2007 New Years Resolution Completed!

Ok...so this doesn't have anything to do w/ libraries, but today I completed my 2007 New Year's Resolution. I resolved to walk at least a mile every day....and I did, all 365 of them. I wish I could report that I've lost a lot of weight, but I only lost 9 lbs. over the year. I walked in snow, sleet, rain, wind, humidity, almost every type of weather. I do feel better though and I have a sense of accomplishment.

So for 2008, I'm re-upping my resolution. I'm adding that I'd like to average 30 min./per day during the course of a week.

CLP Lesson Observation

Our study group met at Westgate Elementary in the Afternoon of Dec. 12. We had the opportunity to see Teresa Wittman, WGE Librarian, teach lessons to 2 classes that focused on inferring and questioning (top photo). This tied into our work w/
"Strategies that Work." She used really appealing literature ("Eggs" and "Black Whiteness"). After her lessons, the group had a discussion (lower photo) about the lessons and strategies she used. We also asked questions about teaching inferring/questioning. Maggie Conners, from Teaching & Learning Dept., led the discussion. The insights from everyone was great. I learned a lot today.

Edmonds District Librarian's Meeting @ LDE

The librarians in the district met at Lynndale Elementary on Thur., Dec. 11. The library is the "home" of Kris Galante, former WCCPBA chair. It's always fun to visit Kris' library because it is so warm and friendly. She always has great books on display. We discussed some really important topics.

Book Repair: John Marino lead a discussion on book repair tips. I was amazed at how talented everyone was. Most of my damaged books become discards, because I figure the time & cost of supplies wasn't worth saving the book. I learned how to repair ripped pages, pre-cover paperbacks, and reinforce spines. Now I have to try some of the ideas.

Reading Promotion: Kris told us about a family reading program she has done at her school. It's inspired me to think about doing something this spring. It's been a few years since I've done "Books for Breakfast."

Asst. Supt: Our Assistant Supt. for Teaching & Learning, Tony Byrd, introduced himself and fielded questions about assessments, textbook adoption, and curriculum.

PSC December Meeting

The December meeting of the Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's Literature (PSC) was held at the UW-Bothell. PSC usually meets the 1st Thursday of each month during the school year. It's great to see books from so many different publishers (see photo). There's something about touching the books and browsing through them. I also enjoyed listening to the many oral reviews. It's great to get local perspective on the books and the banter about some of them really helps me make purchasing decisions. PSC is a time where I can focus on books for kids without interruption!

To be honest, I forgot to bring my written reviews for December, so I'll have to bring them next month. I also took 10 more "written" books to review (PSC books are labeled "oral" or "written." Oral books are presented at the next meeting, all book reviews are in the mailer). I've got some work to do before the January 10th meeting.

MRSA Presentation

A couple of years ago at my Group Health medical center council meeting we had a guest speaker who talked about MRSA and prevention. I figured that, since MRSA has been in the news, I'd schedule her to speak in the library for my staff. Considering it was an "optional" meeting for staff we had a great turn-out (18 people). Eileen Bradshaw, Infection Control Practitioner told us: how MRSA is spread, what it looks like, why we should be concerned, and proper hand-washing (she told us about a funny video on the topic: video link). We did an activity where "fake" germs were spread by shaking hands and then we used black light to see them. She also checked our hands after washing them. It was a fun 1/2 hour.

It was nice to host a program in the library for the staff. Sometimes we are so student focused we forget that helping the staff helps the students. I had one teacher comment that it was great to come to a meeting that was actually informative and interesting! I heard several conversations about proper hygiene throughout the day. Even though the focus was on MRSA, I think that the focus on hand-washing will reduce the colds and flu in our building this year.

Some notes of things I learned: Make sure the presentation is about a topic that the staff has some kind of information need (I had talked it up, and made a fun flyer), make sure that any staff members whose job is related to the topic is on board (I forgot to get the school nurse in the loop early and had to backtrack a bit to make her feel comfortable), have door prizes (I gave away some hand sanitizer).

I felt pretty good about the event and I think I'll try to find another interesting topic to bring to the staff next year. Any ideas?