CBMS Library Media Center

The eighth grade students at Con Ball enjoyed a special treat today when award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi visited and spoke with the students about his novels, the writing process, and the ideas behind his writing.  Bacigalupi’s science fiction book Ship Breaker, which many students have read or are currently reading, is his first young adult novel; it was a National Book Award Finalist and the winner of the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.  Bacigalupi also read an excerpt from his brand new novel, The Drowned Cities, which is a companion novel to Ship Breaker.  Students had the opportunity to ask questions and have the author sign their copies of his books.  After the event,  several students stayed to speak with Bacigalupi about their own writing, and he offered words of advice and encouragement.  As students returned to their normal classes, many mentioned that they found the author’s visit to be informative, funny, interesting, and inspiring.

Do you have a library fine?  If so, here’s a chance to both take care of your fine and help people in our community. From now until May 11th, for every canned-food item that you bring to the library, we will erase up to $1.00 of your fine.  Take advantage of this opportunity, because everybody wins.

At Conrad Ball Middle School, each school day begins with students reading for 30 minutes.  This time that students are spending immersed in books is paying off in a big way, as is evident when comparing last year’s circulation and Scholastic Reading Counts data with the data of this year.  During the first three quarters of this year, there has been an 88.1% increase in the number of books that students have checked out from our library; additionally, when comparing third quarter of last year with third quarter of this year, there has been a 102.1% increase in the number of book quizzes that students have passed.  We are proud of these numbers, and yet we’re even more excited by what is not so easily measured: because our students are reading more, we know that they are increasing their background knowledge, improving their vocabulary, deepening their understanding of our world, and strengthening their ties to other people. 

Thank you to each and every person who participated in our Spring Book Fair.  Together, we raised over $900.00 for books for our library, bringing our year total to over $2,300.00!  Some of the new books made possible by these funds are already in the hands of students, and we will be able to bring in new and exciting reads for the remainder of the year.  Literacy is alive and well at CBMS!

We’re happy to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair has arrived at CBMS.  The Book Fair, which coincides with parent/teacher conferences, is a ConBall tradition that reflects our culture of literacy and offers the newest young adult books at a good price.  The Fair also serves as a fundraiser for the library; last fall, our community raised over $1,400  for new books!  The Fair will be open on Monday, February 13th, through Thursday, February 16th.  Monday’s and Tuesday’s business hours are 8:00 a.m to 3:30 p.m.; Wednesday’s hours are 8:00 a.m.  to 7:00 p.m, and Thursday’s  hours are 8:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m.  We look forward to seeing you at our Scholastic Book Fair; everyone is welcome!

All during the month of December, students at Conrad Ball Middle School have had the opportunity to pay off library fines with nonperishable food items.  Many students took advantage of this chance to clear their fines while also providing food for people in our community.  Impressively,  several students decided to bring in food items even though they had no fine.  Thank you very much to all of you who participated in this program.  Because of your generosity, we have collected well over 100 food items, and you have made a positive difference for people in our community during this holiday season!

Do you have a library fine?  If so, here’s your chance to both take care of your fine and help hungry people in our community. All during the month of December, for every canned-food item that you bring to the library, we will erase up to $1.00 of your fine.  Don’t have a fine?  We’d still love for you to contribute!  Working together, we can help people in our community have a better holiday season.

The Fall Scholastic Book Fair was a great success and a lot of fun.  Our community demonstrated a strong commitment to literacy and raised over $1,400.00 towards books for our students.  “Thank you!” to everyone who helped make this possible.  Be sure to watch for great new reads in the library!

We’re happy to announce that the CBMS Scholastic Book Fair will be here during the first week of October.  The Book Fair, which coincides with parent/teacher conferences, has become a ConBall tradition that reflects our culture of literacy and offers the newest young adult books at a good price.  The Fair also serves as a fundraiser for the library; last year, our community raised over $1,200  for new books!  The Fair will be open from Monday, October 3rd through Thursday, October 6th.  Monday’s and Wednesday’s business hours will be from 8:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.; Tuesday’s and Thursday’s business hours will be from 8:00 a.m to 8:30 p.m.  We look forward to seeing you at our Scholastic Book Fair; everyone is welcome!

During the week of parent/teacher conferences, a number of you visited the spring Scholastic Book Fair.  Many of you left the fair with new posters, school supplies, and–of course–books!  Because of your support, the library raised over $550 for the purchase of new books.  Thank you to everyone who participated; your involvement makes a difference at our school!