The remaining battle dates have been set. Mark your calendars! Families are always welcome to attend!

Grade 3 Battles
Battle 2 - February 18 at 2:15 in the library
Battle 3 - April 14 at 2:15 in the gym

Grades 4 and 5 Battles
Battle 2 - February 19 at 2:15 in the library
Battle 3 - April 10 at 2:15 in the gym
District Battle - April 30 at Russell School Time TBD

Students are still reading and voting for Children's Choice Awards. The competition runs through February 17th. Russell School is currently leading all other participating Missoula and Bonner schools in the number of books read and voted on. Keep up the great work Russell Bears! 

Our first Battle of the Books competition will be held on Tuesday, December 17 for grade 3 and on Wednesday, December 18 for grades 4 and 5. Both battles will be held in the library and will begin at 2:15. Families are welcome to attend!

BATTLE 1— Grade 3

BATTLE 1— Grades 4 and 5

As Russell School’s librarian I am excited to provide our students with the opportunity to participate in the Missoula Battle of the Books program again this year. Battle of the Books (BOB) is a book trivia competition for teams based on 12 books. This year’s BOB program includes a 3rd grade level competition and a 4th and 5th grade level competition. Each level will have separate books, teams, and competitions.  The rules for both levels remain the same. 

Student-selected teams consist of three students. Team members will work together to read all the books and memorize titles and authors. Three battles will be held during the school year. For each battle, teams will read 4 of the 12 titles. Points from each battle will accumulate to determine the winning team after battle three. The 4th/5th grade team with the highest total score will represent Russell School in the Missoula County battle to be held in late April.

Participation is voluntary; however, once a student commits to a team he/she is expected to follow through and participate fully. Our library has several copies of each battle book, but students will only be allowed to check out one battle book at a time.  The Missoula Public Library also has print, electronic and MP3 copies of most titles. You may choose to purchase a copy of some of the books as they are all available in paperback.

To successfully prepare for the battle competition students will find it helpful to read and take notes on characters, setting, and plot details. They must memorize the titles and authors (last names) of the books. During the Battles, students will answer Phase 1 questions with the title and author of a book and with specific details for phase 2 questions. 

Students who attended the informational meeting and are interested in participating must have sign-up forms with parent signatures returned to school by October 12th. While students may choose their teams, they will sign up individually. All students who would like to participate are encouraged to sign up. We will be sure all interested students are included on a team. 

It has been an amazing opportunity for our students to participate in the Children's Choice Award for the past two years, and now we are excited to begin our third and final year of reading and voting.  Book publishers are currently sending us brand new books they would like considered for recognition by students. In return, we read the books and vote on them.

Students in grades 3-5 are able to check out a children's choice book to keep in their classroom and read at school. Students in grades K-2 are listening to books during their library visit or with their classroom teacher. All students vote on the books they read or that are shared with them by choosing one of the following:

I liked it

It was okay

I didn't like it

At the conclusion of the program in January 2020, the results are compiled by the International Reading Association and the Children's Book Council. The top scoring books receive the prestigious honor of being recognized on the Children's Choices List. Click on the link to see the 2019 reading list or to learn more about the award.

Finally, the best part for us--we get to choose which of the books we will keep for our school or classroom libraries. By the end of the program this year, we will have added nearly a thousand new books to our library worth over $10,000.

Welcome to the Russell Elementary Library! I'm excited to share another year of books, programs, and technology with our students.

All students visit the school library every three days on an A, B, or C Day rotation. It will be important for you to know which day your child's classroom is scheduled to visit the library. For more information, here is a link to the daily schedule.

Students in grades 3-5 may check out one library book and one children's choice book. Students are always welcome to come to the library during recess to read or exchange books. Students in grades K-2 are permitted one library book. There is no fine for overdue books, but we do request that you pay for lost and damaged items.

If you have questions or concerns about the library, please don't hesitate to contact me at dlcaron@mcps.k12.mt.us