Big Plans

I recently read a great book called Big Plans that was written by Bob Shea and illustrated by Lane Smith.  It has a 2008 copyright, but it was a new book for me.  

A young boy gets in trouble at school and is sent to sit in the corner. While enduring his punishment, he dreams up BIG PLANS.

What are YOUR big plans for this school year? 

How to Post a Comment

Hello everyone---this posting is from Linda instead of Julie.  :-) This is just a reminder about how to post a comment on the Connect Collaborate Share blog. If you get stuck when you are ready to make a comment, give me a call or email me, and we can walk through it together.

Jean B.'s Birthday

Today is Jean Brown's birthday!  Jean has contributed her skills to the faculties of Nibley Park, East High, and Dilworth for many years.  We are so glad that she is part of our library community!

High School Class Reunion

I helped plan my 30 year Bonneville High School class reunion this past summer.  We held it at Mount Ogden Golf Course in Ogden, Utah last weekend.  

This photo was taken in 1982...that was then!

This photo was taken in 2012...this is now!

I loved the 30 year reunion because everyone just let down and seemed to be able to be themselves.  It was fun to just chat with each other.

Did any of you attend a fun school reunion or family reunion this summer?

Elaine's Birthday

Today is our own Elaine Villarruel's birthday!  What would we do without Elaine?  She answers dozens of phone calls a day.  She orders and orders supplies and equipment.  She cheerfully gives directions to the multitudes of people who pass by her desk each day and need assistance.  And she is a WIZARD at using IFAS!  

Elaine was born in Ogden and weighed just 3 pounds when she was born!  She was the only girl sandwiched between 1 older brother and 3 younger brothers.  

She got married when she was 17-years-old to her wonderful husband, Art.  They met when they were 14 years old, and their birthdays are 14 days apart.  They have been married for 39 years.  Elaine and Art have a son and daughter and five grandchildren.

Elaine loves to read and crochet.  She is very talented at scrapbooking and making beautiful cards.  She and her family love to go camping.

Happy birthday, Elaine!

5 Finger Test

I know that many of us have used the 5 Finger Test with students to help them select books that are on a comfortable reading level for them.  Do you still occassionally use the 5 finger method with students?  What are some other ways you help students make good decisions about book selection?

BTW, I saw this website that has bookmarks of the 5 Finger Test. Click on the little pink PDF down-arrow next to the words Download this Doodad.

Your Own Personal Book Collection

Do you buy a lot of books for yourself?  Do you look for old books at garage sales?  Do your friends and relatives give you books?  Is your house overflowing with books?  Is over-abundance of books a common malady of librarians everywhere?  

Check out this funny comic.

Reading Gives You Super Powers

What a fun video from Dav Pilkey.  What are some ways you might  use this video in your library?  It's only a little over a minute long.

Palace of Stone

Shannon Hale

I read in a recent newspaper article that Shannon Hale has written a sequel to her Newbery Honor Award book, Princess Academy.  The sequel is called Palace of Stone.  

In the article, Shannon Hale indicated that she hears from her fans on Twitter and listens to what they have to say about her writing, the characters in her books, and what they want her to write next.  It would be fun to follow Shannon Hale on Twitter!

Are you a Shannon Hale fan?  Which of her books is your favorite?

Jann's Birthday

Today is Jann's birthday!  How fun that we all get to see her today (since it is Job Alike) and wish her a happy day!

Connect, Collaborate, Share

Our theme for this year is Connect, Collaborate, Share. 

One of my favorite memories, of a time when I connected with someone, took place last summer in Island Park, which is near Yellowstone.  My daughter Samantha and I bought us each a two-person raft.  We went to one of our favorite places in the world, Wade Lake, Montana.  We packed a lunch, blew up our rafts, tied them together and just floated on the lake for several hours.  We talked and we were silent.  She shared her dreams, her heartbreak and her happiness with me on that lake, in our rafts, that were hooked together. 

Share a memory of a time you connected or collaborated with someone.

Lori's Birthday

Today is Lori's birthday!  Lori has added her happy personality and good nature to our library community for many years.  We appreciate her!

Koriann's Birthday

Today is Koriann's birthday!  It's fun to see Koriann's enthusiasm for reading and books.  Nobody knows Harry Potter like Kori!

Contribute Training for Library Technology Teachers

If your principal has asked you to work on your school's webpage, then help and support is on the way.

Wonderful Leslie Lewis will be teaching an Adobe Contribute class along with Andy Shaffer on Thursday, September 13th and Thursday, September 20th.  Both classes will be from 3:30 to 5:00 in the Garden Room Lab.  If you are interested in attending, please email Leslie.  You will need to attend both days.

                                                  Some of the topics that will be covered are:

*Writing for the Web
*New Staff Directory & Faculty Pages
*Homepage News Roll
*Images and Image Galleries

Ahhhhh......Summer

I hope you had a wonderful summer and are ready for the new school year.  

In June, I had a chance to spend a few days in Sedona, Arizona.  It was great to relax, read, eat good food, hike in the gorgeous red rock landscape, and enjoy the company of my family.  

We visited a funky, little ghost town called Jerome that is nestled in the hills just outside of Sedona.  It was fun to explore the town and learn about its history.

Sedona is such an interesting place to visit.  It has its own unique atmosphere with its art galleries and "new age" ambiance.  My family hopes that we can travel to Sedona again soon.

What are some of the fun things that you did this summer? I would love to hear about your adventures!

Cathy's Birthday

Today is Cathy Porter's birthday.  Cathy has been a librarian for 32 years!  We appreciate her years of experience!

Beacon Heights and Tim Rausch

Beacon Heights recently won a $5,000 award for a science video called Science Plants the Seed.  This video was created by a team of teachers from the school.  Tim created the website for this project.  Read more about Beacon Heights' accomplishment. Kudos to Tim for his technical expertise and for being a true instructional partner at his school.

Destiny Training

Thank you for a wonderful two days of Destiny training.  I hope that you are as excited about our new system as I am.  Mary Southall did a wonderful job of explaining the features of Destiny and getting us off to a good start.  

Remember that you can always call Follett Customer Service at 800-323-3397, and they will be happy to answer your questions or give you any kind of help that you need.  When you call, you will need to provide them with your customer number.  This number is different for each school, and you were given your number in the folder at the Destiny training.

Of course, you can also always call Lonnie or myself.  We are always available for you. 

You have been patient for sooooo long with our less than adequate circulation system.  You deserve the very best, and I really think that Destiny was the best choice for us.  If you have librarian friends in Granite, Jordan, Canyons, Weber, or Davis districts, ask them how they like Destiny.  We have heard nothing but wonderful things about Destiny from school districts statewide.

Thank you again for your good nature and willingness to learn new things.  This is going to be a great year!

Emina's Birthday

Today is Emina's birthday.  It is also her 1st wedding anniversary because she got married on her birthday!

What a great job Emina does at Parkview.  We are so lucky to have her talents and skills in our district.

Tagen's Birthday

Tagen's photography

Today is our very own Tagen Baker's birthday.  Tagen is such an asset to our District Media Center.  She is so capable at handling the machines, the technology, the scheduling of the materials, and especially at working with the many visitors to the DMC.

Tagen is an accomplished artist!  She has a Bachelor's Degree in Art from Utah State University.  She is very close to being finished with her graduate degree in English. She is currently writing her last 20-page creative nonfiction piece for graduate school.  After she finishes the paper, she will officially have her Master's degree from Weber State University.  However.......Tagen claims that, as of this date, she has not yet started writing that paper.  :-)

Tagen is an accomplished photographer.  She has her own photography business and can often be found taking wedding or special event photos on Saturdays and in the evenings.  She also does contract graphic design work.

Tagen's photography

Tagen is from the rural town of Mackay, Idaho. She has lived in Salt Lake City on and off since 2007. She decided to make Salt Lake her permanent home after getting married in 2009.

When not writing papers, Tagen enjoys photography, home improvement, gardening, biking, tennis, and anything outside. She has a black cat named Fox Mulder, and yes, he can see aliens.  

Tagen's photography

The Boxcar Children

Gertrude Chandler Warner

This year (2012) is the 70th anniversary of the Boxcar Children series.  Gertrude Chandler Warner published the first Boxcar book in 1942.  It would be fun to visit the Gertrude Chandler Museum in Putnam, Connecticut, wouldn't it? 

Did you read about the Alden children--Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny--when you were young?  How about your children or grandchildren?  Do they read this series?  What about your students?  Do the Boxcar Children books circulate in your library?  

To celebrate this series, Newbery author, Patricia MacLachlan, has written a prequel to the series called the Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fairmeadow Farm.   It will be available on August 15, 2012.  Will you be purchasing it for your library?