September
2006
Blogletter #40
SAYL Mail
September 28, 2006
FREE LABELS / STATE LITERACY CONFERENCE / SURVEY / LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE / CLIA AWARDS / READY TO READ, READY TO LEARN / KUDOS TO KARI
FREE SHELF LABELS—ACT QUICKLY
Giving away: 60 plastic shelf label holders. 3/4″ x 3″. Almond color. Will ship free of charge. Email roz99647@yahoo.com if interested.
ALASKA STATE LITERACY CONFERENCE
The Alaska State Literacy Association is holding its annual conference in Juneau, October 19-21. For more information, check ASLA’s website at: http://www.alaskareading.org The theme for the 2006 conference is: Alaska’s Diverse Community: Literacy and Leadership.
The state library conference for this year will also be held in Juneau this school year, February 22-25.
SURVEY ON MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, AND MORE
A survey on SLED has been extended to get more feedback from teachers, librarians, parents, and students. Check it out on the SLED main page (http://sled.alaska.edu). Please encourage your students to respond in the next couple of weeks and also take a second to participate yourself. The group who is working on tutorials for the SLED databases is hoping to get a wide cross-section of users and would-be users to participate.
LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE
The Alaska Center for the Book and the Library of Congress Center for the Book are once again sponsoring this annual competition. Last year an Alaska student finished in the top 20 nationwide. To see how your students can participate: http://www.alaskacenterforthebook.org/ Students in grades 4 -12 are eligible, and this year’s deadline is December 8, 2006. Winners receive Target certificates, which are redeemable online, and lots of glory!
CONTRIBUTIONS TO LITERACY IN ALASKA AWARD
Speaking of the Alaska Center for the Book, the CLIA Awards were announced last week in Anchorage. Corey Hall of the Kenai Community Library and her innovated programs and grant proposals on behalf of Kenai students and preschoolers made her the latest librarian to garner this recognition. (Last year’s winners included school librarian Valerie Oliver.) Judy Ferri, a retired educator from Fairbanks and, like Corey, very active in the State Literacy Association was one of the other honorees in this year’s recognition. Congratulations to both of them for all their hard work on behalf of reading and literacy.
READY TO READ, READY TO LEARN TASK FORCE PRESENTS REPORT
The Ready to Read, Ready to Learn Task Force presented the results of its 10 months of work to Governor Murkowski at a press conference on September 27, 2006 in Anchorage. The report, which focuses on what it might take to make all young Alaskans ready to read when they enter kindergarten and to succeed in their later school careers is available on the Alaska Humanities Forum website at: http://www.alaskacenterforthebook.org/ The vision of the task force will carry forward under the leadership of Abbe Hensley, the new director of initiative, and the work of parents, teachers, and librarians throughout Alaska.
KUDOS TO KARI
Kari Sagel of Sitka School District met with Alaska State Commissioner of Education and Early Development Roger Sampson to discuss issues surround the certification of teacher librarians. Although it is too early to discuss a specific outcome, Kari and a committee of the Alaska Association of School Librarians is ready to take the next step in the negotiations. Hats off to Kari for her leadership in this matter. Stay tuned for the rest of the story…..
TRAVEL
I will be visiting our colleagues in Fairbanks Public Library and School District tomorrow and will be working with others from the State Library in the Denali School District and Tri-Valley Community Library, the Delta Community Library and the Delta Greely School District, Tok Community Library, and Northway Community School Library. I look forward to seeing all of you in the Interior, but will not be answering emails as regularly or my phone at all for the next week. I’ll try to keep up with my email, but it is always interesting to see how I am able …or not…to connect as I travel.
Enjoy this beautiful fall if you still have leaves in your area, and report snow when you have it!
