Library News for the start of the 2011-2012 School Year!

Welcome Back to School, Staff!   We are about to embark upon a new school year…one of many changes, to say the least.  I am grateful to be able to continue to serve as the teacher librarian in the building, however, only being here 2 or 3 days each will most certainly change the impact the library has had on instruction in the past.  Below are some thoughts and some changes to expect in the coming year as far as the library is concerned.


Update on Passes (Click Vocaroo Link) 


Inventory and Orientations (Click Vocaroo Link) 

Speaking of “open hours,” the following will be the library’s schedule for the year:

o Mondays & Tuesdays—7:30-11:00 and 12:00 to 2:45

o Wednesdays—8:00-11:00 and 12:00-1:15

o Thursdays & Fridays—8:00-11:00 and 12:00-1:30 (Library closes at 1:30 on these days)

o Please note: The library will be closed each day from 11:00-12:00 for librarian lunch and plan time, as well as Bonnie’s lunch duty.

Class Check Out Times  (Click Vocaroo Link) 

• Research/CoTeaching with librarian—As much as I don’t want this to change, it will have to this year…I absolutely intend to continue to support you and co-teach/differentiate with students whenever possible. Please keep in mind that we may start a series of lessons on a Monday, Tuesday, and maybe Wednesday, and then I will be at TMS on Thursday and Friday. I ask that you continue teaching through the week even in my absence. That being said, I feel like I will be able to kick off and start a lot of things with you this year, but less able to finish off everything alongside you. We will just have to take it one week at a time. Thanks for your understanding as I find my groove with both schools.



• Booking times on Google Calendars—We will continue to use Google Calendars to reserve times for the Technology Lab, the Mobile Netbook Cart (currently 18 Netbooks), the Media Hub (to stream DVD’s or VHS videos), and the Theater, this year. I have given teachers access to edit and schedule their own times on all of these except the theater. If you find that you don’t have the right kind of access, or need a refresher on getting to Google Calendar, please let me know. 


• Website and Blogs- I will continue to update the library websites regularly and post to the blogs each month throughout the year. If there is ever anything you need added to the library sites, please let me know and I will get it on there right away!


• iPads—Our 10 iPad 2’s are about ready for check out! To encourage teachers to become more familiar with them, I’d like to offer them for 1 week check out throughout September for teachers. After that, we will circulate them in their sets (5 each) and ask that they be returned to the library daily. The reasoning for this is that at this time in the year we want the iPads to be used for intervention (both high and low) groups.


o The tech team will create a form that you can fill out for requesting that apps be installed on the iPads. It will be brief, but we want to make sure that whatever we pay to be installed is getting utilized with students. Please note: even though an app may only be $5.00, we have to pay for it for 10 devices (or 5 if it will only be used with a certain group of kids).


o We intend to start up a Google Calendar for each set of 5 iPads for checking out. That will be available before October 1st.


o We have adaptor cords for the iPads so that you can hook into your projector and show the iPad from your StarCart too!


• Professional Development with Tech—Using the survey results, I took note that everyone was in support of having technology help on ERD’s regularly this year. After talking with Margo, the perfect time for this will be 3rd Wednesdays of the month or any day I’m here during your common planning time. Please let me know your needs and we can meet as grade levels or in larger groups for mini-lessons and practice time on certain topics (grade level websites, podcasting book reviews, Photo Story, Glogster, Skype, WallWisher, VoiceThread, TumbleBooks, or discover new tools together!)


  o  I also have some ideas with integrating technology into our book study groups this year through collaboratively using Wikis or Google apps! Should be fun!


• Subscriptions—We currently subscribe to 13 magazines and offer these for checkout to 3, 4, and 5th graders. In addition to the print subscriptions, the district pays for us to use World Book Online which includes some WONDERFUL reference information at a variety of reading levels. We will also subscribe to Nettrekker and Discovery Education this year. About two thirds of these will be paid for out of our technology budget, so we want to be sure to use them. I will be happy to help you set up, navigate, and utilize these excellent resources!


o And let us not forget…TumbleBooks! We still subscribe to this online library of books for our school community. Log in cards are available in the lab. We also have bookmarks, so stop by and see us if you want one.


• InterLibrary Loans-If you are needing a resource that is not available in the Riverdale library collection, we can borrow it from another school using our Destiny InterLibrary Loan (ILL) system. Please see Bonnie or Dana if you need to borrow a book!


• Overdue notices—Staff materials check out for 30 days. We can renew them if you need them for longer than that. Overdue notices for students and staff are run each week and are to serve as a reminder to return or renew books. We will renew books for students as long as other students are not waiting for them.

If you are new to our staff, welcome!!! If you have any questions for me, please stop by—I am happy to help you in any way I can!


 

Ending the year!

Wow!  It IS that time...the end of the year!  Here is the last installment of the Staff News from the library for the year.  It is truly a pleasure to support the staff, students, and families at Riverdale!  Here is a link to the glog for final stats and reminders.  Have a WONDERFUL summer!  See you in the fall!

Here's news about Read Across America week!

Click here to view a Glog with this week's activities and news!  Thanks!

A Tagxedo Valentine of the Teaching Learning Cycle!

So we've mastered Wordle...now, can you believe the idea is actually passe?  Such is the way with innovative technology!  The newest in word clouds is "Tagxedo!" Like a Wordle on Steroids!  You can make your word cloud into a shape!  Thought I'd pass along a peek to those of you who read my blog...I'll show it again on the 9th when Kathy, First Grade, and I share about the Teaching Learning Cycle! :)  Enjoy!

TLC Updates from Kathy and Dana-December

Hi Teachers!

Below are notes from our training on the "PLANNING" Phase of the TLC.  We are really excited to be taking steps forward by setting time to meet with the first grade team in January to facilitate a conversation that will enable us to use the study and select phases (including defining essential questions and enduring understandings) and move into the planning of their next science unit!  We will plan on meeting with an intermediate team later in the spring. If you would like any additional information or would just like to talk about the TLC and messages from the district, we are happy to meet with you! 

Sincerely,

Dana and Kathy

Consulting the Rubric-What stands out in the Select and Plan Phases?

            Group Generated List, plus:

·                   Select: knowing your students and matching them to effective best practices for instruction

·                   Plan: Involving students in the planning phase! relevance, goal-setting, transfer, higher order thinking skills, using data to support students, planning with students in mind, incorporating technology

§  Teachers have the tendency to jump here at times, without first having a conversation about the key ideas and clarifying the enduring understandings and

·                   How do these 3 phases connect to each other?

o   Interconnected, build on one another, slowly focus in on what will be taught and learned

Focus on Literacy (compared to math of the past session)

·                   Using Rigby AS A RESOURCE

·                   We noted: Conversational themes, Facilitator themes, Use of resources as the conversation flowed

·                   Rigby theme tests are not recommended as a whole because they focus more on grammar and skills rather than comprehension.  Pieces can be pulled to measure specific skills, but overall they are not recommended to get a full picture on what students know (in relation to the curriculum frameworks).

Action Planning Time

What's New?

Here's a fun fact to begin with...The "Read For the Record" results are in...2,057,513 children read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats in October!  That number would have been 481 less had Riverdale not participated in the event! Thanks for participating in this reading activity for the day!

Incredible Stats!
November was a busy month for us!  I met with 86 small groups and classes throughout the 18 days we were in session.  With a flexible schedule, we are able to meet the academic needs of classes and circulate books at the same time!  Bonnie and I met with an average of 7.6 classes and small groups each day in November!  This totals 2,576 students during scheduled times!  Add to that all of the walk-in traffic we have every day and I call that a Developing Power Library School!  Speaking of, we recently were awarded the official certificate noting that status we have earned as a school.  Look for it to be on display soon!

Did you Know?
*  We have recently weeded the fiction, biography, and professional sections of the library.  This will help make the new books stand out as true "gems!"  The average copyright date of the Riverdale Library at the start of the year was 1997.  Libraries should have no older than 10 years as the average.  With our weeding and about 500 new books so far, our goal this year is to bring the average date up to 2002.

*  Our visiting author, Justin Matott, will be here on Tuesday, January 25th!  He will host 2 large assemblies (one for K-2 and one for 3-5) and then conduct grade level writing workshops with 3-5 in the theater.  More information to come...We have his titles in the library!  Come check 'em out!

*  We will also welcome David Kronk on Monday, Februray 7th for grade level work with Kindergarten, first, and second grades!  Again, schedules will follow!  I always get excited when scheduling authors--and this year it will work well coinciding with February's "I Love to Read" month!

* In the first trimester we loaned 47 books to other schools and borrowed 9 for our patrons at Riverdale!  Interlibrary Loans (ILL's) are easy to execute with our incredible Destiny system!  Kudos to Bonnie for managing all of the ILL traffic in and out of the building!  If you are in need of a resource we don't own, we'd be happy to arrange an ILL for you!  Let us know!

* Our circulation consistently hovers around 200-210 items per day!  That sure adds up over a trimester's time--we circulated 9,925 items from August to mid-November this year!  There is research that accurately correlates circulation of library books to academic achievement!

New Books!
* Our first order of Rainbow Books arrived a couple of weeks ago--we have MANY new multicultural books (holidays, celebrations, children around the world) and lots of high interest non-fiction (sports, ghosts, mythology).  We also ordered some new high interest low level fiction for those hard to please older boys!

* Our first Mackin order is arriving as we speak!  We got the new Guiness Book of World Records,  The Dork Diaries (girl equivalent to the Wimpy Kid books), and more of the 39 Clues titles, as well as many others!  Another order of 105 books was just sent off last week!  We should receive theses in January.

* Most of the new titles are on display in the library--come see what we have to offer you and your students!

Collaboration Superstars
*  Barb Zoeller-I have LOVED working with the second graders on their personal narrative endings!  I also have to give Ms. Zoeller a big "kudos" as we've really co-taught (not just coordinated) this mini-unit!  That's working toward the collaboration Power Library Goal!  ***PLUS, a bonus: She lets me borrow her beautiful green vest for outside duty!  :)  Thanks, Barb!
*  Jackie Woytek-I enjoyed seizing an opportunity to discuss ethical use of mentor texts with her students!
* Karen Robinson-I enjoyed teaching your kids how to use Wordle and am looking forward to tomorrow when we use it for a second time!
*  Third grade teachers-Thanks for using World Book Kids as the first source of information with this me as the students researched their countries this year!  Their PowerPoints are really great!
* Preschool and Kindergarten teachers-Thanks for allowing me me to read aloud the CCBA titles to your classes and get them ready to vote in February.  StorylineOnline.net was fun to explore with the Kinders as well!
* Chuck Freeman and Jeanne Vollmar-  Thanks for being my "guinea pigs" with posting book reviews on the Destiny catalog.  While we are having a few glitches, it is a great success overall!  I look forward to reviewing books with all of 4th and 5th in the future!
* Thanks to you all! I love working with you and your kids!

Technology Resources
Check out these super cool links!

TagGalaxy   http://taggalaxy.de/
A great way to instantly grab images to help with teaching concepts.  Also shows kids how to narrow your search!  Great for ELL's!

Science Games http://www.gameforscience.ca/games.php
Pretty cool critical thinking and real world problem solving games!  I played "Forestia" for a few minutes!  Amazing!

Blabberize!   http://blabberize.com/
Add voice and a mouth to any photo! You can even call in your audio using your cell phone!  Pretty cool!

TLC Update
Kathy and I will attend the TLC training this Wednesday morning and will be passing along information from that soon. :)

TLC Updates from Kathy and Dana

Update from the Teaching Learning Cycle (TLC) Trainings

From Kathy Devendorf and Dana Lott

·      The “Study” phase has been our big topic for the first three sessions.

·      Important understandings about the study phase:

o   This is not yet about the “what” of teaching (that is considered the planning phase); instead, the study phase addresses the “why” and the “how.”

o   These conversations set purpose for our work with students.

·      Some of you are already participating in this phase of the Teaching Learning Cycle, but we are learning strategies for deepening our understanding of it.

·      We’ve written a few sample Enduring Understandings regarding writing so that you can get a feel for how they sound.

o   We’ve purposely made them:

§  General, broad, philosophical

§  In kid-friendly language—ultimately, we want to share these with students

§  Reaching all grade levels in our building

·      These are only samples of what teams can come up with during the study phase

·      These will be posted in the theater area for us all to view

·      The district may be releasing a few very broad “interdisciplinary” Enduring Understandings (EU’s), but for them to “give these to us” would contradict the purpose for coming up with them in our teams.

·      Most recently, the focus of our trainings have focused on rigor and relevance- these were our group’s definitions based on an activity we did:

o   Rigor=begin with high expectations, focus on deep learning for students, quality vs. quantity

o   Relevance=making connections, kids being able to authentically/genuinely answer the “why are we doing this” question, enthusiasm and passion for a topic are apparent, teachers are able to “hook” the learners

The TLC is not “going away” from the district anytime soon.  It is our primary framework for all of the interactions we have with each other and our students.  We (Kathy and Dana) are a support for accessing ideas for implementation with your teams and colleagues.  We would be happy to meet with you to share more specific materials and information of you are interested. (We don’t want to give materials out of context, as that just gives everyone extra paper. J)  We are all in different places in the TLC process, and we don’t want this to be “one more thing” to get to, since so much is going on in the building right now,

Some materials we have available:

·      Suggested materials to bring to a study session based on content area

·      Unit planner to capture a study conversation

·      Quotes that define what rigor and relevance are

·      TLC Rubric for the study phase

·      DVD recording of a team working in the study phase for a math unit (coming soon)

·      Articles that help define the big ideas in the study phase

That is our quick synopsis for now.  More will come as we have future training sessions.  If you have nay questions, please feel free to see Dana and/or Kathy!  Thanks for reading!