More Check Outs

Lots more check outs today, but only got horribly backed up twice, I think! Had my aides shift more shelves, got a new aide today! That was nice! Packed up the Dangerous Days of Daniel X, they are off to be used at Stephens for a couple of weeks, then off to their new homes. Checked out spanish texts and workbooks and more math. Lots of library books and even stamped them with a due date, yeah! Got that going! Had to find which student has which book, so I worked on that until I had them for Ms. B. Then Mr. C called and we worked with a report that he had made and that will work perfectly for the next time I need it! Got in the Algebra Connections books for Ms. T and will see how she wants to handle that. Class sets, or shared books. Not sure yet, but at least we now have copies.    Straightened things up a bit at the end since there was to be a staff meeting in here this afternoon, so I got to listen in a bit. Things are moving along, and got all the spanish books off more library shelves, so very happy about that! Had kids in during lunch. Not for long since they eat first, but great to have them come in and look around and check out books. I'm sure we'll settle into a routine soon enough!

Best Assistant of the Week

Huge busy check out day, and it took a long time! But luckily I had Ms. S in with her classes and with a 30 second intro, she checked out almost all her classes today for library books while I was doing the textbooks. I was so impressed! Sent off a kudo email to office peeps to thank her for being a library assistant for the day! Had my aides work on shifting shelves, and they're doing a great job. Sent in the invoice for the new sensitizer, so hopefully that will come soon! Busy getting books checked out and I absolutely love that our Language Art teachers all bring their classes in to check out books. It's amazing! Love to see the books heading out the door!

Checking Out

Lots of checking out today. Had in five classes to listen to my little library spiel and then set them loose to look for books. Checked out over 100 library books today and about 40 textbooks. Had a few kids very disappointed that I wouldn't check out to them because they still had books out from last year. A lot said 'yeah, I have that at home.' So I told them I'd hold the books for them and if they brought them back tomorrow, they could check out. Covered the last of the summer book order so I could put more new books on the rack, it was getting pretty empty and started my new book order list for the 19th. Got in some Algebra books so the teacher finally has her materials and a student book. More books to come! Had a bunch of study hall kids come in and told them they needed to sign in. Did more checking on the resensitizer wand, sent off some Spanish math books and 80 The Giver books as well. A couple of books that ended up here and needed to go back home, sent those off as well. Had some kids pop in during lunch, and I told them 'Not until Monday!' and sent them back. Glad to see their excitement. A busy good day.

Perfect Day

What a great day at work! All the kids were back today, I got to check out a few books! Fabulous news! Came in and loaded paper in the printer and copier machine. A teacher came in and asked if I had her books ready, and I had sent her an email right before I left yesterday that they were here and all ready to go! She was impressed! Put together the rest of the lab/library sign up sheets. I had a bunch of the lab sign up sheets, so I just turned them over and used the other side to print up the other. Before, they had two colors (nice!) but only printed on one side, so I thought this was more efficient and a better use of paper. Turned out good! I also looked up all the 6th grade lit resources boxes I had sent away yesterday and called LMSS and gave them the numbers to delete from my inventory. Then I contacted the lady who picked them up yesterday and she said to send the extra books in the mail, so I did that. I had kids in the library this morning! One gal who will normally be at South, then a boy who also has classes at South. So nice! Then I had an aide! Yeah! I had her look for missing books. And another aide at the end of the day! He looked for missing books as well. I also had him pull books and sort them for me and he did a great job. Had a  teacher come in and needed the health books. We looked in the front textbook room, then the back. Then the staff room shelves (most of the social studies are there) and then the cookie room shelves. We went back to the back room and she looked at shelves as I poked around, and something clicked in my head from putting away a 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens yesterday, and pulled away this rolling shelf type cart and there were the Health books. I was so relieved! Checked all that out to the teacher. Emailed Mrs. H and told her about the sensitizer and she said her old school, Houck, had a 'wand' that they would pass over the books to resensitize them, so I looked that up, and there it was and about $400 less than the one I was looking at! Huzzah! I sent the link to Mr. C to ask his opinion, but I think I'll pick that one. Called and got a quote for the other one and strips, so we'll continue that tomorrow. Took my books we had gotten in over the summer and stamped them and packed them up to send to LMSS for processing. Sent some instructions to a teacher that will hopefully will print a larger size for her chart she had. Found my M drive and SASI, so that makes me happy. The computer teacher next door needed some info, I ended up just calling upstairs o get it, but now I hope I can access SASI tomorrow after technology gets me a new password. Our principal came in at the end of the day and told me that he would approve the funds for the rest of my sensitizer! I told him I loved him. That will be a big expense and I truly appreciate him stepping up to make that happen and leave my budget for books. Wow! That was unexpected and I am grateful! We have the algebra books on their way and I met with Mrs. H tonight and we traded books. I had her Book of Kells I had borrowed back in March and worked on repairing. I had finally finished it so I gave that back and she brought me in the teacher resources for the algebra books so I can give that to the teacher tomorrow. What a perfect day!

Shove, shove

Today I worked on cleaning stuff up. It will take awhile, but as I was putting boxes away for the new English curriculum, a lady came in and took them for teachers in other buildings who needed them. Then, of course, I opened mail finally this afternoon and there were books in the mail that belong to the boxes! I've had them all about a week, argh! Deleted a ton of emails from last June and over the summer. Really needed to clean that up. Had a teacher come in looking for Go Ask Alice, and we didn't have a copy of that, so I suggested Crank, which we do have a copy of and she took it with her.  A better pick for this generation too I thought. Took a bunch of teacher resources from 2000 and put them in the cookie room (used to be a textbook room!). Cleaned a cart off of stuff that a teacher had cleaned out her classroom. Sorted through and kept some, the others went in the surplus box. Still no CPM math books!! Frustrating for teachers and me. Had another teacher looking for an 8th grade lit book and found some in the back. She was happy about that. Checked out books to teachers. The copier kept running out of paper, I put at least 4 reams of paper in it today. Didn't really see any kids today, but they were there. Tomorrow everyone comes back, so it'll be crazy!

And on the Fourth Day...

Ready for some R&R! Got all my new hardbacks out on the rolling rack and up on the bookshelves today. Displayed other interesting looking to me books and really am liking how it looks. Still looking for the remagnetizer! Got more textbooks off the shelf so I now have three whole shelves with books displayed! So excited! Had a meeting at 10:00 for the classified staff and got to leave after we did our posters. Then I sent out a message that I'd laminate today and got in a bunch of stuff to do this afternoon. Had a potluck lunch and that was nice to sit with everyone and talk. Then a meeting until 3 this afternoon. We discussed lots of things and also we did some team building stuff. It was fun. Then we talked in the afternoon about emergency plans with our police liaison area. Then I went back to the library and got to talk with the former LMA and she let me know that they didn't have a demagnetizer! It was probably loaned to another school years ago. They haven't stripped books in five years she thinks. That would be a huge job to find all the books that need to be stripped. Wow. Took me about half an hour to laminate the jobs that came in and closed windows, turned off lights and headed out. Four day weekend! 6th graders start Tuesday! 

Algebra Kerfluffle

Had our first LMSS meeting today, but not before I found out that we are supposed to have Algebra Connections books from South HS. South sent all of theirs to Judson. So I contacted some people and hopefully tomorrow we will have an answer and some math books! Sent out a call to the old LMA to see if we have a book remagnetizer. I have a demagnetizer, but no way to put the charge back on. Or else I haven't found it yet. Got all Mr. O's books checked out, he does a lot of different classes. Found a whole box and a bit more of books that should have been sent to Crossler. Checked out another class set to a social studies teacher. Got some materials for a lady who is homeschooling her son. Sent out a "Five Finger Check Out" notice. Mr. O came in and just took his little English boxes, so I had to ask him to bring them back. Left about 9 for the LMSS meeting over at McKay. It was supposed to end at 11:30, but really didn't end until about 12:15ish. I had to talk with peeps about our magnetizer, tattle strips, OBOB (Oregon Battle of the Books) - will be getting a poster and some bookmarks for that! Yeah! I have a teacher interested in it this year. Went over new book buying procedures and we all had some concerns that we won't be able to look at prices anymore. That will make it hard to build a list, if we want to spend $500, we'll have to kind of guess on what makes that. We can take a list price and take our district discount to that, but it'll still be a lot harder than what it was. After the meeting, since we rarely get any time together, a lot of us ended up at Chipotle to just relax over lunch, then back to work. Had a teacher in the staff workroom ask me to replace the toner in the copier machine, so I poked into a cabinet, found the toner, and changed the drum. Pretty easy with the instructions on the machine. Tried to help a teacher with her computer, and she ended up having to go to the vice principal and found a way to do it. Good for her! Library looks better every day, but the disorganization is killing me - ugh! Stuff is literally all over the place. I need order! Order! That will take me all year I'm guessing.

Don't Know My Own Strength

Today I went in and changed out the textbooks for a teacher. I had decided to give him the new ones, and right before I left last night he requested the old, so I changed that for him. Got the rest of the new Language Arts curriculum unboxed and ready for them to pick up. Then they had a big meeting in the library all morning, and I got to speak! Yeah! Though I forgot a couple of things, my book (If I Stay) and that I had computer use sheets ready to go for the month. Oh well! After they all left I boxed up the other old social study books in the boxes from the Language Arts, worked out about perfect! Opened up the window blinds and pulled one right out of the ceiling - whoops! Don't know my own strength. Our custodian came and fixed it. He is a very kind fellow. I washed off all the tables and the shelves under the windows. I must say there were a lot of little dead bug bodies by the windows, and spider webs. Helped a teacher with a flash drive, to put her lesson plans on the Q: drive. Checked out math calculators. Checked out a set of the 7th grade Language Arts materials. They did a new thing. They are in sets, so you scan the barcode and a table comes up with all the items in that box and you have to check to make sure they are all there before you can say yes, check it out. Interesting. Also had teachers in math come in and ask about the old CPM books the high schools used to use. I guess they are going to be transferred out to the middle schools. Good use for them! Better than sitting on needed shelf space! Had a cart of books that needed to be checked for damage so I did that today. Found about 10+/- that needed some work. Put the others away. Forgot to call back a mom who needs books for her son. Must do first thing in the morning.

First Day as a Lion

So excited to come to work today! Got keys, my badge and set to work! Boxes of new books, tables to set, old books to box up! I was running all day! I opened about 16 boxes of new social studies materials and used those to pack up some old books that were sitting on the top of book shelving. I was so happy to get that top cleared off. I have one more to go and I'll be glad to have the display space for library books. There were way too many tables in the window area, so I decided to follow ADA guidelines and finally got 7 tables finagled in there all perfect with lots of space. I took the other two tables and used one up front by the metal detectors and one behind the main check out counter. Love my view from my windows! Got to see some clouds sailing by, and hazy off in the distance the cascade mountains. Checked out 284 books to two teachers today. One I hadn't heard what edition he wanted in time, so I picked the new ones, then just before I left, he said he wanted the old ones! Might have time to change that in the morning. Had some English teachers come in and there were stacks of boxes I thought just for them, yes, just for them, but entered and barcoded, so I set about opening up all those boxes as well. Each box had a set of guided materials, three sets of each box. All three grades, all different lesson plans. I had seven towers taller than me! Didn't get them all open, but time just flew by.  I wrote on a space on each box, about ten of them, then found stickers in each box. Oh well! Used stickers after that! Saturday night I met an incoming student at the Teen End of Summer Reading Program at the Salem Public Library as I volunteered that night. She came in today and gave me a great big hug. Very special! Met great people, and got my lunch at 2, I was too busy before because I really needed to get a project done (getting that shelving top cleared!!). A great day, can't wait for tomorrow!

Reading List 2013-2014 School Year

• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty - picked this off the staff room 'pick a book' rack. Alice hits her head in spin class and loses ten years of her life. I just ripped through the pages. Interesting to think about what I'd be like if suddenly I thought it was ten years ago! I really recommend this one!
• The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke - It's set in Venice! One of my fave locations for my Nano novels! I enjoyed it, but loved the drawings for each chapter, made me happy to know see the canals and all. A good story as well!
• Stephen Fair by Tim Wynne-Jones - I'm not usually into teen novels, but this one was perfect. Stephen's brother had nightmares and vanished, then Stephen began to get nightmares. Really a surprisingly good read.
• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - sad to say I didn't really get into it and ended up stopping. Maybe another time I'll try again.
• The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo - a lovely little novela on how an elephant dropped through the opera house roof because of the magician and changed lives. Very nice.
• Forest Mage by Robin Hobb - continuing the saga of Nevare and his struggles between who he thought he was and who the magic has turned him into. Might read the last one sometime, but off to enjoy some other books.
• Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb - Really enjoyed this first book and decided to go ahead and read the second one. Interesting world!
• Wild by Cheryl Strayed - Always one of my dreams to do the PCT. A nice story, but more a journey of discovery than a trail journal. I enjoyed it.
• A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin - must stop reading these!!! Taking a break. They say that Martin is the American Tolkien, but I disagree. I see no hope in here, darn good stories, but the aura of hope is missing, and I miss that.
• A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin - what happened to Tyrion? Waiting for book five to arrive...Glad to be about done with this series!
• Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - almost threw this one across the room about half way through! On to Feast of Crows!
• A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (like in J.R.R. Tolkien?) Had to push on! Onto book three....
• Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - All right, I'm hooked. Off to read the second book!
• The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. Fabulous trip through the making of the Panama Canal. I read all 600+ pages and enjoyed it all (well, maybe except the political stuffs!) but the engineering, the medical, the men involved, what a great tribute to this place.
• The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman was intriguing. Imagine you could check out from a library items from fairy tales. Need to get somewhere in a hurry? How about 7 league boots? Nice twist on the tales and a good read.
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo was incredibly charming and lovely. A new Velveteen Rabbit feeling book. Glad I read it.
• Dragon Harper by Anne McCaffrey, Todd J. McCaffrey - it's been years since I read about Pern and wanted to see how Todd stacks up! Brought me right back, a good tale, but I've peeked in and will probably go elsewhere for awhile.
• The Foundling by D.M. Cornish - Kind of enjoyed this alternate universe. Monsters sort of coexist with humans, but humans tend to want the monsters dead and out of the way. A young boy is raised in an orphanage and is chosen to become a lamplighter, the adventure on the way to his new job was a work of art. I did enjoy it! Lots of pictures drawn by the author, glossary and maps. Different words. Not bad!
• Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lasear - not too bad! Steampunk combined with a plausible fae tale. I kind of liked it.
• Hunger by Jackie Kessler - Very interesting tale of a young girl with anorexia who is confronted by Death not to die, but become one of the four horsemen, Famine. This was actually a great read, I really enjoyed it and might even read the others in my spare time :)
• Blaze by Laurie Boyle Crompton - Great book. I was expecting a typical teen angsty girl/boy thing, and the book really threw a curve at me and I ended up loving it and having to think about labels.
• Playing for Pizza by John Grisham - fun little read of a third string quarterback who ends up on the Italian NFL. Cute!
• Dakota - a Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris - A good book to read after the last one. Gave me time to breathe, process and sink deep into the things that matter. I really like her writing.
• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah - I literally could not sleep at night if I read this before I went to bed. Wow. Truly a horror story and to think there are kids out there right now that are experiencing this. Breaks my heart.
• Bad Land by Jonathan Raban - Jonathan tells the story of the mid-American dream. Owning your own homestead with the promise that dry land farming can be done by anyone, which we all know now is not the case. He chronicles the homesteads and their decline as well as some of the families to come from there and some that still do. There is no dryness here, he brings a part of our history to life in an enriching way.
• Needles by Andie Dominick - a good look at what it's really like to live with diabetes and the choices you must make daily.
• Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell - one of our books in verse, this is a great telling of a friendship between Elaine and Gwynivere of King Athur fame. Sparse but full of meaning, snippets to enhance a rich story. I will recommend this one next year to kids for sure!
• Beyond the Sky and the Earth by Jamie Zeppa - I love stories of finding yourself in strange places that are well written and make you want to go there, this one certainly did. Jamie goes to teach school in Bhutan and her life changes course. Beautifully written.
• God Grew Tired of Us by John Bul Dau - one of the 'lost boys' of the Sudan, really awoke in me a knowledge of what happened there and how the people were affected by the war. Nicely done.
• Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain - What a delight! He spent years researching Joan and the events of her life and considered this one of his best works. Critics panned it, but I thought it was fabulous. Told through the eyes of her secretary and friend, the voice throughout was perfect. I think a must read!