Library
About our B.F. Day Library
Reminder! No School on January 19, 2026: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Reading About Dr. King
This week we spent time in the library reading stories related to the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and how his life impacted so many to stand up and demand change. Sometimes it can be difficult to strike up conversations with children around big topics like civil rights and racism. Here is your librarian reminder that books are an excellent starting point for tricky conversations. Below is a list of some books you might want to check out around these themes.
Welcome to the B.F. Day Library!
From Ms. P: Welcome! I’m Jaimee Papineau, also known as “Mrs. P.,” and I’m excited to start my 14th year here as your Reading Support Teacher and Librarian. The library is a place for us to learn more about ourselves and others, and I can’t wait to share my love of learning and reading with everyone. To help your child have a successful year, please set up a consistent spot at home for their library books and remind them to return them each week. Reading at home is a great way to connect with your child and build strong literacy skills, so thank you for your support!
The library is a place to learn more about ourselves, grow in our empathy for others, and expand our ability to be critical and informed thinkers. I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm for learning and reading with our students. My goal is to help nurture truly joyful and lifelong readers! At the beginning of the school year will spend time reviewing library and book care rules and enjoying our first story of the year together. Part of being a responsible library user is setting up positive habits from the start. Thank you for helping your child find a consistent place in your home to keep library books and offering reminders to return them each week! Reading at home is one of the MOST important ways you can connect with your child while also building strong foundational literacy skills. Thank you for cheering them on!
Notes From The Library!
Global Reading Challenge: Grades 4 & 5
The Global Reading Challenge is a reading incentive program for 4th and 5th graders enrolled in Seattle Public Schools. Students form teams, read selected books, then take part in a trivia competition. This is such a great opportunity for our readers.
Some of the benefits include:
- Promoting a love of reading
- Introducing students to a wide variety of literature, perspectives, and voices
- Encouraging kids to participate in a team activity
This year, we have 10 (yes you read that right!), teams going on a Global Reading Challenge adventure. We will practice trivia questions in the months of December-February to prepare for B.F. Day’s competition. The winner from B.F. Day moves on to the semi-finals downtown! Learn more about the program or this year’s books on the SPL site!
Featured Library News
Happy Reading.
B.F. Day Summer Reading & Resources.
Picking Out Books Q & A For Parents
Q: How do I help my emerging reader pick out books for practice, either at the library or the bookstore?
A: Did you know reading levels were actually created for teachers, not students? Each level corresponds with a skill set students need to read and comprehend the text. Many publishing companies try to put levels on their books with their own system of numbers and letters. Recently, with a greater focus on the science of reading and how students learn to read, companies are better aligning the text in the book to actual phonetic skills (aka, if you know short vowels and CVC words this book is a “good fit”), but it can all be very confusing!
There is a quick, easy way to match your child to a book called “The Five Finger Rule” from Scholastics Books. Here’s how it works: Your child opens a book to the first page. They read the page and hold up one finger for every word they don’t know or can’t pronounce.
The number of fingers they’re holding up by the end of the page tells them if the book is the right level:
- 0-1 fingers: It’s too easy.
- 2-3 fingers: It’s just right.
- 4-5 fingers: It’s too hard (or best read aloud with a buddy).
Two to three fingers is the sweet spot. If they’re holding up any more or less, that’s a clue that they should try to find another book if they’re reading independently. Clearly, this is a very simplified method, but at least it gives you a place to start.
Helpful Library Resources
November 2025
The fireplace is out in the library, and we are staying cozy and warm and reading up a storm! November is Native American Heritage month, and we will be sharing biographies, folktales, and nonfiction related to this rich, diverse culture.
This week, 4th and 5th graders were introduced to this year’s Global Reading Challenge selections. The Global Reading Challenge is a reading incentive program for 4th and 5th graders enrolled in Seattle Public Schools. Students form teams, read selected books, then take part in a trivia competition. This is such a great opportunity for our readers. Some of the benefits include:
- Promoting a love of reading
- Introducing students to a wide variety of literature, perspectives, and voices
- Encouraging kids to participate in a team activity
Students are welcome to start reading this month. At the beginning of December, I will ask kids whether or not they would like to be part of an official team. Our teachers will then form student teams of up to seven students. We will practice trivia questions in the months of December-February to prepare for B.F. Day’s competition. The winner from B.F. Day moves on to the semi-finals downtown! Learn more about the program or this year’s books on the SPL site!
Conversation Starters
As you know, learning is a continuous partnership between school and home. Learning to read is based on oral language, and one way you can help is by having meaningful conversations at home that stretch vocabulary and get kids thinking! Here’s a conversation starter for this week:
Grades 3-5: Have you ever noticed that most supermarkets are designed so that if you start on the first aisle and go up and down each aisle you always end up having to do one aisle again? Why do you think they design supermarkets that way? (vocabulary builder=”design”)
Pre-K-2: Can you think of any snacks that are in the shape of animals? Do you think that dogs would like dog treats that were in the shape of people?
Reading with Mrs. P.
How do I help my child with phonemic awareness?
What is phonemic awareness? This is the ability to manipulate individual sounds. In essence, it’s knowing the word “dog” is made up of the individual sounds /d/ /o/ /g/. Phonemic awareness and letter-sound knowledge are the two biggest indicators of how well a child will learn to read in the first two years of school. If students learn to play with sound, and then learn that letters go with those sounds, they have a better foundation in learning to read!
Building phonemic awareness is all about playing with sound.
- Practice by….
- Saying the sounds in a simple word (/m/ /a/ /t/ for “mat,” /sh/ /o/ /p/ for “shop,”) and ask kids to put the sounds together to tell you the word.
- Do the opposite! Say a word, and have kids tell you the individual sounds in the word. Cash = /c/ /a/ /sh/.
- If kids struggle to do this out loud, you can use cars, figurines, coins, etc. to represent each sound.
- Have them move an object while saying each sound.
- Alternatively, kids can tap each sound by tapping a part of their arm or patting on their lap.
Having fun with sounds leads helps kids learn to read! ~ Mrs. Papineau
Seattle Public Library Resources
The Seattle Public Library (SPL) offers some AMAZING resources for students. The ability to check out audio and e-books can be a special treat. The Libby App can be downloaded onto your phone, iPad, home computer as an e-reader.
Here’s how to set it up your SPL account…visit the Seattle Public Library website at SPL.org and select on “my account.” Your library link number is 990000 (four zeroes) followed by your student’s 7-digit ID number to create a 13-digit number. The PIN is the month and date of your child’s birthday, 2 digits for the month and 2 digits for the day. So, a birthday of November 7 would be a PIN of 1107. From there you have access to the library collection and an array of resources including these below. I haven’t yet investigated Tutor.com, but it appears Seattle Public School students have access to Free Tutoring through this site! If anyone wants to give it a try and report back, go for it!
SPL Resources
- Libby App
- Download OverDrive’s Libby app for iOS or Android to check out e-books and e-audiobooks.
- BookFlix
- BookFlix pairs over 135 animated stories with real-world concepts to help new readers improve their skills in English and Spanish. Animated stories and interactive games keep kids engaged and help build vocabulary. Access BookFlix for free with your Library card.
- Hoopla
- Enjoy thousands of always-available digital comics and graphic novels in our Hoopla digital collection for free with your Library card. With Hoopla you can also access over 6,000 movies and TV shows, and 300,000 music albums.
- Tutor.com
- K – 12 students in Seattle can get free virtual tutoring from Tutor.com with a Library card or Library Link number.
How to Place a Book on Hold
View the helpful district How to Place an Online Library Hold or instructions on how to place a book on hold. Chinese, Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese translations available.
Learn more on the SPS Library Resources for SPS Students
Library Link
You already have your own account! Enjoy free access to carefully curated collections of e-books, animated picture books and non-fiction, as well as movies, graphic novels, research databases and much more.
Library Link is a partnership between The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Public Schools . It gives all K -12 students, teachers and staff access to SPL’s vast collection of online resources and books using their SPS student or teacher ID numbers — all SPS students and staff already have accounts created for them., You don’t need a SPL library card/account. Learn all about the wonders of Library Link
Reminders
A reminder to handle our books with clean hands, keep books away from pets/babies, keep books away from liquids (including Seattle rain), and return books on time. Books may be checked out for two weeks and may be renewed if students would like more time with them.
Students have a rotating library schedule. Please check with your classroom teacher regarding which day(s) your child has library.
Lost or Damaged Materials
In the event that a library item has been lost or damaged beyond reasonable use, we ask that families Pay for the book or Replace it with a new or gently used copy. Most titles can be found at your favorite local bookstore or online vendor.
We do our best to check the library shelves and talk with the student prior to sending out a notice. Your support in helping your child return their library books so that others may enjoy them next year is essential and most appreciated.
Parent Library Accounts
Yes, parents and guardians can create their own library accounts! Creating your own library account is a great way to support your child’s appetite for great books. Just stop by the library. *SPS school libraries do not charge late fees for overdue books.
Coming Soon! B.F. Day Library on Instagram
Our library Instagram page (@bfdayreaders) will be live soon and will have book reviews and updates about events for our students.
As of January 17, 2026