Attention lower school students and parents!  Summer is almost here!  We can hardly believe it!  The library staff wants all Tartans to keep reading over the Summer so . . . the library is hosting a Get-Ready-for-Summer-Reading Book Swap! We invite you to bring your gently used books to the library on the evening of Lower School Open House (May 10th) or any time during the week of May 14th through May 30th.  You can bring up to 12 books, and you will receive a voucher that will allow you …

To the best of my knowledge, poetry is the only literary form that has earned its own month.  What makes poetry so special?  At times the most complex of literary forms, poems challenge us and elevate us.  And yet, many poems are brilliant in their simplicity.
To help you get the most out of National Poetry Month, the SMES Library is publishing a Poem a Day (or rather a Poem a School Day) to be enjoyed by all.  You can recommend your favorite poem to be a Poem of The Day …

MS–Wednesday 3/21 at lunch in the Library
US –Thursday 3/22 at lunch in rm. 712 (Ms. Jacobsen’s room)
All are invited to discuss the book The Hunger Games. Bring your lunch and an interest in conversation.
Discussion guide and more information about The Hunger Games Trilogy and Suzanne Collins.

If you like puzzles, then Owen Harding has just the thing for you. Owen’s Encoded Quiz is part code breaking challenge and part scavenger hunt that will test your cranial capacity and visual acuity. But don’t worry about overtaxing your occipital lobe, there are only five questions and there are prizes involved! So just open the Encoded Quiz Word doc and take a crack at it. Then save it and e-mail it to Owen. He’ll be in touch!

Congratulations to Mrs. Donchak’s class and Father Livingston’s class for their quick research skills that won them a box of donuts! This week’s reading trivia questions and answers were:

1. Who won the 1962 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his interpretation of Atticus Fitch? (Gregory Peck)

2. What is the connection between industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, and libraries? (In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Andrew Carnegie provided grants/funding that sponsored the building and development of public and university libraries around the world including the United States.)

3. What yearly award is administered by the Association for . . .

Thanks to all students and teachers for participating in Stop, Drop, and Read.  This silent demonstration bonded us as readers and helped us to focus on the importance of reading in our lives.  Take a moment to comment here and share your thoughts about Stop, Drop, And Read and/or share what you read!

This March the library will again pull out all the stops to celebrate READING! SMES is already a community that values reading, but once a year the Library offers programs and activities that encourage students to reflect, share, and read more!
Here is a sneak peek at our upcoming special events:
• Stop, Drop, Read On Feb 29th as a kick-off to our celebration, students and teachers in each division will be taking some time to read and discuss the importance of reading in their lives.
• Celebrity Readers: US and MS students will be . . .

It is that time of the year!!  No, I’m not referring to final exams, Christmas shopping chaos, or even the rush to write resolutions (that we will this year, for sure, keep).  I’m referring to the fact that it is at this time of the year that we start to see many “best book of the year” lists!!    For example, GoodReads.com, the largest online community of readers, has asked their readers to nominate their favorites and after 74,000+ votes they’ve published their list.  Check it out for some great reads for
yourself …

No, sorry, this isn’t a post about writers who have ruminated on original sin or even the Berlin Wall. But if you’re between books, or just want a little inspiration for the future, we’ve put together a list of authors who were born in November, along with their “most famous” work. Of course, they’ve all written loads more than that, but it’s a place to start.

Halloween is coming up fast, but not so soon that you can’t enjoy a good spooky book before gorging yourself on… uh… candy. Read the rest of the post and click “these” links to find out what some of our favorite writers of the weird are reading this time of year. And afterwards, don’t forget to “comment” and recommend your own favorite tales of terror.