The purpose of the literacy webpage is to inform parents and students of programs that are available in addition to the core curriculum taught during the regular school day. Literacy activities are highly valued at Pleasantdale and strongly supported by the PTA. Additional information can always be obtained by contacting the elementary or middle school.  

AFTER SCHOOL OPEN LIBRARY

The library is supervised and open after school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3:22-4:30 p.m. Students interested in quiet study are encouraged to use the facilities for computer research, completion of projects, book selection, or finishing homework. Most students attend voluntarily though there may also be some students who attend due to insufficient homework completion. It is a good atmosphere for getting work done. Students are able to access staff members for academic support. Students often discover that getting their homework done before they get home is a good habit to develop.

AUTHOR VISITS AT MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Middle School is lucky to have published authors visit our school each year. Author visits are provided by Anderson’s Book Store as a perk for running two Anderson Book Fairs a year at the Middle School. Prior to an author visiting, students are able to purchase an autographed copy of the author’s current book at a 20% discount. The author conducts a 40 min. presentation to an age appropriate audience about the writing process and publishing process concluded with a question and answer portion. Afterwards, students who have purchased the book get a short one-on-one session with the author where they can speak to them and get their book copies signed.

MIDDLE SCHOOL (MS) READERS-PTA SPONSORED

MS Readers is a program that encourages students to come together with an adult facilitator (faculty or parent volunteer) to discuss books of their choosing. Groups are formed by the students themselves. The groups meet three times a year during their scheduled lunch periods. Books are chosen by the students, under the guidance of our school librarian, and provided to the students by the district. The selections vary from award winning titles to the most recent popular fiction. On discussion day, students gather in the school library to enjoy a lunch provided by the PTA and talk about their titles. Over the last few years, this program has grown in popularity among our middle school students.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOOK FAIRS

Each year, the PTA sponsors three book fairs at the middle school. The first is a Scholastic book fair and the last two are from Andersons Book Store. These fairs are advertised and students are brought down during their literature classes to purchase or fill out a “wish list.” The wish list allows them time to take the titles home to parents and bring funds back to purchase what they would like. Usually the fairs run for a minimum of three days so students have plenty of opportunity to peruse the selection and make purchases. Every effort is made to coincide a fair with evening events such as Curriculum Night, concerts, and “All About Us” so that parents have an opportunity to visit the fair with their student and purchase items.

PAW PRINTS – PTA SPONSORED

“Paw Prints” is a PTA sponsored voluntary creative writing initiative at the middle school. Students are invited to submit their written work (poems, fiction, nonfiction writing) as well as their artistic expressions (graphics, drawings, photography, and other artwork) for publication in the journal. Students are involved as authors, artists, and editors of the journal. All final decisions regarding the content of “Paw Prints” are made by a selection committee composed of students and faculty. The Paw Prints magazine is published at the end of the school year and distributed to all middle school students.

SCHOLASTIC BOWL

Scholastic Bowl is an academic competition in which students answer questions in the categories of math, science, language arts, social studies, fine arts, vocational education, and general information. Scholastic Bowl is played in “matches,” consisting of two teams of five players each. Each player has a buzzer that they use to “buzz-in” when they know the answer. If incorrect, the other team gets a chance to answer the toss-up question. The team with the most points at the end of the match is the winner. Pleasantdale competes with schools from Cook and Du Page counties. Any student who would like to be a member of the Pleasantdale Scholastic Bowl team must:

• be a Pleasantdale student in 5th through 8th grade
• maintain grades of C’s or higher in ALL classes
• attend Scholastic Bowl practice at least once a week starting in December
• attend after-school matches between the end of January and the end of April (match schedule to be determined)
• get permission slips signed by parent prior to away matches allowing them to ride the bus to attend matches at other schools
• consistently meet the expectations outlined in the student Code of Conduct

SUMMER LIBRARY AT ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Summer Library is a program where the school libraries are open during the summer break. Families may check out books and use literacy resources. The summer schedule is sent home to families and posted on the district website.