News From The Libraries
March, 2014
West Elementary
Marie Elias, Library Tech
I'm trying something new beginning in April: Fun Friday. We will be playing Pictionary with book titles and characters. I hope it will work, and be fun.
The Book Fair was fantastic - we made just over $2,000 in book profit to purchase new library books and support materials. A special thanks to the volunteers for all their support!
I visit the progress of the new library at least once a week - it is amazing! We can't wait to move in. See some recent photos below.
From inside. Showing windows to the hallway with new shelving below(covered).
Looking in to the library from the hallway.
Front (south) hallway window.
Central Elementary
Karen Colip, Library Tech
Students have worked for several weeks on improving their encyclopedia skills. They learned about how volumes in the encyclopedia are organized and about finding information and notetaking. We have also been learning about tables of contents, indexes, glossaries, pictures and captions. Each student picked out four books in the library and located those features in each book.
Time is flying by and it has been crazy in the library since I began packing up library books to move to North School. I have kept some books out for checkout but most of the students have been asking where all our library books have gone. So far I have almost 110 boxes packed and ready to move. We are all getting very, very excited to move.
5th grade signing the Declaration to the Right to School Libraries.
3rd grade working on encyclopedia skills.
4th grade watching a Dr. Seuss movie on Read Across America Day, March 3.
Grant Junior High
We are on the "countdown" here at Grant! Students are busy with testing and finishing up the school year. The library has been full daily with groups of students getting end of year work done. It’s hard to believe that we are that close already.
In the library's MTSS enrichment groups we are reading and discussing current events and using some time to read and relax. We're doing some fun things day to day when they are here. We do not have groups on testing days so this has been a fun way to end the year.
Books are scanned and boxes packed to go to North. We are transferring many of our 6th grade interest books for North students to enjoy. Such an exciting time!
Goodland High School & District Libraries News
Nancy McFarlin, District Librarian
The library became a "makerspace" during March with several exciting projects going on.
English III students have been working on books about transcendentalism (they've been reading excerpts from Thoreau's Walden). Watching them find music lyrics that express their feelings about life and comparing them to Emerson's text has been a wonderful thing to watch. Additionally, they are putting those lyrics into a book(let) with pictures, photos, artwork, etc. A great example of critical thinking and creativity! Way to go Mrs. Hall!
World History has been coming in to the library and computer lab to work on their iBooks (remember all that research they did last semester?). They have begun to put their text into the books along with whatever widgets they choose to use. I look forward to seeing the finished products - I'm sure they will be quite creative and informative! It's a good thing I took the NWKTC iBooks Author mini-course last semester!
DISTRICT NEWS
Trying out a new flyer format for this newsletter - Smore. What do you think?
Libraries Move
Well, the construction has us all in a tizzy! Marie and Karen are excited about moving in to their brand new spaces (and they will be amazing), while I am beginning to pack up for my move to the Central building over the summer. Cindy has been busy scanning and packing about 600 books to move from Grants' collection to the North library to support the addition of 6th grade there (photos below). All four libraries will be up and running on September 2, and we look forward to an exciting year in our new spaces!
KASL District Workshop
Goodland High School was privileged to host the District VI Workshop of the Kansas Association of School Librarians on March 8. 16 members and 8 guests were present to enjoy a wonderful program. The Goodland library staff provided yummy soups for lunch. This year was kind of unusual because not only was I serving as KASL president elect, but I was also the Director of District VI - that usually doesn't happen, but it has been a great learning experience!
As part of my responsibilities as president elect of KASL, I attend District Workshops and bring greetings from KASL. On March 1 I attended the District V Workshop in Kismet. I always enjoy networking with my library colleagues from across the state!