Welcome to a new year in the Media Center!  

Each week I will post important information on what is happening in the Media Center.

This week I am beginning a new program.  It is called "The Golden Shelf Elf Award!"  I have just read a book to all Kindergarten classes about an elf, named Skeeter, who lives in the library.  He is working hard at making the library a wonderful place.  The children can help by following a few rules:

1. Use a Shelf Marker.
2. Return your books when they are due.
3. Keep your books clean and neat.
4. Use a book mark to save your place.
5. Turn the pages carefully.
6. Keep your books safe.
7. Use a quiet voice in the library.

If all of the books from your class come back on time, or your class has done an especially good job in the media center, you will get to hang "The Golden Shelf Elf Award" outside your classroom for the week.  And I will post it on this blog!  I will be telling all the classes about this award this week.

The Kindergarten children will be hearing a book, What Happened to Marion's Book? by Brook Berg.  It is about a hedgehog who loves books, but ruins a library book.  She tries many things to fix it, but in the end she must pay for the book.  The children will also learn how to use KidPix this week, and yes, they will be on the computers!

The PreK children will be hearing a book, We're Going on a Book Hunt by Pat Miller.  They will then get to check out a book.  Please let me know if you have not seen the new schedule.

As we get farther into the year, I will be asking you to let me know what you are doing in your classroom.  I really enjoy finding books to read that relate to what is going on in your class!

Any questions or comments, please email me!  ncain@wcusd200.org

Have a great week!

Last post of the year!

Last minute details!

Please make sure you turn in all of your items to the Media Center on or BEFORE Wednesday, May 22nd!
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I have three stations set up for the laptops, and iPads:  

1. For those teaching Summer school, or working over the summer
2. For those who want to come back and pick up their iPad and/or laptop, June 18th.  (Please remember you cannot leave it in your classroom over the summer.)
3. For those who want to leave them here until August.

No matter what your category, your laptop and iPad must be turned in on Wednesday.

If you are moving your classroom, I need ALL of the items on your list.  We are keeping them all separate in the Media Center, so you will get your own things back.  

I went around to all of the classrooms over the weekend and did an inventory on all the items I could find.  I will contact you personally if I couldn't find something.

Please look through all of your books, if it has a bar code on it, it needs to come back to the library.  We have quite a few library books still out.

Lastly, I want to thank you for a great year!  I always enjoy working with all of you!  For those who are leaving I wish you all the best of everything, and I will miss you!  For everyone else, I will see you in August!

Have a great summer!

Coming down to the Wire!

The Chicks are finally here!! 

We have 5 chicks in the brooder box.  There are still 2 in the incubator trying to come out.  They will be here all week so all classes will get a chance to see them!  If anyone asks, I think the reason they were so late was because the incubator was too cool.  I'm afraid that my thermometer didn't show the correct temperature.  Better luck next year!

This is the last full week that the children will come to library.  The last books have been checked out, and we will be looking forward to seeing them all returned!  All student books are due no later than May 14th.  Overdue notices will come out this week.  I will also be sending home a note about Library at the end of the year.  We will hand it out during library time.  
Next week (May 13-17) we will have an abbreviated schedule.  This means that PreK will not come to the library and Kindergarten will come for less time and at different times.  I will be meeting with Tricia to finalize a schedule that I think will work.  As soon as the schedule is finalized, we will send it to you via email.

For our Kindergarten friends, we will have the Second Step assessment this week.  I will also read Library Lion and if we have time, we'll do a paper about our favorite Media Center activities.

For our PreK friends, I will be reading Dora's Chicks, or an Eric Carle book about bugs.  I have The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, The  Very Lonely Firefly, and The Very Quiet Cricket. These all have a special surprise at the end of the book!  I will have them on hand, so just tell me which one you would like when you come!

Have a great teacher appreciation week!  I appreciate all of you!

Important Information!

This post is full of important information!!

This is the LAST week of student check-out.  Next week, you will still come at your usual time, but your students won't check out books.  For PreK (next week) I will just read them a story. 

 ALL STUDENT BOOKS ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE MAY 14TH.  Please help us get those books back!  I will be sending out over due notices at the end of this week.
All staff materials are due May 17th.  I will print a list of the items that you have out.  There will  be more details on this as the time comes closer.  There are certain items I do not want back, but need to keep track of.  

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Media Center time will again be in the STAR WING due to Aimsweb math testing.  I have a movie all set up for you to watch while your children are being tested.  Please watch your children carefully!  Last week we had some problems with things being used by the children that shouldn't have been.  Also someone wrote on the Smartboard with a marker.  
Thursday and Friday will be back in the Media Center.

The Chicks should hatch on or about Tuesday this week!  If you are in the Media Center for testing, please help me out by making sure the children are careful around the incubator and the brooder box.  The light on the box is HOT, so make sure they don't touch it!  The children get very excited about the chicks!  So please monitor how many students are at the incubator at a time, to minimize pushing and shoving.

This week for Kindergarten I will be reading Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett.  We will also watch Jan drawing a chick and try it ourselves!

For PreK, I really will read Dora's Chicks.  I'm afraid Mama Hen has flown the coop!  She's not at home nor at school...oh well.

Have a great week!

Things are a Changing!

Please note that Monday and Tuesday Library will be in the STAR WING!  Then, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be the Kindergarten Fine Arts Program, and library will be back in the MEDIA CENTER.  What a busy week!

For Kindergarten, I will be reading a non-fiction book about Chickens, and we will be viewing "See How they Grow" video about chickens.  It shows how they hatch and grow and eat, etc.!  If your class is seeing me in the Media Center, we will be learning how to play Type to Learn Jr.  If they are seeing me in the Star Wing, we will be using the minis.  If anyone could spare their iPad, I could use them as well. Please?

For PreK, I am unable to read Mama Hen because I can't find her!  I'm hoping she will turn up sometime before the chicks hatch!  So this week I will read Dora's Chicks or The Egg in the Hole Book.

Next week, April 29-May 3 will be the last week of book check-out for the students.  All student books will be due on May 14th.  This date is set by District 200 as well as the closure of the library May 15th.  Tricia and I are still working on a schedule for that week, so you will still get some of your library planning time.

Have a great week!

Career Week!

Looks like another busy week at Verda Dierzen ELC!  This week for Kindergarten I will read The Enormous Egg or Chickens by Gail Gibbons.  I also have a Smartboard activity about careers.  In addition to this, I have an "egg sort."  A wise teacher once told me that by having children do sorts, you can raise their IQs! !I found that very interesting!

For PreK I will be reading Mama Hen and we will see Mama Hen lay some eggs!

In Technology news, Donna has been able to fix Type to Learn Jr.  I am considering teaching this in the Media Center.  Let me know if this is something you would like your students to learn.

Have a great week!

Busy times at VDELC!

The eggs are coming, the eggs are coming!! 

I will pick up and "set" the eggs on Tuesday morning.  Then, hopefully, in 21 days we will have chicks in the Media Center!  That means that this week I will be reading Chickens Aren't the Only Ones by Ruth Heller to the Kindergarten classes, and An Egg is Quiet to the PreK classes.  If this doesn't work for you, please let me know!  I am also going to have the Kindergarten children do some thinking and writing about oviparous animals.

Technology:
If you would like to get your email, and take attendance on one of your desktop computers, please let me know!  We need to let the technology department know that the "Steady State" transition has not been a smooth one.  I was under the impression that it was not to be on teacher stations, but this is not the case.  I have also learned that the "Home page" for internet explorer is no longer set to the library page. If there is anything else you are noticing about your computers please let me know!  It has not been put on the Media Center computers as yet, but I expect this to happen this week.  I will take any and all concerns to the technology department.

I'm looking forward to a busy, fun-filled April!