Springfield Elementary is extremely pleased to host noted children’s book author, C.J. Sebastian. Ms. Sebastian will join us on Tuesday, May 20 for a special Story Time in the newly remodeled Library, where she will read her latest book, Rupert Takes a Helicopter Ride, to Kindergarten and First Grade Students in a number of sessions throughout the morning.

A Springfield resident, Ms. Sebastian is the author of ten children’s books that explore new experiences from a child’s point of view. Her books help children expand their horizons by exposing them to new and exciting things. Her descriptive yet simple phrasing expands vocabulary while keeping meaning clear to her young readers.

CJ Sebastian at the controls of her helicopter.

A helicopter pilot for the past eight years, Ms. Sebastian will also address the fifth and sixth grades at a future assembly, where she will narrate a slide show of photos taken from her helicopter in the Springfield area. She has already participated in a Career Day at Springfield High, where she landed her helicopter on the football field and spoke directly to students about careers in aviation.

Ms. Sebastian also provided some learning materials for our sixth grade class to study helicopters:

About Helicopters is an illustrated student handout about helicopter aerodynamics.

How Helicopters Fly (http://www.theflyingm.com/podcasts/mariaspeaks/2005/MariaSpeaks-20051022.mp3) is an audio file that explains how Ms. Sebastian got started as a pilot.

Sky Harbor Takeoff Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qXjm4DDRYU)

Ms. Sebastian will be available to autograph books and answer student and parent questions during the lunch break after her final reading on Tuesday. Mark your calendars!

“I’m going to summer camp in the mountains,” writes Amber Smith. “My sister and brother are going, too. We’re going to sleep in log cabins like Abraham Lincoln.”

Johnny Cooper tells us:

My family is going on a car trip to visit my Grandma in Arizona. We go every summer. It takes a few days to get there and it’s very hot. Last year I went fishing in the pond behind my Grandma’s house. I didn’t catch any fish but I found lots of golf balls. I gave them to my dad for when he goes golfing with his friends.

Some other places Mrs. Stewart’s class members are going to include:

• Nancy Carlson: New York City
• Jimmy Drew and Cindy Olsen: Disneyland
• Billy Jones: The Grand Canyon
• Peggy Ann Williams: England

Mrs. Stewart will put all of the summer vacation essays from her class on the wall in the hallway outside her classroom this week so other students and teachers can read them.

Join the Writing Club!

What are you going to do this summer? You can write an essay about it for our new writing club. Talk to Mr. Riggle about how you can join the club.