In January, I attended the Mid-Winter Meeting of the American Library Association because I had to give a speech. I was asked to run for the position of Chair Elect of the Independent Schools Section of the American Association of School Librarians, and I had to to tell the group what I would do if elected. As I stood in front of the group, I wished that I had attended Overlake and taken Bill Armstrong’s 9th grade English class! The election results are in. I was elected to the position and I will have the opportunity to work with a terrific group over the next three years.�
Library Assistant, Diana Halsey, was decided to retire at the end of the school year. Diana has worked at Overlake for 23 years. Diana deserves a rest, but the glue who holds the library together will be missed.Cheryl Steele
Sometimes I am asked “How do you select the items that make up the library’s collection?” We read lots of periodicals that review books and other media. One of the periodicals is Booklist which is published by ALA (American Library Association). Booklist is read by public and school librarians, and is one of the selection tools we use. The Booklist staff review hundreds of items a year. I thought you would enjoy an insider view via Booklist Online. (Booklist OnlineREaD Alert is both a free Web site and a subscription database. The free site offers a generous selection of Booklist content—plus some Web-only features—and is updated daily or weekly, depending on the portion of the site. The subscription database contains archived reviews and feature that are dynamically linked.) This article discusses fantasy and science fiction genres.
Horn Book editor Roger Sutton writes: “Notes from the Horn Book, is a monthly electronic newsletter for parents and others looking for good new books for children and teenagers . Written by the editors of The Horn Book Magazine, the nation’s leading periodical about children’s literature, Notes will provide brief recommendations of new children’s books, interviews with writers and illustrators, and news from the children’s book world.”
Bertha Mahony Miller, who founded the Horn Book in 1924, wrote that she chose the name of the magazine to pay tribute to the object that opened the world of reading to generations of children in centuries past. She also indicated her intention to “blow the horn for fine books for boys and girls.” We hope that this latest iteration of the Horn Book’s mission will prove as useful as Bertha’s initial inspiration.” Please check out this great resource.
It’s that time of year and we need parent, student and faculty help in getting library books back at the end of the school year. All library materials are due on Friday, May 23rd. If students are unsure about what library materials they have checked out, please contact library staff. Students should also contact library staff if they need to keep their checked-out materials after May 23rd , to explain why they need them. Please remember– in order get a yearbook, all library materials must be returned by May 23rd. Questions? Contact Cheryl Steele.
The New York Times describes FreeRice.com as “a rolling SAT vocabulary quiz”. For each word you get right, Free Rice donates 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. Challenge your student to a quiz session.
We have added something new: Soundzabound provides royalty free web-based music. Students, staff and faculty can use this for a variety of projects without worrying about copyright issues. Use in videos, podcasts, power point presentations, assemblies, plays; at sporting events, and as background music… the list goes on. Contact Cheryl Steele for information on how to access database.
Hannah and Justina have been touring high schools and middle schools across the country on their Positive Turn tour, pumping up teens to be today’s change makers and throw themselves into community service. They’ve also offered up the Go Overboard Challenge Grant–$12,000 to fund the best youth-led ideas to change the world. (www.burton.com/GoOverboardGrant). Click on U.S
They will conduct an assembly for Overlake’s Middle School on April 2, between 10:15-11:15 in Discovery Hall. Check out their Youtube channel, for a video of Hannah and Justina introducing their challenge grant.
The site also includes videos of them reading excerpts from Justina’s book. Both of Justina’s books will be available for purchase on student accounts, and they are recommended for age twelve and up.
About Hannah & Justina
Hannah won the 2006 Olympics in snowboarding halfpipe when she was just 18, and she donated every penny of her Olympic winnings to create her own non-profit group benefiting AIDS orphans in Kenya. Justina is an award-winning author who ties community service to every book I publish. Her debut novel NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (AND A FEW WHITE LIES) won the 2007 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. Hannah could have stepped out of her newest novel, GIRL OVERBOARD, not just because she’s a snowboarder, but because she, Justina’s main character, found her power off the mountain by doing community service. It’s that message that they’ve been carrying around the country. A number of teachers and administrators have emailed them, calling the tour the best presentation they’ve ever had at their school–for engaging students in an important message.
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