From the SCASL Regional Network
Regional Network News, Notes, and Reminders; Please Share!
Keep the Conference Conversations Going--even if you didn't go!
Edmodo is still very active even after conference If you haven't taken the chance to try it out, this is a very authentic way to learn, understand, or get a feel for how it works. You can find many interactions around the topics presented at conference just by joining those groups. Also available through the various session you will find helpful links, resources, and even actual presentations presenters provided through Edmodo. Edmodo is this year's vehicle for online handouts, so tap into that resource for a wealth of PD targeting school librarians, common core, pedagogy, tech integration, collection development, and much, much more. The link below goes to a downloadable spreadsheet containing Edmodo codes used at conference.
SCASL13 Conference Edmodo Codes
There is an EDMODO group for SCASL, and the code to join that group is dc0qjk
The next two years' dates of SCASL Conferences are available.
- March 12-14, 2014 - Columbia Metro Convention Center
- March 11-13, 2015 - Columbia Metro Convention Center
Affiliate Connections
FROM ALA/AASL
School Library Month Video Contest
What does community look like in your school?
Is it learning together? Working toward a common goal? Building school spirit? How does your school library program promote community?Students are encouraged to submit videos to the American Association of School Librarians detailing examples of how their school library connects to this year’s School Library Month theme “Communities matter @ your library.” Videos should visually illustrate how the school library program fosters a sense of community in their school.
Contestants are urged to unleash their creativity and just have fun! Use humor, drama, music, or special effects to showcase your amazing school library. Entries must be submitted to SchoolTube.com between Feb. 1 and March 19, 2013 by 11:59 P.M. CST to be eligible to win. For a full list of contest rules and eligibility visitwww.ala.org/aasl/slm/video.
The 2013 SC Book Award Winners!
Book Award News: SCASL published official press release
PBA: 208 schools with 50,629 students voting; winner - Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse by Rebecca Janni
CBA: 151 schools with 8,742 students voting; winner - The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn
JBA: 88 schools with 4,234 students voting; winner - Hero by Mike Lupica
YABA: 65 schools with 1,230 students voting; winner - Matched by Ally Condie
Total of 512 schools and 60,835 students voting across SC!! Way to go!
SCASL did the Harlem Shake!!
Conference Evaluations - Please complete one!
If you attended the SCASL13 Conference, the Conference Evaluation is online at Survey Monkey. Please take time to thoughtfully complete the evaluation. These results are analyzed by the conference planing committee and SCASL Board of Directors, and future conference are impacted by your evaluations, comments, and suggestions. Here are the links (one is the long one, and the other is a google shortened one.
Recertification Cards NEEDED BACK!!
Our cards
These handy cards were issued a the Professional Development Booth
Kevin Merritt
Kevin Merritt uses the data from the cards to generate a report to use for professional development /recertification.
Scanners
Every session had a scanner so attendees could be scanned for their professional development profile, which will be emailed after conference.
A reminder from SCASL President Heather Loy
For those of you who attended SCASL13 in Columbia and forgot to turn in your scan cards for the SCASL Conference Recertification credit, please mail them to:
Kevin Merritt
311 Zion Church Road
Easley, SC 29642
Failure to return these means SCASL has to purchase new ones. One way to keep our confernece costs down is to return them so SCASL does not have to buy new ones each year. Much appreciation to those who did return them at conference, and even more apreciation to those who mail them back in becasue they accidentally took them home.
For those of you who DID turn in your cards, he says he hopes to have your transcripts emailed out to the email you provided on your conference registration this coming week. We will send an email out to the listserv and regional network once he does email them out.
Thanks,
Heather
Award Winners from SCASL 2013
Media Specialist of the Year
Mrs. Vashti Summerfield was recognized as SCASL’s Media Specialist of the Year.The award recognizes a certified school library media specialist who has made an outstanding contribution to school library media service. She has been a media specialist for eight years, the last four at Cannons Elementary School in Spartanburg District 3. She has a bachelor’s degree from Francis Marion University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Mrs. Summerfield has been a member of SCASL since 2010 and has served on the Picture Book Award Committee. Her principal, Karen Grimm, writes “It is evident that...Mrs. Summerfield works diligently to learn the content standards for all grades in order to integrate the content, media and research standards. This integration provides meaningful learning experiences for students.”
Administrator of the Year
Mrs. DeeDee Westwood was honored as SCASL’s Administrator of the Year.The award recognizes an administrator on the school, district, or state level, whose vision and leadership has contributed substantially to the school library media program in one or a group of South Carolina schools. She is in her fifth year as principal of Mid-Carolina Middle School in Newberry County. She has twenty-two years of experience in education. Most recently, she advocated for funding to purchase new nonfiction materials for the school library, and she added a library paraprofessional to the media center staff. She holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. Mrs. Westwood achieved national certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in the area of social studies and is endorsed in Gifted Education. She believes, like Dr. Seuss, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
Nancy Jane Day Scholarship Recipient
Janet Allen received the Nancy Jane Day Scholarship. The Nancy Jane Day Scholarship is awarded to a SCASL member to reimburse the cost of one successfully completed college course taken for credit to improve job performance or to complete a graduate degree in library science. The scholarship honors Nancy Jane Day who was the Supervisor of Library Services for the South Carolina State Department of Education for twenty-four years. Mrs. Allen is a former high school science teacher in Greenville County. She is currently working on her Master of Library and Information Science degree at the University of South Carolina and lives in Easley. Upon graduation, she hopes to work as a high school media specialist where she can share her passion for young adult literature with students.
2013 SCASL Distinguished Service Award Winner
Elizabeth Gregory
Elizabeth Gregory (pictured above, left) was recognized with a Distinguished Service Award that recognizes an individual, group, or business that has made an outstanding contribution to South Carolina school librarianship, school library media services, and/or SCASL. She has presented conference sessions on decorating on a budget, the “We the People” bookshelf, and National Geographic Resources. She currently works at John P. Thomas Elementary in Richland School District One. (Elizabeth is pictured here with longtime friend Frances Lee O'Neal.)
Other SCASL Recognitions:
- Jane Harrison was recognized as a part of SCASL’s Honor Roll of Administrators. As Director of Elementary Education, Jane Harrison represents all Anderson District One school librarians. She speaks on their behalf at district-level meetings, emails articles of importance, organizes professional development tailored to the needs of school librarians, and advocates for increased school library book budgets, access to electronic information and web 2.0 tools that are sometimes blocked by the district’s filter.
Kathy Wills was honored as Media Paraprofessional of the Year, an award that recognizes the exemplary performance of a paraprofessional who directly supports the media profession either at the building or district level. Mrs. Wills has been a school library paraprofessional at Woodmont High School in Greenville County for thirteen years and often downplays her importance by saying that anyone could do her job. During her thirteen years, she has helped train three new media specialists who believe she is so much more than a library clerk; she is a “Library Manager” and friend.
Possible Statewide Library Study on the Horizon
Cathy Jo Nelson, SCASL Regional Network Director
Email: cathyjonelson@gmail.com
Website: http://blog.cathyjonelson.com/
Location: South Carolina
Phone: 864-3428939
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cathyjonelson
Twitter: @Cathyjo