Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Celbrate Your Freedom To Read!

Every year for a week in September, The American Library Association (ALA) celebrates Banned Book Week. The week unites everyone in the reading world from librarians, and booksellers to publishers and teachers. Every year, hundreds of challenges are recorded against books for various reasons. The ALA believes all books have a right to be on the shelf and it should be an individual's right to determine whether or not the book is appropriate for them. It is amazing how many books have faced a challenge and the reasoning behind them. For more information check out this website from "The Office of Intellectual Freedom" a division of ALA.
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek


Friday, September 19, 2014

You Can Always Take Time To Read......

The fall is such a busy time of the year for students and teachers! With the start of school, sports, band and drama, after school jobs, homework and friends who has time for much else? But there is always time to read and it seems as if the school community feels that way as well! We have had one of our best starts to the year in regards to book checkouts. Students are eager to read and checking out books left and right! I love to see the excitement on a student's face when they have finished a book and want to discuss it. We have wait lists and requests in at other schools for books students are eager to get their hands on. With the long weekend coming up we are excited to see how many books kids and staff will take out!!

Create by Mr. Wong, all books used are in the library!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Research, Reading and Relaxation......

RESEARCH

Now that the school year is fully under way, the research/teaching collaboration has begun! Teachers are booking library time for their classes for lessons connected to a writing and/or research project. I love to see the library calendar fill up with a variety of classes from different disciplines. Teaching students to make connections between what they know, what they learn and what they can now newly create with research is so exciting for me as a teacher. I want them to know research is so much more than just "Googling" information and rearranging the information in their own words. A big shout out goes to Mr. Rufo who was the first teacher to sign up for the library, his students are researching different regions of France and sharing the information on a wiki!! Your prize is on its way!!!

http://regionsdefrance.wikispaces.com/



















READING

STUDENTS AS READERS Begins!!
The first meeting of Students As Readers was this past Wednesday (Sept 10th). Ms. Carrick and I welcomed back many familiar faces while getting to know a whole bunch of new ones! The lively group discussed some great reads from over the summer and were given the title of the book for October's meeting.  All students are welcomed!!
We will be reading: Out of the Easy / Ruta Sepetys
Josie, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute, is striving to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at prestigious Smith College when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation.  

RELAXATION

The library has been overflowing with students signing in for studies. Whether it is first block where 70 students are studying or last block where they are all relaxing waiting for the end of the day, the library is typically packed. We love seeing all the students using the library as a place to be. We also want to remind students that when you sign in for study you are here for the full study. Please remember to sign out if you are going the bathroom or to your locker and remember most students who are here are here to study and work on projects.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Students Are Not The Only Ones Summer Reading!!!


It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.

–Oscar Wilde



While summer is definitely a time to relax, have fun and enjoy some down time, students are also required to do their summer reading. While I always hope that everyone reads because they WANT to, I know this is not always the case! Hopefully most students found some good books they enjoyed this summer. We want to let students know they are not the only ones who were reading this summer. Thus, the annual Staff Summer Reading Display is up in the library! Each year we ask staff members to share what they have read over the summer. We include the complete list of books from each teacher, along with the books displayed if we own them. Many teachers like to include a few lines about the book. This is one of our most popular displays as it sparks a lot of conversation not just from the students but between staff members as well. It is a great way to get to know each other when you can talk about a book you have both read. In addition the students love to see what their teachers have read and will often choose a book because a teacher they admire has read it.
Welcome Back Display to Greet Students and Staff in the Library!

There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.

–Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis