GaETC16 Follow Up

I was really happy with my LMSOTY presentation at this year's GaETC!  I have heard from lots of folks who would like more details about my MakerSpace! It's definitely something everyone can pull off with little investment! I'm currently sitting in a session about Common Sense Digital Citizenship Certification, but when I'm back at the hotel this evening, I'll post a run-down here of all the details!

Stay tuned....

Teen Read Week 2016

We have lots going on for Teen Read Week this year.  Here's our calendar of events....

Great ideas...

If you don't subscribe to Demco/Upstart's inspiration/idea blog, you SHOULD!

They create a monthly calendar of library events and programming for children, teens, and adults. It's a HUGE help with planning something new and fresh that correlates with the season/month.

Here's the link to September's calendar: http://ideas.demco.com/trends-topics/community-engagement/teen-activity-calendar-september-2016/

Here's the link to October's calendar:  http://ideas.demco.com/blog/teen-activity-calendar-october-2016/

Subscribe and have the calendars emailed to you a month in advance each month. For example, today, September 7, I received October's calendar in my inbox. Makes for great planning especially with Teen Read Week coming up! The form to sign up is near the bottom of the page, to the right.

2016-17 Library Events Schedule

So, it's a work in progress still, but for now, this is the event schedule I'm going with for this school year.

PGM Media Center Events for the 2016-17 School Year...

August

• Summer Reading Ends August 8
• Summer Reading breakfast for students meeting 1000 minute goal
• Stargirl & accompanying activities
• Readers’ BINGO -- a reading game centered around non-fiction, in-class reading, newspapers, magazines...
• Chrome Crew - two students per homeroom to serve as media rep, be trained to help new students access online resources, take pictures, etc.
• Student library orientation
• MakerSpace opens

September

• Shelfies -- students take pictures of themselves and the book they’re reading, post to social media, tag PGM; random pics selected for prizes (Shelfie-sticks)
• Book Speed Dating -- during September, when classes come in to check out books, I’ll have a selection of books on tables for students to speed date.
• Library/Online Resources for Parents
• Sept. 9 - Wonderful Weirdos Day - display of weird books - students wear wacky socks
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students - Sep. 24
• Constitution Week September 17-23 -- memorize the Preamble to the Constitution contest
• Parent Google Class
• CPIE Social Media Class
• Banned Books Week - Sep. 25-Oct. 1
• Lunch Bunch Reading Club: historical fiction

October

• World Card Making Day (to celebrate the week of October 5) -- have scrapbooking supplies out for students (at PGM and around LCS) to create cards that I will deliver
• Teen Read Week: Oct 18-24 -- Read for the Fun of It!
• MakerFest
• Book-to-Movie Event -- afterschool screening of (TBA) with popcorn and drinks
• Grab & Go Mystery book -- mystery, suspense, and other fall-themed books will be bagged up for students to choose randomly
• Lexile Training for Parents
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students - Oct. 22
• Internet Safety PSA video contest for students - begins Oct. 3, videos due Oct. 24
• Lunch Bunch Reading Club: graphic novels
• Students “Caught Reading” to win a copy of the new Wimpy Kid book

November

• Book Fair November 7-11
• Social Media for Parents
• Origami Day -- have origami books on display, how-to videos streaming, and papers out for students to try their hand at folding
• I Mustache You to Checkout These Books -- Mustache PhotoBooth
• Game & Puzzle Week - Nov. 16-20 (though really celebrated during Thanksgiving week) - will have iPads, board games, card games, and computers setup for gaming/coding
• I Am Thankful For…
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students - Nov. 19
• Announce PGM Film Festival (November)
• Wimpy Kid Book Release - Nov. 1

December

• National Cookie Day December 4 - students who visit and checkout books get a cookie
• PGM Film Festival -- book trailer voting
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students  Dec. 17
• Book Quote Ornaments (11/30 - 12/4) - have cutouts and calligraphy pens out for students to write their favorite book quote on an ornament to hang on the media center Christmas tree
• Read holiday stories to PGE students

January

• Facebook Contest:  Find a Book with a face on it...Make it look like your face -- photo contest
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students - Jan. 28
• Minecraft Contest (Pinterest)
• Second Half Reading Contest

February

• Digital Learning Day (date TBA) -- coding, robotics, etc...Maker Day in the Library
• Blind Date with a Book
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students - Feb. 25
• World Read Aloud Day - February 24 - collaborate with other LCS and schools around Georgia to continuously read aloud
• Begin collecting titles for March Madness and setup brackets

March

• March Madness
• Teen Tech Week - app board for students to share their favorite apps, QR code scavenger hunt in the library
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students - Mar. 24
• Read Across America Day/Dr. Seuss’ Birthday - March 2

April

• National Library Week - April 10-16
• National Poetry Month
• Poetry Cafe -- setup in Reading Room for classes to participate in poetry readings
• Poem in Your Pocket
• Bring Breakfast & Browse Books -- a B4 school event -- open the library early one morning a month for parents to browse and have breakfast with their students - Apr. 21

May

• Wrap Up Year-Long Reading Challenge - Lunch in the Library
• Book Exchange Party - bring a gift wrapped book to participate
• Kick off Summer Reading Challenge

August 2016

Well, here's to the kick off of another school year! I'm still working on my month-by-month planning guide, but when I've finished it, I'll post it here to share as well.

Pine Grove Middle School will kick off the 2016-17 school year with a school-wide reading of the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Following up on last year’s read, Wonder, the theme of Stargirl encourages students to be themselves and accept others just as they are.

“For years the strangers among us had passed sullenly in the hallways; now we looked, we nodded, we smiled. If someone got an A, others celebrated, too. If someone sprained an ankle, others felt the pain. We discovered the color of each other’s eyes. It was a rebellion she led, a rebellion for rather than against. For ourselves.”

Our hashtag for the year is #BeAStar, and we hope the book will encourage unity, acceptance, and community among our students and faculty.

Day 1 - All Math teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 1-21

Day 2 - All ELA teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 22-42

Day 3 - All Science teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 43-61

Day 4 - All Social Studies teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 62-84

Day 5 - All Connections teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 85-105

Day 6 - All Math teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 106-128

Day 7 - All ELA teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 129-151

Day 8 - All Science teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 152-166

Day 9 - All Social Studies teachers on campus will read with their classes pages 167-186

Day 10 - All homerooms - Each student will create a “Keep-Your-Chin-Up” card (p. 188) to a teacher (past or present), a PGM Staff Member, or a friend.

The reading incentive for the first nine weeks in Reading Bingo.  

Here's a copy of the card I'm using.

Students have through October 6 to score BINGO and win a treat!

There were ten students who met the Summer Reading Challenge of reading 1000 minutes over summer break.  Using biblionasium.com worked really well and I'll be glad when it's integrated into the Destiny platform in August. Students had through the first Monday of the first full week of school to log their minutes and breakfast is scheduled for Friday, August 12:  Chick-fil-A chicken minis and fruit, Zacadoo's breakfast cups, and Daylight Donuts.

Summer Reading Challenge

April Events and Winding Down the School Year

Mary and I were just saying that there have been lots of changes in the library this year -- GREAT changes.  We are rolling right along:  weeding out the reference section (and eliminating a LOT of dust), adding MakerSpace resources and plans, looking forward to two weeks of MakerDays during testing, sharing Book Spine Poems, looking forward to seeing who'll attend the Library Picnic, and planning out the Summer Reading Challenge.

Of course it's #NationalLibraryMonth, but around here, everyday is!  The Book Spine Poetry contest has really taken off -- offering the reward of ice cream sundaes for those who participate hasn't hurt either.

Here are a few of the poems we've had turned in:

We are encouraging kids to wrap up their 16 Reading Resolutions for 2016 -- 16 opportunities to read something different. Here are the resolutions:

Students must have met their resolutions by May 11 to attend the Library Picnic:

We are also hosting the GMAS Celebration following the conclusion of testing -- a great fundraiser with no up-front cost.  Students are given the opportunity to just hang out with friends for the afternoon.  Here's the email I sent to teachers:

$2 for students to attend and concessions will be sold at all areas.  Just a fun afternoon to be glad we survived! :-)  Here's the plan:

	1:00-1:45	1:45-2:30	2:30-3:15
8th Grade	Gym	Track	Media/ Multi-Purpose Room/Commons
7th Grade	Track	Media/ Multi-Purpose Room/Commons	Gym
6th Grade	Media/ Multi-Purpose Room/Commons	Gym	Track

While at the gym, we'll have music playing and give kids a chance to chill.

Same thing at the track.

In the media center/commons/multi-purpose room area, kids can play games on the iPads, play video games we'll have setup, and we'll have Just Dance setup in the multi-purpose room (please, AMY BROAD??).  

Please share with students that they are welcome to bring their own devices (at their own risk, of course).  There is even wifi in the Commons and the gym!!

Coaches will have concessions setup at the track and gym concession stands.  Encourage your kids to bring moo-la!

Academic teachers will all rotate with and supervise their kids.  

Connections folks -- here are your stations:

Dixon & Dyess - Media Center/Commons & Amy Broad in the multi-purpose room

Carraway/Roe/Holley/Craven - concessions

Tindall/Johnson/Deal - track

Crews/Berry/Parker- gym

As you are collecting money, record it on a cash collection sheet.  All monies will be turned in to whoever is in Ms. Brenda's office....or if no one's in there, just turn it in to me.  

Finally, we have decided to use Biblionasium.com as the platform for our Summer Reading Challenge.  In the fall, Biblionasium will partner with Destiny Library to integrate their services.  Basically it will add a lot of the social features available through Quest to the Universal Search platform.

Students will sign-up via Google Form to participate (http://goo.gl/forms/YOQj4f4d6k).  Once they have signed up, I will create their Biblionasium account (a step that will be eliminated when the services are integrated).  Students will log their minutes read toward meeting the 1000 minute goal through Biblionasium.  They can also recommend books to others, write reviews, and maintain book logs.  Students can accumulate minutes from Saturday, May 21 through Monday, August 8.  All students meeting the challenge will be invited to breakfast in the library.

Here are the images I used for advertising: