SAYL Mail    School and Youth Librarian’s Newsletter   January 29, 2021

Author Barbara Jacko Atwater and Ethan Jacko Atwater are available for online readings.

They have written two books based on stories from her great Uncle Walter Johnson. These Alaska Dena’ina fables, How Raven Got His Crooked Nose and Chia and the Fox Man are published by West Margin Press. For more information you may contact them at bcatwater@gmail.com. Teacher guides are available for both books. See title links.

Joy Harjo’s project Living Nations, Living Words

seeks to recognize and highlight living Native American poets from all over America including two from Alaska. Each link on the map contains information about the poet and a recording of the poets reading and discussing one of their works. A great resources for sharing with students when learning about poetry and literature as well as when learning about native Nations.

New Alaska DEED and DHSS Art Initiative

The Amplify Youth Voices Alaska Project will enable your Alaskans to use different forms of artistic expression and share creative messages of safety, hope, love and encouragement about the COVID-19 pandemic. Young artists are invited to participate in online artist workshops and submit home grown arte that reflects their resiliency and creativity.”  Visit the website.

Check out our new statewide database on SLED: History Makers

HistoryMakers contains “over 148,163 stories assembled from life oral history interviews with 2,691 historically significant African Americans as of October 2020”. Add a link to your school and library website and be sure to share this new resource with your teachers! Great for History Day, research projects involving primary documents and Black History Month. lam.alaska.gov/sled/

Upcoming Events of interest to school librarians

February 11 @ 3:00pm     AASL Townhall Leading Learning:

“This is a chance to share successes, solicit ideas, and strategize the best ways to meet the needs of you and your learners. Join AASL Leadership and peers across the country in an open conversation focused on leading learning in your school and community.” The topic this month will be “Black History Month Reimagined.”  REGISTER HERE

Tuesday, Feb 16 (10-11:00 am) Getting a Seat at the Table: Ways to Become Irreplaceable at Your School (Follett)

Join award-winning Media Specialist Carrie Friday as she walks you through different ways you can advocate for school libraries in your own school, your community, at the district level and to anyone else who will listen. In this webinar, Carrie will show you ideas you can immediately implement so that you can change the perception of the library and your position, and start gaining some ground to be a library light for all to see. REGISTER

Timely Topics

Tough Topics and Tough Conversations Resources “The books on these lists are to help inspire conversations with children going through challenging situations like the death of a loved one, an unexpected move, natural disasters and more. They are available for grades K-2nd, 3rd-5th and 6th-8th. Resources for adults are also included.”            Tough Conversations Tip Sheet

Online PD opportunities for early February

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SAYL Mail   School and Youth Librarian’s Newsletter      November 20, 2020

Around the State

Tuesday November 24^th at 4:00pm “Alaska School Librarians Let Your Voice Be Heard. Join us. Meeting will focus on SMART goals for your school and community advocacy plan.” If this is your first meeting please REGISTER. Any questions contact: Deborah Rinio, northernlightslibrarian@gmail.com

**Alaska State Library Development webpages have had an overhaul. Take a look.

SLED databases password update from Daniel Cornwall: …in case their students had to work from home. If you’re not sure you have the current credentials – issued in 2018, let me know and I’ll send you them directly. Also, Tumblebooks mobile and Sesame Streets have slightly different credentials. Usernames and passwords may be shared one on one in e-mail or phone with students, faculty and staff but must never be posted on a web page, blog, social media site that can be accessed outside your school. Other questions let me know! And thanks for all you are doing in these difficult, uncertain and fatiguing times. – Daniel

Live Homework Help: Live sessions. Reminder: To access the live sessions, you need to create an account. These accounts are free and your information will not be shared. Also, thank you to the many school librarians who placed the LHH log and link on their webpages. This has helps to significantly increase the awareness and use of LHH!

Free digital promo materials for your website can be found at: http://tutor.com/clientcarelib/digital

Upcoming conferences of interest:

• ASTE Feb 12-16^th  “ Go Global” REGISTER   Registration fee $75  plus $25 membership fee)
• AKLA Mar 18-21 “Your Library has Left the Building”. Registration available soon. Tentative fees

$25 members, $100 non-members. “We will have a mix of session types: poster sessions (no formal presentation), pre-recorded sessions, and live sessions. And there will be the fantastic roundtable meetings and keynotes you love.”

• Plan now and apply for a$300 PD grant to cover registration. (one grant per yr./person) If you have questions as to how to navigate your school district finance office and processing receipts and paperwork please contact Janet Madsen.

If you missed the AASL Townhall on Wednesday Nov 18^th, you can view the recording. This meeting featured the school administrators who participated in the AASL School Leader Collaborative. One of them was Shawn Arnold, superintendent of the Valdez City School District. Hear their ideas on how to effectively communicate your role and successes during the pandemic. The archive for the town hall with the AASL School Leader Collaborative is now available.

AKLA Conference Proposals

• Conference proposal deadline is Monday Jan. 4 at 6pm. This year’s theme has an emphasis on openness and inclusivity. Sessions are not required to adhere to the theme, but it is encouraged. The committee will notify you by the end of January. The committee is Elizabeth Nicolai, Page Brannon and Stephanie Schott working on the poster sessions.
• If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Moreau Nicolai.
• nicolai@anchorageak.gov 907-343-2840
• Conference website: https://akla.org/2021/
• Program proposal form: https://bit.ly/AKLA21programs

Dec. 7-13, 2020 Hour of Code   Check out these resources for ideas.

Many new activities created with remote learning in mind and the various classroom models. CodeBytes: 20 minute interactive lessons streaming twice daily. Episodes tailored to different grade levels, planned activities, engaging new unplugged options, Hour of Code Unplugged activity packet for ages 4-18.

Online PD opportunities

Monday Dec.7   10:00am   Tools and Ideas for Independent Reading for All Students…Anywhere, Anytime   REGISTER

“Share tools and ideas for accommodating the needs of all learners in unique and creative ways. Explore ways to use apps in concert to support learners who are in remote or hybrid learning models. Practical tips and commonly accessible platforms like Google will be incorporated.” (Shannon McClintock Miller)

Thursday Dec. 17 10:00 am   Engaging and Teaching Parents about Technology  REGISTER

• The five most important things parents should know about digital citizenship
• How, when, why and who with, to host a digital parenting event

• How to be proactive with parents, not reactive. (edweb)

Articles of Interest

Top 5 Things for HS Grads to do now that COVID-19 has tanked their plans

Understanding Trauma and Its Impact

Unteaching the Native Narrative

25 free google slide templates and themes for teachers

Making Inline Discussion Fun and Interactive with Google’s Jamboard

‘Mesquite ISD Libraries: Elevating Learning for Everyone Everywhere’

Tips for Tackling Censorship

Print nonfiction v. databases

Allowing Students to Pursue their Passions

Novelist newsletter: creating virtual browser experiences, more on virtual story times

Libraries Using Board Games to Promote Critical Thinking

Ideas on helping middle schoolers grow as readers

From ALSC (Assoc. Library Services to Children): Great resources and ideas for virtual story times and programming. Engaging Resources for Online Programs (part 1) (part 2) (part 3)

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska (ASC) in partnership with the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access (SCLDA) in Washington, D.C., is pleased to announce the creation of a series of free digital resources for the Alaska education community. The content is available through the award-winning Smithsonian Learning Lab (https://learninglab.si.edu) platform, an interactive website for the discovery and creative use of the Smithsonian’s digital resources, including images, videos, audio recordings, texts, lesson plans, and activities.

Alaska Native heritage is woven from the beliefs, values, knowledge and arts of the Iñupiaq, Athabascan, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Yup’ik, Unangax̂, Sugpiaq, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples. Their diverse languages, cultures, and histories are the foundation for contemporary lives. ASC collaborated with Alaska Native Elders, culture-bearers, scholars, artists, and educators to create comprehensive, authoritative educational resources for teachers, students, parents, and lifelong learners—all without cost—via the internet on a new Learning Lab education page, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska: https://learninglab.si.edu/org/sasc-ak. From this page, learners will find:

• Comprehensive collections connecting historic museum objects to contemporary Elders discussions and histories for each of the Alaska Native culture groups;
• Multi-disciplinary distance learning lesson plans and activities reflecting the values, knowledge, and lifeways of Alaska Native peoples; and
• A community videos section documenting and teaching Alaska Native artistic traditions and languages, with connections to their contemporary importance.

We invite all teachers, students, parents and lifelong learners to explore Alaska Native cultures, museum objects, videos and educational resources shared at https://learninglab.si.edu/org/sasc-ak. Learn about the peoples of this northern world from Elders, culture-bearers, scholars, artists and educators. We hope that you will forward this announcement to other educators in your organization and beyond.

SAYL Mail is a bimonthly newsletter digest distributed to Alaska school librarians, public youth service librarians and associated professionals via the Alaska Association of School Librarians listserv. SAYL Mail provides news and information about grants, scholarships, professional development and networking opportunities from the Alaska State Library and other state and national organizations. It also provides a briefing of issues facing school libraries at the state and national level. If you would like to receive SAYL mail in your email box, email list-manager@lists.akla.org and put “subscribe alaska-school-libraries” in the subject line.

SAYL Mail School and Youth Librarians Newsletter

February 28, 2020

Covid-19 Updates: DEED now has its own website as a resources for schools and school districts. “We are working to keep this site relevant and up-to-date with the rapidly changing coronavirus situation. COVID-19 website

PD Grants from the Alaska State Library: For those school librarians who are considering attending the AKLA/PNLA conference in Juneau August 4-7 you should be applying for that grant NOW. Given the many shared experiences from other school librarians you need to understand that it can be a hassle to get your reimbursement through your district. Districts deal with grant refunds from a variety of sources including EED. Therefore call your finance office, identify who will be processing your reimbursement and give them a copy of your application and award notification AHEAD OF TIME. Make sure you save all pertinent receipts because we cannot just take your word for it. Again, if you are confused and need clarification call our grants librarian at (907) 465-1018.

BRAINPOP Update: Creative Coding in now included in the subscription. Many of you know that Alaska has a statewide license to BrainPOP, but did you know that your teachers can unlock additional features through individual accounts that can only be set up at the school level? At no additional charge to you? And now, BrainPOP is offering Creative Coding to teach coding and computer science to students and educators. Contact Martha Ketsdever, BrainPOP Account Manager for Alaska State Libraries, for more information at marthak@brainpop.com.

Press Release: There will be a gathering to celebrate the release of a new children’s book, Anna Across the Arctic. Tuesday, March 3^rd at Georgia Blue Gallery, 5:30-7 PM, 3555 Arctic Blvd, Anchorage, 99503.  Alaskan co-authors Liz O’Connell and Arin Underwood, illustrated by Arin Underwood, present an Arctic science story about a four-pound blue morph fox tracked by a satellite collar, in the longest, fastest fox journey ever recorded.  For more information from the author contact Liz O’Connell, liz@FrontierScientists.com, 907 202-6133,  www.FrontierScientists.com

April is School Library Month Every April school librarians are encouraged to host activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school libraries play in transforming learning. To begin planning the celebration, ask your school and elected officials to proclaim April School Library Month! Visit the AASL website for templates that can be downloaded and modified to fit your needs.   http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/slm

March 6-7 National Day of Unplugging: For programming ideas for March or any other time check out their website or a recent article from Teen Services Underground.

Outstanding Books for the College Bound: The newest list (2019) was recently released and is organized into five categories; general knowledge, arts and literature, history and cultures and science and technology.

Teen Series finishing up this year: Here’s a list with short series overviews if the series that are finishing up in 2020. Helpful for collection development to make sure you get the “last book”.

The First Body-Positive Children’s Book Just Came Out: Her Body Can by Katie Crenshaw and Ady Meschke is geared to children ages 8 and under. The authors knew how important it is for girls to internalize positive messages about their body before the biases of mainstream culture set in. Read an interview with the authors.

You’re merchandising whether you know it or not. It’s a common misconception that putting non-circulating books on display might perk user’s interest. Also putting single books face out can create a message of scarcity and that a book may not be for check out. This and other misconceptions about marketing through displays are covered.  Read more

Smithsonian releases 2.8 million Images into Public Domain: An open access online platform containing high resolution two and three dimensional images from across its collections for patrons to peruse and download for free! The hope is to encourage use and creation of new objects and ideas. author-illustrator duo Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg will debut How to Make a Collagasaurus, a how-to booklet inviting kids to transform the Smithsonian collections into zany new art forms. Read more

Early reading resources for kids: 23 tools are the top picks of common sense education. Highlighted are a range of techniques within reading apps, games and websites which can be used to build phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary or comprehension. Tools are targeted to Preschool, kindergartners and early elementary. Try them out and share the list with colleagues.

Favorite ELA resources for teachers: a great list of resources from TCEA.org Again find some new tools you can use and share with your colleagues. Tools list

Webinars

Help Them Fund Your Library: https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/webinars_on_demand : In this free ISTE School Librarians / EveryLibrary webinar, learn easy to adapt techniques to frame the work you do and the program you run for budget success . Prerecorded

Tuesday, Mar 3 (8-9 am)

Supporting Teen Health Literacy: Resources and Programs (Washington State Library)

In this webinar, Aileen Luppert will present a program that teaches health literacy and supports the health and wellness of teens who are experiencing homelessness in Spokane County. Emily Hamstra will present free online resources for teens to use to find reliable information about their health and wellness.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.sos.wa.gov/library/libraries/firsttuesdays/default.aspx

Tuesday, Mar 3 (10-11 am)

Springing Forward: Books for Young Readers (Booklist)

In this free, one-hour webinar moderated by Books for Youth senior editor Julia Smith, representatives from Albert Whitman & Company, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, Running Press Kids, and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing will introduce an array of exciting forthcoming releases for the younger set (approximately ages three through 10).

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.booklistonline.com/webinars

Wednesday, Mar 4 (10am-12pm)

Women and Girls: Gender Equity in Computer Science Education (National Girls Collaborative Project)

In honor of National Women’s History month, Karen Peterson, Founder & CEO of the National Girls Collaborative Project will highlight the challenges and opportunities of encouraging more girls across the country to pursue STEM activities and careers, and the importance of CS education in this process. She will be joined by voices from the field who will share information about their programs: Toni Robinson, President of Digital Girls, Inc. and Cathy Law, Director of the STEM Academy @ OSU.

For more information and to register, visit: https://bit.ly/389ZgiM

Thursday, Mar 5 (11am-12 pm)

Serving Striving Readers (School Library Journal)

With the decline in reading scores among U.S. students, the librarian’s role toward enhancing literacy has never been more critical. Practitioners and literacy experts at the elementary, middle, and high school levels explore using graphic novels, street lit, and more to get students fired up about reading, bolstering skills along the way.

For more information and to register, visit: https://bit.ly/2I0Prcr

Thursday, Mar 5 (12-2 pm)

Future Ready Librarians® Future-Proof Your School Library Budget: What to do if the cuts happen (Future Ready Librarians/Alliance for Excellent Education)

During this webinar, you will learn smart ways to engage the community in the face of crisis, and how to get organized across a district. Join John Chrastka from EveryLibrary as he discusses ways to prevent potential problems and to proactively position yourself if they come. If there is a threat to your position or budget – or to other school libraries or librarians across your district – know how to mobilize people to help you fight back. For more information and to register, visit: https://all4ed.org/webinars-events/

Tuesday, Mar 10 (11am-12 pm)

When Teachers Collaborate: Bringing Extended Expertise to Your Classroom (Follett)

This session will highlight how collaboration works within Tracy Ferguson and Shannon McClintock Miller’s elementary school and the many ways they use it to enhance learning, creativity, student voice, develop empathy and kindness, and have a lot of fun along the way. These experienced educators will share the many different types of collaboration they use and ways you can bring these ideas back to their communities and professional networks.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.follettcommunity.com/s/webinars

Thursday, Mar 12 (1-2 pm)

Asking Strong Research Questions Using Primary Sources (School Library Connection)

Compelling primary sources often have a bit of mystery and wonder about them. That makes them a perfect tool for middle and high school students developing their own research questions. In this webinar, librarian, author, and former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress Tom Bober shares strategies and tips to effectively utilize primary sources at the question-forming stage of research. See how students asking their own research questions based on their interactions with items from history can increase engagement and purpose as well as positively impact this critical point in the research process. For more information and to register, visit: https://schoollibraryconnection.com/

Tuesday, Mar 17 (10am-12 pm)

Stellar Series Nonfiction: Spring 2020 (Booklist)

What do series nonfiction publishers have in store for readers this spring? Join us for this free, one-hour webinar featuring representatives from Amicus Publishing, Bellwether Media, Black Rabbit Books, Rourke Educational Media, and Scholastic Library Publishing—and find out! Titles presented will range from grades K through 12.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.booklistonline.com/webinars

Thursday, Mar 19 (11am-12 pm)

Tech Balance: Family Engagement Tools to Talk Tech and Media Habits with Parents (edWeb.net)

In this edWebinar, we will be sharing and brainstorming interactive exercises and discussions to use with parents of young children to promote a healthy balance of media and technology at home. Rocío López, the manager of community partnerships for the Common Sense Latino Program, shares best practices in leading workshops with lower-income and monolingual Spanish-speaking families and provides tools and resources.

For more information and to register, visit: https://home.edweb.net/webinars/

SAYL Mail is published twice monthly during the school year. You receive this because you are subscribed to the Google Group “Alaska School Libraries”. Back issues are archived at the Alaska Library Network website. Subscribe here

Janet Madsen, School Library Coordinator, Alaska State Library (907) 465-8187, janet.madsen@alaska.gov

SAYL Mail   School and Youth Librarians Newsletter

February 21, 2020

Around the State

Good Luck to school librarians presenting at the ASTE conference in Anchorage. Remember that the AKASL Battle of the Books selections meeting will be held on Saturday Feb 22 @6:00pm at the Captain Cook Hotel Endeavor Room.

Four children’s books, Seasons of Alaska, are being published by Best Beginnings. “The project was created to fill a gap in Alaska children’s literature by providing a heart-warming glimpse into modern rural Alaska life through the eyes of a child.” Read more about these board books

#akreads  

ALA School Librarian’s role in reading

How do librarians in schools support struggling readers?

Why school librarians are the literacy leaders we need

Lilead Leaders Opportunity: New Scholarship

“Lilead Leaders Courses are for school library professionals at any level. Communicating and Coalition-Building for Change will provide participants with the skills and tools to effectively communicate the vision and goals of the library program and to describe how the program connects with the goals and priorities of their schools, districts and or states. It will help them understand stakeholder’s perspectives and how to best address a variety of audiences to gain support and build coalitions outside the school librarianship field.”

You can find the Lilead Leaders scholarship application here for over half off the cost of the course. Make sure you fill out the form before the start of course 3; Communicating and Coalition Building for Change on March 5^th for $180 off.  REGISTRATION

School Librarian PD grants available from the Alaska State Library

Grants

Apply for a 2020 Ezra Jack Keats mini-grant.

The Ezra jack Keats foundation, dedicated to supporting arts and literacy programs in public schools and libraries across the country is encouraging qualifying educators to apply for the grant. The deadline for submissions is March 31st. Approximately 70 grants m up to $500 each will be awarded to teachers and librarians in public schools and libraries whose proposals relate and imaginative approach to experiential learning. More information

Free Webinars coming up

Wed Feb 26 @ 12pm   Strategies to Engage Young Learners with Informational Text

This edWebinar will share why and how to effectively engage young children with informational text using a variety of resources—including the acclaimed children’s television and video game resources from Molly of Denali.  REGISTER HERE

Thurs February 27@ 1pm Time to Scrap the CRAAP Test; Using Formative Assessment

Join Michelle Luhtala as she shares replicable lessons and instructional materials to help learners improve their inquiry skills. REGISTER HERE

Tues March 10 @ 12pm   Design Thinking

Mega Subramanian of the University of Maryland iSchool has her finger on the pulse of library innovation and knows how to make theory accessible. She’ll be talking about design thinking, a series of activities and thinking strategies that you can apply in your library makerspace work or in solving real-world challenges in your library.  REGISTER

Wed March 25@ 1 pm   The Transformative Power of Digital Reading

In this edWebinar, the presenters will challenge participants to see beyond substituting print with PDF text and open doors to engaging interactive reading adventures for learners of all abilities and ages. REGISTER HERE

Wed April 22 @ 1pm  The Transformative Power of Audio Reading

In this edWebinar, Michelle Luhtala will share resources and tools to help participants integrate audio content into their instructional programs. REGISTER HERE

SAYL Mail is published twice monthly during the school year. You receive this because you are subscribed to the Google Group “Alaska School Libraries”. Back issues are archived at the Alaska Library Network website. Subscribe here

Janet Madsen, School Library Coordinator, Alaska State Library (907) 465-8187, janet.madsen@alaska.gov

SAYL Mail   School and Youth Librarian Newsletter

February 14

Around the State

The combined public/school library at the Harold Kaveolook School suffered major fire damage early Friday morning February 7. The portion of the building housing teachers and the elementary school was not damaged, with the middle and high school, gym, and library were destroyed. Many of you have heard and are asking in what ways you can help. Given the weather conditions and lack of storage space it will be awhile before it’s time to consider donations for the library. Staff are busy addressing more immediate needs and will let everyone know when the time to address library needs arrives.

AkASL Battle of the Books is looking for moderators for the state level competitions coming up.

The dates are:

• Tuesday February 25,  High School Battles
• Wednesday February 26 , Middle School Battles
• Thursday February 27, 5th/6^th grade Battles
• Friday February 28, 3rd/4^th grade battles

Please let Shelly know if you can help.      shelly.logsdon@matsuk12.us

Through YALSA’s Connected Learning and Computational Thinking Grant we now have two librarians who are looking for opportunities to provide training for both school and public librarians. If you are interested and want to know more, please contact me.  mailto:janet.madsen@alaska.gov.

Alaska/AASL Library Standards Update

The standards will be addressed at the March 25-6^th Alaska Board of Education Meeting. This is the next step before there is a public comment period and formal adoption. Details forthcoming.

Professional Opportunities

AkASL (Alaska Association of School Librarians) is looking for individuals who may be interested in joining the organization and helping out.

We are looking for someone who is interested in the Membership Coordinator Position. This person works with AKLA to make sure our membership database is up to date. They keep the information updated on the website by letting the webmaster know what needs to be changed. This new position works with librarians and library staff around the state communicating about the membership of AKASL.

We are also looking for members who are interested in working with the Media Manager and furthering the social media presence of AkASL. Helping to managing Facebook, twitter and making sure the person doing the website gets the information that needs updating or help with the website.

If you are interested or know someone please contact Pam Verfailie, President elect at akaslpresidentelect@gmail.com or mailto:pverfaillie@valdezcityschools.org

Librarians and #akreads

Alaska Reads Act: EED website   https://education.alaska.gov/akreads

The Nonnegotiable Role of School Librarians 

Nicely summarizes what we do and provides reflections questions. Great article for conversation starters to share with your administrator and coworkers    Link to article

Great Strides: Building Confident Readers.

How two SL’s in Vancouver Washington have responded to the NAEP report in their school.  Reasserts the role of school librarians in working with youth who are reluctant or striving readers and how we provide “the supports kids need to clear whatever hurdle is in their way of loving reading” Link to article

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Jennifer Gonzalez (Cult of Pedagogy blog) addresses 4 misconceptions of CRT. She interviews Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Hammonds book offers a “neuroscience based teaching framework that goes beyond surface changes to really build cognitive capacity in our students from diverse backgrounds.” Wherever you are on this topic, take some time to reflect on these misconceptions.  Interview/article

Award and Grants

 K-8 school libraries invited to apply for $5,000 award recognizing outstanding humanities programming. Nominations for the Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award due May4, 2020.  More information

The Snapdragon Book Foundation offers Grants for Books for Schools

The Snapdragon Foundation was established to provide funds to improve school libraries for disadvantaged children. Schools that serve PreK through grades 12 are eligible to apply. Applications are due February 16.

ALSC announces 2020 Notable Children’s Recordings

The list includes recordings for children 14 years of age and younger of especially commendable quality that demonstrate respect for young people’s intelligence and imagination; exhibit venturesome creativity and reflect and encourage the interests of children and young adolescents in exemplary ways.  The list

Upcoming and Ongoing

Feb 27                   Digital Learning Day   activities      lessons       online resources

March 2020        Women’s History Month     National Women’s History Alliance    Library of Congress

Census 2020       Census in Schools resources

SAYL mail is published twice monthly during the school year. You received this because you are subscribed to the Google Group ‘Alaska School Libraries”. Back issues are archived at the Alaska Library Network website.

Janet Madsen, School Library Coordinator, Alaska State Library (907) 465-8187, janet.madsen@alaska.gov

SAYL Mail   School and Youth Librarians Newsletter from the Alaska State Library

December 13, 2019

Reminders…    winter break will come

• AKLA scholarship program application due Jan 15, 2020
• Libraries Transform Communities engagement grant (school libraries can apply) Applications due between 12/2/19 and Feb3, 2019

Webinars of interest

• Tuesday December 17 @ 11:00 am: Empower Student Voices with Design Thinking
• Thursday December 19 @11:00am: Adolescent Risk Taking, Rewards and Relationships
• Thursday January 16 @11:30 am: Personal &Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences

that Impact a Lifetime

Employment opportunity

Anchorage Public Library hiring a youth services librarian for Chugiak-Eagle River Library

Requires MLS, full-time, Tues-Saturday schedule. Salary range $53,747-$68,473 annual

Details and application

For Planning Purposes

• January 27-31, 2020: National News Literacy Week: The News Literacy Project and the E.W.Scripss Company join forces to raise awareness of news literacy as a fundamental life skill. Free resources will be provided and shared on social media (#NewsLitWeek2020) and a soon to be launched website. Each day’s theme will be based on a Checkology lesson. Sign up if you would like to receive resources and updates in your inbox.
• FREE from Upstart: Children’s Library Programming Activity Calendar for January 2020
• Teen Programming Ideas for January: YALSA Martin Luther King Day, National Day of Service, Congressional Art Competition and YALSA’s annual selection of lists are announced. Scroll down for programming ideas on the cheap, year round activities, prize ideas and additional resources.
• Commonsense Top Picks websites for finding lesson plans

Grants

• DEMCO Ideas and Inspiration Grants Database

Worthwhile Reads

• TeenLibrarian Toolbox 12/13/19: TV shows to inspire teen programs, YA and Middle books to have on your radar in 2020
• Teen Services Underground: Nonfiction your teens may actually want to read
• Neverending Search: Teaching Ken Burns in the Classroom (great for National History Day)
• Daring Librarian: Facetime Weather on #MHTVNews

SAYL Mail is published weekly during the school year. You receive this because you are subscribed to the Google Group “Alaska School Libraries”. Back issues are archived at the Alaska Library Network website. Subscribe here

Janet Madsen, School Library Coordinator

Alaska State Library (907) 465-8187, janet.madsen@alaska.gov

SAYL Mail            School and Youth Librarian’s Newsletter from the Alaska State Library

December 6, 2019

In Alaska….

“From December 9-15, Alaska will join the world in celebrating the Week of Code, a movement to increase exposure to computer programming and computational thinking to students of all ages. The Department has set up an information and resource page for Alaska’s effort. We encourage all schools and libraries to check out our resources, resolve to hold an event and register your event at hourofcode.com/us. If you choose to hold an event, we strongly encourage you to talk about it on social media, using the hashtags #AlaskaWeekOfCode and #aklearns.”

ALASKA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION has established a scholarship program to provide financial assistance to worthy students pursuing graduate studies leading to a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies and to encourage graduates to return to Alaska to work in professional library positions. Scholarships may be awarded for both on-campus and/or distance education programs. Preference will be given to an individual meeting the federal definition of Alaska Native ethnicity. Application due Jan 15, 2020. For more information on eligibility, amount of award, criteria for selection and the new application procedure visit https://akla.org/scholarships/

For libraries with Overdrive digital collections, auto-checkout will be removed from Sora and “hold redelivery” will be introduced. This will allow students to freeze holds even after they’re made available to them and maintain their place on the wait list. This update will enable students to pass books they do not yet have time to read to the next person in line. Check Overdrive for more information:

TumbleBooks reminder

“In light of recent ebook drama regarding restriction and embargo of digital downloads, we thought it would be a good time to remind you that all TumbleBook ebook databases offer unlimited and unrestricted 24/7 access. No limits, No holds, No waiting periods, No embargoes. Every single title in your collection has an unlimited and unrestricted amount of copies available for 24/7 streaming anywhere and everywhere your patrons have an internet collection.”

Libraries Transform Communities Grant

Library workers can apply for a new annual grant to support innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries. This grant will provide $2,000 for libraries (including SCHOOL libraries) to expand community engagement efforts. This may include programs and services, partnering with a community agency that builds the capacity of the community to address an important issue or concern and more. Applications due between December 2, 2019 and February 3, 2019

!! Reminder from the Alaska State Library Grant Coordinator:

You can apply for a CE or PD grant any time before an event. However you may not receive more than one award in a fiscal year. Keep in mind that in 2020, there will be TWO statewide conferences of interest. ASTE and PNLA/AkLA.

Online resources of interest and to share with your school staff

The Find Your Grind Curriculum helps students prepare for life outside of the classroom, with meaningful lessons on topics like finding your identity, responsible social media use, digital citizenship, financial literacy, and the job application process. These critical pieces will set students up for success when playing the game of “life” and provide educators with the tools to have real, substantive conversations with their classes.

• Focuses on social emotional learning and student agency
• Allows for exploration of student interests
• Challenges students through inquiry and reflection
• Creates research opportunities

Flips the paradigm from Job-Strength-Lifestyle to the other way around.

“Alaska Books for Alaska Kids is a collaborative project by librarians and educators to compile an up-to-date, accessible, and useful bibliography of accurate, culturally relevant, recommended books for youth about Alaska and the North. This resource is intended to assist children, parents, teachers, librarians, college students, and early literacy professionals in identifying age-appropriate, accurate and culturally relevant books for youth in Alaska.” https://www.aklib.net/wp-abak/

FREE STEM Curriculum: The National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center focuses on STEM curriculum design, computer science curriculum design, cyber curriculum, professional development, and collaboration in K-12 education. If your library is looking for a way to expand your current STEM offerings (or even if you are looking for a place to start), check out the free resources from NICRC.

AASL Standards Now Crosswalked to Code with Google’s CS First Curriculum

As part of its continued commitment to provide school library professionals the materials and resources needed to implement its “National School Library Standards,” AASL has released a crosswalk aligning the AASL Standards to the Code with Google’s CS First Curriculum. The crosswalk and accompanying statement of alignment are downloadable, and the printable PDFs are available on the AASL Standards Portal.

AASL Publishes OER Toolkit

AASL has released a new toolkit to help position school librarians in efforts to create and curate open educational resources (OER) that will extend their role as leaders within their schools. The toolkit was developed to help school librarians who are grappling with how to translate the OER movement to K–12 educational settings. The toolkit’s goal is to help school librarians understand the process of curating and creating OER for their school, district, and/or state. The OER Toolkit is freely available for download at www.ala.org/aasl/toolkits.

AASL Inclusive Learning Communities

“American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has released a new resource guide to support school librarians in nurturing inclusive learning communities. “Developing Inclusive Learners and Citizens Activity Guide” contains reflection activities and resources based on Include, one of the six Shared Foundations contained within AASL’s “National School Library Standards.” The guide, along with supporting materials, can be downloaded at standards.aasl.org/project/inclusive.”

Described and media capture program

A free resource for qualifying teachers and families. Funding provided by the DOE and administered by the National Association of the Deaf. The DCMP provides services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind.

From Copyright and Creativity.org:  for ethical digital citizens. Resources for teaching copyright and fair use. These materials aim to provide accessible and practical information about copyright-it’s protections, limitations and it’s role in encouraging creativity. Rather than just emphasizing what copyright prohibits, the goal here is to offer useful and positive information about what copyright allows and how students can successfully navigate and rely on copyright in their own roles as creators. K-12 and PD also accessible through Canvas and GSuite download.

Top Picks for creating books and storybooks: From Commonsense Education, 16 story creation tools for teaching special needs students, tools providing prompts for pre-writing and publishing, illustrated story prompts and more. Mostly FREE a few from 2.99-19.99.

Youth Services WRITING BOXES: THE READING/WRITING CONNECTION IN LIBRARIES

Writing Boxes: The Reading/Writing Connection in Libraries is a guidebook and source of programming inspiration for all librarians working with early to young adult readers. Librarians will find thematic, easy to implement, hour long writing workshops that require only paper, markers, and excited young writers. Free as a PDF download; print copies available for purchase.

National History Day/ Women’s Suffrage

In September, Rightfully Hers pop-up displays from the National Archives began arriving at schools and cultural institutions nationwide. The display contains simple messages about the expansion of the vote to millions of women, before and after the 19th Amendment, and its impact today. You can download the high resolution posters for your school or institution from the U.S. National Archives website.

From Knowledge Quest:

Passive Reader’s Advisory: When You can’t do it all, here are some great ideas for connecting books with students. Think genre spine labels, shelf dividers to ease book finding, signs that reflect content, book displays, book recommendation stickers and book lists.

SAYL Mail is published weekly during the school year. You receive this because you are subscribed to the Google Group “Alaska School Libraries”. Back issues are archived at the Alaska Library Network website. Subscribe here

Janet Madsen, School Library Coordinator

Alaska State Library (907) 465-8187, janet.madsen@alaska.gov