Share Your Successes

Everyone has something that they do well in their library, so please share your success with other CEMA members. Perhaps you are proud of your collaboration with the public library on the summer reading list. Perhaps you had an outstanding project during school library media month. Please complete a summary describing the part of your library program of which you are particularly proud. E-mail this summary to the webmaster.

Something New: In addition to the descriptions of successful programs below, the Policies and Procedures page provides links to various policies, forms, procedures, etc., that our members are willing to share. Thus far, we have links to policies on: Acceptable Use, Collaboration, Copyright, Five-Year Plans, Library Media Program Frameworks K-12, Materials Selection, Open Access/Flexible Scheduling, Planning Tools, Research Guides, Role of the Library Media Specialist, and Technology. Feel free to make use of them when developing or updating your own policies.

Janet Roche
Simsbury High School
34 Farms Village Road
Simsbury, CT 06070
Grade level of the project: Grades 9-12
Idea/Project: Brochure about the LMC: Janet spent a lot of time creating this brochure, working with the principal and the supervisor, to reflect involvement of the LMC with the new state standards on information literacy and technology literacy. Find the link to the brochure at http://www.simsbury.k12.ct.us/teachers/JRoche/library/AboutUs/aboutlmc.htm.
Contact for more information: 860-658-0451 ext. 161 or JRoche@simsbury.k12.ct.us

Marilyn Hoitt
Forbes School Media Center
500 Migeon Ave.
Torrington
Grade level of the project: K-Grade 6
Idea/Project: Summer Reading Bus: Three different professional storytellers from the Bushnell traveled on the Reading Bus routes and read to all the students visiting the bus. One day of each of the four weeks, students who visited the Summer Reading Bus were treated to a read-aloud by a member of the Torrington Twisters. These summer collegiate baseball players also signed autographs and interacted with the students at each of the stops.
Contact for more information: 860-489-2500 EX. 244 or mhoitt@torrington.org

Sylvia Yasner
Fairfield Country Day School
2970 Bronson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
Grade level of the project: Grade 4
Idea/Project: Boys Book Club: This is an all male independent school. I initiated this activity to bring fathers and sons together for an activity other than sports or more typical school activities. Mothers and special friends were also welcome. Everyone read Joshua's Song by Joan Harlow. We met for an evening discussion of the book. I prepared questions ahead and did some research on the topics of the 1919 Influenza and the Molassas Factory explosion in Boston. We also had pizza and dessert. It lasted from approximately 6:30 - 7:45 p.m. This proved to be a great success. The boys loved the book and sharing it with a parent. There was so much interest that I offered it 2 evenings. Parents loved the history and story also. They are looking forward to sharing another Boys Book Club evening again.
Contact for more information: 203-259-2723x344 or sylvia.yasner@fcdsmail.org

June Bray
Somers High School Library
Ninth District Road
Somers, CT 06071
Grade level of the project: Grades 9-12
Idea/Project: The Blue Book: The Somers High faculty wanted to use a standard method of documenting the sources used in research papers and projects. We chose to use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., as our model. I worked with an English teacher, Jan Martin, to write and to publish the "Guide to Documentation", a booklet designed to explain the MLA style and to be used as a reference tool by our students. The cover of our guide is blue and the guide has come to be known by all teachers and students as "the blue book." We printed a copy for each teacher and student, and the "blue book" is now used across all curricular areas.
Contact for more information: 860.749.2270 ext. 4216 or june.bray@somers.k12.ct.us

Marjorie Pettersen
Grade level of the project: Grade 5
Idea/Project: Nutrition
Student Essential questions: Why is eating healthy foods important in my life? What can I do to improve my eating habits and make the right choices so that I have a healthy body?
Teacher Goal: To use technology and research skills to meet the requirements of the Health curriculum.
Brief description: This project included reviewing or introducing the following skills related to research and technology: Using the Big 6, writing essential questions, using print and nonprint sources, internet vs. database information, and keeping track of sources. The focus of the technology component was using advanced Microsoft Word features, creating and saving to folders, using an online source for recording citations, and evaluating a project using a rubric. In addition to the research skills described, this activity also included keeping a daily food log, analysis of a recipe using recommended Daily Values, the elements the basic food groups, the Body Mass Index, and comparing the new and old FDA Food Pyramids.
Contact for more information: mpettersen@torrington.org