The End of October!

This week in the Media Center for Kindergarten, we will continue to do the Second Step Assessment.  If I have not read "Martha Doesn't Say Sorry"  to your class yet, I will this week!  It was amazing when I read it to the classes last week.  They were spellbound!  Then we had a good discussion on when and why it's important to say sorry. We also practiced saying "It's OK!" when someone says sorry to you! (Martha DOES say sorry in the end!)
Other choices are: Too Many Pumpkins, Library Mouse, or Big Pumpkin (on Wednesday). 
I also have a little book to read with the kids, "What Will I Be?"  I can do this with your class if you would like as an activity.

For PreK this week I bought The Monster at the End of  This Book App for my iPad.  I would love to share it with your classes!  Other choices include: I Went Walking, or The Biggest Pumpkin Ever.

In Technology news, our technology committee is beginning the work on aligning our software to the Common Core Standards.  If you would like to help, you can!  You can contact any of us, to let us know what software you always use, and why.  Our committe is:  Megan Wilson, Nikki Kunde, Laura Bianchi, and myself.  We could really use some help with the Spanish software, any volunteers?
Also Donna has been hard at work getting our building all up to date!  We are very close to having all of the computers where they belong, and in good working order.  Be sure to let me know if you are having any computer problems!  Thanks!

Have a very (Happy Halloween) week!

 

Excitement in the Media Center!

This past weekend I attended the ISLMA conference.  That is, the Illinois School Library Media Association.  It was an amazing experience!  I learned so much and can't wait to do some new great things in the Media Center!  One thing that I am most excited about is, creating a space for Wonder.  It will be a center where kids can wonder about....whatever!  Be looking for this in the coming weeks...

In Technology news, our Dierzen tech committee will be meeting this week to begin to look for and evaluate software, websites, and apps that align to the Common Core Standards.  If you would like to make any suggestions, or would like to help us in this endeavor, let me know!  We will be meeting on Wed. October 23 after school.

For Kindergarten this week the choices are as follows:

1. Martha Never Says Sorry (to go with Second Step)
2. Too Many Pumpkins (life cycle of the pumpkin on the Smartboard)
3. Library Mouse (a mouse that writes books!)
4. The WorryWarts (Ww book)

If you would like any stories that I have done before that you feel your class has missed, just let me know! Thanks!

For PreK I have some choices this week, as I have noticed that some of you are doing different things. So here they are:

1. Barnyard Hullabaloo (farm)
2. A tree is nice (trees)
3. The Monster at the End of this Book (Second Step)

If you would like a different story, please let me know! Also PreK teachers, if you have not yet brought your iPad down to the Media Center, please do so as soon as possible. Thanks! I learned some new ways to keep track of them at the conference too!

 

Thanks for reading my blog and Have a great week!

 

This week in the Media Center

Kindergarten classes this week have many of the same choices.  If you would like me to read something else, please let me know.  The choices are:

1. The WorryWarts -Ww book
2. Rhyming Dust Bunnies-make dust bunnies
3. A Tree is Nice, Website on trees (or not) and class book.
4. Someday a Tree- a book about a family trying to save a tree

In view of the paper shortage, I am trying to come up with paper-less things to do in the Media Center.  I was thinking of using floor puzzles.  If you have any extra puzzles that you don't want, I would love to use them in the Media Center!  Thanks!

PreK classes have 2 choices this week, they are:  Leaf Man or Stuck in the Muck on the Smartboard (I hope it works this week!)

Just a word on technology,  if you are having a problem with your computers, please email me.  This way, I can check on it, then write a work order sooner.  It really helps if you use email because I won't remember if you tell me as I walk by!

Have a great week!

Columbus Day week

Technology news:
Donna, our tech, has been ill, so will not be with us this week.  If you have any computer issues, please let me know.  If I can't fix it, I will put in a work order.  If it is and emergency, I can call technology and someone will come fix it.  We hope Donna will be better SOON!
If you'd like to contact her, a phone call works best, or a card,  Believe it or not, she does not have internet at home!
Projectors:  If you have difficulty with the projector connecting to your laptop, try, pressing Fn F8.  Hold down the "Fn" key and then press F8.  It should first show only on the screen, then if you do it again, it should show on the monitor and the screen.  I have been noticing some problems with our projectors.  If this happens to you, please let me know exactly what happened so I can better fix it.  At the moment the one in the Reading Room won't go on at all!  But we are working on it!

For Kindergarten this week the choices are:
Fall is for Friends,
   Activity:  Leaf Rubbings
A Tree is Nice,
   Activity:  Class book, and Tree Website
Rhyming Dust Bunnies
   Activity:  Make Dust Bunnies
The WorryWarts
   Activity:  Ww work

Also as part of my Professional Growth Plan, I will be working on Research in Kindergarten.  I hope to meet with a different PLC team each month so we can collaborate on what we should research.  I don't want to make this a burden on anyone, so I will work to fit it into your class's program.  Most of what I'll be doing will happen in the Media Center but, there may be some things you will need to do in your classroom as well.  This is a very exciting part of the Common Core Standards!  I am looking forward to working with all of you!

For PreK this week we have 2 choices:
A Fall Book
Yuck! Stuck in the Muck!-on my iPad and the Smartboard.

If you are reading this blog right now, I thank you so much!!  You fill my bucket!

Have a great week!