Checking Your Edgewood Library Record...

Ever have a family panic attack
 because you THINK you've lost a library book?
is it overdue? 

did you already return it?
AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Never fear this...as YOU have the power to answer these questions from home or on the go!
From the Library portion of the Edgewood School webpage,
you can access Destiny our Library Catalog.
From there, your kids can login using their HCS username and password.
The books they currently have checked out will be shown in the MY INFO tab.
Whew!!

Managing Your Tattoo

Homewood City Schools has declared October to be Digital Citizenship Awareness Month!

A large part of elementary school education is teaching and learning manners. (Think about the book All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.) This month we are emphasizing that manners extend beyond our personal space to all of cyberspace!

Following a common theme presented throughout all of HCS, Edgewood is highlighting good Digital Citizen behavior through morning announcements and classroom and Specials instruction.

But what is this "Managing Your Tattoo"?
You may have heard the buzz term 'Digital Footprint.' But we have come to realize that 'footprints' conjures the image of beach-walking with waves easily and routinely washing away those footprints. What we do online and all of the digital data that is recorded about each of us does NOT easily and routinely go away. There is no 'away' in cyberspace. What we do online is just as permanent as a body tattoo--which can be thoughtful and beautiful OR a big mistake. Body tattoos can be removed or edited but it is an expensive and painful process. We want our students aware that their digital tattoo is just as permanent and revealing about themselves. Now is the time for students to monitor and plan. What they post and text and comment and share will someday be seen by college admissions offices and potential employers and others.

How can you help?
Be aware of what you post and text and comment and share about your children. Those of us born in the 20th Century do not have (many) digital skeletons in the closet, but your children's Digital Dossier might have begun before they were born when you shared their ultrasound photo.
When I first started working at HCS long ago, then Superintendent Dr. Jody Newton* warned us about a new thing called email saying that we should not write something in an email that we wouldn't want everyone to see on a billboard. We are continuing this type of thoughtfulness by advising our students to think: Not only should their online activity be appropriate and worthy of their grandmother's eyes, it should be such for their great-grandchildren to see...because that is who will STILL be ABLE to see it. Our computer screens may be small but the Internet is gigantic and forever.

(*Notice: This post has now become part of Dr. Newton's digital tattoo...and she doesn't even know I'm writing about her!)

#PositiveConnections

Join us Tuesday night, Sept 30, 6:00 pm, at HMS, for some positive connections about Digital Citizenship!

Library Quotes

Edgewood Excellence happens in the Library Every Day!

Last week, second-grader Mac was checking out two biographies: one on Eli Manning and one on Peyton Manning.
I asked, "Which is your favorite: Eli or Peyton? And keep in mind there is a correct answer."
Mac replied immediately, "Yes, there is a correct answer. Archie Manning."

I love my job!

Hey Mrs. Woodruff, Why did you read to your kid?

People sometimes ask me why I read to my child.

Because I am selfish. Yep, I spent 12 years (wish Middle School homework hadn’t been so time consuming!) reading aloud to my baby girl because I am selfish. Our nightly read alouds had nothing to do with making her love reading or be a great reader or phonemic awareness or vocabulary acquisition. No, I read to her so that each day I spent 30 minutes cuddled with my best buddy.

Coincidentally scholars tell us that reading aloud to our children is the best home activity we can do to build readers.  Building the love of stories builds the love of reading. And the love of reading inspires kids to become readers themselves.

People often ask me what they can do to get their kid to be a reader.

To get your kid to be a reader, you need to be a little bit selfish. Read aloud to them every day. Don’t grill them and test them…just share and wonder and enjoy.

Need something to read to your kids? Get them to checkout a book from the school library…whatever interests them. And sharing a book they have chosen allows them to show you something about themselves and allows you to show them something about yourself.

Besides great books…what else does our library offer?

Add a Book…an opportunity in the Spring to select a book to donate to our library. Get YOUR KID’S Name in a library book!

Author Day…Friday, March 6, with Heather Montgomery. We will be exploring the natural world (could any author have more books about snakes? what was I thinking?) as we prepare for a day of curiosity and adventure with this non-fiction author. Look for more information later…but for now you can checkout her website:  http://www.heatherlmontgomery.com/

HIGHlights

September is fast approaching! That means Kindergarten will begin checking out Library books! We start slowly to get the process built into the routine...the key rules are: one library book at a time and keep the book in our book bag (not lying on the table or beside the bed or on our book shelf at home!).

And just in time for 130+ checkouts, next Wednesday, September 3, we will host our Library Volunteer Tea. This is an opportunity to meet, learn some shelving tips, and schedule your favorite day to shelve. Our volunteers are the backbone of the Library; without these friends, students would have a hard time using their library skills to find books that fit their needs. See you in the Library at 7:45am!

Need to know what to read next? To help students find the perfect chapter book, we have suggestion sheets posted in the Fiction Section. "If you like Dogs, try these books...", "If you like Adventure, try these books...", "If you like big fat books, try these..." And speaking of suggestions, if you like Wonder by Palacio, then try Out of My Mind by Draper, or Rules by Lord, or White Crane by Fussell.

4th Grade has spent some time in the Library discussing Dinosaurs. Not just the fun dinosaurs we find in books, but the Dinosaur in the Library. Yes, we still have one...a card catalog! Using Destiny* on the computer is much more efficient! Technology in the Library is good.

Lots of fun! Lots of reading!

Are You Ready for Some New Reads?

Welcome back to the Edgewood Library!

What did you read this summer?

After re-reading the awesome book Holes by  Louis Sachar, I am starting John Flanagan's series the Ranger's Apprentice. What a great fantasy! I thought it was going to be too 'cloak and shadowy' for me (too Lord of the Rings), but this is my kind of magic and adventure! There are not any talking animals, but it has sort of a Gregor feel. Come talk to me if you have read this...I want to know what you think.

Summer 2014 Suggested Reading List...

This is the list sent home with students in the final report card. All of these books can be found on our HCS Digital Library...so they can be checked out over the summer (or year round) to your own digital devices. You can find the instructions for using the HCS Digital Library on the tab above.
But these books can also be found in paper form in the Jefferson County Public Library Cooperative...
Enjoy!

Roscoe Riley Rules series by Katherine Applegate and Alvin Ho series by Lenore Look

Silly series for fans of messy, crazy boys.

Ivy + Bean by Anne Barrows

Opposites do attract!

Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter

Prep-school spy-girls in-training.

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

Follow the adventures of a 12-year-old, millionaire, genius. And yes, those are secret codes that I challenge you to decipher!

Roald Dahl books by Roald Dahl

The most delicious books from the world’s best author ever.

John Feinstein Sports Mysteries books by John Feinstein and Tim Green Sports Adventure books by Tim Green

Can you tell these are sports books?

Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman

PARENTS, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK ALOUD DURING A LONG CAR TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS AWESOMELY FUNNY.

Princess Posey series by Stephanie Green and Gooney Bird Greene series by Lois Lowry

Two hot series for fans of Junie B., Judy Moody, and Ruby Lu.

My Weird School series and the Baseball Card Adventures series and the Genius Files series by Dan Gutman

Humor, Time-Travel, Mystery, Adventure…this author has something for every reader!

Hoot, Flush, Chomp, and/or Scat by Carl Hiaassen

The perfect environmental mysteries for summertime.

Gym Shorts series by Betty Hicks and Ballpark Mysteries series by David Kelly

Sports chapter books you can finish during one baseball game.

Ninja Meerkat series by Gareth Jones

With a name like Ninja Meerkat, do we have to say more?

Emily Windsnap series by Liz Kessler

The perfect beach read…since she’s a mermaid!

Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist series by R.L. LaFevers

A phoenix, a gremlin, a basilisk, a wyvern…help save the world’s mythical creatures from extinction!

Benjamin Franklinstein Lives! series by Matthew McElligott and Larry Tuxbury

A famous American returns from the “dead” and faces perils such as science projects, vampires, and someone known as the Emperor.

James Patterson books by James Patterson

Mystery, adventure, suspense… mutants. Strap in for a maximum ride of intense reading!

Big Nate series by Lincoln Pierce

Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Read Big Nate.

From the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan to the Tales from the Odyssey series by Mary Pope Osborne

Explore the exciting world of Greek mythology through these modern and ancient classics.

Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage

The perfect series to start at 7:00 am on July7. Believe in the Magyk!

Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon

Adventures of a horrid child and his brother, Peter Perfect.

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett       

Why did we put these books on the list? They are bad. You won’t like them. Don’t read them. Yuck.

Adventures of Nanny Piggins by RA Spratt

Move over Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! Mary Poppins Who? Nanny Piggins is the REAL baby sitter. Yes, baby sitter. Well, not really.

Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart

Since you are not going to sleep this summer, read about a boy-orphan-genius who falls asleep at the worst possible moments!

Is this thing on?

Welcome!
Thanks for 'checking out' our new library blog! I am in the process of converting to this new format so please bear with me during this transition. Click on the Page above for the Ultimate Book Suggestion List...

More information coming soon...

Hope you are reading something good.