PISD District Libraries by the Numbers:

FOURTH SIX WEEKS   January 4 - February 18, 2011



Reading is fun at PCMS



Classes served:                             2,653

Students served:                        121,488

Teachers served:                            1,534

Parents served:                              1,602

Collaborations with teachers:           441

Technology integrations:                   609

Classroom collections/Resources:   757

Items circulated:                       249,554


SPECIAL EVENTS:

Book Fairs:                                                   2

Special activities:                                      79

Book Club meetings:                                31

Guest speakers/special presentations:  15


LIBRARY HAPPENINGS AROUND THE DISTRICT

Librarians started the year with a bang.  Elementary librarians start the day with the morning video announcements, then it's time for classes and students to start pouring into the libraries.  This six weeks our elementary librarians have been teaching lessons on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thurgood Marshall, the rain forests, Boston Tea Party, fiction vs. nonfiction, using the online catalog, Big6/Super3 research process, alphabetizing and dictionary skills, citing sources, compound words, and sequencing. Our elementary students voted on their favorite Bluebonnet Book and the PISD district favorite is The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale by Willy Claflin, which is also the Texas favorite Bluebonnet Book this year.

Our secondary librarians have been busy teaching the Big6 research process by showing our students how to use Cornell Notes and create a bibliography, website evaluation, plagiarism, internet searching techniques, and using our PISD databases, ABC-Clio, Culturegrams, and SIRS Researcher. . They have also been integral in disseminating college and career materials.

Technology plays a big part in our libraries.  This past six weeks our librarians have been using Inspiration graphic organizers for animal research, Brainpop to teach consonants, Fact Monster with music classes, Nettrekker and Encyclopedia for research, and word processing skills such as adding headers, using the functions of copy, paste, find, save, and print. The librarians have also been teaching their student aides how to create web sites using Wix and interactive posters using Glogster.



Enjoying hot chocolate and marshmallows
in the NWES Library

 Northwest Elementary students and parents were treated to a library "campfire" on several of our cold February afternoons and evenings and treated to hot chocolate while reading favorite stories. Northwest Elementary also hosted its annual African American Read-In featuring notable African-Americans from around our district to read stories written by African-American authors. One of the readers was our own Mr. Dupre. 



The Cats in the Hat at CWES

Caldwell and Highland Park librarians celebrated Dr. Seuss's 107th birthday by having special speakers read Dr. Seuss books and decorating a birthday cake complete with 107 candles. 


 

Riley and children reading a book at CWES

Parmer Lane and Caldwell Elementary librarians share Riley, the READ Therapy Dog, each week. Riley loves to hear stories in the library.  Riley is a big hit with all the students, but is especially motivating to our reluctant readers.



  The Pflugerville Elementary librarian is teaching the fifth graders the history of chess pieces and how each piece moves, as well as, competition etiquette.  River Oaks Elementary librarian has started a Girls Only! Book Club for 5th graders.

Students answering questions
from the Wall of Fame at WLES

Weiland Elementary librarian created a Wall of Fame in honor of Black History Month. As part of their Social Studies curriculum, students answered daily questions about the famous Black Americans and prizes were given to the classes that answered the most correctly. 

Our librarians are also very active on their campuses and in our district, totalling over 50 different leadership positions.  Many of our librarians are either chairs or members of various committees, such as CAAC, DAAC, Budget Compensation Committee, Literacy Council, Sunshine Committee, PBS Committee, and Accelerated Reader.  Many have taken leadership positions such as the UIL Coordinator, Student Council and Honor Society sponsor, Accelerated Reader, Read to Succeed, Bookspring, and GeoBee Coordinator.

Our librarians are constantly involved in staff development training. This past six weeks our librarians have formed Book Study groups and have read several professional books.  The titles are:  The New Learning Commons: Where Learners Win!, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers will Rule the Future, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Web Literacy for Educators, and Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century.  Lessons learned in each book will be shared at our March meeting. Several librarians also attented the Hill Country Librarians' Conference at Region 13 in January.