Happy Vacation!!!!

The library would like to wish everyone a most relaxing and happy vacation!! Take the time to catch up on some good reading!!!


We put out a challenge to the faculty and we are AMAZED at the response. A simple email inviting staff to come to the library and check out some books for vacation has seen so many books fly off the shelves! In addition to that Ms. Carrick put out the 2016 "Harder Reading Challenge" sponsored by The Book Riot and we have had some teachers take us up on the challenge. The link below explains the reading challenge, essentially reading a book in 24 different categories. It takes you out of your comfort zone and introduces you to genres you may not have considered.

2016 Book Riot: Read Harder Challenge

Twas the Week Before Vacation......

And all through the library, not a student was stirring, not even for tests....

Early morning hockey practice made for a tired start to the day for these girls!

It has been a long week as we all gear up for the winter break! Students and staff are working hard, getting excited for vacation and adjusting to the slightly crazy warm temps for this time of year. This is the perfect time of the year to take out a book and relax with some good reading. Both students and staff need the time to de-stress and what better way to do that than with a good book. We have set up many displays filled with great reads so we encourage everyone to come down and pick out something for vacation!
                                                                                      

Our Back to the Future invention display is a BIG hit with the students. Ms. Carrick brought in two working typewriters and the kids are getting a huge kick out of trying them out! They find it hard to believe people actually had to type and be careful as there is no "back button" or delete key!

"Tell me, doctor Where are we goin' this time?"

"We're going back in time".... -Back In Time / Huey Lewis & The News

and so is the library! Thanks to Ms. Carrick and Ms. Williams amazing display we have traveled back in time. Currently the library is displaying inventions from the past! Typewriters, answering machines, film projectors and others inventions that paved the way for our smart phones, blue tooth and Netflix! Come on down and see the displays and check out a book relating to inventions that have changed our lives!

Celebrating the Library!

Welcome Back!! We hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and was able to find some much deserved rest and relaxation. It was definitely needed as we hit the ground running Monday! Monday was the districts professional development day and I had the privilege of presenting to my peers the "Power of your Library" with middle school library teachers Amy Bloom and Kathi Rotkiewicz. The focus of our lesson was how the library should be embedded in all research based units! The presentation can be found here.
The Power of Your School Library

The presentations did not stop there! That night Amy, Kathi and I were honored to present to the Natick School Committee on the status of the Natick Public School's Libraries in the 21st Century. We showed our school committee the vital role the school libraries play in driving the curriculum in all of our schools K-12. It felt great to share with our  school committee and central administration the wonderful work we are doing in our school libraries!


Teaching this week focused on the Honors Biology Annotated Bibliography Project! One of my favorite projects to teach, biology students spend the next few months researching a topic of interest that has a connection to biology. Students will dive deep into their topic so the choice and research component is critical. The focus on quality resources and strong search terms was the focus of the lesson in the library. I enjoy working with Ms. Tully, Mr. Wilson and Ms. Conroy who always bring energy and enthusiasm for this project!

Game On!!

The last full week of school before Thanksgiving Break has been busy! Ell classes debating the role social media plays in our lives, preschoolers story time, lots of study hall students diving into second term, we have barely had time to come up for air!

We look at the library as the hub of our school community and we are always trying to find ways to bring our community together! With the pep rally coming up we decided to bring out the school spirit of our faculty and staff! Teachers brought in their old sports and club jackets and jerseys and they are currently on display in the library. Representing some of the many towns our faculty/staff come from, the display has been a HUGE hit with students and staff alike! Students have been taking pictures with the jackets, have laughed at some of the styles and have had a great time trying to figure out who the jackets belong to! This has been one of our favorite displays to date, and all we can say is wait until prom season!!!

Natick Soccer, Dover/Sherborn Band, Nauset Track, Natick Football

Waltham Cheering, Marian High, Natick Cheering, Natick Football, Natick Field Hockey, Wayland Wrestling, Natick Track

Natick Gymnastics, Milford Football

Natick, Stoughton Basketball, Natick Football, Natick Track, Milford Swimming

Thank You Veterans

It was a short week with Veteran's Day on Wednesday and a half day on Thursday. We wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of our veterans who make it possible for us to live in our community!

As the second term gets under way the library continues to be a busy place! We love seeing some of our favorite students enjoying their time with us!

Look What's Pulling in to Preschool?!!

It has been quite a week! The term ends today and students have been working hard in the library to make sure they are all caught up with assignments. It has been very busy and I think we are all adjusting to daylight savings as well. It is hard to believe it is already November and only three weeks until we are out for Thanksgiving Break.

In order to celebrate our Native American heritage and culture that is so rich in Massachusetts and in particular Natick, we have created a display in the front windows.

The Library is mobile and is chugging into Preschool!! The last three years the high school library has had a wonderful partnership with preschool. Preschool classes come to the library once a week for story time. Students are read two books, learn about the library and begin a curriculum about authors, illustrators and genres of books. Over the years we have built and continue to build an extensive collection for our preschoolers, preschool teachers and high school students who take the child development classes. With so many rich books we would like to see in our youngest students hands, Ms. Williams proposed a traveling library to preschool. The brainstorm resulted in our "Library Locomotive!" Every two weeks, Ms. Williams will be donning her conductor's hat and delivering stacks of library books to each preschool class. Students and teachers will be able to use the books in their classroom and have exposure to many more titles than what we can do during story time! We are so excited about this new endeavor and can't wait to see the preschoolers faces as we chug into preschool!

And who knows.....perhaps high school teachers will see it and will want a delivery of books to their classroom! We would love to do that as well!!!