through the world. There is also something powerful about our boys not only seeing a book created specifically with Black boys at its center, but meeting the Black male author who wrote it.

We are thrilled to have Mr. Hudson help us begin what we hope will be a year filled with opportunities for our students to encounter the people behind the books they read.

Week Three: Book Care & Library Organization

During the week of September 22, our younger and older boys will take different paths.

Students in Kindergarten through Grade 3 will read A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell as we explore book care.

Our Fourth- and Fifth-Graders will tackle another challenge: How do you find what you want when you are surrounded by thousands of books?

We'll read The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey by Alexis O'Neill and explore how the Dewey Decimal System helps organize nonfiction books.

Then the boys will get out of their seats and put their knowledge to work during a library scavenger hunt. 

This is also the week I plan for students to begin checking out books.

Week Four: Our Readers Get a Vote

We close September by moving from responsibility and navigation to reader agency.

Our Kindergarten and Grade 1 students will read Where Are My Books? and explore what it means to responsibly borrow, enjoy, keep track of, and return books.

For Grades 2–5, however, it's election time!

Our Second- and Third-Graders will vote to select our fall early chapter-book read-aloud from three choices that I will present to them. Students will see each book, hear its synopsis, and learn enough about each option to make an informed choice before casting their ballots.

Our Fourth- and Fifth-Graders will vote to select our fall chapter-book read-aloud from three choices that I will present to them. Before voting, they'll consider not only the synopsis but also the author, genre, and structure of each book. For me, this is bigger than determining which book we read next. I want our boys to understand that readers have preferences.

Strong readers discover authors they love. They develop favorite genres. They learn which subjects fascinate them and which kinds of stories keep them turning pages. They learn to look at their options, make a choice, and articulate why something interests them.

And Then We Read!

When October arrives, the ballots will have been counted and our elected books will be ready. Here's to a wonderful September in the library and an even bigger year of reading ahead.

-Dr. Jae

November/December Biblioblog: Learning Through the Winter Season

Seasonal Learning and Literacy Growth in the BWS Library

Each month, students participate in a reading and calendaring activity using a book from the Calendar Kids series. These texts support students in building calendar awareness by introducing and reinforcing key concepts such as months, seasons, holidays, and the passage of time. Through shared reading and discussion, students learn about federal, school-based, and cultural holidays, as well as seasonal changes that occur throughout the year.

For Kindergarten through Grade 3, students reviewed the four seasons and focused on identifying the changes that take place during winter, including weather patterns, clothing, and daily routines.

For Grades 4 and 5, students extended their learning by exploring the Winter Solstice. We discussed what the Winter Solstice represents, why it is considered the shortest day of the year, and how changes in daylight help mark seasonal transitions.

Schoolwide, students deepened their seasonal awareness and reading comprehension through a shared read-aloud of Snuggle Season by Jaimie MacGibbon in anticipation of upcoming snowfall. As we read, students made meaningful text-to-world and text-to-home connections, linking events in the story to real-life weather changes, routines, and personal experiences. These discussions supported students’ ability to use details from the text to build understanding and make connections beyond the page.

The BWS Library also participated in a Book Fair Drive, which allowed us to expand our collection with new, high-interest titles. I selected approximately 100 new books for our scholars, and donors purchased about 125 titles, all of which have now been added to our library inventory. To celebrate these additions, I curated a display of new and assorted books for students to browse, explore, and discuss. Many students expressed excitement and strong interest in the new selections.

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Special THANK YOU to the Beauvoir School!

In response to student enthusiasm, they requested a read-aloud from one of our new books. I selected What Would You Rather Be: A Tiger or a Tiger Shark? to support instruction in fact versus opinion, fiction versus nonfiction, and critical thinking. Through guided discussion, students practiced thinking carefully before forming an opinion and learned how new information can help refine or change their thinking.

K-3 students began a new story elements learning series with a focus on characters. Students connected this lesson to their previous learning about the roles of the author and illustrator, building continuity across reading units. The learning target for this activity was: “I can draw a character in the story.” As part of the lesson, we also reviewed the difference between what an author does (writes the words) and what an illustrator does (draws the pictures). We read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems. During the read-aloud, students paid close attention to the characters and discussed what made them important to the story.

In this same time, our Grades 4-5 scholars have been busy strengthening their reading, writing, and research skills while diving into meaningful stories and activities.

These students have been engaged in an extended storytelling-to-writing unit focused on odes and personal expression. Students learned how to write and present odes after reading Crown: Ode to a Fresh Cut and completing an author study of Derrick Barnes. This unit was designed to help students move from listening to and analyzing a mentor text to producing original writing inspired by its structure, style, and themes.

Across four-to-five weeks, students participated in a series of learning tasks that supported this progression. They analyzed how the author used voice, imagery, and emotion to tell a meaningful story, then applied those techniques to their own writing. Students drafted, revised, and prepared their odes for presentation, strengthening both their written expression and oral storytelling skills. Watch Below!

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Our Literacy Initiative: Class & Student Spotlights:

The Grade-Level Reading Clubs continue to make steady and encouraging progress during their inaugural year. As with any new initiative, implementation has involved refinement and adjustment; however, our early indicators suggest strong engagement and growing momentum across grade levels.

As a reminder, our initiative is guided by two reading goals:

• Grades K–3: Students aim to read at least one book or chapter per week.

• Grades 4–5: Students aim to read at least two books or chapters per week.

  
  

While the program has not yet reached 100% participation at the grade-level or school-wide level, notable progress is being made. Fourth grade scholars came closest to full participation, achieving 91% engagement during a single week in November.

Class Spotlight

This reporting period’s class spotlight is once again awarded to the First Grade Reading Club, The Sasha Boys. This group has submitted the highest number of reading reviews overall and continues to lead the school in total submissions since the program’s launch. Their sustained participation and enthusiasm exemplify leadership and accountability within the literacy initiative. Congratulations to the first-grade team for their continued success.

Schoolwide Reading Review Submissions (Year-to-Date)

• Grade 1: 36 total reading reviews

• Grade 2: 27 total reading reviews

• Grade 3: 19 total reading reviews

• Grade 4: 13 total reading reviews

• Grade 5: 13 total reading reviews

  
  

Student Spotlight

At the individual level, recognition is awarded to Seyam (Grade 5) for reading the highest number of books across the entire school.

Top Readers by Grade Level

Grade 1: Ryan and Judah

Grade 2: Nathan-Etienne

Grade 3: Kenneth (not pictured) and Lincoln

Grade 4: Louis and Micah

Grade 5: Seyam

As the Grade-Level Reading Clubs continue to evolve, these achievements reflect a growing culture of reading, accountability, and scholarly pride. We look forward to building on this momentum and increasing participation across all grades in the coming months.

Fall Into Reading: The Biblioblog Is Back! — September/October Edition

We’re thrilled to reintroduce the BWS Biblioblog with the leadership of our new librarian, Dr. Joyice Robinson Myers. Dr. Jae brings a deep passion for literacy, a joyful approach to learning, and a commitment to helping every scholar discover the power of books.

Happy Fall! 

To celebrate this season, all scholars listened to me read  Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak and discussed nature’s transition from summer to fall. Our K-3 scholars reviewed the four seasons and identified what changes take place during autumn. Our Grades 4-5 scholars were introduced to the Autumn Equinox, and I explained that the days would become darker and darker until the darkest day of the year.

During our fall months, our K–3 scholars have been busy exploring what it means to be thoughtful, responsible readers! We began by learning how to care for our library books and how to tell the difference between picture books and easy readers. Students can now explain what each label means and find both types of books in the library.

I also introduced them to the nonfiction genre, teaching them how to distinguish nonfiction books by two key features: facts (real things that happen/ed in real time (or to real people) in the world) and photographs (not illustrations). I did admit that some nonfiction books do rely on drawings but that most scientific books or biography books include real-life photographs. 

We read ABC Zooborns by Andrew Bleiman, and students were engaged and loved learning about new animals (like dholwe, impala, or nyala). 

Next, they learned the difference between an author and an illustrator. We read Not a Box by Antionette Portis, and students tried their own hand at being illustrators. They each were given four boxes of different shapes and sizes with the task of illustrating them where they were no longer just boxes. It was a great exercise in creativity and they did an excellent job! 

Our scholars extended their learning on the difference between an author and an illustrator by reading  Ish, by Peter Reynolds,  and students tried their own hand at being a drawing artist. They were given six boxes that each included an exemplar drawing. Their task was to draw it in their style, or to make it -ish like using their own creativity or signature. Many of them embraced a sense of freedom and creativity in realizing that it did not need to be perfect or exactly like the exemplar. They did great!

In this same time, our Grades 4-5 scholars have been busy strengthening their reading, writing, and research skills while diving into meaningful stories and activities.

They were introduced to/refreshed on the nonfiction genre. We read Actual Size by Steve Jenkins. Their reading skill was an active listening session with me. I read the book while they listened for any fact that they wanted to record. Once they had their facts recorded, they were allotted to think and develop their own informed opinion about their recorded fact. 

Next, we read Crown: Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes. They learned what an ode is and started on their three-week project of creating an ode to something themselves. They created an anticipatory graphic organizer to brainstorm their ideas and choose what or who they would make an ode to. Over the next two weeks, they will design their own odes in a personal mini-book. I also introduced what I call "author spotlight" to them where we pause to learn more about who has written the story of the week. They REALLY ENJOYED this book, and I look forward to seeing their mini-books soon.

Finally, I kicked off our Grade-Level Reading Clubs, our first school-wide literacy initiative! Each grade voted on their unique club name (a great lesson in teamwork and voting) and learned about their reading reviews. They leave the library each week with a book and new book review to be returned the following week. Our two-pronged reading goals are:

• Grades K–3: I can read at least one book or chapter per week.

• Grades 4–5: I can read at least two books or chapters per week.

  
  

This initiative is supported by our grade-level reading clubs, where each grade is tasked with reading their selected book and submitting a reading review as evidence of their progress. Each grade is working toward reaching 100% participation, with the bigger goal of eventually reaching 100% participation as an entire school. Scholars are also celebrated individually, whether they are the first in their grade to submit a reading review or the student with the most reviews submitted at key checkpoints. So, without further ado:

Student Spotlights:

The spotlight is due to 2nd graders Derek and Nathan-Etienne,

3rd graders Bryce and Josiah,

4th grader Louis, 

and 5th grader Seyam for being the first in the grade level to return a fully completed reading review!

They submitted excellent work and demonstrated leadership to the rest of their class. 

Class Spotlights: 

The spotlight is due to the First Grade Reading Club, The Sasha Boys! Their reading club returned THE MOST reading reviews. They are on a roll and LEADING the school with most week-to-week. Thank you, first grade team! 

The spotlight is also due to the Second Grade Reading Club, The Sigma Boys! The reading club has the most improved score (during Week 3). Thank you, second grade team! 

Occasionally, I look for scholars who were “caught reading” during our library time together. Check out some of our scholars who I caught this month: