Pep Rally

The Friday before our February break always includes an afternoon pep rally. This year was no exception. Because it was also Valentine's Day, we departed a bit from promoting the wearing of our school colors, and encouraged students and staff to wear pink, white or red. Our pep rallies are often linked to our curriculum in some way and are very activity-oriented. This pep rally began with some male teachers shaving their heads and/or facial hair as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. Afterwards, students were involved in friendly team competitions such as a Stacked Hearts Relay or a Snowball Toss. Cheering for friends can be heard way down the hall. For those students who have issues with loud, noisy environments, the library is

open. Over the past few years, more and more students have opted to spend their time in the library rather than the pep rally. The problem is. . .after a short period of time, due to the increase in numbers of students, the library is no longer a quiet refuge from the noise. Hmmmm... need to work on that.

Snowy Day!

It was snowing when my alarm woke me at 5 a.m. this morning. After two consecutive snow days last week, followed by the weekend, I was more than ready to head back to school to review content with my middle school students and to re-connect with colleagues. But, this winter weather was relentless. When my cell phone rang at about 5:15 a.m., Andy, our districts' Director of Transportation and one of my favorite voices to hear first thing on a snowy morning, announced that our schools would have a two-hour delay. This gave me an opportunity to finish reading the book I started last week and to do some cleaning that didn't get done over the weekend. The drive to school was a bit slower than usual and I arrived just before our students. The library was in full swing this morning! Lots of students were returning books and looking for recommendations for their next books. When my first group of students arrived, I took the opportunity to share with them a few more online resources they could use for research. Previously, I shared some subscription databases and demonstrated for them how to create their own accounts. Today, one of the free databases that I introduced them to was Digital Maine Library. Check it out. One of the most relevant and useful databases to be found in this vast collection is Novelist K-8. According to their description, it is "Created especially for children and the adults who work with them. It helps kids find books that are just right for their reading level and interests. Parents, teachers, and librarians can also find tools to teach with books and engage young readers." When students don't know what book they want to read next, they may experience a lag time in their reading or give up all together. I use this great tool often to show students how they can independently look for their next great book to read.