WINTER BREAK! December 23, 2013 – January 10, 2014

TJ Library Newsletter

Is the Pillar of Character for the month of December.

Be Kind. Be compassionate and

show you care. Express gratitude. Forgive others.

Help people in need.

Will you be caught exhibiting the character pillar of Caring

this month?

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Based on the best selling novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, part 2 in the continuing

movie saga will begin showing in theaters on December 13, 2013.

Congratulations to the winners of our 2nd library drawing. They are Noel ia Zun iga and Wi l l iam Ga l la rdo . They each received a special gift courtesy of the library. Our next drawing will be on December 20th. To enter, all you need to do is pass an AR quiz with a 70% or higher. Entries are unlimited. Good Luck!

D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 3

STUDENTS: Please check the updated fine lists posted in the library window and near the front office. The end of the school year will be here before you know it, and any outstanding fines will put you on the LOP list.

A big shout of congratulations goes out to Noelia Z. She is our latest

WORD READER here at TJ. Great job Noelia, and keep on

reading.

Here are some facts about the month of December. Birthstone: Turquoise/Zircon/Tanzanite Flower: Holly or Narcissus Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius or Capricorn December was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar. It gets it’s name from the Latin word “decem’ which means tenth. However, when the Romans added January and February to the calendar it became the twelfth month, but they kept the name the same. It is the last month of the year and the first month of winter, which begins on December 21st or 22nd. This is the shortest day and longest night of the year. It is National Fruitcake Month, and National Cookie Day is December 4th. Other snacks celebrated this month are pie, cotton candy, cocoa, cupcakes, and chocolate brownies. Some popular celebrity birthdays include Walt Disney, Stephenie Meyer, Dwight Howard, Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift, Christina Aguilera, Steven Spielberg, and of course Jesus Christ.

Ten-year-old Fernie What and her 12-year-old sister, Pearlie, and their family, have just moved into their brightly painted new house on Sunnyside Terrace, which is full of beautiful, cheery looking homes. Except for the big black mansion directly across the street from them. This is the home of Gustav

Gloom. Gustav is a soulful looking 10-year-old with an unusual secret: he is neither human nor shadow and he cannot leave the confines of his dark, mysterious house. One day, Fernie witnesses some odd behavior by her cat, and it suddenly runs off after being chased by what appears to be its own shadow. And it runs directly into Gustav Glooms house. Fernie secretly enters the dark mansion, meets Gustav, and discovers a library full of every book that was never written, a gallery of statues that are just plain weird, and finds herself at a dinner watching her own shadow take part in a huge feast. While in the mansion, she is being chased by evil shadows called the People Takers, who are determined to take Fernie to the Shadow Country. Now it’s up to Fernie and her new friend Gustav, to stop the People Takers before they escape from the mansion and take Fernie’s family.

The TJ Library’s “Spotlight Student” for the month of December is Jazlynn Z. Jazlynn enjoys reading books in the genre of fantasy, especially those written by Rick Riordan and Roald Dahl, and also books about animals. She visits the TJ library regularly, and while she is here she always exhibits great character. Jazlynn is a student in Mrs. Lucas’ ELA class, and she always tries her best. We hope to see her featured in a newsletter again soon, as a million word reader.