#WhateverCon2017

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Bear Bonanza @ Your Library

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Getting Your Student Ready for Kindergarten

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It’s that time of year again. Your child is entering kindergarten for the first time in just a month. In Berkeley County, we want your child to be reading-ready. This summer you can sign up your child for a free subscription to FancyAnts, a reading literacy program adaptable to your student’s needs. This opportunity, available from now until August 27th, is free to any Berkeley County School District student attending kindergarten during the 2017-18 school year. How is this possible? A partnership between your Berkeley County School District and Achieve3000.

SmartyAnts, a product from Achieve3000, is an engaging and exceptional way of learning. The software assesses the reading-readiness level of the student and offers an adaptable program perfect for his or her needs. The result? “Through engaging instruction and games, students develop essential literacy skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension strategies,” according to Achieve3000’s website.

Parents and families can use the platform as a support tool as well. SmartyAnts offers a Teacher Dashboard, which lets you monitor the student’s level, growth, and time spent – and offers extra resources for additional learning.

All you need this year is a working device and internet access and your future student can be reading-ready. To sign up for your free subscription, call 877-235-2525 and use code SmartyBCSD or visit achieve3000.com/SmartyBCSD.

 

Written by Catie Turner, Marketing Intern

Spectacular Summer Shows and Stories

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Every summer, kids attend countless camps, play in sports games, and visit the beach and the aquarium. After a few weeks, the cost builds up. That can be expensive for any family. That’s why the Berkeley County Library System is excited to bring back Bright Star Theatre and Savannah balloons for a run of free shows in July. It’s a great way to keep your kids cool and occupied.

First up this July is Savannah Balloons. Lynnae Weller, the owner of this Southern show, makes fantastic balloon creations for a variety of purposes, including weddings and corporate events. She also partners with libraries to put on balloon shows based on children’s stories to encourage children to read. Check out her showtimes below! Also, don’t forget to pick up your free tickets at the hosting library before you attend.

 

Thursday, July 20th, 3:30 – 4:30 pm | Daniel Island Library
Friday, July 21st, 10 – 11 am | St. Stephen Library
Friday, July 21st, 3 – 4 pm | Hanahan Library

 

Bright Star Theatre will be performing three plays at the end of July. This theater is known for high quality work coupled with a mission to bring plays and shows to kids who may not have an opportunity to see them otherwise. For over fifteen years, the company has traveled nationally and internationally. As of May, the Bright Star Theatre celebrated a total number 2.5 million audience members.

Alice in Wonderland | Friday, July 28th, 10:30 am | Berkeley County Administration Building (Next to the Moncks Corner Library on Highway 52)
Velveteen Rabbit | Friday, July 28th, 1:30 pm | Goose Creek Library*
Building Stories | Friday, July 28th, 4 pm | Sangaree Library*

*free tickets required. You can pick those up at the hosting library.

Two weeks and two fantastic run of shows from crowd-pleasing favorites. Encourage the love of reading and stories in your children this summer @ your library!

-Written by Catie Turner, Marketing Intern

Georgialina on My Mind

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Tom Poland, a native Southerner, has made it his mission to write about and preserve the South through stories. His main subject? His native land of “Georgialina,” his name for a region encompassing Georgia and South Carolina. Join him at the Hanahan Library on Thursday, June 29th, at 6:30 pm for a dual talk and presentation on Classic Carolina Road Trips and Georgialina, A Southland as We Knew It. This program is made possible through a grant from the South Carolina Humanities Council.

Poland started writing back in highschool. When a potential career in college football didn’t work out, he switched to journalism at the University of Georgia. “Writing was all I ever liked to be honest,” said Poland. “Well, that and photography.”

Poland has since had a busy career. “My first writing position was as a scriptwriter/cinematographer making natural history documentaries,” he explained. “Since then I’ve written 12 books, about 1,500 magazine features, and a play for Georgia’s official folk life drama, Swamp Gravy. I write columns for 17 newspapers and journals as well.”

Poland not only writes, but has taught others how to write. For nineteen years, he worked as an adjunct professor for the University of South Carolina’s College of Mass Information and Library Studies.

What’s next on Poland’s to-do list? “Right now I am wrapping up a book on Carolina bays, the elliptical depressions that no one can explain how they formed,” he said. “They’re rich repositories of wildlife. The USC Press will publish it. Then I will complete a book on the back roads of SC for the History Press in Charleston.”

For more information about Tom Poland, visit his website here. 

 

Landscape Painting Workshops at the Goose Creek Library

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The July 15th painting class has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule in the future. 

Four easy-to-follow steps for relaxing:

  1. Register for acrylics painting classes at the Goose Creek Library
  2. Pick up supply list at the front desk
  3. Find needed supplies – check your local craft store or even your garage!
  4. Attend a painting class and spend three happy hours letting your creativity loose

Relaxing isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card! Join us at the Goose Creek Library on the dates below to de-stress and learn something new. For more information, contact the Goose Creek branch at (843) 572-1376.

Dates to remember:

Palmetto Tree Painting – Saturday, June 17th, 12 noon – 3 pm
Sunrise Painting – Saturday, July 15th, 12 noon – 3 pm

For more information about Louis Crosby, the local artist who will be leading these sessions, click here!

plant growing in a lightbulb leaning against logs

STEM Outreach Impacts Community Members

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