Summer is an important time for students to keep reading and improve their language skills.  Here are some ways to keep your child “rockin with books” all Summer long!

• Our local Miller Branch of the Howard County Library will visit us here at HSES on Tuesdsay, June 5th to share about the FREE Summer Reading Program.  The Libraries Rock! Program kicks off at the Miller Branch on Saturday, June 2nd and is for all ages - children, teens, and adults.  Participate in activities, crafts, and games. Enjoy the music of live bands: School of Rock House Band and Charm City Junction.  Activities include Kindness Rocks, crafts for children; and Rock Band for teens. 10 am - 2 pm. You can also register at any Howard County Library Branch.  https://hclibrary.org/classes-events/hclssummer/  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

• The Howard County Library System is also sponsoring a bookmark contest through July 18th.  Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Sczepanski have provided their classes time to work on the contest while in Media class May 29 – June 4th.  Have your child show his/her love of reading and books by entering the contest.  More details are available at any library branch or at https://hclibrary.org/new-a-main/bookmark-contest/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

• Capstone is offering FREE access to Capstone Interactive all Summer!  Starting today, students can access thousands of books, where ever they are!
  • School: Great for those last few weeks when they can't check out books
  • Home: Any computer or internet connected device will be able to access every book available
  • On-the-go: With the Capstone Interactive App, students can download books for offline reading!

  o MyCapstoneLibrary.com and entering:  Username: summer18    Password: lovetoread

• Each summer, Barnes & Noble bookstores give young readers the opportunity to earn a FREE book by reading three books and completing a journal about the books they’ve read. It’s a great way to encourage kids to make reading a priority during the summer months.  Download a journal at: https://specialists.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading?summer-reading-lists-for-kids (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

• Our FREE e-Tools like TumbleBooks and PebbleGo are available over the summer as well on our library media webpage - http://hseslibrarymediacenter.weebly.com/online-resources.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Scroll down and click on Pebble Go (login: hollifield  password: school). Students in grades 3-5 can find the passwords for these resources in their  agenda books. All students can log into https://hcpss.me (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. with their active directory login.  Ask your child to write it down before Technology classes end this school year.   Also you can access all of the Howard County Library’s resources for FREE with your child’s A+ Card which is the same as their active directory tech login.

• Finally, a recommended book list for summer reading is coming home in Take Home Folders this week. The lists are developed by Howard County Public School Library Media Specialists and Howard County Library Children's Instruction and Research Staff. The titles included are just a sampling of the books your child may enjoy reading during the summer.  Many of the authors on the list have written more than one book. Check out some of those titles, too! Online versions of the book lists may be found at http://www.hcpss.org/academics/library-media/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

            Scroll down and find the Recommended the Summer Reading List for the past three years.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful summer!

Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Sczepanski, and Mrs. Han