Welcome back, Jack!

(the front entrance to my library)

It has been a wild and wonderful first 2 weeks of school!  I'm proud to say that we are pretty close to every kiddo on campus having been able to check out library books in this 2 week window----and have several students on their second or third trip back already.  Life is GOOD, people! :)

The school year is now off and running, kids with books in hand, and, like I'm sure many of you all, my To Do list just keeps growing.  A librarian's work is never done--which is a good thing, most of the time, as it keeps me out of trouble.  ;)  I have several areas I am in the process of rearranging, and multiple techie goals for the year (integrating our iPads, for example, into our library lessons).  I did a MASSIVE weeding at the end of last year, and now have specific areas to beef up in our collection, so lists are being made, and purchase requisitions filled out.  I've made new signage for the Fiction section, but still working on new signage for non-fiction.  So much to do!  And with each change I make, no matter how big or small, it seems to add more changes----rather like falling dominoes--because I'm always trying to better meet the needs of my patrons---my teachers and students----and move ever-closer to an "Exemplary" rating using the TEA School Library standards in as many areas as I possibly can (hard to add square footage, folks!)

With all this, I'm SUPER excited that #TXLchat starts up again this coming Tuesday night @ 8:00 pm.  The first topic deals with best tips for the start of school---something we can ALL gain from this time of year! We've shifted the Twitter chat just a bit----we'll meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 8-9.  I do hope you'll join us as we rev up for the amazing year ahead.

Mrs. S
@sonjaschulz

KaPOW! Graphic Books Signage!

I'm really, really, REALLY happy with the way my new Graphic Sign came out.  I've had this on the list for quite some time, but that To Do list seems to get longer every day.  Finally, I decided to just quit putting it to the bottom of my priorities and GET. IT. DONE.

Here's a close-up shot:

You obviously can't tell from the pics that it is double sided, but it is.  I made it from foam board and used a GIANT sharpie marker and red paint for the bottom layer, then traced out the same shape (from Word ) on yellow posterboard.  I downloaded several comic book free fonts and used my own little printer to make the letters. 

Yes, it took a little bit of time, but it was CHEAP to make and I had fun doing it!

Here's hoping my students like it just as much when they return tomorrow.

Mrs. S

My debut Pecha Kucha movie------for Teacher Inservice

So, I'm new to this whole Pecha Kucha phenomenon.  Really new.  As in, just heard of it the first time this spring, and only now daring to play with it myself.

I'm NEW, but I really love it so far.  It's fun and creative and I think it will prove a GREAT way to keep  the attention of our students and    *ahem*    TEACHERS---'cause let's face it: few things on this earth are as dull and dry as typical teacher inservice days. I begin to glaze over just thinking about it.

I'm super excited to play with this format since the moderators of TXLchat (of which, I happen to be one!) will be using this format for our upcoming presentations this year.

This one hits the highlights of library info everyone needs to know, as well as info for the Gifted and Talented program at my campus (I'm also the GT coordinator.)

Honestly---for this first presentation, my goal was simply to just finish it and like what I saw.  And I think I accomplished that!

Get Your Hands on a Great Book---Zombie book display

My Zombie display is officially done! I'm quite happy with it and thought I'd share it with you!  My brain first started tingling with bits of a then unconnected idea while I shopped in Dollar Tree last weekend.  (Oh, how I LOVE Dollar Tree, don't you?) I saw they had this area filled with Zombie goodies--in particular I felt drawn to the severed hands!---- and I just keep thinking there had to be a clever way to use those in the library.  Of course, the idea didn't fully come together until Sunday night about 10!  So, off I trekked to Dollar Tree again Monday morning.  ;) I loaded up on undead lovelies and headed up to school, ever-so-grateful they had the A/C on all week even though we weren't officially back to work until Friday, and with my little 4 year old "helper" in tow.

You know I'm a Pinterest addict, right?
Yes, it's true....my name is Sonja, and I'm addicted to Pinterest.  ;)  Feel free to check out my Back to School board if you'd like to see these pins.

In this case, I got the idea of the oozing green globs from one of my pins (especially since after I pinned it one of my students commented on the pin about how she would check out every book on the display!), and decided to update some of my "book talkers" inspired by another.  You can't tell it from the pic, but I have a couple of zombie dudes (ahem, those were my my idea, *blush*), and others are word bubbles that say things like, Read this book, zombies love brains. Duh.  and Sink your teeth into a good book.  I'll take some close ups of them and post them a bit later.

I've had so much positive feedback from this display, which is AWESOME because I really think the books are just gonna fly off of it once the kids come back!  To prepare, I've made extra vampire/werewolf/faerie themed book talkers to have on hand once I'm cleaned out of zombie books!

Yep, August has arrived

I don't officially go back to work until this Friday.  Of course, as with most educators, I've been working unofficially all summer.  Reading blogs, pinning ideas like a madwoman, "meeting up" with fellow librarians through twitter and Google hangouts; sharing ideas and making plans for the upcoming year.

My beginning-of-the-year To Do lists are HUGE, of course.  HUGE, I tell ya.

But that's okay, I'm eating that elephant one bite at a time.  There are just so many AWESOME new ideas I'd like to implement this year, so many GREAT new books I can't wait to share with my kids this year, so many FABULOUS improvements to make.

Here are a few of the gazillions of things on my To Do list at the moment:

1. Finish up my Zombie bulletin board.  The Undead aren't just for Halloween anymore! Seriously, I was in Dollar Tree last weekend and couldn't believe my luck finding a whole Undead section this time of year.   Today I'll add actual books and shelf-talkers and that bad boy will be good to go. I'm tweaking some awesome Pinterest ideas to make it too, too fabulous. 
2. Due to some strange and unusual circumstances last year I have a million books to process.  *sigh* No more on this....let's think on some pretty pink and blue thoughts instead, okay?
3. Finish my new signage for the Fiction section, since I did a massive book shift at the end of the year last year. 
4. And the biggie: finish up making my new spine labels and editing my book info in Destiny for my genre-fied Fiction section.  Oh boy, I'm starting to sweat just thinking about this one.  One bite at a time, right?  

Some of these will be crossed off this week, others may take the entire year, and THAT IS OKAY. Progress, not perfection. 

What are your back-to-school goals?  

Mrs. S

Countdown to new beginnings...

One month from today a new school year will begin, with new and returning middle-schoolers walking through the halls.  New backpacks, new haircuts, new tennis shoes.  Most will say they aren't excited, but only because that's the cool thing to say.  They ARE excited...to see old friends, to meet new ones, to check out the cute new guy/gal, and to come to the library.  And I'm excited to see them, too.

It never gets old for me, this new beginning. This year will be my 23rd as an educator, and I still get excited about planning new book displays, collaborating with teachers, and most of all---seeing my kiddos.  Is anything better than the student who pops their head into the library on the first day to ask if I have the sequel they are just dying to read? Oh, it's just music to my ears!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful, restful, rejuvenating summer---let's all make the most out of this last month and get ready to move into an awesome new beginning!

Mrs. S

Teachers Write summer camp!

It's that time again---time for the oh-so-amazing Teachers Write summer writing camp put on by the oh-so-amazing Kate Messner, Gae Polisner, Jo Knowles and Jen Vincent.  I was lucky enough to hear about it in time to participate in their first ever camp last summer and so I know we are in for a real treat this year.

Teachers Write was a total game changer for me.  

Dare I say it with such boldness?  You bet I do!

Being part of such a wonderfully challenging, inspiring, collaborative and positive group last summer has really propelled me onward in my writing throughout the year. I'm proud to say I am now a founding member of a local writers group, I am actively writing every week (still working on figuring out how to make it happen daily with my 2 kiddos, but still...progress, not perfection, right?), and I was asked to read my own work aloud at a literary reading in town this spring---and I ACTUALLY DID IT!  Like, in front of other writers.  And professors of creative writing.  And some incredibly supportive friends.  :)

I didn't always get to be as active on the boards as I would have liked, and I didn't always do every prompt or submit my work for critique---but I wrote and I participated as I could.  And the benefits just keep coming in.

So I urge YOU, dear teacher and librarian friends to do the same.  If YOU are a writer at heart it will benefit you personally, and if you are terrified of writing but must teach it to your students it will empower and embolden you to write more with them next year.

I hope to see you there!

Follow the Teachers Write link above, and join in the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #teacherswrite and join the Facebook group!

...and OH MY GOSH look at the guest authors for this year--squeeeeeeeee!

Read on, gentle readers; Read on!
(and write, too!)
Mrs. S