Congratulations to Mrs. Kuhler's Class!

We have an on-going contest at Jacobson Elementary. Each week PK-4 classes are eligible to win a special reward. When ALL students in a class return their books on time, the class receives a sticker for their class on the chart. When a class receives 5 stickers, students are eligible to attend a 'reading party'. Mrs. Kuhler's 2nd Grade Class are the first winners for this school year!
This Wednesday, December 15, Mrs. Kuhler's class will be treated to a movie, popcorn, and juice courtesy of Mrs. Reiter and Diana in the Jacobson LMC. Students may wear pajamas/sweats to school and bring a pillow and/or small blanket for the reward party. Parents: Don't forget boots and snow pants for your child that day. The class will have school-as-usual following the reward party.
Thanks to you, parents, for encouraging reading and responsibility with your child.

Happy Holidays!
Mrs. T. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

Picture This

Hints for parents/guardians:
Good readers form mental pictures as they read. To help improve your child's comprehension, read a book without letting them see it. Then, ask him to guess what the illustrations look like. Example: How are the characters dressed? Is the setting bright or gloomy? What are the characters doing?

Books make great gifts!

Mrs. T. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

May I suggest?

The American Library Association has put together a list of suggested websites for kids. Follow this link: http://www.ala.org/greatsites. It's something to do on those cold, winter days and nights!

Please remember that all library materials are due before the winter break. Please remind your child to return their checked out library material. If you are unsure if your child has a checked out book or when it is due, please contact Shirley McLaughlin in the 7-12 LMC, Diana Rodriguez in the PK-6 LMC or me.

Welcome winter,

Mrs. T. Reiter, K-12 Teacher Librarian

Count Your Blessings!

It is once again time to celebrate that beautiful American, autumn holiday known as Thanksgiving Day! For some it will be a day filled with family and friends. Other a bountiful table of delicious foods and a nap afterwards. Some will enjoy watching a parade and/or a football game. For others it might be all of the above!!

Below is a list of books/DVDs/audio Cd's all about celebrating Thanksgiving Day:

Books:
Samuel Eaton's Day by Kate Waters
Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Waters
If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy
Indian Two Feet and His Horse by Margaret Frisky
The Pilgrims and Me by Judy Donnelly
Corn is Maize by Aliki
The First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxes and Shannon Stimweis
The Very First Thanksgiving Day written by Rhonda Gowler Green
Thanksgiving Day by Gail Gibbons
My First Thanksgiving by Tomie dePaola
10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnson
A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting
Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern
How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting
Thanksgiving (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by David F. Marx
Let's Get Ready for Thanksgiving (Welcome Books: Celebrations) by Joanne Winne
Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27) by Mary Pope Osborne
Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young by Nancy White Carlstrom
Thanksgiving Day by Anne Rockwell
Rivka's First Thanksgiving by Elsa Okon Rael
If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern
'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac

DVDs
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Inside Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Garfield: Holiday Celebrations (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Audio Cd's
Thanksgiving: A Windham Hill Collection (Various Artists)

I'm sure there is more media on the market and in library collections. If there is something that you've read and would like to suggest, let me know!

Really, Thanksgiving Day is the day we truly give thanks for all that we have. I hope that your holiday is a pleasant one full of many blessings!

Mrs. T Reiter, K-12 Teacher Librarian

I love autumn!

This is my favorite season of the year! The colors and smells are so sharp. It's time for dancing in the leaves and catching a wisp of a wood burning fire. It's also time to curl up with a good read! Add some hot chocolate and popcorn!

I am almost finished with Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. My next book will be I am Number Four by Pitticus Lore. Both are fantasy books.

I recently discovered two elementary books that I recommend: Under the Snow written by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Constance R. Bergum; and City Dog, Country Frog written by Mo Willems and illustrated by Jon. J. Muth.

READ EVERY DAY!
Mrs. T. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

What is Veterans Day?

WHAT IS VETERANS DAY?
Great Britain, France, and other countries celebrate November 11th as Armistice Day to commemorate the ending of World War I on November 11, 1918. Fighting ceased at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month. Canada celebrates Remembrance Day on this same date.
The history of the Veterans Day in the United States is as follows:
1919 - President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day to remind Americans of the tragedies of war.
1938 - The day becomes a federal holiday.
1954 - Congress changes the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all United States Veterans.
Today, in the United States, Veterans Day commemorates the courage and patriotism of all the men and women who have served in the United States military from the birth of the American nation through this current Afghanistan/Iraq war.

Here are some books to read that honor our U.S. military sailors, soldiers, and Marines:

For Younger Children...

• Veterans Day by Jacquelin S. Cotton
• Pepper's Purple Heart: a Veterans Day Story by Heather French Henry
• Veterans Day by Robin Nelson
• H is for Heroes: A Military Family Alphabet by Devin Scillian
• The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter
• America's White Table by Margaret Theis Raven
• The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk in World War II by Louise Bordon
• The Wall by Eve Bunting

For older children, Tweens, and Young Teens....

• Behind the Blue and Gray: One Soldier's Life in the Civil War by Delia Ray
• Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
• My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
• The Tuskegee Airman: Black Heroes of World War II by Jacqueline L. Harris
• Veterans Day: Remembering Our War Heroes (Finding Out About Holidays series)
• Veterans Day by Marlene Targ Brill
• Guns for General Washington: A Story of the American Revolution by Seymour Reit
• Bull Run by Paul Fleishman
• Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
• Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
• Cherry Ames, Army Nurse (#3) by Helen Wells
• Cherry Ames, Veterans' Nurse (#6) by Helen Wells
• Yankee Doodle Boy by Joseph Plumb Martin
• Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng
• Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam by Walter Dean Meyers

For Older Teens and Adults...

• Going Solo by Roald Dahl
• The Boys' War by Jim Murphy
• Uncle Sam Wants You!: Military Men and Women of World War II by Sylvia Whitman
• A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin
• The Navajo Code Talkers by Walter Dean Meyers
• Forgotten Heroes of World War II by Thomas E. Simmons
• Cold Ground's Been My Bed: A Korean War Memoir by Daniel Wolfe
• If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story by George Wilson
• Visions From a Fox Hole: A Rifleman in Patton's Ghost Corp by William A. Foley, Jr.

Of course, these are just a few titles! Check at your local school or public library for more choices.

I know this post is long, but I think it is so important that we honor and remember those men and women of our military. Here is one last thought. It's a poem written by Courtney Tanabe.

Because of You, Unknown Soldier

Because of you, I am here. Because of you, I am able to live freely.

Yet I do not know you and I have not done anything for you.

But there you stand, ready to fight. And there you are prepared to die for me.

You've fought before. And you'll fight again for someone you don't know.

So thank you Unknown Soldier fighting for me.

I'm here because of you and I owe my future to you.

Until next time,

Mrs. T. Reiter

In November......

It's hard to believe that November is here! One of my most favorite books is by author Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Jill Kastner and is titled, In November [copyright 2000]. It is beautiful with lush autumn colors and wonderful musings about this month of year. Read a few of the experts:

"In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets.",
"In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to each other's homes and talk by crackling wood stoves, sipping mellow cider."
"In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle. The sun is a sometimes friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring."

Can't you just "see" the pictures?

November is also the month we celebrate Veterans' Day [Nov 11]. Thank a soldier, sailor, or Marine. Thank a Veteran! We really should celebrate our military heroes every day of the year!

Keep Reading!
Mrs. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

Book Lists, Blogs, & Taylor Swift

Teens' Top Ten

More than 8,000 teens voted in the 2010 Teens' Top Ten, with Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins topping the list. Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted on Support Teen Literature Day during National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. Readers ages twelve to eighteen voted online between Aug. 23 and Sept. 17, 2010 for this year's winners.

The Teens' Top Ten 2010 is:
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3. Heist Society by Ally Carter
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9. Fire by Kristin Cashore
10. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Blogs

Hey all.. check out the new blogs at the J/S High and Jacobson Elementary. For Mr. Thompson's PK-6 blog go to www.jacobsonelementary.blogspot.com. For Mr. Dockstader's blog go to www.bk712.blogspot.com.

Taylor Swift Live Event

As part of Scholastic's 90th Aniversary Global Literacy Campaign, Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life. - READ NOW! with Taylor Swift is a LIVE WEBCAST exclusively for schools in the U.S. and around the woeld. The LIVE event takes place on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at noon (CT).

In this 30-minute literacy event, Taylor Swift will participate in a live interview with actor, musician and host of "America's Got Talent", Nick Cannon, about the importance of reading and take questions from students in the audience and onlline. The event will end with a live performance.

Check with your teacher to see if you are participating in this live classroom event about the power of books and reading!

Until next time,

Mrs. Reiter

K-12 Teacher Librarian

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BOOK MONTH

Innovations in Reading Prize, 2010

Each year, the National Book Foundation awards a number of prizes of up to $2,500 each to individuals and institutions--or partnerships between the two--that have developed innovative means of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading.
In the Foundation's second year of offering the Innovations In Reading Prize, they received approximately 150 applications, with all regions of the country represented.

The 2010 Innovations In Reading Prize Recipients:

Cellpoems
Brooklyn, NY
www.cellpoems.org

Cellpoems is a poetry journal distributed via text message and on the Web that publishes original work by some of the world’s best established poets, including Charles Simic, Billy Collins, Kimiko Hahn, Michael Hofmann, and Matthea Harvey, as well as emerging poets, such as Kate Angus, Chris Bakken, and Andrew Zawacki.

Cellpoems provides entree into poetry that is naturally congruent with contemporary daily routines. By publishing poems of just 140 characters or less, Cellpoems does not aim to decrease readers’ attention spans; rather, it adds focused, distilled work to a grand tradition of short poems, from the tanka and haiku to the monosonnet, and aims to present poetry to as many readers as possible by making it easily accessible to digitally-minded readers.

To receive Cellpoems on your phone, simply text JOIN to 317-426-POEM. Submissions are accepted via text messages to the same number, or at cellpoems.org.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

826 Valencia
San Francisco, CA
www.826valencia.org

826 Valencia is a nonprofit writing and tutoring center dedicated to helping students ages 6 to 18 improve their writing skills, and to fostering a lifelong passion for reading and writing. Founded in 2002 by author Dave Eggers and veteran teacher Nínive Calegari, 826 Valencia now has over 1,600 volunteers including published authors, magazine founders, filmmakers, and other professionals who donate their time to work with thousands of students each year and who allow us to offer all of our programs for free. Five days a week in our after-school tutoring program, students work one-on-one with trained tutors to complete their homework, and then they spend 20 minutes reading books from our library. After homework and reading, students work on a variety of extracurricular writing projects that we then publish for real-world audiences.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop
Washington, DC
www.freemindsbookclub.org

Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop uses books and creative writing to empower teen aged boys charged and incarcerated as adults at the Washington, DC Jail to transform their own lives. The young inmates come from some of the city’s most crime-stricken and impoverished neighborhoods. At 16 and 17 years old, they read, on average, at a fifth-grade level, and most have never completed a book before joining the book club. Free Minds meets weekly at the jail to discuss works of literature, choosing titles that will resonate with the boys’ own experiences. By introducing them to the life-changing power of books, and mentoring and connecting them to supportive services throughout their incarceration into reentry, Free Minds inspires these youths to see their potential and pursue positive new paths in life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mount Olive Baptist Church
Hopkins, SC

Mount Olive Baptist is a small church in a rural community in South Carolina where the nearest library branch is 10 miles away. In order to give children more exposure to books, the church membership took the bull by the horns and created their own children's library by going to garage sales and buying books, dictionaries, and a set of encyclopedias. Books are also brought in from Richland County Public Library in Columbia, one of the nation's best libraries. Every week, each child in Sunday School gets to talk about what they are reading. Church officials have been wonderfully supportive of this secular activity, and adults are coming in to re-read books they read as children.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

United Through Reading
San Diego, CA
www.unitedthroughreading.org

Imagine a soldier, stationed in Iraq, entering a tent, dropping his gear, and picking up a copy of Charlotte’s Web to read to his daughter at home. Imagine that child sitting down tonight and listening to her dad read the first few chapters. And then imagine the comfort she feels knowing her dad is safe and well, as she picks up Charlotte’s Web to read the next few chapters on her own.

United Through Reading connects families through good books. Whether they are separated by oceans and continents or simply by circumstance, United Through Reading offers parents who are away from their children the opportunity to be recorded on DVD reading storybooks from more than 220 recording locations around the world. For families separated by military deployments, the Military Program is available on nearly all deployed US Navy ships, on bases and installations around the world, in desert camps in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in more than 70 USO centers worldwide. The Transitions Program makes the same opportunity available for incarcerated parents in local, state, and federal corrections facilities—affecting our nation’s most vulnerable, the children of the incarcerated. The Grandparent Program, the newest program, is currently in pilot stages in San Diego County.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SHARE YOUR LOVE OF READING WITH OTHERS?

I will be in the district on Wednesday, October 13th.

Keep on Reading.....
Mrs. T. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

Great Books Week Oct. 3-9, 2010

Great people read great books!
Excellence in Literature and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) invite you to join them October 3-9 for the second annual Great Books Week.

It’s Great Books Week, a time to celebrate the beauty of great books. This annual celebration will be held online and on campuses, libraries, and in communities nationwide.

What are great books? First and foremost, literary classics are the standard for great literature. Few people would make a great books list that left out William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, or Mark Twain, and most of us probably have a list of special books that have touched our lives. Great books are the books that stay with us long after we've put them down.

“Great books are one of the cornerstones of civilization,” says Janice Campbell, Director of NAIWE. “In every aspect of life, personal or professional, communication forms the basis of relationships with others. Literature preserves and transmits knowledge, evokes alternate worlds, and provides endless food for thought. Great Books Week gives us the opportunity to celebrate great books and to think about why they matter.”

People who want to celebrate the holiday will find the free downloable poster and suggestions for activities at the Great Books Week Website, http://GreatBooksWeek.com. During the celebration, blog topics will be posted Monday through Friday, and visitors are invited to respond to the blog topic and post a link to their response on the event website, or e-mail it to editor@naiwe.com.

What's your favorite book? What book really made a change in the way you think? Has any book changed your life?

Mrs. T. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

Join the Banned: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
September 25−October 2, 2010

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

Your school teacher librarian and School Board have policies in place to address library materials that are challenged. Please contact the school teacher librarian if you have any questions or concerns about any of your school's library material.

TOP 10 MOST FREQUENTLY CHALLENGED BOOKS OF 2009:
1. "TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle
2. "And Tango Make Three" by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
4. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
6. "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
7. "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult
8. "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler
9. "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
10. "The Chocolate War" by Robert Comier

Celebra el Mas de Herencia Hispanica!

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! This celebration begins on September 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico declared its independence on September 15, and Chile on September 18.

The term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race. On the 2000 Census form, people of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin could identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or "other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino." More than 35 million people identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino on the 2000 Census.

Check out these web sites:

Colorin Colorado - http://colorincolorado.org/ Colorin Colorado (este se ha acabado) is a web-based service that provides information, activities, and advice for Spanish-speaking parents and educators of English language learners (ELLs)
Comfm.com - http://comfm.com Links to live audio and video broadcasts from around the world. Choose your country and the type of station.
El Mundo - http//www.elmundo.es/ from Madrid, Spain. An online version of Madrid's daily newspaper.
Proyecto Sherezade - http://home.ccumanitoba.ca/~fernand4/ short stories each month from the Spanish-speaking world. You can even listen to some in MP3 format.
Hispanos Famosos(Famous Hispanics) - http://www.coloquio.com/famosos
Biographies in English.
Las Mujeres - http://www.lasmujeres.com/ Las Mujures provides resources on notable Latin women. (politicians, entrepreneurs, writers, singers, painters, actresses, educators, and others)
Quia! Spanish - http://www.quia.com/shared/spanish Online activities and games for learning Spanish.

On Wednesday, the preschoolers will be visiting the library media center for the first time to check out books. Each student will be able to checkout only one book at a time. It will be due the next Wednesday. Students who do not return their book on library day will not be able to check out another book until that book is returned.

Lee Todos Los Dias!
Senora T. Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian

U.S. Constitution Week, September 17-23

Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day) commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who, are born in the U.S. or by naturalization, have become citizens.

The law establishing the holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by Senator Robert Byrd to the Omnibus spending bill of 2004. Before this law was enacted, the holiday was known as "Citizenship Day". In addition to renaming the holiday "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," the act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day. In May 2005, the United States Department of Education announced the enactment of this law and that it would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind. This holiday is not observed by granting time off work for federal employees.

No matter how much we argue about the details of its meaning today, in the opinion of many, the Constitution signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787 represents the greatest expression of statesmanship and compromise ever written. In just four hand-written pages, the Constitution gives us no less than the owners' manual to the greatest form of government the world has ever known.

Posters to display in our schools commemorating Constitution Day and Constitution Week have been generously donated by the Mason City, Iowa, chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

MORE INFORMATION:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Day_(United States)
http://www.constitutionday.com
http://usgovinfo.about.com/blconstday.htm

Thank you, Founding Fathers!
Mrs. T. Reiter, K-12 Teacher Librarian

"Mom, can I play on the computer?"

I’m sure you hear that at least once a day from each of your children. Fortunately, there really is a lot of good Internet content for kids. Here are just a few....

The American Library Association offers suggestions of great web sites for kids. Go to www.ala.org/greatsites for their list of suggestions. Their Website of the Month is Cybrary at http://www.cybrary.org. This web page offers lots of links to sites selected by a school librarian for kids in grades three through eight. You can find sites that help with your homework, and you can find sites just for fun.

The Anderson County Library in Anderson, S.C., has a website at www.andersonlibrary.org/ch-links.htm listing links and search engines for students.

Let your kids try out these sites the next time they are bored. The sites are full of games, puzzles, recipes, riddles, magic tricks, experiments, and craft projects. Go to this website located at http://www.funology.com.

Let me know if you would like more information on kid-friendly websites.

Don't forget Literacy Night at Jacobson Elementary on Thursday, September 16, from 6:30-7:30pm!

Read Every Day,
Mrs. T. Reiter, K-12 Teacher Librarian

We made it!

We now have the first week of school under our belt! Except for a few minor problems, I think we are on our way!

Both LMCs are buzzing like bees! Besides the usual material check ins and outs, we have two major tasks going on.

Shirley has been busy returning the new-sized 7-12 LMC to order. With a smaller space there is less room for the collection. A major weeding project is under way. Discarded books will first be offered to teachers/staff then to students. This project will make room for the new books ordered for the 2010-2011 school year.

Diana is checking non-Reading Counts books for RC status at Jacobson LMC. Weeding will take place here too. Discarded books will first be offered to teachers/staff and the remaining books will be used in the Literacy Project at ROJ. Also new books appear on the shelves weekly.

Homeroom teachers at Jacobson have set up the days for their class's weekly book checkout time. See schedule below. Just a reminder - students will not be able to check out another book/magazine until checked out or overdue materials are returned. Please remind your child to have their library material ready for return on the scheduled day!

CLASS CHECKOUT DAYS
MONDAY: 6-Dickman, 1-Wagner, 5-Meyer, & 5-Haugen
TUESDAY: 1-Tanner, K-Markwardt, 4-Mallen, & K-Tenold
WEDNESDAY: 2-Burt, 6-Suntken, 6-Johnson, 2-Kuhlers, & K-Jenison
THURSDAY: PK-4 [all sections]-Sifert, & 4-Jenison
FRIDAY: 2-Mikesell, 3-Smith, 3-Pederson, & 1-Bell

PK students have a checkout time of 1 week, while K-12 have a 2 week checkout due time. As always, books may be renewed unless the title is on hold for someone else. The Jacobson LMC is also open from 7:45-8:15am and 3:10-3:30pm on school days for your student to browse or checkin/checkout materials.

We have a collection of Spanish and bilingual books available for checkout if you are interested in Jacobson LMC.

I will be in the B-K school district on Wednesday, September 1st, if you have any questions or suggestions.

Theresa Reiter, K-12 Teacher Librarian

Welcome Back to School!

Only a few more weeks until the B-K Schools ring with the voices of students and staff for the 2010-2011 school year! There will be a few changes for all of us to get used to.

One change will be the time I am in the school district as B-K's teacher librarian. My contract for 2010-11 was reduced to 45 days per school year. That equals out to 1 day a week.

I will be in the district every Wednesday, but I will not be teaching library skills classes like the last 2 years. I do plan to assist in the PK-12 classrooms with instruction in the use of library and Web 2.0 tools. Like last year, library aides will be Diana Rodriguez in the Jacobson LMC and Shirley McLaughlin in the 7-12 LMC.

Another change is the size of the 7-12 Library Media Center. The new alternative school has been placed on the south side. It is a room of its own with its own accessible doors to the outside. This reduces the size of the LMC by roughly one half. The computers remain in the same area.

This past summer Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Mennega and I attended a 3 day computer bootcamp directed by Dr. Scott McLeod and AEA 267. I really had my eyes opened! It was fun trying out new tech tools and their uses in education. One highlight was the keynote speech given by Sarah Brown-Wessling, 2010 National and Iowa Teacher of the Year about what tech tools she uses in her classroom. Just this week Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Suntken, and I attended a one day conference hosted by Bernajean Porter. Bernajean is an expert in digital storytelling and advocates the use of technology in the classroom.

I also participated in a world-wide 3-day online conference, 'Showcasing Innovation in Education.' The Reform Symposium was a free online conference for educators, administrators, parents and students. This year the conference was focused on innovative practices in education and what role these practices can play in educational reform. The Reform Symposium 2010 was held July 30-August 1st. There were 712 participants representing 59 countries who listened and participated in 35 presentations/keynotes/panels. i was cool seeing what educators in other countries taught their students. If you are interested, archives can be found at www.reformsymposium.com.

I hope you have been reading during the summer! My list includes The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank; Twilight and History edited by Nancy R. Reagin; Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black; The Named, The Dark, and The Key (Guardians of Time trilogy) by Marianne Curley; and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.

Read Every Day,
Mrs. Theresa Reiter
K-12 Teacher Librarian