Thanks to Brene for this innovative idea for summer checkout for students. What a great idea to put books in the hands of children instead of letting them collect dust all summer! Get ready for Summer, fun and BOOKS! Wait...what? Yes, that is right! Books are the “IN” thing this summer with Oak Grove High School’s Summer Book Checkout! This summer students at Oak Grove High School will have the opportunity to checkout books for the summer. Students will also have the chance to visit the OGHS Media Center during the summer to exchange books with two Book Exchange dates already on the calendar.
So how will it work? Students will pick up Summer Book Checkout permission forms from the OGHS Media Center during the month of May. This permission form allows parents to give the child permission to check out up to 15 books from the Oak Grove High School Media Center for the summer. These books will be due the first week of school in August. Parents are also reminded on the form that it is the responsibility of the student to return the books in the same condition that they received them and that materials not returned or returned damaged will result in a charge for lost or damaged materials. Students that have turned in a permission form will be able to come by the OGHS Media Center the week of May 29th-June 1st and checkout books for the summer. They will also have two opportunities during the summer to stop by and exchange books. The Media Center will be open from 11am-1pm a day in June and a day in July where students can come and exchange books and checkout additional titles. During the summer each week we will also be posting to FB and Twitter using the hashtag #OGHSReads with Summer checkout reminders,activities and a few prizes! Why Summer Checkout? Here at OGHS we have a group of avid readers that stop by to exchange books, some daily and in speaking with them we have learned that many do not have the opportunity to go to the public library during the summer. We promote the NC Digital Library as well as Audiobooksync for Summer Reading, but many LOVE to have that physical book in their hands. This was an opportunity for OGHS not only to encourage that continued love of reading but also help students with their personal and academic growth. Reading correlates to so many benefits like vocabulary growth, better understanding of topics and synthesis, relaxation and for many can just be FUN! We are excited to start this new Summer program and hope that it will continue to grow and expand in the future!
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Thanks to Stacy Morgan at Friedberg Elementary for this awesome blog post! NC Kids is an awesome resource for K-5, but don't forget the Teen eReading Room for 6-12 and NC Overdrive. All accessible with a library card or Student Access. Earlier in the year, Student Access forms were sent home throughout Davidson County Schools to grant students access to the online resources found through the Davidson County Public Library. Initially, very few forms were returned at Friedberg. I then realized that the best way to have students bring back their forms was to show their teachers how useful this resource could be. During a staff meeting, I opened up the NCKids Digital Library with my own library card and shared resources found there with staff. Many teachers were immediately excited, particularly our upper grade teachers who have 1:1 Chromebook access. Another way that I increased form return was to feature these resources to students during their enrichment time and let them know that they too could access them once I received their signed forms. Eventually, access form return increased greatly. I had multiple classrooms that had the majority of their class return and I also had almost 100% return across all 3 of our 5th grade classes. Since 5th grade seemed to be my best audience, I used a set of iPads to log all students onto the Davidson County Public Library during enrichment time. Students immediately started checking out books to read and listen to through the NCKids Digital Library. It was an instant hit! In the following days, I had teachers share with me that their students were frequently reading books that they found online. Teachers whose own children attend Friedberg shared that this resource was being used not just at school, but at home as well. When in classrooms, I also noticed students with headphones listening to audiobooks while following along in the print text. Now that this resource is widely used in our 5th grade, it has received rave reviews. A teacher who was new to 5th grade and had a small classroom library uses Student Access to give her students more independent reading options. A 5th grade parent noted that the NCKids Digital Library audiobooks have been a game changer for her son’s reading comprehension as he does best when hearing the book and following along in a print version. He is now reading more than he ever has! Students also enjoy the instant access to some of their favorite titles as well as the fact that books can’t be lost and are returned automatically! Hopefully this great resource will continue to grow in usage in the coming school years! In a previous blog about a year ago, I encouraged you to consider building a volunteer staff to support the library media center. Recently, our Media Volunteers were featured in the Dispatch and Thomasville Times. In honor of National Volunteer Week and National Library Week, I honored our weekly media volunteers with a celebration. The local papers interviewed several ladies and included an article. What a great way to promote Friendship Elementary and even our Media Center! Village of Volunteers by: Sharon MyersFor the original article, click the link above.
From the Lexington Dispatch, April 13th, 2018: It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child, Dianne Wright, media coordinator at Friendship Elementary School, said she has the support of a “village of volunteers” that has brought outstanding service to the students and faculty of the school. In an effort to relay her gratitude for their loyalty and commitment, she organized a volunteer appreciation reception on April 9. Wright said that she has a total of nine volunteers who come on a regular basis throughout the week. She said they assist her in daily tasks such as preparing books to be shelved, helping students checkout books, repairing damaged items, designing school bulletin boards, clerical duties, and many other things. “They are essential because they help us provide outstanding patron service,” Wright said. “If they did not help us, we would not be able to get as much done for our students and our staff as we do. The list of all the things they do goes on and on.” She said that she wanted to hold the volunteer appreciation reception to let the ladies know how much their work and support is valued. “We can’t afford to pay them monetarily so we do other things, such as this reception, to let them know they are appreciated,” Wright said. “These volunteers do so much….I keep teasing them that I will give them a raise, but if you multiply zero by zero, it still comes out to zero.” Wright said that over the years these volunteers have become more than just people who come in a couple of times a week to shelve books. “We are a very tight-knit group, we’re more like sisters,” Wright said. “I don’t feel like I am the boss. They are partners with me.” Sandy Tew has been volunteering at the FES library since 2010. She said that it began when she attended an awards ceremony for her grandchildren. “I had a lull between the two different classes, so I came in here and met Dianne,” Tew said. “I asked if there was anything I could do and her eyes got real big. That is how it started.” Tew said that she volunteers two days a week and all week during book fairs and special projects. She said that she has made lasting friendships with the other volunteers and really enjoys her time at the library. “I can stay home and do a lot of things, but I really enjoy it,” Tew said. “They are a great group of people.” Mary Sessoms is another volunteer who said she feels it is important to support the local school system. She said since she is a stay-at-home mom, she felt she needed to do something while her kids were in school. “Parent involvement reflects on the school,” said Sessoms. “You can tell a difference, and you get to know what is going on in the school. Plus you get to know the teachers and the students.” She said she looks forward to her time volunteering at the school library. “I really enjoy it here, even if it is mundane things like putting stickers on books or shelving books,” Sessoms said. “You look forward to it each week. I was bummed during spring break that I couldn’t get my library fix!” Penny Kennedy said she began volunteering at the school library shortly after getting laid off from her job. She said since her nephew attended the school at the time, she wanted to offer her time where it would be needed and valued. “I can’t just sit at home and do nothing, “ Kennedy said. “They were excited and welcomed me. It is just really nice to work here, it is so appreciated. I think I get as much as I give here. When you come in here it is a family, we all really work well together.” FES principal, Steve Reynolds, said he is thankful that members of the community support the school. “We are very lucky to have all these people who come in and give of their time freely to support our school and the students,” Reynolds said. “They have been very loyal to us.” Wright said she feels that holding a reception for the volunteers is only a small token compared to the benefit the school gets from their time and effort. “We are very appreciative of these volunteers, and I can’t thank them enough,” Wright said. “The little things we do for them is only a drop in the bucket to what they do for us. They make my day and they are great examples for the children, and they love them.” Friendship Elementary School recently honored its Library Media Volunteers on April 9. Their many hours of service each week shows the spirit of America’s National Volunteer Week celebrated the third week in April each year. Mrs. Dianne Wright, Library Media Coordinator, expressed the value of the volunteer team to the services that the school library provides to students and staff. This dedicated team performs such duties as: checking out patrons, shelving books, cataloging new books, working in book fairs, repairing books, assisting students and staff with book choices, creating bulletin boards, laminating for teachers, and many other tasks. Why do these ladies volunteer their time each week? Many of them said that volunteering brings them an excuse to escape mundane daily routines at home, connects with their children’s friends and teachers, and gives those who have retired a reason to get dressed in the morning! Sandy Tew and Suzanne Ogden have volunteered for so long that their children have moved onto middle and high school. Penny Kennedy’s great nephew has also moved on to the upper grades. Carolyn Vaughn, a former educator, enjoys seeing her grandson when she is in the media center each Friday. Jaime Russell waves at her girls as they pass in the hall going to lunch. Show-Jon Hsieh enjoys getting to know her sons’ teachers. Mary Sessoms’ family moved out of Friendship’s district, and she still comes to volunteer! So why do the members of the Media Volunteer Team keep coming? “Well, the team is like a family and they share stories, laughs, and burdens. They also become attached to the students and can call many of them by name,” explained Julie Faria, Media and Technology Assistant. Mrs. Wright adds, “There is a moral to this story: Volunteering is a great way to escape the mundane routine of life and bring joy to others as well as being fulfilled yourself! Embrace the spirit of America’s National Volunteer Week! Go Volunteer!” Thanks to SLMC Mary Howell, students and staff at South Davidson enjoyed a variety of poetry activities this month in the library media center. April may be almost over, but there are some great ideas here for next year. If you have ideas to share, please comment below! Poems and Pastries The faculty and staff of South Davidson Middle and High enjoyed poetry and pastries Tuesday, April 24th, 2018 as a part of their month long National Poetry Month celebration. This event was highlighting “Poem in Your Pocket Day.” Teachers enjoyed a poem and a pastry before school then headed to class with a bag of poems to share with students. Passive Poetry Displays Library Aides constructed a display of book spine poems for students to enjoy. For more information on "book spine poetry" click here: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/alycia-zimmerman/super-simple-book-spine-poetry/. Also, students were able to create "Push Pin Poetry" using a bulletin board and words clipped from magazines and newspapers. Students select words and pin them in place to create random prose. Mrs. Howell also emptied the 811 section to put many poetry books on display for students to browse. Featured titles included Shel Silverstein, Jacquelin Woodson, Gary Soto and others. Public Library Visit Finally, the public library came in to do a program for middle school students. Branch manager, Susan Craven, visited 7th graders for a hands on activity using poetry.
If you are ever short for ideas for your book fair, look no further than Shanna Leonard at Tyro Elementary. Thanks to Shanna for sharing this blog post! If you would like to have your book fair featured in a blog post, please let me know. We enjoyed the Paws for Reading Book Fair last week at Tyro Elementary. We kicked off the Book Fair with a Teacher Preview Party offering staff a chance to view the new books, create a wish list, and enjoy tasty snacks. Snacks included:
The Library promoted a Paws for Reading Book Fair contest that involved students creating an animal using a water bottle and craft items. To go along with the project, students researched the animal on worldbookonline.com to create a fact card. All Tyro students were given a chance to vote by choosing their top two water bottle animals. From the votes, a winner from each grade level was selected to receive a $10.00 gift card to the book fair. Book Fair Decor:
Our students had a ball purchasing new reading material at the Book Fair. Thanks to Lorie Steed for writing this post, Brene Duggins for putting together the toolkit and for the other HS SLMCs for their hard work putting together this awesome list of titles, now in it's third year! One of the best things about being a school librarian is putting great books into the hands of students, and one tool we as DCS high school librarians use to do so is our annual DCS Teen Lit Top 10 list. This year marks our third of putting together such a list, and as usual, it was both fun and challenging to come up with ten titles to recommend to our high schoolers.
Check out the FAQ below to learn more about this program and to find out what books we decided to highlight for the 2018-2019 school year! What is the DCS Teen Lit Top 10? The DCS Teen Lit Top 10 list, first implemented during the 2016-2017 school year, was created to give Davidson County high school students options to explore quality young adult titles through a list curated by their school librarians. How is the DCS Teen Lit Top 10 Different from Battle of the Books? The Battle of the Books is a great program, but a more flexible format works better for DCS high school students. Many high schoolers have jobs, take advanced classes, and participate in extracurricular activities, which makes finding time for pleasure reading and after-school BOB practices a challenge. With the DCS Teen Lit Top 10, students simply read the books from the list that appeal to them, and share and discuss their favorites. One thing we love about this approach is that it mirrors the way we read and interact with fellow readers in real life. How is the Top 10 list created? DCS high school librarians choose books based on a variety of criteria to create a list that we believe represents a wide range of reading tastes, diverse perspectives, social issues, and cultural significance. For inspiration, we often look at Goodreads reviews and award information, though winning an award is not a requirement. We are most concerned with creating a well-rounded list that has the power to engage and enlighten. Where can I get the books? All titles will be available at DCS high school libraries, as well as through the North Carolina Digital Library, which students can access with their NC Cardinal/public library account number. This is a great time to sign up NC Cardinal access if you haven’t! See our Smore (https://tinyurl.com/DCSTLT10-18) for more complete information and detailed summaries of each book, and our Toolkit (http://tinyurl.com/DCSTLT10Toolkit2018) for a printable poster, bookmarks, and handouts for students to rate the books they read. What does it mean to participate? Students can read as many or as few titles as they wish, and activities will vary from school to school. This is meant to be a flexible opportunity for readers to participate at the level they feel comfortable with. We realize that not every book is for every reader, and that’s okay! How can librarians help? Middle school librarians can inform their current Battle of the Books teams of this opportunity, while high school librarians can spread the word to their feeder schools, teachers, and patrons. Suggestions? We’re still figuring out the best way to give our students an opportunity to build a reading community that reaches across our schools. We’d love to hear suggestions about how to invite further participation--please share your thoughts in the comments below. Happy reading! |
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