SAYL Mail for November 9th
In this issue……….
- SAYL News in Brief
- Scholarships, Grants and Awards Opportunities
- Training and Continuing Education Opportunities
- As seen on Alaska School Library Facebook
- Employment Opportunities
SAYL News in Brief
SAYL Mail is back! Looks and feels the same but may change format and platform in the near future.
During the break in publication, Jared Shucha, former Alaska State School Library Coordinator left his position for new adventures and I came on board October 29th. I returned to Alaska from New Mexico to take this job and I’m super excited to be here! Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. My “door” is open.
Important Books for Young People Start a Grassroots Reading Movement
Election Day has passed but political polarization in our society continues. Key takeaways in this article point to the gaps in partisan thinking and the link between reading fiction and empathy. Includes book lists and links to program ideas. (KQ)
Yupik Story Time @ Loussac Library in Anchorage
Resources from NEA
November is Native American Heritage month. Celebrate Alaska’s cultural diversity and invite community members in to share stories and visit. No need to limit these opportunities to one month. (KTUU) Share your ideas on Alaska School Librarian’s Facebook page.
Why Ed Tech Specialists Should Focus on Transformation, Not Tools
Not a school librarian article per se but exchange the technology integration specialist term and this article will make you think about your collaborative teaching conversations .(Edsurge)
Happy Picture Book Month Set a picture book challenge for your student. This librarian chose to focus on genre and format. Students were expected to read 12 picture books from the selections and at the end of the month choose a favorite and write a reason for why picture books are important for the world. The month culminated with a virtual author visit and small prizes. (ETM)
Scholarships, Grants and Awards Opportunities
Last minute:
Closes November 15th (School and Public Collaborative) Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award. Up to $4,000 to provide a visit from an author.
Closes Nov 16th ALA Great Stories Club on Truth ,Racial Healing& Transformation
“Copies of three theme related books to use in reading and discussion group; travel and lodging, support to attend a national orientation workshop in June 2019; and a variety of programming support materials.”
In the near future:
Closes February 1, 2019 Collaborative School Library Award sponsored by Upstart
$2,500“Recognizes and encourages collaboration and partnerships between school librarians and educators in meeting goals outlined in National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians and School Libraries through a joint planning of a program, unit or event in support of the curriculum and using school library resources.”
Closes February 1, 2019 Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award
$2,000 to the librarian, up to $1,000 in reimbursement towards travel and housing to attend the AASL awards presentation at the ALA annual Conference and $5,000 book donation by Penguin Random House.
Closes Feb 1, 2019 The Ruth Toor Grant for Strong Public School Libraries
$3,000 to create and implement a project that promotes school library awareness and its accomplishments to school officials and administrators. $2,000 for both the school librarian and school official (or volunteer parent) to attend the AASL national conference or the ALA Annual Conference during the years when there is no AASL national conference.
Training and Continuing Education Opportunities
These webinars are at no cost and run approximately one hour unless otherwise noted. Opportunities not fitting your schedule are often made available through their archives.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 @5:00-6:00PM EST ( 1:00PM AST)
Presented by Michele Luhtala, Library Development Chair, New Canaan High School, CT
“Michele will share tools that promote collaboration among educators. Participants will explore how to demonstrate that collaboration is happening, that it is effective, and that it favorably impacts student learning. Rubrics and replicable instructional materials will be shared.”(edwebnet)
Close Reading the Internet: Developing Critical Thinkers
Thursday November 29th, 2018 4:00-5:00 Pm EST (noon AST)
“How do we teach students to be critical thinkers online? What do students need to consider when they search online, and how do they evaluate the results they get? Ben Cogswell, elementary school teacher, coach, and edtech specialist, will present strategies for teaching students to be effective researchers and critical consumers of online media. He’ll explain how online queries work and the steps to take to determine whether a webpage is trustworthy.” ( K-12) (edwebnet)
Additional opportunities listed with time and links through Alaska School Library Development Training and Continuing Education Calendar.
Employment Opportunities (as listed in Alaska Teacher Placement 11/07)
Middle School Teaching/Librarian Media Specialist posted 7/23/18 Open until filled
Homer Middle School, Kenai Peninsula School District ( .5FTE)
Other/Librarian K-6 Ptarmigan Elementary Anchorage School District posted 4/11/2018
As Seen on Alaska School Librarians Facebook
Resources shared and questions asked on the Facebook group. This is intended to give readers the chance to access resources at work if social media is filtered. Only timely questions, announcements, and links to non-social media resources are listed here.
10/31 ‘Looking for new reading promotion Ideas?”
For the Love of Literature: Reading Promotions: Knowledge Quest
11/ 4 “Check out this great list of tech tools that support the AASL Standards and add some of your own favorites. Tech Tools for the AASL Standards
11/6 Five Ways to Make Your Classroom More Inclusive
Check It Out Next Time!
To get SAYL Mail updates sent to your inbox, request a subscription to the AkASL Listserv and ask a colleague to do the same. (mail to; list-manager@lists.akla.org? subject=subscribe alaska-school-libraries)
Janet Madsen, School Library Coordinator, Alaska State Library,
(907)465-8187 janet.madsen@alaska.gov