BWS BiblioBlog: October 2023

In the BWS Library this month, the scholars packed their imaginary suitcases and began the BWS World Tour…we will travel 7 Continents over 8 months through books. Our senses will hear, feel and even taste different cultures as our minds satisfy curiosity and stimulate our imaginations.

The first stop is North America. BWS staff created a US map with marked hometowns that let scholars know that we have all moved all over the continent. Of course, Ms. Atmar won the distance prize for coming from Kabul, Afghanistan! 5th Graders dived into African American history by reading and reviewing nonfiction books and biographies that spanned 1619-2009. They compared maps, globes and atlases looking for key geographic factors of this continent.

While we can’t learn about every country and people, we will zoom in on several World cultures and read about the History, Geography, Faith-Traditions, Language-Stories and Art, Music, Food and Play. Our Library has fiction and nonfiction books that reveal the richness of how and where people live all over the world.

As we expanded beyond U.S. borders, we saw that country borders are only one boundary. Mountains and rivers define us. Looking out the windows show us an untouched slice of DC- The Oxon Run or stream surrounded by huge Poplar, Beech and Oak trees. Through reading, we can picture the life of Native Americans here.

Older students learned of how land was taken away from these people and they were moved far from their homes. More current history of taking away identity and language was seen in contemporary books that reveal the contemporary civil rights struggles of Native Americans.

Younger students heard various tribal origin stories and learned of native plants. They held the Hopi Kachina carved from a Cottonwood root. It depicts the Early Morning Singer, Talavai, ready for a Winter Bean Festival. They banged a drum covered in deer skin. Live deer families and native squash grow next to our school. We see them on our way to outdoor classrooms or the playground.

Third graders are honing their reading skills with a new program called Accelerated Reader. Thanks to the careful examination of our collection by Mrs. Ochmanek, one library book choice for each scholar will fit exactly to his current reading level and a set of comprehension questions will gage his understanding each week. This is a pilot program in which Library staff collaborate with the classroom teachers. More news on this program as it gets launched.

We transitioned to our American tradition of the scary season of Halloween. 3rd through 5th graders heard classic ghost stories, many of which came from Southern tales that enslaved people told long ago. Other American tales, such as The Headless Horseman, explain the tradition of Jack O Lanterns. In the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe and his Bells poem, boys rang an old brass school bell made in Pennsylvania-home of the Liberty Bell. How American!

First and Second graders focused on the Holiday of dress up. Super Hero books had great appeal. And boys enjoyed showing fearlessness by reading Halloween tales. Creepy Carrot, Creepy Crayon and Creepy Pair of Underwear-were hits! Also, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.

Kindergartners used all 5 senses to explore a great big pumpkin. After hearing several Halloween tales, they designed Jack’s face. We then carved a pentagon shaped lid and pulled out the pulp and seeds. Ah, the rich smell!

We touched the smooth flesh and finally ate roasted seeds. Sometimes, a librarian has to bring props and artifacts to make the books gain new meaning. Pete the Cat and the 5 Little Pumpkins was sung with vigor!

BWS BiblioBlog | September 2023

The school year begins with the same teachers and students progressing at a steady pace to a new level.

We have a new Head of School! Dr. Angelina Arrington brings wisdom and laughter to planning meetings and community gatherings.

We also have a new crew of KinderKings. Each of these 5-year-olds is new to the school, giving us all a chance to see the world through young eyes.

And, of course, we have New Books!

Our BWS Library holds over 10,000 books that complement the school curriculum and stimulate the curiosity and imagination of our scholars. We regularly weed out outdated books and supplement the collection with new works by African-American authors and illustrators.

See our link to the BWSLibrary Wish List on Amazon.

We are a lending library so each scholar may borrow new books every week. The Lead teacher decides if books are to be read in class or taken home. Kindergarten and 1st grade check out one book per week, 2nd grade two books, 3rd grade three books, 4th grade four books, and 5th grade may check out up to 5 books. If books are returned, new books can be checked out. Simple!

Mrs. Barbara Ochmanek acted as Head Librarian at schools all over DC and in California. She really knows her books and authors. Mrs. O works with 3rd and 4th graders this year on Tuesdays. She also works behind the scenes keeping up our Online Catalogue. Anyone can access the list of books in our Library: bwslibrary.follettdestiny.com

Mrs. Marquardt taught classes ranging from kindergarten to first grade and 4th grade from New York City to Amsterdam to Chicago to Menlo Park, CA. She also led a mentoring program for Middle School ESL Latino students. Mrs. M came to BWS 10 years ago and has led the Library Program ever since. This year she introduced the BWS World Tour where scholars will travel the seven continents in 8 months by encountering the vast collection of books that offer up our multicultural world. First Graders started the year ready to Go. Bon Voyage!

Mrs. M works on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We have 4 other volunteers in the Library: Mrs. Hilton, Mrs. Florance, Ms. Ware, and Mrs. Crutchington.

The Library Program began the year by exploring the geography of the space, the Dewey system for nonfiction and the genres of fiction. Younger students use the phrases Make Believe and Fact Books to find that Just Right book.

We read Picture Books to older students to let them see that these books hold great stories and fun facts. Even if you can’t read the words, a young child can walk through a book and tell the story. It’s a great pre-reading skill. Graphic Novels may not have an advanced vocabulary, but they do tell complex tales that require focus for true comprehension. 5th graders explored all literary genres through both graphic and text-only novels.

We launched the school year and the multi-use of our Library with a Convocation run by the Leadership team, with help from the teachers and students. Brother Reggie and Dr. Arrington brought forth inspiring memories of those in our past who ushered our way toward an excellent Bishop Walker School experience. Onward!

The School Year Ends with New Beginnings

April-May 2023

Words Spring to Life!

With new leaves and blossoms popping out of the grey branches, we turned to the Poets to brighten our perception of nature outdoors and our own nature within. April is the national month for Poetry so we at Bishop Walker School honor that tradition in our own way every year. 4th graders focused on the works of Shel Silverstein, Nikki Grimes and Maya Angelou. By the end of the month, they were able to recite “Still I Rise” as a group and mostly memorized one of Mr. Harris’ favorite Angelou poems: “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”.

Rhythm and Rhyme

Emerging readers in Kindergarten and 1st grade love the wordplay found in rhyming verse. Early Childhood storybooks are littered with couplets that give a singsong style to the sentences. Our birch forest on the West Wall turned into Poetrees. Rhythm and Rhyme leaves showed a collection of rhymes from books familiar and new. Style-Smile, Hop-Stop, Fly-Sky…

Next came the poems that didn’t rhyme but captured a moment or feeling. Haiku seems simple with its 7-9-7 syllable structure but a surprise ending brings an image to life. This gave us a chance to review Haiku poems written by staff and students to describe the Cicada Invasion of Spring 2021. The forest turned into Lyrics of all types of songs, from lullabies to jump rope chants to rap lyrics. Printed song sheets fell from the bare branches.

Kindergarten and 1st Grade then had plenty of time to read to themselves alone in a corner or sitting next to a buddy. “Leave me alone, I’m reading!” was a welcome phrase.

Readers Theater

In preparation of breaking out our BWS Theater, scholars reviewed literature in the 398 section of the Library. We had a special focus on fairy tales and fables from many cultures. We compared and contrasted different versions.

Classic stories then came alive in the hands of Second and Third graders. They read from scripts of familiar Aesop’s Fables and Anderson Fairy Tales. Readers Theater is often performed from desks in a row. But, at BWS, we wanted to put on a show. These scholars followed all the steps for developing a production.

Stagehand sets the stage while Actors Rehearse

Last year the students in third grade performed puppet shows and plays for the younger grades. We decided to give them another opportunity for Drama in the Library. They chose the plays and then Ms. Clark cast the plays. We split the class in two so that more boys got speaking parts. But every production needs the talent behind the scenes. That’s why we had stagehands to set up the scenery and master the props. The actors rehearsed for weeks during lunchtime and Library time. They learned to listen for a cue, project their voice and not step on another’s line. Imaginative play brings focus and fun!

Second Grade Performs Ugly Duckling

This was the first time that the second graders handled a script, accepted parts, rehearsed lines and wore costumes. The ducklings and Parent duck wore yellow boas, the geese who were really rude wore purple and blue and the swans wore grey until grown up in black and white. We also had a kind farmer and a Master of Ceremonies. You may wonder how this relates to the Library. Well, it’s fun to internalize the components of a story and feel the character’s voice. Kindergartners really got the Big Idea of the play: don’t bully and love your beautiful self!

Half of the Third Grade performs The Goose That Laid Golden Egg

The other half performs The Lion and the Mouse for First Grade

History Comes to Life

More than 3 centuries of history came to life for the 5th-grade class. They ended their last year at Bishop Walker School by giving us all a gift: a 20-foot mural revealing the historic contribution of African Americans to the story of America. The scholars attached summary notes to each posted book cover so that younger scholars can gain insight from their reviews. Mrs. Ochmanek organized a final game of completing individual timelines to reveal gained knowledge of Black History. A big project with big rewards for all of us to see!

The School Year Ends with New Beginnings

A new tradition at Bishop Walker School is welcoming graduating high school seniors who started their early education with us. Mr. Woody returns to greet these young men who are off to college, music school and the Marines. Senior Caesar recognized a favorite Lunch Buddy, Hollis McLaughlin, and they shared lots of memories and laughs. Georgia State is lucky to get Caesar this fall. Caesar’s mother even remembered hearing of Mr. McLaughlin’s special Pepperidge Farm cookies that accompanied his Sherlock Holmes stories. Although our Lunch Buddies visit once a month, they follow the class from Kindergarten to graduation. A real bond is formed.

Our Library space was is demand this spring. Tours and Visitors learned about us as we learned from them. Three men from New Orleans who attended the same high school at the same time took time to share their thoughts. One is a lead attorney for a Civil Rights Advocacy group, another has a history as a Development Director for non-profits and the third is finishing his term as Head of School and that is Michael Molina. Up to his final days, he still spent time talking to our KINGS, leading them to a bright future.

We wish you all the best, Mr. Molina! AND we heartily welcome Dr. Arrington to the BWS Library. We can’t wait to show you around!