KASL
Kansas Association of School Librarians
Teacher Appreciation
Celebrate teachers by sharing positive stories and anecdotes on social media using the hashtag #ThankATeacher!
READING IS FUNDAMENTAL
Did you know that there’s only "one book for every 300 kids living in underserved communities in the U.S."? RIF (Reading is Fundamental) is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for childhood literacy. May is celebrated as RIF month to draw attention to illiteracy across the nation and around the world. RIF lesson plans and calendars are filled with engaging reading and writing activities. Take RIF's Book People Unite pledge and add your name to countless others who put literacy first.
Making a Difference
Evidence of teacher librarians being the catalyst for change can be found in K-12 Librarians' Roles Shift to Meet Digital Demands - Education Week April 15, 2015 by Carol Brzozowski.
A school district in Vancouver, Wash., has recast the duties of librarians to serve as experts in technology and blended learning strategies, capable of training peers on the use of digital tools.
KASL Proudly Announces New Officers, Scholarship, and Award Recipients
- June 1, 2015, welcomes President Elect Martha House. Martha is currently serving as the KASL Webmaster and Council Grove High School Librarian.
- Congratulations to Secretary Rachel Yoder! Rachel works as the Hesston Middle School and the Hesston High School Librarian.
- Brenda Lemon will continue as Treasurer. Brenda is the Chapman Middle School and Chapman High School Librarian and Chapman School District Librarian.
- The Summer Semester Ruth Garver Gagliardo School Library Scholarship and the Spring Founders Scholarship are both being awarded to Grace Kastens from Atwood. Her current position is that of Gifted Coordinator for five school districts in Rawlins County. In the letter that accompanied her application she compares a library and its role in a school to a hub on a wheel. From that hub comes all the different spokes of the ideals that a school library should strive to achieve. She sees a librarian as a lead explorer on the great adventures of children. Grace will continue studies at Fort Hays State University.
- The Fall Founders Scholarship recipient is Tonya Foster, who is currently employed at Meadows Elementary School in Topeka as a first year librarian. Prior to this job she was a literacy coach at Shaner Elementary School in Topeka.
- Former teacher and librarian Beverley Olson Buller is this year’s recipient of the Vision Award. As an author, William Allen White Children’s Book Award Selection Committee Chairperson, and Practicum Supervisor for the Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management, Bev fosters a love of reading and learning. Her research has resulted in publication of three books featuring famous Kansans bringing attention to Kansas.
- The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Kim Clark, Principal at Garfield Elementary School in Augusta. This Home of the Grizzlies is 2006 NCLB Blue Ribbon School and a 2008 Panasonic National School Change Award-Winning School! Children learn at high levels, and every person who enters is part of the Garfield culture of learning!
- The Library Media Specialist Award will be given to Ruth McCauley who has served as a District Director and Promotions Chair. As Lowell and County View librarian in Winfield, her dedication to the profession is admirable due to her positive energy and love of learning.
The AASL National Conference Award presented by KASL will enable school library media specialist Rachel Yoder to attend the American Association of School Librarians National Conference in Columbus, Ohio.
Congratulations to these winners!
National Library Week
Praise and Thanks
Kansas Learning First Alliance Supports Game On for Schools!
"Rural Majority: Education System in Rural Areas Undergoing Big Change"
National Poetry Month
Celebrate Earth
Celebrate Earth Day's 45th Anniversary with "green" fiction and neat Makerspace activities, including recycled art, in the library! We suggest browsing the Earth Day Network for events and simple ways to help protect and preserve our planet. NASA's Earth Right Now project also provides information concerning our ever changing planet.
Financial Literacy Month and Money Smart Week
Money Smart Week was created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to raise awareness and guide consumers handle their personal finances. Although the week is celebrated April 18-15, resources are available throughout the year.
Save the Date
College Readiness Dialogue - Kauffman Foundation Center, Kansas City, MO, April 10
Summer Institute for School Librarians June 10-11
AASL National Conference, Columbus, OH, November 5-8
KASL Fall Conference September 30-October 2, Manhattan
Information Relief: Plug in, Discover, Share, Refresh, Recharge
District Workshops:
March 7 - District V, Cimarron Jr./Sr. High School, Cimarron
March 7 - District VI, Eisenhower Elementary School, Norton
March 28 - District III, Hesston Middle School, Hesston
April 11 - District I, Southwest Middle School, Lawrence
April 18 - District II, Sedan schools, Sedan
April 18 - District IV, Eisenhower Elementary School, Junction City
School Librarians Transform Learning
Year of the Learning Commons
Read across America
Women's History Month
Teen Tech Week
Digital Learning Day
Innovative Makerspaces - Make and Take!
Build Something Bold
Tech Finds: Google Keep, Build with Chrome, and ShowWorld
Born from a partnership between Google and LEGO, Build with Chrome brings all the fun of LEGOs to the web. Users can build with the blocks with real-time locations using Google Maps.
Maps are helpful. Maps that illustrate demographics, education, religion, energy sources, conflict, migration, etc., are even more helpful. Show/World collects data from organizations like Amnesty International, UNICEF, the World Bank, and more. Countries on the map grow smaller or larger corresponding to the topic selected.
The Global, History Teacher
Learning4Life
Presidents' Day
Celebrate Black History Month
Our nation celebrates the African American experience during the month of February. This year's theme, "A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture" reflects on the contributions of black Americans. The book The Selma Campaign: Martin Luther King Jr., Jimmie Lee Jackson, and the Defining Struggle of the Civil Rights Era by Craig Swanson and the movieSelma address the earlier days of Dr. King.
The federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the only holiday to be recognized as a national day of service. Statistics show that only one in four adults volunteer nationwide; however, 36 percent of Kansas residents volunteer (placing the state fourth among all fifty states). Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. strongly believed in a better tomorrow; volunteering is a wonderful way putting King's ideas into action. Take the pledge and visit Volunteer Kansas for ideas and volunteer opportunities.
Resolve to Read and Change the World
STEM Activities and Lessons
National Readathon Day
The Power of Introverts
Literacy programs aren't just for boys, though! The organization Get Lit promotes reading through classic and spoken word poetry. "Somewhere in America," preformed by Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin, and Zariya Allen, is one such example of the power of learning. Enjoy the interview with Queen Latifah.