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Newsletters and Past Events:
Library Media Center News
April 17, 2008
Barnes and Noble Book Fair: May
18th
On May 18, 2008, Barnes and Noble will host a book fair for
the Library Media Center at their Leominster and Worcester stores. The
Library will receive a percentage of all sales generated from the fair
on that day. Senior Legacy Projects from Cheryl Adam’s Digital Design
class will be on display at both stores. Mention at the checkout
counter that you are purchasing your items for Quabbin Regional Middle
High School. Remember that books make a perfect gift! More flyers and
publicity are forthcoming.
LSTA Kit Update
The Library applied for and received a grant last October from the
LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) for “Discovery Kits.” This
is a federal grant originating from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services and managed by the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners. The subject areas for these 10 large kits were chosen
primarily from required courses such as physics, global studies,
environmental science, biology, and health. These topics lend
themselves well to Discovery Kits because of the possibilities for
resources in different and creative formats. These kits will be on
display at the May faculty meeting. There are also three mini-kits
which will be on loan to homeschoolers in the Quabbin Region via the
local public libraries.
Bookmark Contest Winners
In March, the Digital Design class participated in a bookmark
contest for the Library. The only requirement was that the words “LSTA
Kits” be somewhere on the bookmark. Each student could submit up to
four bookmarks for the contest. These 59 bookmarks are currently on
display in the Library. There were 30 judges made up teachers, staff,
and students. Each judge was asked to pick their four favorite
bookmarks. The four winning bookmarks are in the process of being copied
at the school’s central office. After duplication, the bookmarks will
be made available at the school library as well as the six public
libraries in the Quabbin region. They will also be posted on the
library’s website: quabbinlibrary.info. The winners are:
Second Place: Ben S’s Dive into Reading
Fourth Place: Kristina S’s Reading Creates Worlds
First Place: Sam L's Celtics Player
Third Place: Lyndsay M’s Imagine
Wish Lists
Thank you to those who submitted wish lists to me last month. I put
them all in my purchase orders for next year. If you didn’t have enough
time, please write down your suggestions anyway. In the event that we
raise money through the Barnes and Noble book fair, we may be able to
order your requests at that time. It also makes ordering faster and
easier for the next purchasing period.
Book Club
The Library’s Book Club is currently reading Mossflower by
Brian Jacques. This is the epic tale featuring a mouse named Martin the
Warrior, who becomes ensnarled in a dispute between the King’s daughter
and those who are the rightful heirs to the King’s throne.
Mossflower is the last book we will read for the school year. The
discussion for this book will be held after school on May 21st.
Other books we have read this year include The Barcode Tattoo,
The Uglies, The Golden Compass, Artemis Fowl and
Feed. The book club is primarily targeted to Middle School students
(all books are on the AR list), but is open to all students who wish to
participate.
Poetry Month
The Library has already posted 12 original student poems on the
Library’s bulletin board for “Poetry Month.” Come take a look! They
will be up until early May.
Fun Facts
Since the beginning of the school year, 19,887 students have used
the two computer labs (C109 and H203), 7,145 students have been
scheduled to use the library, and 10,979 students have used the library
during lunch, after school, and during their class time.
Library Media Center News
December 3, 2007
Middle School Book Club
We are reading the book, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. In this
futuristic society, the characters are given an operation at the age of
16 to turn them into “pretties.” Tally, the main character, meets
someone who doesn’t want to have the operation and runs away to a place
where everyone is “ugly.” Tally is given a choice to be forever “ugly”
or become a spy to find her friend. The book counts for 13 points on
the AR list. The meeting will take place on Wednesday after school on
December 5th starting around 2 pm. Snacks are provided.
Overhead Projectors
Our overhead projector stock is depleted and we can’t replace broken
ones. We currently do not have a budget for equipment. If you are
interested in a tax-deductible donation for the school, please see me.
A new projector plus shipping from B&H Photo costs $117.60.
Also, if you have an overhead in your room which you do not use, please
let us know. Some teachers are desperate for them!
After School on Wednesdays
The Library and Administration ask that if you send students to the
library to PLEASE send them with a pass. This is a particular problem
on Wednesdays after school. Because of the large number of students
(from 70 to 100 each week) and the small number of staff (just Jen after
3 pm), it is virtually impossible to call classrooms. Middle School
students are required to have a pass or they have to go back to class or
the office. The High School policy is currently under revision.
Water
The Board and Ski Club has stopped its fundraiser of selling
flavored water in the morning and afternoon on November 30, 2007. They
will begin again in the spring. Watch for signs.
Celtics Tickets Raffle
A former Media student at Quabbin, Peter Boccadoro, now works for
the Celtics as their Digital Media Coordinator and is donating two
Celtics tickets for two different games to be raffled off to help fund
equipment for the Media classes. Be on the lookout for signs to
purchase a ticket! These are from his own season tickets, so the seats
should be pretty good. See the Celtics with their best team in years.
Donation from Nagi Fayed
Many of you will remember Mohamed Fayed, a sophomore at Quabbin who
died unexpectedly eight years ago. His father, Nagi Fayed, donated $990
last week in honor of his son to the Library Media Center. With his
donation, we will purchase two televisions, an AV cart, two DVD players,
two boom boxes, and a new camcorder for teacher and student use. His
generous donation will be a benefit to the entire student body and we
are extremely thankful.
Cambridge Collections Online
This database is up for renewal this week. The cost of the database
has increased from $350 last year to $500 this year. I need to know if
this is something that students are utilizing. Please let me know if
your students use the database. Thanks!
SmartBoards
There are two Smart Board rooms in the school: one for High School
and one for Middle School. If you were in the training for Professional
Development Day, or you already know how to use one, you may sign up for
the room by stopping by or calling the Library. We are booking by the
day and the period (i.e. “December 6th, periods A, B, and
C). If you need to practice, feel free to book it for your prep period
or after-school.
UnitedStreaming (http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com)
At the Smart Board Orientation, it was mentioned that it’s possible
to capture video using SmartBoard technology and UnitedStreaming.
UnitedStreaming is in “half of all U.S. schools” and “ is
a digital video-on-demand and online teaching service.” Unfortunately,
our network can’t handle a full subscription at this time. But, they
offer a free 30 day trial if you’d like to check it out.
Blocking/Unblocking
Recently, there have been some changes with the Sonic Filter to report:
Unblocked: Ebay, Expanded Academic Index (a
database of InfoTrac), United Nations Page. AOL mail (You must type in
webmail.aol.com)
Now Blocked: YouTube. The reason is because
the bandwidth of the network was being stretched to the max with people
viewing YouTube. It slowed down the network to a crawl. If you need
YouTube unblocked, please set up a time with one of us at the Media
Center to unblock it for you.
Still blocked: National Geographic’s search
engine (because it has “proxy” in the address).
Library Media
Center News
September 21, 2007
We have over nine hundred new books which were bought over the
summer on every subject imaginable. Not all of our books are out of
their boxes yet, but all can be found using our Spectrum catalog (online
card catalog). If you need a refresher on using our catalog, please let
me know. There will be a display of some new books at the next high
school faculty meeting on October 1st. If anyone is moving or needs
boxes, please take ours. We have over 30 quality book boxes for
the taking.
Thanks to the
generosity of the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System, the
Quabbin Library will be
receiving interlibrary loan
delivery every Wednesday!
Now is
your chance to request items via interlibrary loan. The more we use it,
the longer we will have it.
The
Quabbin Book Club
will be discussing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on
Wednesday, September 26th after school. Mr. Verrochi and I hope to
garner interest in the club with this popular book. We will hopefully
meet the last Wednesday of each month. For those students interested in
participating in the club but can’t make the meeting can join our new
blog: pantherbookclub.blogspot.com. See the library for a sign up sheet
and details.
Wishlists:
The Media Center
may have funds to purchase materials for the 2007-2008 school
year. Please drop us a note with suggestions for purchase (books and
DVDs). But do it soon! All subjects are welcome.
The Library has not
had a budget for equipment for a long time
and many items are now beyond repair. As a result, we are in need of
many items. If you have any of the following that you would like to
donate to the school (in good working condition) please let us know. We
currently need: CD players, tape recorders, VCRs, DVD players, and
27” (and bigger) television sets. Also, if you have an overhead
projector in your room that you don’t use, please call and ask us to
pick it up.
The library website:
www.quabbinlibrary.info is
now linked off the Resources page of the District website. I redesigned
it over the summer for easier access to the databases. Please give it a
look. Thanks!
Library Media
Center News
June 15, 2007
Thanks go to everyone who participated in the Barnes and
Noble Bookfair. Because of your purchases, the Library
earned a gift card of almost $100. Next year will be even
better!
Thanks for all who participated in the
Digital Art Bookmark Design
contest for Teen Tech Month last March. The four winning
designs were made into bookmarks. The students with the
winning designs (left to right): Michelle B., Tadz G. (2),
Rachel S.
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