Knollwood Christian School Library Blog

Back to School!

2011-08-17T21:58:00.002-05:00

It is so good to be back in school. I love the summer but I also like getting back in the routine of school. I hope you all completed your summer reading. Children have already begun A/R testing. It blesses me to see how excited everybody is about A/R. I look forward to lots of VIPS this year.

I am real excited about the new NEO's that were purchased for the school. We have 24 total. That means more testing availability for all the students. YEAH!

Lastly, I want to go ahead and announce the BOOK FAIR. I LOVE the book fair. It is like Christmas to me. Scholastic always sends us the latest and greatest books. What I really love about the book fair is the opportunity we have to earn more SMARTBOARDS and FREE books for the school. The Book Fair starts September 13th and runs through September 15th. Kids - start savings your allowance now!!

Please feel free to email me at casallopaula@gmail.com if you have any questions about A/R, book levels, etc. I really want our students to be successful readers. I will do what I can to make that happen!

All God's Best,
Mrs. Casallo

Spring Book Fair Results!

2011-04-15T09:25:00.005-05:00

Well...we did it again. The Scholastic Book Fair was a hit. It never ceases to amaze me how excited the children get over the book fair. I had some children shop everyday. WOW! A big thank you to the parents who allow their children to buy the books. They truly are a worthy investment. We did earn another SMARTBOARD for the school. That brings our school total to four. Our goal continues to be earning one SMARTBOARD per fair. In addition to the SMARTBOARD, we also earned over$700 in free books for the Library. WHAT A BLESSING. I have to admit that I love the bookfairs as much as the children. I just get excited about the wonderful benefits. We have already booked our fairs for next year!

Finally, I want everyone to enjoy our Spring Break. What a wonderful opportunity to be with family. I pray we all come back refreshed and ready to finish the year strong.

All God's Best,
Mrs. Casallo

Scholastic Book Fair

2011-02-18T14:08:00.002-06:00

The Scholastic Book is coming again on March 15-17. I am so excited and so are the children. I am looking forward to all the new books that will be available at great Scholastic prices. The fair will be open from 8:30 until 3:30 on the above mentioned days. Parents are welcome to shop during these times. Thanks to all the parent support for the book fairs, our school has earned 3 new Smartboards and new rugs for the Library. We have also earned hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of FREE books. Our goal for this fair is to earn 2 more Smartboards for the school. I know with parents like ours we can do it!! See you at the Book Fair!

All God's Best,
Paula Casallo

P.S. Check out our top ten readers for the week. It is amazing at what our children are accomplishing in AR. I am so proud!

It's good to be back!

2011-01-04T20:50:00.003-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am, however, happy to be back in a routine. I am also happy to report that our last Scholastic book fair was another big success. I had hoped to earn enough for another SMARTBOARD. We met that goal and more. The Library will also have a beautiful new rug and many new books because the fair was so successful. Again, we could not do this without the support of the parents. We have the best. THANK YOU for all you do for your children.

Next Friday, January 14, will be the 1st of 2 Classic Club Movie Parties. The party will consist of 2 classic movies, pizza, cupcakes, and time out of class. WOW! In order for the student to attend, he/she will have read 4 of the classics off the list and have scored 70 or higher on the corresponding A/R test. Anyone who has been to this party knows how fun it is so start making plans to be at the next one in May. I will post pictures later.

Make reading more one of your New Year's Resolutions. You will be happy you did!

All God's Best,
Mrs. Casallo

Check this out!

2010-09-27T19:40:00.003-05:00

We have added our weekly top ten reader's list to our blog. These are the top ten readers in the school which is a HUGE accomplishment. I will try to keep the list updated every week. You will find the list under the Top Ten Tab located at the top of the blog under the picture. Hope you enjoy tracking our student's progress as much as I do.

Blessings,
Mrs. Casallo

Scholastic Book Fair a Huge Success!

2010-09-21T20:52:00.004-05:00

Thank you! Thank You! Thank You! The Scholastic Book Fair was a huge success and I owe it all to the parents and students of KCS. This was our best book fair thus far. We almost reached our goal of earning two SMARTBOARDS for the school. I have to admit that I thought that might be out of reach. However, we were so close to meeting that goal that I am setting the bar higher for the next fair. I am hoping that the sales in March plus the money we have in the Scholastic Bank will earn the school three more SMARTBOARDS. Together, I know we can make that happen. The good news is we did earn one more SMARTBOARD for the school and it will be arriving soon. We also got free books that we can add to our Library. That is always a treat for me and the students.

I feel so blessed to have such great support for the Library and for our school. We truly have the best parents around. (Our kids are pretty awesome as well!!) I owe a BIG thank to Mrs. Leslie Bochy would helped me so much during the fair. I could not have done it without her help. THANK YOU! I look forward to a great fair in March. Kids - start saving now.

ALL GOD's BEST,

Mrs. Casallo

Scholastic Book Fair is Coming Soon!

2010-08-24T02:01:00.006-05:00

We all love the Scholastic Book Fair. I am happy to say that we will have two Scholastic Book Fairs this year. These fairs are incredible fundraisers for the Library and the school. I hope you guys are saving up your allowance to shop at the fair. Our goal with this fair is to earn another SMARTBOARD. I have a sneak peak of some of the books available coming home soon. You can pre-order by filling out the order form and returning it with payment in an envelope to your teacher. The books will be waiting for you when your class comes to the fair. As always, some of the books in the preview will not be availabe for sale do to content that conflicts with our school's values. PARENTS - I know you appreciate that! However, there will be SO many books to chose from at the fair that you won't even notice the ones not available.

Key Dates - BOOK FAIR September 8th - 10th, 8:30 until 3:30
PARENT NIGHT (Open House for Elementary) September 9th 7pm until 8pm

See you there!

P.S. How's your AR coming? Have you taken tests on summer reading yet? I know one third grader who has already earned a free Sprite in the Library. I am excited to see how everyone is doing this week. It's going to be a great year with lots of VIPs. I just feel it!

Summer is almost over!

2010-08-03T22:37:00.003-05:00

Well - Summer is coming to an end. I am actually really excited about getting back to school. I hope you all are excited, too! Have you done your reading? If not, you still have a few more days. I am looking forward to everyone seeing all the wonderful improvements that have been done at KCS. We need to say a big thank you to Pastor Scott, Mrs. Boren, Pastor D, Lucinda, Sherra, and Lisa for all their hard work. They do it because they love you all so much. It is a blessing to be able to be a part of Knollwood Christian School. (Say a big thank your family for loving you enough to give you such a quality Christian education!) I can't wait to hear all about your Summer's. See you all very soon!

All God's Best,
Mrs. Casallo

What I'm Reading...

2010-06-03T09:13:00.004-05:00

Hope you all are enjoying your summer so far. My children and I have been to the Mobile Public Library several times. We have rented Nim's Island and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (both movies we loved!)and watched them both over and over. I have found several books that I know you will want to read. I finished one last night entitled Nory Ryan's Song. The story is written by Patricia Giff - the author who wrote Pictures of Hollis Woods. You 7th graders got to enjoy that book in 5th grade as well as watch the Hallmark Movie in 6th grade. Anyway...back to the story. It is about a little girl and her family and their struggle to survive during the famine in Ireland in the 1800's. There is a second book in the series entitled Maggie's Door which I am going to look for today. I highly recommend these books. They will make you appreciate all the blessings we take forgranted. I also finished The Boy Who Dared. It is a true story of a young German boy who tried to take a stand against Hitler. He was very courageous but it cost him his life. We have had this book in our library but I just got the chance to read it. I won't say this was a fun read but it was a very worthwhile read. It is important to hear these stories so that we will not let such horrors happen again. I promise my next few books will be more "fun".

The summer reading kickoff for the Mobile Public Library is this Saturday, June 5th from 10-12. I hope to see alot of my students there! Continue having a great summer. I miss you all!

All God's Best,
Mrs. Casallo

Classic Club Movie Party

2010-05-18T16:02:00.006-05:00

We had a BLAST at the Classic Club Movie Party! We watched The Little Princess and The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved both movies but The Count of Monte Cristo was my favorite of the two. You can check out both movies at the Mobile Public Library for $1. Pastor Scott Williams brought us pizza. We also enjoyed cupcakes and soda. It was an all around fun time. I think anyone who got to attend would agree that the reading was well worth it. Sorry you missed it? Don't worry. You can attend the next movie party in August of next school year. All you have to do is read 3 classics and you will be able to attend. Remember if you read all 40 by the end of your career at KCS you will receive $100. READING IS FUN and REWARDING! The Classic List is under the Classic Tab at the top of the Blog. Head to your local Public Library and start today. Have a GREAT SUMMER! I will miss you all. All God's Best, Mrs. Casallo

In attendance - Sarah Bruton, Emily Whittington, Kelsey Fredelake, Bailey Sheffield, Mykia Buford, Shirin Kholafai, Marie Cybel Donjayawardena, Mandy Nettles, Camille Perry, Katherine Roubik, and Danielle Cenatus.

K5 Learning to Check Out Books

2010-04-30T15:14:00.002-05:00

I have been working with the K5 the last two weeks teaching them how to check out books on their own. Up until this point, they have been checking out books I have pre-selected for them off the table. I am trying to get them ready for 1st grade. They have loved being able to select their own books and they have really done a fantastic job. I am so proud! I created a little movie about checking out books. Check it out and leave us a comment. The kids will be so excited to see you have watched it.

Classics Club

2010-04-19T19:27:00.002-05:00

This year we started the Classics Club in the Library. Students in 4th through 8th grade can participate. In order to be a part of the club, you have to read 3 classics a quarter off a list of 40 classics selected by the Headmaster Pastor Scott Williams. If you meet this goal, you can attend a Classic's Club party. At the party, we watch classic movies, eat lunch, popcorn, candy, and have lots of fun. If the student reads all 40 classics on the list in their school career at KCS, they will receive 100!! The participation has been incredibly. We have enjoyed hearing students say things like, "I thought the classics were boring, but I was so wrong." It has truly sparked an interest for the classics in the students. I have asked some of my students to blog about the books they have read. Here are just a few. I hope you enjoy. Please comment and/or recommend other books they might enjoy. They would love to hear from you.

Nicholas Walton Review's O'Henry Short Stories

2010-04-09T13:55:00.001-05:00

Hi! I am Nicholas Walton. I am in the the 6th grade. I am here to review about O'Henry Best Short Stories. This book was very good and I suggest that you read it. My favorite story was The Gift of the Magi. It was about a family. It was around Christmas time. They both needed to get a gift for each other. The husband had a beautiful watch. It was passed down from generation. The wife had beautiful hair. The wife wanted a combs, and the husband wanted a chain for his watch. It turned out the wife had cut off all her hair to get enough money for the chain. The husband had to sell his watch for the combs. When they gave each other their gift they told them what they had to give to get the preasent. They weren't mad at each other. They were happy that they would do so much to get the other a gift. The End. Before you get this book let me tell you most of these stories have a twisted ending. So I hope you enjoy it.

Madison Taylor Reviews The Secret Garden

2010-04-09T13:53:00.001-05:00

My name is Madison Taylor and I am in 6th grade at Knollwood Christian School. I read the Secret Garden and it was great. It was about a girl that her mom did not want her so she lived with the moms friend. There was a disease that broke out and everone in her household died. So after everyone died but her some police officers came to check out the house. Well the little girl was the only person left there. So the police officers found her uncle and she went to live with him. He had a huge house and a lot of money but no toys. So the little girl had to play outside alot. And one day she found out there was a secret garden there and a mocking bird led he to the key.I would definetly recommend this book because it is one of my favorites.

Abigail Brock Reviews Night

2010-04-09T13:51:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone my name is Abigail Brock. I am in 6Th grade and I'm reviewing Night. Night is a book about the Holocaust. It is about a Jewish man who survived this terrible time in history and tells his tale. He was a 13 year old boy that got separated from his family in the concentration camp called ASCHWICH. His mother and sister both got killed and later his father died of typhoid fever. He was moved from camp to camp to camp. They were all forced to walk barefoot in the freezing weather. They were shipped by being crammed together in train cars. It was terrible. Fighting for every scrap and crumb of moldy, stale bread,getting only two rations of soup every day,and being tortured and killed for no reason. This is a very emotional, interesting, and sad book. It might be too much for younger readers so read at your own risk. But it is a very good book so I recommend you read it. Just be prepared.

Emily Whittington Reviews The Secret Garden

2010-04-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Hello, my name is Emily Whittington,I'm in 5th grade, Mrs. Blackwell's class at Knollwood Christian. The Secret Garden was a great book.It's the kind of book that really draws you into it. It's about a girl who lives in India who's bossy and rude. She is forced to move from there to England. Her curiosity about a Secret Garden makes her want to learn more about it. She slowly starts to become nicer. If you like this book you should read The Little Princess. It's another book written by Francess Hodgson Burnett.

Sarah Bruton Reviews Alice in Wonderland

2010-04-09T10:26:00.002-05:00

Hi, my name is Sarah Bruton,I'm in the 5th grade,Mrs. Blackwell's class at Knollwood Christian School.I just finished reading Alice in Wonderland.It was a really good book.I love to read books that really pull you into it,and that's just what the author did.Alice is an ordinary girl whose curiosity takes her on an adventure down a rabbit hole;a story you won't forget anytime soon.To me it's a book about how you shoudn't be afraid to dream and just use your imagination!I do admit some parts are kind of freaky, but overall it's a very good book.If you like this book Through the Looking Glass, is another book written by Lewis Carroll.

Marie Cybel Donjayawardena Reviews Black Beauty

2010-04-09T10:01:00.001-05:00

Hi,I am Marie-Cybel. I'm in Mrs.Revelle's fourth grade class at Knollwood Christian School. I have read Black Beauty. It is about a horse who is born at a farm. When he is about four years old,he gets seperated from his mother. When he goes to another farm,he meets a donkey and another horse. Then they get seperated again. The donkey is a priest's pet. The other horse has to pull a wagon and gets treated badly. In the end,the other horse meets Black Beauty and tells him that he was the only friend she has ever had. Then the other horse dies. Then Black Beauty finds another farm and lives happily ever after. I think it is a great book to read.