Making Connections
The Rockwood Library Newsletter - September 2018
A Busy New School Year
Westridge Champions
New Monthly STEAM Challenge at RSHS
McKenna and Sullivan got the idea for the monthly event from Kelly Oliva, the librarian at Liberty High School in Wentzville, MO.
CMS Library Supports "Book Love"
After reading Penny Kittle's Book Love, the 8th grade Language Arts teachers at Crestview decided to adopt some of her strategies in their classes to support students' independent reading in order to increase stamina, fluency, & joy of reading! They started on the first day of school by taking their students to the Library for book talks with librarian Bridget DuMont. More than 400 students took part in the book talk activity, which set the tone for the year by getting students excited about reading. Although we are less than a month into the school year, DuMont has already seen a difference in the 8th grade students' reading habits. She noted, "It has truly been amazing to see so many students so excited about reading. It used to be that we saw a slide as students got to 8th grade with the amount they read and the number of visits to the Library. This has completely flipped that around and 8th grade students are some of our most frequent flyers!"
DuMont also points out that the "Book Love" approach is a school-wide effort, with students hearing daily book talks from teachers, other CMS staff members, and classmates. Building a culture of reading is a team effort.
Kindergarten Students Become Designers
Green Pines Celebrates Summer Reading
Librarian Professional Growth Plans
Did you know that Rockwood librarians, like Rockwood teachers, design a plan to support and document student learning each year? These professional growth plans allow faculty to grow professionally as they support that student growth. This year librarians are focusing on supporting student achievement through their role as instructional partners with teachers.
EHS librarian Dr. Janie Pickett is seen above instructing Honors ALAR/P ninth graders in the effective searches for quality information. Her growth plan integrates Kuhlthau's research on the information search process with one-on-one support for students who are heavily engaged in the research process on topics the students themselves have selected.
Where Were You On September 11, 2001?
Wildwood librarian Karen Brown and library assistant Angie Hummel have created a display that promotes reading and raises awareness of a significant historical event. One of this year's Mark Twain Nominee books is Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin. Realizing that that their students were born after the tragic event, Brown and Hummel wanted to spotlight the book in a way that would give students a sense of what happened on 9/11. They asked Wildwood staff to share their memories of that day, which they incorporated into the display pictured above. Not surprisingly, all copies of the book are checked out.
Margaret Sullivan, Rockwood Lead Librarian
Email: sullivanmargaret@rsdmo.org
Website: https://goo.gl/nfCm3X
Phone: 636-891-6842
Twitter: @mm_sullivan