News from the IMC

Center Cass District Spelling Bee

2012-01-26T06:29:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, January 24th, Principal Schultz and the specials team got together to conduct our annual district spelling bee. There were twelve contestants, two from each grade level from third grade through eighth grade. The Prairieview student body and staff made up the bulk of the audience. In addition, there were quite a few parents, grandparents, and other friends of the contestants.

It was one of the most exciting bees I have had the pleasure of running in my 24 years in the district. It took about an hour and fifteen rounds to determine the winner. Lakeview student Max Magnino was the champion, with Amy Wang as runner-up. All of the contestants were well prepared. While we were getting organized before the bee, I joked with the contestants about stopping for dinner during the bee, if necessary. I confess that there were a few moments when I thought that might come true.

The audience was exceptionally well behaved this year. We asked them to remain quiet and applaud only at the end of each round and they did a great job.

Many thanks to Mr. Mena and his crew for setting everything up. Also, many thanks to the specials team and Mrs. Schultz for all their judging and great support through the years. I believe it is a great thing to acknowledge the many talents our students have and spelling is one of them. Spelling is a valuable skill in many of the paths they will follow.

Math-A-Thon Results

2012-01-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

Even in a tough economy, our students and thier families, friends, and neighbors came through. We had 48 children who participated in the Math-A-Thon. They did their math and collected $3,218.50 from their sponsors.

The prizes have arrived and I am distributing them during I.M.C. classes this week. Our participation in the program makes it possible for St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee to treat patients regardless of a family's ability to pay. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance.

Winter Break

2011-12-16T05:57:00.000-08:00

As we approach winter break, I have been sharing winter holiday books with the classes at Prairieview and Elizabeth Ide. I have also been encouraging the students to check out new books so they will have good things to read while they have some time to enjoy it.
I really hope the children will have opportunities to play outside. Wouldn't it be nice if they had a little snow to play in?

Conference Week

2011-12-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

We finished our computer lessons at Prairieview this week. Third graders took the information they got from World Book Online for Kids and typed a short text document using Open Office. They enjoyed changing the font and size of their work. Fourth graders reviewed using Google Image to get a picture and save it. They imported their pictures into a text document and added a few sentences based on the information they got from World Book Online for Students. Fifth graders had a chance to develop an inspiration document. They particularly enjoyed using the large library of symbols and pictures in the program.

Math-A-Thon donations have been coming in at Ide. I haven't added up the results because I expect some more to come in. It looks pretty good. The folks at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will be well pleased.

When I arrived at Ide this week, there was a box of new books sitting on the desk. This completes one of our large fall orders. New books are always a great pleasure. Mrs. Drope set right to work on the processing. I will be working on the cataloging and they should be on the shelf soon.

Fifth Graders and More

2011-11-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

Fifth graders are ready to find information, organize it, and write reports. Most of us outlined the information we found after taking notes. Then, we composed our reports. Our students are using a fun, appealing program to help them with outlining.The program helps a lot with organization. It also offers the chance to be very creative. The students will be introduced to the program and then they will do a short research project and use it on their own.

Third and fourth graders are learning and reviewing the use of our World Book online. This is available to all the students in our district. It is a very useful, age appropriate, and accurate resource. It is divided into three main levels: kids, students, and advanced. It also has a Spanish language version.

At Elizabeth Ide, there have been a few early returns of money collected for Math-A-Thon. Many thanks to all the partcipants. We will accept and forward funds at any time, but would appreciate having everything in by Friday, December 2. That way we can order the prizes more easily.

Math-A-Thon, 2011

2011-11-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

This week at Elizabeth Ide, we have been introducing the Math-A-Thon for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The hospital, founded by Danny Thomas, is an internationally recognized biomedical research hospital dedicated to finding cures for the catastrophic diseases of childhood. The hospital's work is supported through funds raised by events such as the Math-A-Thon. All patients are treated regardless of their ability to pay. The hospital covers all costs of treatment beyond those reimbursed by third party insurers and total costs for families who have no insurance.

This the twentieth time our kindergarten through second grade students have participated. The students benefit in several ways. With the permission and backing of their parents, they recruit their relatives, friends, and neighbors to be sponsors. They do the appropriately leveled math funbook either on paper or online. They collect checks from their sponsors and turn them in at school. All participants receive a certificate thanking them for their participation. There are various prizes for different amounts of donation.The presentation we have done for each class this week includes a brother and sister who love each other, love music, and appreciate the donations which provide for their treatments. There is also an animated segment of the Numerators which explains the process of the Math-A-Thon.

Encouraging Children to Read via Displays

2011-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

We have a selection of books on display at both schools. The selection changes every few weeks, with the season, a holiday, a special celebration, student interest detected by my assistants, or any special topic we want to promote. We are trying to catch a reluctant reader's eye or steer students to new ideas to them. It is possible, or even likely, that they don't know many classics and that makes a very good display. Another idea is to display award winners. We have many thousands of good choices in both libraries.

Currently, there is a display of Halloween books in both libraries. The students are most definitely interested in them. We get many requests every day and it is very convenient to point toward the book displays. Kudos to Mrs. Drope and Mr. Mandru for the hard work they do to make these displays.

Illinois Bluestem Award at Prairieview

2011-10-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

This week at Prairieview, I introduced the books nominated for the Bluestem award to every class. This award is determined by third, fourth, and fifth grade voters all over the state of Illinois. It is a very good match for Prairieview. The books are nominated by a teacher/librarian committee which pays close attention to suggestions from participants. They select a wide variety of books, subject and reading level-wise. However, all the books are appropriated for the participating grade levels. One might think I would grow bored introducing the eighteen titles we have available in our collection to sixteen different groups, but I did not. The list is very interesting and appealing this year and I intend to read every single one of the books on it. Our students need to have read at least four of the nominees to participate in the voting, which will occur in February. We encourage them to read or listen to as many as possible and teachers help out by reading one or two to their classes. We also ask all the students who can to get the books at the public libraries. All of the librairies participate and have multiple copies of the books. We cannot afford to spend the majority of our budget, just on this, no matter how fun it is.

At Ide, we do the Monarch Award program, which is intended for grades K through 3. At Lakeview, they do the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award. This is for grades 4 through 8. We do have many of the nominees for this one available at Prarieview, as well, but we do not emphasize it. These books tend to more for the older students. Students who have read three of these nominees will be able to vote at school in February.

Processing books at Elizabeth Ide

2011-10-14T09:25:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Drope and I have to go through many steps to get new books on our shelves.

First we have to select and purchase them. I read reviews, consider teacher and student requests, consider our curriculum, and try to keep the collection in balance with up-to-date, appealing books. After the books arrive there are many steps to processing including, but not limited to, checking in the order, property stamping, pasting pockets, and filling out some basic information about each book. Mrs. Drope handles this. Then, I do the cataloging. It is important to get proper information into our automated catalog about each book. This helps the patrons to find what they are looking for. When the cataloging is complete, I print the barcodes and pocket labels. Mrs. Drope finishes the processing by placing the labels on the books, adding spine labels for arranging the books on the shelves, and putting spine protecting tape or plastic covers on each book. In the end, we have a well-organized, easily used library. Both the students and the staff are pretty specific about what they want most of the time. We strive to meet their needs.

Automated Catalog at Ide

2011-10-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

After an introduction for whole classes last week, our second graders are now having "private" lessons on our automated library catalog. Groups of four meet with me and each one gets a turn to search for whatever he or she wants to look for. The others watch and they all learn from each other how to take advantage of our catalog. It will take me a few weeks to get through all the small groups in each class. With their confidence built, the children are eager to search more and more. The intent is to have them be competant users when they move on to third grade at Prairieview. It is wonderful to enable the students to take advantage of our well-rounded and comparatively large collections. They read more when they can find what they like. They learn more when they can find what they are curious about.

This catalog can be examined at home, as well. From our district website (http://www.ccsd66.org/), click on the appropriate building photo. When that page opens, scroll down to the boxed menu and click on library. Then the library page opens, scroll down to IPAC (Internet Public Access Catalog) and click on one of the boxes right underneath that. Then, you will be looking at the catalog page, just as it looks at that school. Have fun!

Keyboarding at Prairieview

2011-09-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

We have begun our keyboarding program in all three grades at Prairieview. I cannot see the future, but unless there is some magical change, our students will have to do lots of keyboarding throughout their years in school and, most likely, in their jobs. It is important to learn to do it correctly.

Many students have told me it is like learning to play an instrument. They are right. It needs to be done the right way and it takes lots of practice. The launching pad is learning the home row position. Each finger has a home key and several other keys it is responsible for. Thumbs are dumb and they both live on the space bar. That is their only job.

Ideally, the students will practice enough and internalize the keyboarding so they can watch the screen while they are typing. We can't afford enough time to practice this skill adequately at school. It would help if parents would remind the students to use the home row position and to keep their eyes up on the screen as much as possible.

Sharing Books at Elizabeth Ide

2011-09-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

Through the great generosity of the Elizabeth Ide P.T.O., we were

able to add seven new hard back books to our I.M.C. collection. This happened the morning after the book fair/ice cream social. Mrs. Drope gave these new gift books priority and we will soon have them processed, cataloged, and on the shelf. Thank you, P.T.O.

In my I.M.C. classes at Ide this week, I have been able to start one of our regular and most beneficial activities--reading to the children. They like it as much as I do. We love the books. The children are exposed to titles they might otherwise overlook. It is especially important to read to children, even after they have started reading for themselves. Please read to them and let them read to you. This will improve their reading skills enormously and you will both enjoy it.

Six sections of R.T.I. (Response to Intervention) have been added to my schedule this week. I meet with small groups of first and second graders. We do activities to help them with their reading.

The Computer Lab at Prairieview

2011-09-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

This week we began our computer lab classes. We reviewed the rules which are most important in the lab. There are several, but one interesting one is that students are not allowed to go near the network printers anywhere in the district. Occasionally a staff member might make a mistake and send a confidential document to a network printer. Only adults are allowed to unload network printers.

We also assigned seats in the lab for homerooms. The students will also be assigned seats in their math classes. Finally, we explained and practiced using usernames and passwords. Every student has an account on the network. The passwords need to be kept secret. It might be a great temptation for another student or angry sibling to go into an account and change a file or two. We will meet in the computer lab for many weeks. I will report on what we have done in future blogs.

What a Week at Elizabeth Ide!

2011-09-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy. In our regular classes, we are working on the second section of the three-week orientation process. The first section is about keeping the children safe in the library. The second section is about taking good care of the materials. The third section, which we plan to cover next week is about circulation rules and other things that don't fit into the first two sections. We will send home flyers for the parents which give a bird's eye view of all of this next week. Parents need to know what is expected.

In addition to my own lessons, I have had thirteen PBIS sessions this week. The PBIS sessions in the I.M.C. are really just a snapshot of my regular orientation. A few of the rules are highlighted. These highlighted rules usually are the same in other areas of the school. In the end, the children should be well indoctrinated on how they need to behave. This afternoon, we will be celebrating PBIS with popsicles and extra recess.

Orientation at Prairieview

2011-09-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

Our classes this week included a cool tool from PBIS-some important ideas for staying respectful, responsible, and safe. We also went over the basic I.M.C. rules. They cover the same topics, but in reverse order. Keeping the students safe comes first, taking good care of the materials comes second, and finally caring about the needs of others by returning things on time and sharing specific types of things. I sent home a note for the parents with each child. The note covered each point we shared in our classes. The parents need to know what is expected. I have had one mother report that she reread the information. She is now guiding her youngest child through Prairieview. I also heard from an assistant who was glad to be in the I.M.C. with a class to hear what was said. Thanks to all who care enough to get familiar with what is going on.

Welcome to Mr. Mandru!

2011-08-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to have a new assistant in the Prairieview I.M.C. He has had to hit the ground running and has done a very good job getting started. A 2011 Western Illinois University graduate, Mr. Mandru majored in elementary education and is a certified teacher. He has had a great variety of classroom experience. At an especially busy time of year in the I.M.C., he has also had the responsibility of proctoring MAPS testing. He will also be assisting with fourth grade math on a daily basis. His flexibility and good attitude will be great assets. I also want to thank Mrs. Drope for her assistance in helping Mr. Mandru get started. There is a lot to learn. I have always said it takes a full year to learn all there is to do as a school library assistant.
Welcome aboard, Steve!

Summer Reading Programs

2011-05-27T06:04:00.001-07:00

Librarians from Woodridge Public Library and Indian Prairie Public Library came to both Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview this week to tell our students about the summer reading programs available to them. Both libraries are using the "One World, Many Stories" program for children from birth through those entering 6th grade in the fall. They offer a wide variety of prizes for reading, such as coupons for fun places and free books, as well as many special programs. The programs include such things as tie dying, crafts from around the world, and visits from service dogs. Our students were very excited when they heard about all of this. So, come on parents and help your children to participate in the opportunity to read, learn, and have lots of fun. Get in touch with the public libraries.

Prairieview Book Fair

2011-05-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

The book fair went well at Prairieview and we were able to add eight new books to our collection as a result. It is always fun to look through the selections at the fair. Not all the books available are appropriate for our collection, but it is fun to see them anyway. It is also fun to see the children all excited about the books they bought.

This week we have been doing post-assessments for the I-Safe program in the computer lab. The children have been learning about intellectual property and copyright laws. They have also been introduced to keeping their personal information off the internet. They should be using non-identifying nicknames on those "kid" sites. It is very important to remind them that people they don't know in real life are strangers.

Elizabeth Ide Book Fair

2011-05-06T06:40:00.001-07:00

We were very fortunate to be able to add to our collection through the proceeds of the book fair. Here are just a few of the books we are adding to our collection.

This week, we have been doing the I-Safe post assessment with the kindergarteners and first graders. It is very interesting to note how much more these children know about and use computers than the children just a few years ago. They are still children, however, and we strongly urge parents to pay attention to what they are up to on the computer.

Internet Safety

2011-04-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

We have begun our internet safety unit at both Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview. Depending on the grade level, we will learn about appropriate topics. These include: Computer Viruses, E-mail, Cyber Bullying, Internet Predators, Appropriate websites, Personal Information, Text messaging, and Intellectual Property.

The students at Elizabeth Ide will participate in a written post-assessment which we will report to I-Safe, the publisher of the program we use. These are done anonymously. I-Safe is interested in how their lessons are working and what needs to be updated.

At Prairieview, the students have started with an online pre-assessment and will finish with an online post assessment. Again, this is done anonymously. We are looking for trends.

Undoubtedly, the most important element is parent monitoring of what the children are doing online!

Please read!

2011-03-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

Spring Break is a perfect opportunity to read. If you are staying in town, the weather is far from perfect. How about reading when you can't play outside?

If you are travelling, read on the way. Take turns. Older kids can read to everyone else in the car. It is a great way to make the plane ride go by faster.

It is particularly important for children to see Dad reading. I have had many boys who don't think reading is important because they have never seen their father reading.

Reference BOOKS

2011-03-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Until the internet gets a lot more organized and user friendly, people looking for information, especially children, will need to look for information in books a good deal of the time. The internet has almost everything. That is the problem. Young students do not have the experience or the wisdom to discern what information is likely be accurate or, more importantly, appropriate. Therefore, we have been practicing getting information from traditional reference materials. The skills of locating information, reading, digesting what has been read, and choosing appropriate information will be necessary even when using the internet, at least until they get a wire to tape on your forehead and just transfer the information into your brain.

Third graders have been working on the arrangement of materials in the library. They will be working on using guide words.
Fourth graders have been practicing with encyclopedia articles, dictionaries, and atlases.
Fifth graders have been using almanacs. They are filled with information. The trick is finding what you want to know. Practice with almanacs develops skills for using many other resources.

Prairieview Results for the 2011 Bluestem and Rebecca Caudill Awards

2011-02-25T06:14:00.000-08:00

We have the Bluestem Award for students in third through fifth grades. Participants have to have read or listened to at least 4 of the 20 nominees. We voted at Prairieview last week and the results are as follows in first, second and third place:

We also participte in the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award at Prairieview. This is for Illinois students in 4th through 8th grades. The Prairieview results are as follows in first place and tied for second place:

Local results for 2011 Monarch Award

2011-02-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last week, the students at Elizabeth Ide voted for their favorites from the list of Monarch award nominees. Only students in grades K-3 across the state of Illinois are eligible to vote. They have to read or have read to them at least 5 of the 20 nominees. Over the last several weeks, I read at least 5 nominees to every class at Ide. The results from within our school follow. I have reported them to the state and will report the statewide results as soon as I have them.

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

What's happening in the library?

2011-02-11T06:10:00.000-08:00

This week at Prairieview, the classes worked on library skills. In third grade, we continued practicing using the online catalog. This week it was about subjects. The fourth and fifth graders both did lessons that required dictionary practice.

At Elizabeth Ide, I read one more Monarch Award nominee to each class and then showed them all the ones they had heard over the last several weeks. Then we held an election for the favorite title in each class. The overall school results will be reported to the state and, before too long, we will hear the overall state results.

The I.M.C. staff has been working away on cataloging and processing new books. We have recently received several preview boxes in each building and have been lucky enough to buy a bunch of new titles. In order to make the books hold up as long as possible and have our catalogs as useful as possible, we try to do a good, careful job. I have been working on keeping the collection in each building up-to-date and well rounded. My assistants have been very helpful in letting me know what teachers and students are asking for.

Orange Tape

2011-01-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

At Elizabeth Ide, we have an orange tape section. That means the spine labels are made of orange tape. It is a section where we put our easy-to-read books. They have words which our beginning readers can recognize or figure out. There are very few words on the pages and there is lots of repetition.

It is very satisfying at this time of year because more and more kindergarteners are looking for this type of book. First graders have been guided to them since the beginning of the year by the I.M.C. staff and by their wise teachers. Many of these books are of interest to second graders and they still read them. Unfortunately, some of them self-promote themselves away from this section of the library. Just because a book is easy does not mean it is bad to read it. We hope students will choose a variety of books, some comfortable and some challenging.

We also really hope that parents and older siblings will read to and with our students.

Math-A-Thon Prizes, Monarch Books, Packets

2011-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

Both of my assistants have been running back and forth administering MAPS testing this week. It makes things pretty crazy in the libraries, but we are surviving.
At Prairieview this week, we continued with the library skills packets. Third graders practiced using the online catalogs in teams.
I had a nice surprise when I got to Elizabeth Ide. The Math-A-Thon prizes had arrived, earlier than expected. They are being distributed this week, as I meet with each class. I have also read one or two Monarch books to each class.

Personnel Change

2011-01-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Mr. Kevin Coffee has joined our I.M.C. staff. He is an alumnus of our district and his first week as the Prairieview I.M.C. assistant has been fun. On his second day with us, he brought in a tank. It is currently housing a snapping turtle. Students have been invited to suggest names for the turtle. More pets will be joining our turtle soon.

Winter Break

2010-12-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful opportunity to do family things! Play together! Work together! Talk together! And, above all READ together.

What's up?

2010-12-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

At Elizabeth Ide, we are reading a variety of holiday books. Christmas stories predominate, but we also touch on other holidays celebrated at this time of year such as Hanukkah. The selection for second grade this week, One Yellow Daffodil; A Hanukkah Story touches on the main character's earlier life which included losing his family in the holocaust and spending time in a concentration camp. Holocaust education is a requirement in Illinois and this book introduces a bit of the story, gently, for young children.

At Prairieview, we have been gathering information on hockey (our topic of the year after the triumph of the Blackhawks last spring) from World Book Online. Third and fourth graders will take their notes, add pictures and produce a short written document. Fifth graders are using the Inspiration program to organize their information. Hockey may or may not be important. Learning to find information and organize it is.

Math-A-Thon 2010-2011

2010-12-02T05:46:00.001-08:00

Although this was certainly not a banner year, we had 45 students (15 at each grade level) who completed the Math-A-Thon. These students did a great job and raised well over $3,000. to help the children at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. To my knowledge, our kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students have participated in this worthy cause for over twenty years. The staff members at the hospital have been most appreciative of our efforts and are especially thankful during this tough economic period. Many thanks to the children who practiced their math and all of their generous donars.

Picture Books?

2010-11-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

I had the great fortune to attend a workshop this week, in which many, many new books were presented. The presenter, Dr. Peggy Sharp, talks of books published in 2010. She tells about books she likes the most and provides a long list of books she likes, organized in many different categories. She also recommends activities for quite a few books. Dr. Sharp is highly regarded and has taught grade school, been a school librarian, and a college professor.

I have attended many of these workshops through the years. They help me to keep our collections up-to-date. This time I was reminded of some things I have thought about picture books for years. When I started my job in the district, I was impressed by the picture books. They were better than they had been years before and were intended, more and more, for older children. Picture books are certainly not just for young children and early readers. It is important that today's parents and teachers realize this. Do not discourage children from reading picture books. They self-promote way too early as it is. Fortunately, in fourth or fifth grade, they tend to figure this out and discover the many wonderful picture books available to them.

A Great Resource!

2010-11-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

The students at Prairieview will have an opportunity to use World Book Online. This site is provided by the district for all of our students. They are invited to use it at school and at home within the district. The site offers many features including four versions of the encyclopedia. These include World Book Kids, World Book Student, World Book Advanced, and Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos (for those who can read Spanish). This is an age-appropriate, reliable resource and we are glad to have it.

November Books

2010-11-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Our monthy book displays have changed.

At Elizabeth Ide, we are showing our Thanksgiving books. The requests have already begun, so this is a good idea. We have quite a variety.

At Prairieview, we are displaying our graphic novels. Some are reminiscent of comic books. Others display classics in a new format. And, some are new books, written with this attractive format. It is a blessing for reluctant readers.

2010-10-29T10:59:00.001-07:00

Next week, we are launching our annual Math-A-Thon at Elizabeth Ide. This project helps our children to practice their math skills in a fun way. They recruit sponsors to support their work. Each sponsor donates money and we send all the money to St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. The daily operating cost for St. Jude is nearly $1.4 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions. Every dollar we donate makes a difference. Please consider supporting your children in this endeavor.

What are we up to?

2010-10-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

At Elizabeth Ide, we have been reading books about fall, pumpkins, and Halloween. The second graders are finishing their private lessons on the search stations this week.

Due to MAP testing in the computer lab at Prairieview, we had to interrupt our computer lessons. This week and next week, we are doing some work on dictionary skills. It is interesting to see how much trickier this is for third graders than it is for fifth graders. The fifth graders have definitely had more practice and are more developmentally able to locate words in alphabetical order.

Books on Display

2010-10-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Part of our mission is to teach children how to find the books they want on the shelves, where they belong. The students are taught to look up authors, subjects, or titles on the computer. They choose what they want and write down call numbers. Then they go to the shelves and find the books for themselves. That is the goal, anyway.
At the same time, we like to show off our books. So, we choose one or two subjects at a time and put the books on display. Both the children and the library staff know which books are away from home and out on display. For the last few weeks, we have been promoting books about Halloween, including such things as true books about pumpkins and books about ghosts and witches.
At Prairieview, we find that it does not cause too much confusion to segregate the nominees for the Rebecca Caudill and Bluestem awards. They are on display for the entire school year. We really want the students to participate in these programs.

Preview Books

2010-10-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Several times each year, I get a call from a publisher or small book supplier asking permission to send a box of preview books. Sometimes these collections are a disappointment. Many times, they are not. Small publishers often work very hard to produce high quality books. They are bound well and have appropriate reading levels with good illustrations. My assistants and I are delighted by subjects we might not have thought of. Or we are reminded of things that the students like, but our collection might be out of date. I have been cataloging a group of books we obtained from magical preview boxes.

Keyboarding

2010-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

This week we are starting our keyboarding lessons at Prairieview. This is review for the fourth and fifth graders, but brand new for the third graders. It is a very valuable skill and will definitely be a part of our students' lives. We use a program called UltraKey by Bytes of Learning. It is very straightforward and has the added advantage of keeping track of each student's progress. We get the process started during I.M.C. classes and then ask the teachers to use it, as they can find time, during the rest of the school year. It can be used at any computer in the building. Students have the chance to continue right in the classroom when they have completed other work.

Searching the Catalog

2010-09-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

For the next few weeks, I will introduce the automated catalog to the second grade classes. They are eager to learn about finding books in the library. We will begin with an overview for each whole class. This will be followed by "private lessons." Each child will have a turn to sit at the search station and look something up, under my supervision. This is using a computer for a real, grown-up task. In the past, the students have been so excited about this that they want to do a lot of searching on the computer and forget to go and get the books. Practicing this skill during second grade makes the students much better library users when they get to Prairieview.

Something important.

2010-09-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

This week at Elizabeth Ide, we took a break between orientation and other pressing topics. We stopped to read. This is actually as important or even more important than nearly anything we can do. Reading to children stimulates their desire to read. Reading in front of them is also important. If they see that you value reading, then they begin to value it too. So, parents, read to your children, read in front of them, and, yes, listen to them read. This will certainly enrich their lives and perhaps even yours.

Illinois State Book Awards

2010-09-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Prairieview students are being invited to participate in Illinois Book Awards: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award (grades 4-8) and brand new this year the Bluestem Award (grades 3-5). To be eligible to vote for the Caudills, students must have read 3 of the twenty nominees. The voting will take place in February. To be eligible to vote of the Bluestems, students must have read 4 of the twenty nominees. The voting will take place in March. Both of these programs give students great power. The nominees are bought by most libraries throughout the state and the winning authors will sell many, many copies of their books in Illinois and, well, around the world. We ask that students who are fortunate enough to have public library cards borrow these books at the public libraries. This will leave the copies in the school library availble for students who do not have public library cards.

I.M.C. Orientation

2010-09-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of each year, we remind the students about staying safe in the I.M.C., taking good care of the materials, and circulation conventions. Please help us and your students by taking good care of our materials. They need to be returned as soon as you have finished reading them. If they get lost or are damaged too much to use, you will have to pay for them.

Thank you for your consideration.

New This Year!

2010-08-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

There are always new things for new school years and this year is no exception. I started my week at Prairieview. We had a very different first day this year. All of the students and their homeroom teachers spent the morning of the first day moving through nine stations. One of the stations was the I.M.C. With PBIS as our structure, we introduced a few basic behavior objectives for the I.M.C. and the computer lab. We will try to be respectful, responsible, and safe.

At Elizabeth Ide, we are blessed with all new flooring and lots of new paint, as well as a lot of updated equipment, especially in the washrooms. It is certainly nice to have brand new carpeting in the I.M.C. and the surrounding hallways. It is fresh and clean. We started our orientation lessons with the students sitting on the floor. Even the pattern of the carpet helps. I was able to ask the children to sit outside the red area which enabled me to use the computer for my presentation without worrying about bumping into knees or toes.

Author Visit

2010-05-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

As we count down the last days of school at Ide, each day is represented by a letter of the alphabet. Today is I Love to Read Day. The students will be enjoying a visit with author, Craig Pierce.

Thanks to the P.T.O., we have been able to add a few of his books to our collection.

When Mr. Pierce arrived this morning, he brought his pet greyhound with him. I just got to meet both of them and I am pretty sure his visit will encourage our students to read. (Always a good idea!)

Graphic Novels

2010-04-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

In one sense, this is a new name for comic books. You may be a skeptical about them. However, the publishers now use this technique for all kinds of books and they address a wide scope of interest and reading levels. It was pointed out at the Anderson's Book Store workshop that the pictures in graphic novels go way beyond those in picture books in telling the story. The bottom line is we want the children to read and, for some, graphic novels are very appealing.

We recently acquired a series at Elizabeth Ide called Leave it to Pet. They are intended for young children and the underlying theme is recycling. Having been created by a Japanese gentleman named Kenji Sonishi, they have one other feature that should prove very interesting to our students. They read from right to left and from what we would consider back to front. It is likely that for decades Japanese children have considered translations of Western books to be backwards.

What's going on?

2010-04-15T06:00:00.001-07:00

The first few weeks after spring break at Elizabeth Ide will be spent learning about internet safety. We talk about the cyberspace community. There are some things that are just fine for children to do, some that require adult help and supervision, and some that are inappropriate at any time. Another topic is keeping personal information to ourselves. Anything put on the internet will be there forever. We discuss communication with strangers. We need to be very careful about people we do not know in real life. People on the internet may not be who they say they are. We also need to protect our computers from viruses. Children should not go to any program, site, or open any attachment without adult approval. Many of our students tell about viruses on their home computers.

At Prairieview, we are working on some research skills. Third graders have been learning to use guide words. We play a few games which incorporate this skill. Fourth graders are taking a look at the work of great American hero Melvil Dewey. His system has enabled patrons to find materials in most libraries in the United States. Once the students get good at using the Dewey Decimal System, they should have little difficulty adjusting to systems such as the Library of Congress System. Our fifth graders have been exposed to different types of catalogs. Ours if quite easy to use, but they may encounter some that are not and I want them to be confident enough to locate the information they are looking for.

State Winners

2010-03-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

The Illinois award winners have been announced. The students, at Prairieview in particular, are quite interested in the results as compared to the results in our schools. I wrote about the local winners a few weeks ago. The state winners are as follows:
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award
1st place: All the Lovely Bad Ones
2nd place: Someone Named Eva
3rd place: Elephant Run

Monarch Award
1st place: Scaredy Squirrel
2nd place: Once I Ate a Pie
3rd place: Gingerbread Girl

If you are at all concerned about the huge increase in childhood obesity, how about asking the Easter Bunny for a book and a little less candy?

Spring is here! (We hope.)

2010-03-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Elizabeth Ide I.M.C. has been redecorated for spring. The topic is baseball. We said goodbye to all our Australia decorations and hung lots of new baseball pictures from the ceiling.

The pictures of books about Australia have been replaced with books about baseball. We have close to a HUNDRED books on the subject, so we can't show them all. Second graders know how to look for them in our catalog. After spring break, we will display baseball books so everyone can easily find them. For now, here is a sample.

A New Award

2010-03-11T06:59:00.001-08:00

The prairie grass in Illinois is called Bluestem. And now, so is our new readers' award. Illinois librarians decided to add an award for students in grades three through five. The first time this award will be made is in February of 2011. Prairieview School students will participate. Perhaps we can plant some Bluestem grass to be viewed from the school.We will continue to participate in choosing the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award. It is intended for 4th through 8th graders. Sometimes the selections are a little sophisticated for the younger students in this group. However, we don't want to discourage our more advanced readers.

At Elizabeth Ide, we will continue to participate in the Monarch Award. Intended for kindergarten through 3rd grade students, it has been very popular.

Award Results at Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview

2010-02-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

We have completed, tallied, and submitted the results of our voting for the Illinois state awards at both Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview.

The students at Elizabeth Ide participated in the Monarch Award with

1st place 2nd place

tied for 3rd place

The third graders at Prairieview selected the following for the Monarch Award.

1st place 2nd place 3rd place

The fourth and fifth graders at Prairieview participated in the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award and selected the following.

1st place 2nd place 3rd place

When the results for the state of Illinois have been published, I will report them.

Family Reading Night, 2010

2010-02-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

Due in large part to the efforts of Mrs. Walsh-Rock, the family reading night was a huge success. From the sign-in desk, to the snack table and raffle at the end of the evening, families of all types

moved from one book to another. They read a little bit of 12 different books and it sure seemed like there was something for everyone.

We had students from Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview, along with their parents and grandparents.

Every group that I asked had found at least one book that they really liked.

Excitement at Prairieview

2010-02-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

The event of the week for the I.M.C. staff, the specials team, and, very likely, for the students was the spelling bee. I know it was very important for the contestants, at least. After preliminary classroom and grade level bees, we had two participants from each grade at Prairieview and each grade at Lakeview. Along with six best friends from Lakeview and a tremendous number of parents as well as a few aunts, uncles, and grandparents, all of the students and teachers from Prairieview gathered in the gym on Thursday afternoon.
It took over a dozen rounds to determine the winner and runner-up. Per my instructions, the audience stayed quiet except for a round of applause after each round in the bee. It is no small feat for them to sit still and quiet for so long.
In the end, fifth grader Karina Kling won. She will represent us in the regional bee. The runner-up was a third grader named Robert Gasmen. He did a wonderful job.

ALA Award Winners

2010-01-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

The American Library Association posted tne 2010 winners for its many catagories of awards. I immediately added appropriate winners to my intended purchase lists, if they weren't already there.

Perhaps the most famous award is the Newbery. The winner and two of the runners-up are just right for the Prairieview Library.

The winner is When You Reach Me. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg are the two runners-up that work well for Prairieview.

The Caldecott Medal is also a very well-known award. It is given for the best illustrations. The winner and the two runners-up are both going to be added to the Elizabeth Ide collection.

The Lion & The Mouse was the winner, with All the World and Red Sings from Treetops qualifying as runners-up

Classes in the I.M.C.

2010-01-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

At Elizabeth Ide, we will spend the month of January reading Illinois Monarch Award nominees. The vote will take place early in February. This program is intended for Illinois students in kindergarten through third grade. A list of twenty books is nominated by an adult committee and then the children choose their favorites. It is a big boost to an author to have a nominated book.

Because of the testing at Prairieview, we spent the week reading aloud to the students. There were an amazing number of relieved faces on both students and teachers when I explained that we were taking a break from more serious lessons. The students can only focus in on so much important material in any given day. We will be reviewing genres of books for the next couple of weeks. This is a preparation for the Illinois testing.

Math-A-Thon Results at Elizabeth Ide

2010-01-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

In the recently completed Math-A-Thon, the students at Elizabeth Ide School helped themselves by practicing their math and helped the children at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, by raising funds. More than $4,000 was contributed by the sponsors of seventy of our students. All participants received a certificate of appreciation. Those who raised $35 or more received a free ticket for Six Flags and a T-shirt. Those who raised $75 or more received a backpack. Those who raised $125-$249 recieved their choice of a dartboard, basketball, pocket radio, headphones, or a 6-in-one game set. One student contributed between $250 and $499. She chose a pair of binoculars. The school received a plaque and a clock/thermometer.

The Math-A-Thon program makes it possible for St. Jude to treat patients regardless of a family's ability to pay. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance. No patient is denied treatment because of a family's inablility to pay.

December Holidays at Prairieview

2009-12-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Walsh-Rock has pulled and displayed a great assortment of December Holiday books. She has also included books set in the winter season.

The Prairieview students are even more excited about these books than the Elizabeth Ide students. They have a real knack for finding and borrowing the very best ones.

During this last week of school before winter break, I have been sharing many of these books duing my classes. Each student has received a "Chill Out and Read" bookmark as a holiday gift. I hope they will all find a reason to use the bookmarks before we see them again.

December Holidays at Elizabeth Ide

2009-12-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

Over the years, we have collected lots and lots of books about December holidays. Once again, Mrs. Drope has pulled them and displayed them in our library. The children are excited and almost everyone wants to borrow a holiday book.

Christmas stands out. Most of our students celebrate Christmas. Fortunately, there are many titles available for us to acquire. There are, however, a couple of other holidays to consider in December. This Friday is the beginning of Hanukkah. And then, there is Kwanzaa.

It is good for our students to know about these holidays. Many of the stories are pretty fun. I will be sharing some of them with the children during the last couple of weeks before winter break.

Thanksgiving, Food, Books, Fun

2009-11-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

Cooking and Thanksgiving go hand in hand. Sometimes, books surprise us. For example: The Little Witch's Thanksgiving Book has several kid appropriate recipes in it, along with crafts and other information. Then, there's the classic Cranberry Thanksgiving, which concludes with a wonderful recipe for cranberry bread. The cranberry bread has played vital role in the story. We have lots of cook books in our libraries. What a nice time to try them out with your children!

I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and a special family time during the coming week.

Classes at Prairieview

2009-11-16T06:04:00.000-08:00

The students at Prairieview have had an opportunity to use World Book Online. This site is provided by the district for all of our students. They are invited to use it at school and at home within the district. The site offers many features including four versions of the encyclopedia. These include World Book Kids, World Book Student, World Book Advanced, and Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos (for those who can read Spanish). This is an age-appropriate, reliable resource and we are glad to have it.

Our I.M.C. subject this year is dinosaurs, in reaction to the the wonderful exhibit that was at the Brookfield zoo this year. The students have all been asked to gather a little information from World Book Online. Third graders will now type a paragraph with a fancy title and an illustration. Fourth graders will make a short slide presentation. Fifth graders will organinze their information, using Inspiration.

Math-A-Thon 2009

2009-11-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

This week, we are launching our annual Math-A-Thon at Elizabeth Ide. This project helps our children to practice their math skills in a fun way. They recruit sponsors to support their work. Each sponsor donates money and we send all the money to St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. The daily operating cost for St. Jude is nearly $1.4 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions. Every dollar we donate makes a difference. Please consider supporting your children in this endeavor.

Illinois Grant Money

2009-10-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

For the last several years, we have applied for and received small grants from the state of Illinois. Given the state of the economy, it is good news that the grants for 08-09 came through. The number of dollars is not huge, but it does make a difference by allowing us to buy some extra books each year.

This year at Elizabeth Ide, we have ordered replacement copies of classics and old favorites. They are popular and popular books do get worn out because they circulate a lot. The children like them and, I think, we sometimes get parents or even grandparents interested. It is always a good idea to read to your children and to encourage them to read to you. Share the books!

At Prairieview, series books are very popular. Therefore, we used the grant money to fill in some gaps in our collection. Third, fourth, and fifth graders like to latch on to things that they

read. We like them to be reading as much as possible, so we accomodate their desires as we are able. Of course, we also encourage them to branch out. They are allowed to check three items at a time and they must choose three different things. It is good for them and good for the other patrons in the school. By the way, it doesn't hurt a bit to read to these middle grade students and to listen to them as they read to you. Some very good conversations may be generated.

What are we up to in class?

2009-10-23T06:39:00.001-07:00

Prairieview

We are well into our basic computer skill unit. Last week we concluded our introduction to keyboarding. It would be very helpful for the students if they practiced regularly. Please remind your children to use the home row position and to look at the screen as much as possible. They will need to keyboard a lot in their lives.

This week, we started on some other skills. The third and fourth graders are reviewing how to use Open Office Writer. The fifth graders started a tutorial on Inspiration.

Elizabeth Ide

Next Thursday afternoon we will have Halloween Parties and on Friday, there is a teachers' institute. I thought it would be a good idea to start sharing Halloween books with the students this week. It has not been hard to stimulate enthusiasm. So far, no one will admit to being scared. The books are just spooky enough for primary students.

The Library Catalog

2009-10-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

We have been using a program called L4U for the last several years for our circulation and our catalog. It has many handy features and we continue to learn new tricks that enable us to assist our patrons better.

This year we have embarked on a huge undertaking. We are labeling our collection in a more specific manner than we have

used in the past. This will be a great help in evaluating what is popular and useful in our collections. It will help us to recognize weaknesses.

The software enabled us to easily identify our non-fiction collection. The fiction collection is not so easy. We have to go through the collection item by item and update the loan type. This will take many hours, but it is not all bad. As I go through the titles, I become reacquainted with many items.

At the end of each month, we will evaluate the circulation statistics. As I make the adjustment for each item, each month's data will be more meaningful.

New Display at Prairieview

2009-10-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

We have been catching a lot of attention at Prairieview because of a new display. One of our students was kind enough to share his Eiffel Tower, made of Legos. Mrs. Walsh-Rock, the new assistant, seized the opportunity to display lots of books about the Eiffel Tower, Paris, and other remarkable buildings around the world.

If you are curious, come and see all of this. The tower is visible from the hallway. The BACC students, who spend time in the I.M.C. each day after school, have been asking me if I have seen the tower.

October at Elizabeth Ide

2009-10-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

As is her custom, Mrs. Drope has displayed the many books we have about Autumn and Halloween. She set them up on top of our bookcases on the first of October and they have been wildly popular.

The children are excited about pumpkins. I keep hearing stories about trips to pumpkin patches and growing things at home. It seems like a good idea to take advantage of their curiosity. So, I have included non-fiction books on pumpkins in my story times for both kindergarten and first grade this week. Do you know all the stages between seeds and full grown pumpkins?

Dinosaurs!

2009-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Dinosaurs Alive exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo is pretty astonishing. It inspired me to decorate both the Prairieview and Elizabeth Ide libraries with dinosuars to begin the school year. Dinosaurs have been popular with our students throughout my career. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to take your children over to the zoo for a visit. The special exhibit will be there through October. We have lots of books about dinosaurs.

Moving Along

2009-09-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

We will begin sharing some of our new titles and some old favorites with our kindergarten and first grade classes this week. This is an important, core activity at the Elizabeth Ide I.M.C. We do our best to encourage reading and it is fun for all of us. The second graders will join in when they have finished learning the basics for searching our catalog (another important skill).

At Prairieview, we have started our basic computer skills unit with the third, fourth, and fifth graders. In order to do almost anything on the computer, they will need to be able to keyboard. All three grades start out with keyboarding. It is important that they have good posture and use the home row position. Our software is designed for them to proceed at their own pace.

New Searchers and Award Introduction

2009-09-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

In the next few weeks, the second graders will be introduced to the procedure of searching at our computers to find out what we have available in our collection. This is a skill they will take with them throughout their lives as they use many, many different libraries.

The state of Illinois has awards for authors which are chosen by our school age children. Our third graders have been introduced to the nominees for the Monarch Award. This award is elected by kindergarteners through 3rd graders. The Elizabeth Ide children will hear about it later in the school year, closer to the election time.

The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award is elected by fourth through eighth graders. The fourth and fifth graders have been introduced to the nominees. The voting for both awards will take place in February.

We ask the children to check these books out at the public library if possible. We do not have the budget to provide more than a few copies of each book.

Welcome

2009-08-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

It is good to be back. The children are excited. We have some new books to share.

End of the Year

2009-06-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

As we finish up the 08-09 school year, I want to thank the many volunteers who have helped out at both the Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview libraries. You make our jobs easier.

We were lucky enough to have visitors from the Indian Prairie and Woodridge Public Libraries come and tell us about their summer reading programs. Please help your children participate in one of these programs. Go to the library where you have a card and join the fun. They have lots of fun and interesting books, programs, and PRIZES! If you are not in a specific library district, your children will be welcome to participate at Indian Prairie because they go to school in district 66.

Internet Safety

2009-04-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

It is Internet Safety Season in the I.M.C. Your children have had or will soon have some lessons on one or more of the following topics. The Cyber Community, Cyber Security, Personal Safety, Intellectual Property, and Predator Identification. All of the topics are covered at least once in grades kindergarten through fifth, when it is age appropriate.

Disney has a good site for families to share. Take a look at: http://home.disney.go.com/guestservices/safety

Statewide Results

2009-03-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

We now know the results across the state of Illinois for the Monarch Book Award and the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award. The students at both Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview are in sync with students across the state. Please check earlier blogs for our local results.

Statewide results are as follows. The first place winner of the 2009 Monarch Award is Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley. The first place winner of the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award is The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan.

Library Skills

2009-03-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

A very important part of my mission is to make my students independent users of libraries. To that end, we do lessons about the types of materials available and where to find them, the layout of the library, and how to use the online catalog. For kindergarteners, it may just be getting comfortable with the process of browsing, choosing, and checking out books. First graders can locate easy readers, fiction, and non-fiction. All second graders get individual lessons on the online catalog.

We also practice using particular reference materials once they have been located. Third graders are currently practicing the use of guide words. Fourth graders have answered questions about an encyclopedia article on hippos. Please ask them how big these creatures can get and what they eat. Fifth graders are learning to use the three indices in the World Almanac. They have a tendency to get distracted by the wide variety of information available. There is something for everyone and I enjoy watching them find something they are really interested in. Ultimately, I really hope they will find both what they need to know and what they want to know. It is also great when they wander into unknown material and end up really liking it.

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Results

2009-02-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

This award is determined by Illinois students in fourth grade through eighth grade. After having read at least three of the twenty nominees, each student votes for his or her one favorite. We have occasionally had one or two students who have read the entire list. We often have students who have read at least half of them. This year we had 136 students in fourth and fifth grades who were qualified to vote.

The first place winner at Prairieview was The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. In second place, we had Heat by Mike Lupica. Wolf Brother, by Michelle Paver, took third place. For the first time this year, our students used the computers to vote. We are able to set this up using our library automation software, L4U.

The third graders at Prairieview joined the Elizabeth Ide students, participating in the Monarch Book Award. Like the fourth and fifth graders, the third graders had the privilege of voting via computer. One hundred thirteen third graders were qualified to vote. The results for third grade reflect their slightly more sophisticated taste. In first place, we had Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald. Superhero ABC by Bob McLeod came in second and Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley was third.

Elizabeth Ide-Monarch Award Results

2009-02-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

The students at Elizabeth Ide voted for their favorite books on the 2009 Illinois Monarch Award list last week. Each student had to select one favorite from among the nominees which I had read to them.

The runaway winner was Once Upon a Cool Motorcyle Dude by Kevin O'Malley. A glimpse at the cover will help you to understand the wide appeal of this book.

We had a tie for second place between The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra and Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner.

Our children enjoyed this opportunity. It will be interesting to see if the Kindergarten through 3rd grade students across the state of Illinois agree with them.

Happy February Holidays!

2009-01-30T10:41:00.000-08:00

If the books displayed in our I.M.C. are any indication, February is a big holiday month. We have quite a variety of reading materials. Let's see--first comes Groundhog Day. The younger children are pretty interested in that. Unfortunately, the staff agrees that we will have six more weeks of winter, regardless.

In the middle of the month, we will celebrate Valentine's Day. Students of all ages seem to enjoy that.

Finally, the two famous presidents' birthdays come along. We will honor George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and all the other presidents with a school holiday on the 16th. There is plenty to read on this topic.

Math-a-Thon

2009-01-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to report that, despite the shaky economy, the children at Elizabeth Ide School raised almost three thousand dollars to help the sick children at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Our children got sponsors, did the math problems, and collected the pledged money from their sponsors.

This week, I have been distributing the prizes the children earned for participating in Math-A-Thon.

Illinois Book Awards

2009-01-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

At Elizabeth Ide, we are reading nominees for the 2009 Illinois Monarch Award during the month of January. These books are nominated by a panel of teachers and librarians, but the winner is determined by Illinois students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. We will hold our election in early February.

The fourth and fifth grade students at Prairieview have been encouraged to participate in determining the winner of the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award since the beginning of the school year. The voting for this award is open to Illinois students in fourth grade through eighth grade. The twenty nominees are determined each year by a panel of teachers and librarians. Voting for this award will also be held in February. To be eligible to vote, a student must have read at least three of the nominees.

Genre Month

2008-12-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

Although we discuss genre whenever possible, December is genre month at the Prairieview I.M.C. We have finished our basic computer skills course for the year and are now meeting back in the I.M.C. It is very nice to share books with the students. After consulting with the grade level teams, I address a different genre at each grade level each week. As a librarian, I feel this helps the students in two ways. First, they can identify what they already like and find more of it. Second, they and hear about and branch out to read new and different things.

Elizabeth Ide Math-a-Thon Results

2008-12-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last week, I had the privilege of adding up the money brought in by our Math-a-Thon participants. Even in this difficult economy, we were able to send almost $2,700 to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee. Our students and their sponsors did their part to help sick children. Every child who participated also had a chance to practice math skills in a fun way. The heroes in the picture on the left were there to encourage our children.

The certificates and prizes should be here for distribution in January. Many thanks to all those who assisted in this endeavor.

November 25, 2008

2008-11-25T07:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

When we return from our break, we will be displaying books about the December holidays.

At Elizabeth Ide, we will be sharing these holiday books.

At Prairieview, we will begin discussing and reading books of various genres.

Book Displays

2008-11-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition of displaying books to attract the attention of our patrons. Sometimes these displays are of books concerning special curricular topics or specific genres or seasonal or new books the library staff is excited about. We currently have fiction and non-fiction books about Thanksgiving on display in both the Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview I.M.C.s. I am happy to report that these books have been particularly popular. The students seem to agree with me that Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays.

Math-A-Thon 2008

2008-11-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

At Elizabeth Ide this week, we will be launching our math-a-thon. This is an opportunity for our students to practice their math skills in a fun way. They can also raise money to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennesee. Research at this place has made a huge difference for children with life-threatening diseases. We have been supporting this worthy cause for over twenty years.

2008-10-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

I meet with each class at Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview once a week. We do many different types of things in these classes.

At Prairieview, we have been working on computer skills for the last several weeks and will continue with this until about Thanksgiving. We began with work on Ultra-Key, our keyboarding program. This is a very important skill for students in this day and age. They will certainly need to be able to keyboard thoughout their schooling and almost everyone will need it in their jobs.

We will continue with some practice on looking up information online. This will focus on World Book Online, a very useful resource we have available in the district.

The Fifth graders are currently doing a tutorial on another useful resource we have called Inspiration. Fourth graders will soon be gathering information and pictures to put into a slide presentation. Third graders will prepare an illustrated Writer document.

At Elizabeth Ide, we concentrate more on story times. These early readers need exposure to lots of different books, covering different genres and different topics. We touch on Character Counts topics, holidays They get excited and then want to read, read, read. To encourage reading, parents can go a long way by reading to children, listening to children read to them, and reading in front of them. When they see that you value reading, they, too will value it.

Our second graders are learning to use our online catalog. We began with a presentation for the class as a group and are continuing with short private lessons for each child. You can look at our catalog by going to the district website, clicking on Elizabeth Ide, clicking on library, and then on IPAC.

I.M.C. Guidelines

2008-09-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Behavior—for the safety of all
No running.
No climbing.
No throwing.
Remember Character Counts in the I.M.C., too.

Book care—to keep our materials in good shape so everyone can share them
Check your hands to make sure they are clean and dry.
Keep library books away from food and drink.
Do not make any marks in books.
Do not tear pages. If a page gets torn, show it to the librarian. Do not try to repair it yourself.
Use a bookmark. Do not fold the corner of a page. It will tear off much sooner if you do. Don’t turn books upside down to save your place. It breaks the spine of the book and pages will soon fall out.
Keep library books away from small children and pets.
Carry books to and from school in your backpack.
Have a special safe place to keep library books at home so they don’t get damaged or misplaced.

Circulation—to keep materials available for everyone
Kindergarten students may check out one item at a time.
First and second grade students may check out two items at a time.
Prairieview students may check out three items at a time.
Reference materials may not be checked out and may only be taken out of the I.M.C. by special arrangement with a librarian.
Books are due in two weeks. At Prairieview, magazines are due in three days. However, students are encouraged to return them as soon as they have finished with them.
Return books in the return slot.
Return magazines in the wire baskets so they don’t get torn.
Lost and damaged materials must be paid for before more materials are checked out. The charge for books is $20.00. The charge for magazines is $4.00

Notes from the I.M.C.

2008-09-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Winners Read: Readers Win
We are reviewing rules and procedures during the first few classes at both Prairieview and Elizabeth Ide schools.
It is important for parents to know that our costs have gone up. Therefore if a book is lost or destroyed, the borrower will be charged $20.00. If a magazine is lost or destroyed, the borrower will be charged $4.00. Please help your children to take care of I.M.C. materials. It is important that food and drink containers in backpacks by tightly closed. It is helpful if food and drinks are kept in a seperate compartment of the backpack.

I.M.C. Notes, April 28, 2008

2008-04-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

2008 Monarch Award Winners

Over 131,000 Illinois K-3 children from 781 schools and libraries, including Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview, selected the following titles.

1st place

2nd place

3rd place

Official Statewide Results

2008-03-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award 2008

The official results have been posted. They are as follows:

1st place 2nd place 3rd place

For further information, please see www.rcyba.org

Winning books in District 66

2008-03-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

Statewide results for the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award and the Monarch Award are not in yet. When they are available, I will report them.We held our elections at both Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview during the month of February.

The c0nstant news of the primaries lends credence to the process here at school Winning these elections helps to sell many copies of the books. The children's votes are important and we tell them so.

Children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are invited to participate in the Monarch Award. The winners at Elizabeth Ide were Traction Man is Here in first place, Fancy Nancy in second place, and I Stink! in third place. The Prairieview third graders selected Bad Kitty in first place, If I Built a Car in second place, and Miss Daisy is Crazy!

Participation in the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award is open to students in 4th through 8th grades. Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders voted for The Old Willis Place in first place and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane in second place. Tied for third were Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie and The Penderwicks.

I.M.C. notes

2008-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

When we came back to school after the holiday break, I was greeted with the great news that $7,000 of Title I money was available for materials for the Prairieview I.M.C. This was a wonderful surprise!

Mrs. Warkentien and I put our heads together and decided to study our non-fiction collection. It was fun and empowering to know that we could give the collection a serious update. I also consulted with Mrs. Kucera about possible software purchases.

I am delighted to announce that we now have two new software site licenses and 230 new books. We are waiting until it is published for a set of the 2008 New Book of Knowledge.

Notes from the I.M.C.

2008-01-30T08:38:00.000-08:00

Please help our schools. We can turn in your used printer cartridges for recycling. This is a good way to be green.

We can also use your Campbell's Soup labels. We turn these in for various school supplies. So, if you are eating more soup in this cold weather, don't throw away the label. Send it to school.

Thanks for your help.

2008-01-14T07:11:00.000-08:00

Notes from the I.M.C.

Elizabeth Ide

This month in our I.M.C. classes, we are concentrating on books nominated for the Illinois Monarch Award 2008. This is a program which gives Illinois children in kindergarten through third grade the opportunity to choose and vote for their favorite book from the twenty nominees. The voting will take place in February.

Prairieview

We have started our internet safety program. The focus will be on cyber community citizenship, cyber bullying, predators, and cyber security. For parents who are interested in learning more about these topics, we recommend the following site:

http://www.netsmartz.org/netparents.htm

Circulation Information

2007-12-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Ide and Prairieview

How many? How long? How to renew? What are the fines?
Pre-school and kindergarten students may check out one item at a time.
1st and 2nd grade students may check out two items at a time.
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students may check out three items at a time.
All books are due in two weeks.
Magazines at Prairieview are due in three days.

We ask all students to return materials as soon as they have finished with them and the vast majority of the materials come back early.
There are no fines for late books.
To renew an item, the student must have it in the I.M.C.
Lost or damaged materials that can no longer be used must be paid for.
Hardcover books are $18.00 and magazines are $3.00.

Please help your students to keep our materials away from small children, pets, and all food and drink. This includes what is in the back pack. Make sure food and drink containers are tightly sealed.
Thank you.

News from the IMC

2007-11-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Ide- Last spring, we were able to acquire a number of audio books from AVID to add to our small collection. We have been experimenting with circulating these special items. It turns out that our reading specialists can make the best use of them. Therefore we transferred the collection to the reading specialists' classroom. Of course, our regular classroom teachers are still welcome to use them, as needed. It turns out to be a win-win situation.

At Prairieview, the situation with the audio books is a little different. It seems to be more advantageous to make them available for student circulation. We have a nice display rack available (a gift from AVID) and it is easy to allow the students to browse through the collection. If they remain popular, we will try to update the collection. Many of the existing audio books come on cassette tapes. As time goes by, we will add more CD's.

I.M.C. News, November, 2007

2007-11-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Ide-We are very pleased with the response to the Math-a-Thon. Many students have brought back their permission slips to participate. They have been given a workbook or a CD to use for practicing their math as well as an envelope. After finishing the problems, students should collect pledges from their sponsors in check form made out to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Please return the checks and the prize preference form in the envelope and we will forward them to the hospital. Thank you for helping your children to practice their math and supporting this worthy cause.

Prairieview- In an attempt to encourage reading and keep our students excited about books, this year we have been displaying Authors and Their Books on one of our bulletin boards. This display is updated monthly and features an author who has several books in our collection. We plan to choose highly-regarded authors, authors in the news, and old favorites who may be new to our current students. After the excitement of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the last in the Harry Potter series), our September author was J.K. Rowling. In October, we had Judy Blume and now we have Gary Paulsen, who was recently awarded the Chicago Tribune Young Adult Book Prize.

October 22, 2007 IMC News

2007-10-22T10:20:00.001-07:00

At Elizabeth Ide this week we are introducing the Math-A-Thon. This is a fund raiser for the St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital and at the same time great math skill practice for our students. Each student will have take-home packet explaining the program.

At Prairiview, students are in the midst of our computer class. We are learning OpenOffice skills, including creating and editing documents. Fourth and fifth grade students will soon be creating slide presentations.

Recommended reading:

Books on the Monarch List -- K-3

Books on Rebecca Caudill List -- Grades 4-9