Towel Day

We are so pleased to be celebrating the work of Douglas Adams on May 26, Towel Day!  Worldwide, Towel Day is actually celebrated on May 25, but since we have a holiday that day, we'll do it on Monday.

So, what is Towel Day, and why celebrate it?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about the towel:

“A towel, ... is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.”  

Douglas Adams fans started towel day shortly after his untimely death on May 11, 2001 as a way to commemorate his life and work.  It started at the grassroots level, but over the years Towel Day has become a universe-wide celebration.

So bring your towel to school on Monday May 26, and we'll enter your name in a raffle to win cinema tickets. There are two pairs of tickets to be won!

Also, join us in the library at lunch time to watch Douglas Adams/Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy videos and enjoy some snacks.  See you there!

 

Britannica School and ImageQuest now available!

We are so excited to present to you our newest resources, Britannica School, and Imagequest!  These two databases open a whole world of information for all CIS students, and can be accessed at school and at home, from any of your devices. Watch the following video for a tour of Britannica:

Over the next few weeks, all of the school's computers will have direct links to Britannica.  You can use the links on our databases page or on the CIS website to access it from home or a personal device. The password can be obtained from your teacher or from us here in the library. After signing on for the first time on any device, you will not have to log on again to the site.

However, if you wish to save articles and images as favourites, you do need to create you own "My Britannica" account.

If you have any questions about Britannica school or ImageQuest, please come and see us in the library. we'd be happy to help you!




Cheers,
Ms. Susan and Ms. Maggie










 

300+ Mind Expanding Documentaries

Mr. Ryan just came across this collection of documentaries related to a wide range of subjects, and we thought it was worthwhile sharing it with you.

"On this list of mind expanding documentaries you will find different viewpoints, controversial opinions and even contradictory ideas. Critical thinking is recommended. " -Social Consciousness

There is a wide array of videos on topics ranging from Ancient Civilization to the Digital Revolution, with  politics, science, arts and literature sandwiched in between.

A permanent link has been created on the Homework Help page of this blog.

We hope you will take advantage of this wonderful, free, resource.


Cheers,
Ms. Susan and Ms. Maggie






 

Check out our new books!

Over the past few weeks, the library has acquired almost one hundred new books.  You may have seen us unwrapping them - they were all individually packaged!  All of them are now available on the NEW Fiction or non-fiction shelves.

We concentrated our new book acquisitions on building up our non-fiction section, and we have some great titles on a wide range of subjects.  Whether you are studying the French Revolution, the Great Depression, Shakespeare or Biochemistry, or many other subjects, we have the book for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did sneak in a few of the newest fiction titles as well, including the Barcode Rebellion and the Barcode Prophecy (to complete the barcode series),

 

 

 

 

 

a couple of new dystopian young adult books,

 

 

 

and the complete sci-fi series The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell:

 

 

 

 

 



Great titles, great stories and a whole lot more!  We're sure you will find something you love, so come check it out...

 

 

Ms. Maggie and Ms. Susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOK WEEK

CIS’s 5th annual book week is just around the corner and we are very excited about all the great activities that are planned for the week!

The Walk-the-Plank Read-a-thon, a book fair, an Amazing race, a Skype interview with an author are just a few of the events going on during book week.

The competitions have already started, so read on to find out how to win prizes

 

 

Book Trailer or Book Review Competition

Check YouTube for ideas and examples of book trailers, then create your own for a favourite book.  Best trailer for grades 7-9 and 10-12 will win a prize. 

or

Write a review of a favourite or recent book. Have a look at Writing a Book Review for guidelines on creating the best review you can.

Entries can be emailed to the high school library or submitted in person.  Email address:  hslibrary@cisabudhabi.com .

Competition Guidelines

Make sure your name and grade are clearly written on any work you submit. All entries must be received no later than 3 pm Sunday February 23^rd.  You are expected to complete your work on your own time. Speak to your teachers or librarians if you have any questions. One prize will be awarded for each competition category in the junior division (grades 7-9) and one in each category for the senior division (grades 10-12).

 

Bookface Photo Competition

Put your head in a book!!  Choose a book from the Library or browse around in a bookstore for the perfect book to take a picture with. Come see the library bulletin board to see what we mean. To submit your photo, please print it out to half of an A4 size sheet, and bring it in to the high school library.  There will be a prize for the best picture.

 

Can you guess who this is?

 

 Or this?

Walk the Plank Read-a-thon

All CIS students participate in this fun read-a-thon that culminates with CIS teachers and administration “walking the plank” right into the swimming pool!   Your participation will determine which teachers and how many of them will "walk the plank"! Come and check out the bulletin board in the Library to see how close we are to our goal!!

 

How to participate

Pick up a reading log at from the library and keep track of the books and the number of pages you read.  Bring your log in to the library to be tallied each Wednesday.

Other Activities During Book Week

 Book Character Dress-Up Monday

On Monday, February 24^th come to school dressed as your favourite character from a book. Be prepared to explain who you are and from which book!

Where’s Wally/Waldo Wednesday

Bring out your jeans because the entire school will be dressing up as Wally!!  You'll also need a striped red and white T-shirt and a pair of glasses.  If you need suggestions on how to put your costume together come and see us in the Library.

 

 

 Book Fair

 

 The gym will be home to the book fair from Sunday the 23rd to Tuesday the 25th from 7:30 to 4:00 pm each day. Parents and students are welcome to purchase books during these times.

 

 

Skype Interview with Sophia Bennett

Grades 7 and 8, here is your opportunity to chat with a published author!  On Tuesday, February 25^th, there will be an interview with Sophia Bennett via Skype in the gym.  If you have a question you'd like to ask Ms. Bennett, come and see us in the library.  If your question is chosen you may receive an autographed copy of her latest novel!! J

 

Her books are available for sale in the Library at AED 45 each.

 

 

 

 

 

The Amazing Race

The Amazing race will pit teams against each other in a grueling challenge to reach the finish line first!  All high school students will participate in this event o Wednesday morning, in two separate groups.  While one group does the race, the second group will do participating in activities that will be announced during reading week.

 

 

Book Week Wrap-up

Book week festivities will wrap-up after lunch on Wednesday with the awarding of prizes, and the Walk the Plank ceremony.



We can hardly wait for the fun to begin!  Hope to see lots of participation.

Ms. Maggie and Ms. Susan