Accelerated Reader Gets Kids Reading!

Even our littlest readers are taking the Accelerated  challenge.  Thanks to the support of this little ones parents, she’s off  running reading a new book daily and taking the AR quiz challenge.  Her reading can’t help but take off!

AR Book Finder is a great site to go to if you want to find out if a book you have or one checked out from the library has an AR quiz.  Check it out!

Introducing The Valdez High School Digital Media Center!

The Valdez High School Library has a new look.  Construction is wrapping up and VHS staff and students will be introduced this week to the new “Digital Media Center”. The DMC.

The Valdez High School DMC is in phase one of a three-year growth plan implementing a variety of online resources based on student, teacher, and curriculum needs. Important still is ready access to quality reference books and popular leisure reading for students.  VHS Librarian Sandy Crump, emphasizes, “We’re not throwing the baby out with the bath water.”

In order to address the needs of staff and students the VHS Library is shifting from the traditional book-based resource center, to a gathering place that promotes collaborative learning and easy access to a variety of information formats, including the traditional books.

Monday morning Ms Crump gave a presentation to staff members on Safari Montage.  This exciting digital media storage system allows on demand access to a variety of media formats such as video, audio, and image clips. Teachers will be able to access media to enhance lessons based on subject as well as the Alaska State Standards.

Ms Crump hopes the Valdez High School DMC becomes a place that students and staff can come together to read a good book, exchange ideas, and explore the world through a variety of formats.

New Art Books @ Your Library

What do Picasso, Chagall, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Monet have in common?

Yes, they’re all artists, AND, we now have some awesome new books about each one of them!

Check out these new art books at the HHES Library!

What’s New And Moving Off The Shelves Quickly

We’re keeping Seth and several other 3rd/4th graders happy with this new collection of 6 graphic novels based around the classics.

We knew we couldn’t keep these books on the shelves for long.  1st/2nd/3rd/4th grade boys are checking this collection of 10 monster vehicle books out as quickly as they come back in.  AND….. they have AR quizzes!

OK, Mrs. Benda has finally had time to catalog the new set of planet books.  Check out the book on Pluto to find out it’s latest scientific status.

For those of you studying earlier American history, you won’t want to past this new book up.  Learn more about the lost colony of Roanoke.

Avalanche Safety Coming To HHES Library

Back by popular demand, Sara Carter will be coming to the HHES Library in December to present avalanche safety tips to 5th/6th Grade Students.

Sara popped into the library recently to donate a couple of avalanche safety books to our library.  Thanks Sara!  We can’t wait to have you join us in December!

Vote For Your Favorite Book!

With the presidential election just around the cornor we decided to set up a voting booth at the HHES Library where kids can go vote for their favorite book.

Thanks to Scholastic Book Company kids are able to go online and vote for their favorite books.  They then can check to see how kids from all over the United States have cast their votes.

the kids wrap up their voting event by picking up a bookmark with an American flag.

HHES Library: The Master of Disasters!

Thanks to a a suggestion last spring from Ms Crepin for more resources on natural disasters, we recently purchased a set of  books on a wide variety of disasters published by World Book.  They look great and are ready to be checked out.

Check them out and let us know what you think!

Ancient Civilizations DVDs A Hit At HHES!

A thumbs up from Mrs. Good-Michaud’s class on  the DVD “Ancient Aztec Empire”.

The kids liked it so much they were asking for the sequal: ” Ancient Aztec: The Fall”.  We don’t have it in our library, but it’s already on the list of items to be ordered.  Thanks Mrs. Good-Michaud for the great feedback!

The HHES Library also has DVD’s by the same company on Rome, Mesopotamia, Greece, and the Incas.

Alaska’s First People:Perfect for new Alaska state history!

Judy Ferguson is the author of this series.  Tahita travels with Grampa and little fox meeting the indigenous people of Alaska in 1898 from the Aleutians, through Southeast, into Inuit/Eskimo lands, through 5 Athabascan groups to Prince William Sound.

Maps on every page. Endorsed by Native educators. Striking paintings, full map, glossary.

Lesson plans on state standards available on CD.

Vote For Your Favorite Book!

Knowing the 2008 Presidential elections would be coming quickly down the pike, last spring we purchased a variety of new books that will assist teachers in teaching kids the U.S. electiion process. Many of these books are hot off the press. Let us know what you think!