December January Bulletin Board

 

                   I hope you can see this as the light makes a glare , but this is my Dec/ Jan bulletin board.
It has a blue background with gold letters " Lets read til we get snowed under" Every time it snows I will add a few flakes or many depending on the amount of snow. Every week I will have the 8th grade announcers announce  "If you notice something about the bulletin board by the library , stop in to tell us." Students with the right response will pick from the prize box.

Weekly Reading

I was so happy to get Dicey's Song  ( Voigt) !  It lead me into Dicey's and the children's life with their grandmother.  I was wondering how it turned out after reading Homecoming which I really loved!  After many rough patches, life at Grandmas' was getting to a relatively calm  place. The children were settling in and they were finally having a normal life like children are supposed to have . The town was accepting . Grandma was letting them into her life.  But there are still sad and disruptive spots but  this tells so well
about the lives of the children that they are real , and you  find yourself caring deeply about what happens next.

Weekly Reading

   In the first book, FableHaven ( Mull) Kendra and Seth have to go to stay with their Grandparents during a long vacation that is being taken by their parents. Their Grandfather has a hidden refuge called Fablehaven. This refuge is full of magic,  fantastic plants, faeries and strange creatures. Kendra and Seth think they are safe, but really they are not. Of course  they don't follow Grandfathers rules, and bad things start to happen. Powerful forces are unleashed , They have to figure out  a way to save themselves . I'm not finished yet , but I think this series will be liked by a lot of students who are onto fantasy and fantastic adventures.  I got the first three  so if they go out a bit I will order more in the series.

Digital De-Cluttering

  I spent  time eliminating and compressing physical files from my file cabinets. But now I want to do something about my computer files and desktop. So I will look at the documents and important items that I have in my work computer and zip drives. If I can't find files I need quickly that I know  it is time to organized and eliminate. So I am slowly ( 10 to 15 minutes a day) de- cluttering and organizing  my computer and zip files so I can find things when I need them.

On my hard drive at work each teacher has a U drive,where all of our files live. Since the beginning of the year I have been slowly looking at files and eliminating duplicates. I have also created folders and put items into files that go together.  I look at each time to determine if I need it ( almost like the physical de-cluttering) I deleted what I could . What I thought I should save but might not need immediately  I sent to ma zip drive.   At a later date I will print out what is on that zip drive so I know what is on it and do not have to open it to determine what is on it.

Advocating for Libraries

   How can we be sure that our library funding and programs will be continued? How can we be sure that administration and board will not eliminate a position  or or assign a fixed schedule? ( Believe me , it has happened!)

  We must advocate for out libraries for our students to ensure that what have presently continues and grows. So first of all we need to build relationships with both staff,   and administration, then also the community. How can we help teachers in their goals of instructing students  and leading them to learning? Get out and talk, ask questions, help develop lessons and learning activities.

     Most importantly we need to advocate and show how libraries and librarians benefit students. Can they access the newest literature and information sources? Can the librarian collaborate with teachers to bring information literacy into research projects?  Can librarians assist students in finding sources and information they need/  So we need to be thinking of ways we can serve students and teachers  to enhance student learning. Keep this in mind when you determine your most important tasks.

 Please comment below what you do best to advocate and work toward serving students and staff.

Weekly Reading

I just finished Homecoming (Voigt) and it was excellent! What a difference when you have several days off  like the Thanksgiving break.   I wondered how it would turn out and I was very satisfied at the ending  with the Grandma. The little family of 4 went  through a lot together and not  a thing was easy, butt they stuck together !  How they traveled  was truly amazing and most of the time they were very  resourceful. I am hoping that there is another book to say  what happens next  but I will have to check that out.

Physical de-cluttering ( Part 2)

    Another thing that is easily de-clutter is your file cabinet. Why should you do this? Well for starters if you had any excess files in your office , they need a place to go. Secondly, if your cabinets are overstuffed, you will not be able to access what you need to get out without getting frustrated.
    First thing to look for is duplicate files, either files with the exact same name  or files that look similar with slightly different  topics on their tab.  Take them out and go through them.If you have  duplicates  , put one of the contents in recycling.
    The second thing is to grab a handful of files ( maybe 5 or 6 at a time) and ask yourself the same questions as you did  for getting your files into the cabinets ( see blog post from Nov   ) If you spend 10 to 15 minutes a day on  this you can have your file cabinets  in order and with room for new files. 
    I find the end of the day is a great time to do this because by that time I am winding down, and it gets something done without being a major  brain drain.

December Bulletin Boards for Libraies

  December is almost around the corner so it is time to start thinking of new bulletin boards. I like to plan ahead so I start now to figure out what I will put up.  I usually keep my bulletin boards from year to year, So many times I can just pull on out  and put it up. I do not put the same one up each year- I alternate.

  December Bulletin Boards Slogans

 Seasons Readings - Put a wreath in the middle with students favorites all around. I use scanned covers.

 LOL- Place large letters in the center, Place names or covers of books jokes and riddles.

 Mittens-  make large mittens out of construction paper, Have students write their favorite books on the mitten. Slogan: Keep Warm With Great Books

 Battle of the Books: Place  photos of teams on the board with Team names and date of competition.

Books Are Gifts You Give Yourselves.

De-cluttering your physical office

  Okay , lets say you piles of files in your office. Are they all in your file cabinets or are they in  boxes on the floor or under the work table.( That's where mine were!)Decide to de- clutter  your  office - your brain and eyes will thank you!

  Grab a  bunch of files . Take 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Look at each file to determine: How important is the material? Will you need it this year or maybe next year? Is it an activity or program that you do on an every other year basis? Do you not want to do that activity/lesson ever again?

  If the answer is  that you'll use the information / papers this year , then keep the contents of the file. Make sure it is properly marked , place the file in alphabetic in the correct file cabinet.( See The Organized Librarian handbook for my other ideas on filing)

  If the file is not needed this year   but maybe next year then take one or two copies of what is in the file for ones that are lessons) and put the rest in recycling or use as scrap paper ( print out needed emails ,or cut up to use for notes)

  And if you have file that you do not need and will never use again, or are duplicates of what you have in your drawer then  put the materials in recycling!!  There -in 10 to 15 minutes you have organized more files and have gotten rid of items you do not need!

Weekly Reading

  This week I am reading Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children ( Riggs)  I am about halfway through and can see why it was a NYT best seller. It is peculiar ( especially the characters and the setting) .As I read  I want to find out what will happen next and what  the conclusion will be.
 I 'll want to see the movie  and even read  the next two.  We just got them in the library  and I am hoping the students will pick them up after they've seen the movie ad read the first book.

Photos of signs

 This is one section of signs.  The ones in white I redid in red and they stand out much better and actually go with the rest of the signs.

This is the rest of the non-fiction section. I really like these signs!

Library Signs

   Recently I purchased new Dewey Decimal signs for the middle school library.( from Demco) They are wordle( word cloud) designs so look modern .The signs are  much more sophisticated than the one ones that had been hanging there for many years according to my library assistant,  
     I needed a few more and did try to do a wordle  but they came out way to busy and hard to read. So I just made a simple black text on white for the ones I needed. But now I am thinking of doing them over on read paper to make them pop against the wood and the other signs,  Demco's are black  and since our colors are red and black I think it would be great!

Accelerated Reading at the Middle School

  My Assistant Principal at the middle school ia former ELA Teacher . He is a proponent of The Accelerated Reading program and has gotten a plan for each student!  So now we are working on a program on how we will carry out and promote  it to the students and teachers.

   I surveyed the ELA teachers  to see  how they would like it used. I was surprised by the answers. The seventh  grade team wanted to use it as a reading motivation and did  not want it tied to grades.  ( like a reading reward program similar to my fall into reading challenge that I am currently doing)  The  8th grade team thought they might like it tied to the grades  but then changed their mind.

 So I think we are going to go with the reading motivation theme and it will be run though then library which  is logical and also helpful because then I will not have to do anymore challenges , just help keep track of the students who are doing the most AR!

  What do you do at your school ( especially Middle School) for accelerated Reading? Leave your ideas and comments below please!