What's up in the library? 2014-2015

Highlights of the 1st grading period

  • Over the summer, Ms. Best and Mrs. Erwin rearranged the entire library! There is now a Juvenile Fiction section of smaller chapter books; all of the non-fiction is together; and the shelves are spaced to create more open areas and seating for the primary grades near the SMART board.
  • In June, the librarians joined Mrs. Trent, Mrs. Maki, and several other teachers as we explored the International Society for Technology in Education convention in Atlanta, GA. They were inspired by educators and leaders from around the globe who are transforming learning with technologically enhanced methods. 
  • Thank you for supporting the library's annual fundraiser, the magazine drive. Your generous support allows us to bring great materials and services to the entire school.
  • Both of the SHCS librarians are on the Volunteer State Book Award committee this year. They will help select the nominees for the 2016-2017 school year. Students who read 3 of the nominees each year can vote to select the winner.
  • AR Home Connect changed web addresses over the summer. Click the link or the "For Parents" page to access the new link. You can set up email alerts to know when your child takes any AR quizzes.

Ms. Best and Mrs. Erwin enjoy reading and recommending great books for our students. Here are some of their recent favorites:

Highlights of the 2nd grading period 2014-2015

  • Thank you for your support of the Scholastic Book Fair! We are looking forward to a big order of new books when we return in January.
  • We've been adding lots of new eBooks! We will send information home in January, but in the meantime you can read the books in Destiny. Go to Destiny and look in the "Resource Lists" box. Click on Public Lists and find the list named "Interactive eBooks." Scroll through the list and click on any you want to read. Click "OPEN" and you can read it on any browser! Most will also read aloud to you if you want.
  • Keep watching the walls for the AR Passports to reading. We already have students with over 500 AR points for the school year! I wonder how many points we'll all read this year?
  • Did you know the library teaches about how to be a good citizen online? Good digital citizenship helps us all be safe and responsible members of the online community. Parents, Common Sense Media is a great resource for more information.

Ms. Best and Mrs. Erwin enjoy reading and recommending great books for our students. Here are some of their recent favorites:

Highlights of the 3rd grading period

  • Our students had so much fun learning about research with Heather Montgomery! Heather brought natural artifacts to inspire curiosity and guided the students through the process of asking questions and wondering about the world around them. 
  • Our fiction section is now grouped by genres: realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery. The students study literature genres in almost every grade, so this arrangement supports teaching and learning. It also helps kids find their favorite kind of books faster.
  • Lent gave us all the opportunity to participate in the #40daysofkindness challenge. Check out the library's Instagram feed for some of our contributions. 
  • To help our kids learn more about current events, the library has begun using Time for Kids for occasional lessons. The students have really enjoyed learning about identity theft, traumatic brain injury, and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
Ms. Best and Mrs. Erwin enjoy reading and recommending great books for our students. Here are some of their recent favorites:

What's up in the library? ~ 2013-14

Highlights of the 1st grading period 

~ Our updated library website establishes a connection to the students, parents, and community, and goes beyond the basic library instruction. This site allows users to discover new books and find resources for homework.
~ Funds from last year's magazine sale allowed the library to upgrade to Accelerated Reader Enterprise. Students now have access to over 140,000 quizzes, and parents can track their child's progress using Home Connect
~ Magazine Sale - Thanks to all who participated and supported the library by ordering and selling magazines.  The library will add many new materials and upgrades to systems using the proceeds from this fundraiser.  

~ We have introduced the Volunteer State Book Award (VSBA) to the students. Anyone who reads at least 3 books may vote for their favorite. Our classes will vote in March and the statewide winners will be announced in April.   
K-2 students read many of the titles on their summer reading lists. 3-8 students were introduced to the titles during Mrs. Erwin and Ms. Best's book talks this quarter.  
Click here for a list of the nominees, or ask the librarians.

Library Management

~ Mrs. Erwin is excited to join the Sacred Heart Cathedral School family as middle school librarian and technology instructor. She is a parishioner and a parent of two Sacred Heart students. She looks forward to sharing her love of children's literature with the students. 
~ Make sure to browse the New Books page to see the new things in the library!

Volunteers
The library is very thankful for the many parents and Middle School students who give their time and talent to help in the library. Volunteers have helped with shelving, processing new books, and even creating a bulletin board.

Professional Development
Tennessee Electronic Library - Train the Trainer, July 2013 (Mrs. Erwin)
Tennessee Association of School Librarians Conference, Oct 3-5, 2013 (Ms. Best & Mrs. Erwin)

Library Statistics

The Sacred Heart Cathedral School library owns 25,797 items for circulation. That yields about 39 items per student. 
The library circulates about 2100 items per month.

Mrs. Erwin and Ms. Best read many books to keep up with the latest and greatest in children and young adult literature.  Here are some recently published books that they highly recommend (click on the book to read more about the books):

Highlights of the 2nd grading period 2013-2014

~ Students in grades 3-8 participated in a Mock Caldecott. They evaluated new picture books to determine how well the artistic elements supported the literary elements for the audience. We'll find out in January if our predictions are correct.
~ Come browse the new arrangement of the non-fiction shelves. Ms. Best and Mrs. Erwin moved all the books lower so most students can reach them. The top shelf will be used to display awesome books.
~ Make sure to browse the New Books page to see the new things in the library! We've added several hundred new books this school year!
~ Students will now be recognized in the library for their achievement in Accelerated Reader. As students accumulate points through the school year, they will earn a "Reading Passport" which will let them travel to various literary destinations in the library. We already have 4 students with more than 250 points for the year! Stop in to find out more.
~ In December we said goodbye to our old catalog, Athena, and introduced Destiny Quest. The students have been so delighted with the upgrades. Searches now show book covers and much more information about the books. Users can make reading lists, review books, and recommend books to other students. We will be teaching the students how to use more features as the semester begins.
Mrs. Erwin and Ms. Best read many books to keep up with the latest and greatest in children and young adult literature.  Here are some recently published books that they highly recommend:

Highlights of 3rd grading period 2013-2014

  • Our Book Fair was a great success! Thank you to the families who shopped, and the parents and teachers who helped. The students learned about great new books and the library will add many wonderful new books and resources thanks to the funds raised.
  • The Youth Media Awards were announced. Locomotive by Brian Floca won the prestigious Caldecott Medal. One group in Mrs. McCarter's 6th grade literature class predicted that winner. 
  • The new Destiny library catalog has benefitted students in all grades. Students from every level share book reviews and recommendations with their peers, which creates a wonderful conversation and culture of readers. And students with research projects appreciate the integrated, high quality web resources and simplified bibliography access. We loved hearing their murmurs of amazement when we revealed those tools during training sessions! 
  • Award winning author Chris Barton spoke with all of the students at Sacred Heart in February. He talked about the writing process, research, and inspiration. After school, he met with a group of teachers to share ways to inspire student writers.
  • The library began providing the Discovery Education/United Streaming database for teacher use. This database not only gives teachers instant access to videos across the curriculum, but also provides a "vast number of additional classroom instruction opportunities... such as virtual experiences, compelling Discovery talent, free lesson plans and materials, and a variety of contests and challenges."
  • The librarians selected 390 new titles to add to the collection, including some e-books.
  • It's March Madness time in the library! The students are having heated debates about which book genres are the best. The battle is playing out in a bracket on the bulletin board. 
  • Former SHCS librarian and storyteller Shirley Nicholson visited many classes to share traditional Irish tales in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
Mrs. Erwin and Ms. Best read many books to keep up with the latest and greatest in children and young adult literature.  Here are some recently published books that they highly recommend:

Highlights of 4th grading period 2013-2014

  • The students of Sacred Heart earned 38,035 Accelerated Reader points this school year! Congratulations on this amazing achievement. 
  • 43 students earned over 200 points for the year!  This includes students in 2nd grade and up.
  • Middle School students celebrated National Poetry Month by writing parody poems of William Carlos Williams's poem This Is Just To Say. Students wrote false apology poems on behalf of their favorite literary characters.
  • Students in the primary grades learned about the characteristics of fairy tales and explored the topics through a series of library centers. 
  • A librarian from Knox County Public Library visited the primary grades to encourage their participation in the summer reading program. KCPL offers prizes to readers of all ages - even adults. Sign up at your branch or online.

Instead of the usual recommendations, we present the top 5 circulating books in several categories.
We hope that you have enjoyed our website this year! We have averaged over 200 hits per day on school days, and about 45 per day on weekends and holidays. If you have any suggestions or comments, we welcome them below. 

Enjoy your summer!
Ms. Best & Mrs. Erwin