Great news! Our card catalog is now available from home. You can search for books at home and come in the next day to check them out. Just follow this link.
New Poll
Book Talk Podcast
Two students came into the media center and were very excited about a book that they had just finished. After they told me all about it, I asked if they wanted to record a message on our media center podcast. You can listen to it here. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click “play” on the Plemmons Podcast.
Digital Download Books
I just wanted to remind everyone about a great resource on the Athens Regional Library webpage. You can download audio books by creating an account with your PINES library card. The selection of books for children and teens is steadily growing. There are two books by Deborah Wiles, who is coming to our school on March 17th. You can download The Aurora County All-stars and Each Little Bird That Sings. Check it out!
Gcast
We have a new feature on the Barrow Media Center webpage. It’s called Gcast. This small box located at the bottom of the homepage will contain audio updates from me and other guest speakers. I’m not sure how often we will update it, but I’ll include a blog post when it updates. You can also subscribe to this feature. Gcast allows you to record audio on your phone and immediately publish the audio onto your webpage. I’ll most likely use this to quickly tell you about new books in our media center, but I’m sure we’ll think of other ways to use it throughout the year. Visit our website and check it out.
A Chair from My Dad
I hope that everyone had a wonderful break. I wanted to share something new in the Barrow Media Center. I received a special chair for Christmas, which now sits in our media center. It’s the chair I will sit in as I read stories to everyone. Of course, there’s a story to go along with the chair.
Last May, I was at my parents’ house in Blue Ridge, GA. We visited Arts in the Park, a local arts and crafts fair. My eye was caught by a rocking chair made out of thin, twisting sticks from the forest. I had never seen a chair like this before, but I immediately knew that this was the perfect rocking chair for me and my love of old stories. The $300 price tag was not as welcoming as the chair.
I showed the chair to my dad and he, of course, said, “I could make something like that.” He almost always says this, and it’s true. He can build practically anything he puts his mind to. I knew I wasn’t buying the chair, but my mind started working and thinking about what my own stick rocking chair might look like. I gave my dad a few ideas and dismissed the thought of him building one because I know how busy he is taking care of my Mom and Grandparents.
This Christmas, as we were opening our presents, Dad handed me a little bag with a note tucked inside. “Go to the basement. Look under the tarp. Love, Dad.” I was taken back to Christmases ago when I had to go on a scavenger hunt to find one of my Christmas presents. As soon as I saw the note and thought about the scavenger hunt, I remembered the chair I had seen in May.
Down the stairs I went to uncover the tarp. When I pulled back the tarp, this is what I saw.
The chair is made of several pieces of trees that Dad gathered from various locations on our property in Blue Ridge. The seat and arms are made from wood from the “Old House”, which was part of the plan I shared with Dad back in May. The seat and the arms are really what make the chair the most special to me. The “Old House” was my Great, Great Aunt’s house. It is hidden in the woods down a road that you really have to look to find, and it’s walls are beginning to crumble. My Great Grandfather was raised in this house and the wood used to build its walls was collected from the property where the house sits. Today it is over 100 years old. The seat and arms of my rocking chair are made from wood Dad salvaged from the kitchen area of the house.
In May, I had only thought that the chair I saw was perfect. Now I have the perfect chair. It’s a chair that holds many memories. Memories of the “Old House” where my Dad and I worked in the garden, drank water from a spring on the side of the road, and chopped wood to sell. Memories of my childhood in Blue Ridge and the trees and stream that I loved to play in and around. Most of all it holds memories of how much my Dad cares for me. He will always do anything for me and has sacrificed so much for me to make it to where I am today. I try my best to not take the things that I have for granted, and this chair will remind me of the hard work he has always put in throughout his entire life. Thanks Dad for this beautiful chair.
Holiday Lights
Many of you have asked me about my Christmas lights that I put up each year. Here is a short video of my lights. I hope you have a wonderful break. I hope these lights remind you of the book, The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza by David Shannon!
Polar Express Day
Well…another Barrow tradition carried on today as students, teachers, and families celebrated Polar Express Day. The whole school was nice and toasty in their PJs. Classes came two at a time to the media center. They were led by a conductor carrying a lantern. Each class heard a speech about using the ticket of imagination to get on board the Polar Express. Classes entered silently into a darkened media center as Polar Express music played over the speakers. Hot chocolate was served and students were ready for a story. We listened to a recording of the Polar Express as a teacher turned the pages of the book illuminated by a spotlight. After the story, every student received a bell along with the message to “Always Believe”. Each student received a candy cane on his/her way out. It was great to experience this tradition and celebration of reading. It was especially fun to see the PreK students’ first Polar Express day and the Fifth Grade students’ last day. It was a day filled with emotion, fun, and enjoyment of reading.
Lots of New Books!
What do 367 new books look like? Check out these pics. We just finished processing these books that connect to the science and social studies curriculum for Georgia. When a shipment of books comes in, they don’t go straight onto the shelf. They have to be inspected, checked off on the invoice, stamped, and labeled. Because this order ties to our curriculum so well, I wanted teachers to get to see them before they went into circulation. Yesterday, we held a book preview and many teachers and students came to day to start checking out these books. We want to thank CCSD for funding these extra books during a tough economic time. They have helped us get a strong start toward having materials in our media center that match science and social studies curriculum for all grade levels.
The Tale of Despereaux & the Holidays
Check out our new display in the media center. I was lucky enough to get a standee from the upcoming movie, The Tale of Despereaux. I’m super excited about this movie. Kate DiCamillo is my favorite author, and many of you love her writing as well. We can’t keep the Tale of Despereaux on our shelves. Kate DiCamillo has several other great books, which are all featured in this display. Stop by and check them out.
We’ve also been decorating for the holidays and putting up books displays related to the December holidays. If you have any great resources to share with us, let me know.
Expect the Miraculous 