Library

Welcome to the Milton Frye Library of the Marion Cross School

Joy Blongewicz, Teacher Librarian
email: joy.blongewicz@marioncross.org
phone: 802-649-1703 Ext. 208

Click here to access the online library catalog.The login name is Marion Cross School. There is no password.

The Marion Cross School Library strives to provide appropriate materials to support the school's curriculum as well as to provide a wide variety of reading materials for students at all reading levels, and with varying interests.

Library instruction teaches students the necessary skills to be able to access and evaluate information. Students are taught research skills and how to use a variety of print and non-print resources. Student-centered projects focus on problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration and presentation. Web 2.0 technology tools are incorporated when appropriate.

I encourage you to visit my more fully developed web page by clicking here. You will find:

Parent Resources, Student Resources, Teacher Resources,
Links to the Online Databases,
Pathfinders for curriculum resources, and more.

Milton Frye Library History

Our library is named to honor Milton Frye, our school principal from 1973 to 1996, whose foresight and support enabled the library to evolve into a superb elementary school resource center for the 21st century. The collection numbers about 20,000 volumes including picture books, fiction, folklore, mythology, poetry, biography, informational books, and student, teacher and parent reference materials. It was developed to promote our library goals which are to foster a love for reading and to teach the use of information tools and resources.

Dr. Fran Nye is one of the library’s original “founding mothers”. In 1960 there was no school library. As part of the Norwich Women’s Club, Dr. Nye and several other mothers set up a cart in the principal’s office to be the first library. The Women’s Club organized the first book sale to raise money to buy books to expand the library. (For many years, the book sales were the only source of funds for purchasing library books.) As the number of books outgrew their space and the Dresden Compact was established so that the Norwich seventh and eighth graders went to school in Hanover, the upstairs of the 1898 building was available for a library space. Dr. Nye’s husband, Bob, built the shelves for the library, the same shelves that house our non-fiction collection today, and Dr. Nye was one of the mothers who operated the library on weekday afternoons.

Dr. Nye’s favorite children’s book is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. She reads it every spring. Perhaps because of her work as a psychiatrist, Dr. Nye is repeatedly touched by the little girl who makes people well through the power of nature. Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter and The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth are two other books the Dr. Nye loves and recommends.

Battle of the Books

What is the Battle of the Books?
This is a fun and optional ‘competition’ for students in 5th and 6th grade. Students form teams of 3 or 4 members. Each team will determine who will be responsible for reading which books from the Battle of the Books list during the school year. On the day of the ‘The Battle’, teams will compete in a Jeopardy-style format to see who can score the most points, earned by correctly answering the oral questions I ask. The questions will focus on: setting, plot, character, genre and ‘tricky question.’

How are the Books Chosen?
Some of the books are chosen from the current DCF list, from Newbery award winners and from a multicultural list. The other books are chosen with thought given towards books that represent quality reading as well as a variety of genres and reading levels.

List of Books for 2011-2012
1) Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
2) Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry
3) Happenstance Found by P.W. Cantanese
4) Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Riley Giff
5) Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs
6) The Reinvention of Maxie Roosevelt by Elizabeth Kimmel
7) Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
8) A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann Martin
9) The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by W. R. Philbrick
10) When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
11) The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Stewart
12) Three Cups of Tea by Sarah Thomson
13) The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
14) Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements
15) Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye
16) Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson
17) Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
18) The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Basch

Celebration Books
The Marion Cross School PTO sponsors a Celebration Book Program at the school library. Each year families purchase books for the library in honor of their child, a significant person or an event such as a birthday or holiday. Each book given receives a bookplate inscribed with the child’s name (or other special person) and date of the event being recognized. Since the program’s inception in March 1994, over 1,200 books have been added to the collection.

During the month of the child’s celebration, he or she will be called to the library to select a Celebration Book. A parent volunteer will help each child in the selection of his or her book within the designated price range and will inform families of their child’s selection. Children who would like to mark their summer birthdays choose books during their half-birthday month. The books offered have been pre-selected by Mrs. Blongewicz. If a child has a specific book request or a parent would like to purchase a book for thelibrary, families should contact Mrs. Blongewicz at the library.

Through the generosity of the Norwich Bookstore we are able to acquire books for the library at a 20% discount, passing on the profit to the Celebration Book Program fund. Click here to download a Celebration Books order form.

Travel the World Through Books
This is a new program for students in 5th and 6th grade that encourages them to read books set in different countries around the world and to learn about different cultures. The program is introduced to students in 5th grade and continues through 6th grade. Along the way, there are 'benchmarks' for the students to strive towards, with the ultimate challenge being to read 60 books three weeks prior to their last day in 6th grade. Those that achieve this goal will receive a special award at the final school rep program.

I feel that it's important for today's students to be aware of the variety of cultures around the world and to become familiar with the similarities and differences within these cultures and then to compare these to our own culture. Reading books set within different countries is one way to work towards this important goal.

Below, you will find a list of the books that are in the MCS library that meet the criteria for this program. The list will continue to evolve as I get new books from different cultures, so be sure to review the list throughout the school year.

Students will keep track of each of these books that they read with a document that is kept in the library. I may occasionally ask a student some questions about the books that are recorded on their document.

There will be a special acknowledgement for those students in 5th grade who reach the first benchmark of reading 15 of the books from the list during their 5th grade school year and another acknowledgement for those students in 6th grade who read 15 of the books from the list during their 6th grade school year. Students in 5th grade are encouraged to read more books from the list during the summer before 6th grade in order to succeed at the ultimate challenge of reading 60 books before the end of their year in 6th grade.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Click here to view the list of books from around the world