Happy Holidays!

Season's Greetings from Ms. Stack, Ms. Hirsch, and Ms. Zitay. We wish you and your family a safe and joyous holiday break. Have a very Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing you back in the school library on Monday, January 5, 2009! It will be a Day 2. As always, should you need help with anything - homework, research, pleasure reading suggestions - anything at all - just ask! We are here to help.

Tribute to Twilight

Mepham, you sure know how to support a cause! Our third annual Scholastic Book Fair was a wonderful success. Even in these tough economic times, you all came through with very generous donations to "ONE for BOOKS" which allowed us to raise money to buy books for children during this holiday season. The highlight of the event for many of our students was the "Twilight to Tribute" t-shirt raffle. Hundreds of you entered to win, but only two of you did. Congratulations to Alexa DiMaggio and Elana Korn.

Scholastic Book Fair

Our third annual Scholastic Book Fair is right around the corner! It will be here in your school library from Monday, December 1st - Wednesday, December 3rd from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Our family night will be held on that Monday from 7 - 9 p.m. We will continue to have our “ONE for BOOKS” donations, which raises money to purchase books for children’s charities, including Toys for Tots, Kids in Distressed Situations Inc., and National Center for Family Literacy. Books enrich our student’s lives – and we all reap the benefits. Thank you for your continued support.

I've Gone Google!

They say once you've gone Google you never go back. Well, they don't really say it... but I will. The Google Teacher Academy in New York was AMAZING. The best thing that I learned all day was that since all of our students in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District have email accounts that are powered by Google, we are now considered a Google Apps School. What does this really mean? It means that we have access to Google Web applications for communication and collaboration within our classrooms. Applications such as Google Docs, Google Sites, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Maps, Google Earth, iGoogle, Google Reader, and so, so, so much more!

Photo courtesy of Lisa Thumann

I'm Going Google!

According to their Website, The Google Teacher Academy is "a FREE professional development experience designed to help K-12 educators get the most from innovative technologies." 50 innovative educators were selected to attend the GTA NY based on the merits of their online application - and I was one of them! Each applicant was required to produce an original one minute video. My topic was "Classroom Innovation" and the results are posted here on YouTube.

On November 18th I will be headed to Ninth Avenue in New York City and I will return to W.C. Mepham High School a Google Certified Teacher to report back to you!

We've Flipped!

Is Ms. Stack the next Steven Spielberg? We've been filming some video in the library lately with this little camcorder. This is the Flip Video. It's small enough to fit into your pocket and requires no plugs because it has it's own built-in USB. This little camcorder takes up to 60 minutes of video, has 2GB of internal memory, and takes video in avi format, which is perfect for working with our computers in school.

Stay tuned for our latest movies that will be posted soon!

Election Day

Graphic Novels

A “graphic” novel may not be what you’re thinking! A graphic novel is an evolving term, but basically it is a type of comic book, usually with a lengthy and complex storyline similar to those in novels. Students love ‘em! They have finally become accepted in the mainstream as an alternative to their prose-packed counterparts. We have a bunch in the library on display now and plan to purchase many more. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. The strip pictured is from Art Spiegelman’s memoir, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. In 1992, this graphic novel won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award.

Books with Bite @ your library®!

Teen Read Week 2008 is Oct. 12-18. Stop by the school library during Teen Read Week to indulge your biting curiosity and check out books and graphic novels on animals, technology, cooking and even vampires! Stop by today and pick up a page turner that you can read or listen to, just for the fun of it!

Playaway

Q: What is a Playaway? A: A Playaway is the first pre-loaded digital audio book. All you have to do is press play and start listening. It works similar to an iPod or portable music player. The Playaway comes with batteries. We only ask that you use your own earbuds.

Q: Why use a Playaway? A: It is the easiest way to listen to a book. A Playaway only weighs two ounces and can easily fit in a pocket for ultimate portability. It remembers where you left off and automatically bookmarks the “page.”

Q: Where can I get a Playaway? A: We have seven Playaways in the school library for you to check out today!

Change, Change, Change

As I stated in the last post, we have some changes here in your school library. We have several new databases that you totally have to check out including:

Soundzabound - This is a royalty free music library. You can download all the music on this site for FREE to use in your podcasts, videos, PowerPoints, Web Design, digital storytelling, etc.

Clip Art School Edition - The largest collection of royalty-free clipart, photos, vinyl-ready images, Web graphics, illustrations, fonts and sounds for FREE to use in your podcasts, videos, PowerPoints, Web Design, digital storytelling, etc.

Proquest AP Science - Full-text scientific, technical, and medical journals.

Teachingbooks.net - TeachingBooks.net is a portal to thousands of online resources you can use to explore children's and young adult books and their authors.

TumbleReadables - This is an online collection of read-along titles for elementary, middle school, and high school students which features adjustable online text and complete audio narration.

This Year is Sure to Rock!

Greetings Class of 2012! Welcome back returning students, staff, and faculty. You are all in for a great year at the Mepham High School Library! We invite you to stop in to check out the changes that took place this summer. We have some exciting new online resources and many new books and magazines. You may see one that you requested! Check the blog often for updates throughout the year.

If you are a new student or staff member, view the Mepham High School Library Orientation Video above. It's also a great refresher for those of you who may have forgotten what your library has to offer! Any questions? Come on in. All students are welcome!

Some of Our Favorite Authors!

Video Tutorial - How to Use Clipart.com

Click here to learn how to use Clipart.com School Edition. This is an online database that Mepham High School subscribes to for its students and teachers. It is the largest collection of royalty free clipart, photos, vinyl-ready images, Web graphics, illustrations, fonts and sounds offered by subscription on the Web. All content is specially selected for educators and students.

The screencast was created using Jing. What is Jing? Go to the Website and take the 2 minute video tour to find out more about it.

Video Tutorial - How to Add a Video to Blogger

Click here to learn how to add a video or podcast to blogger in a few simple steps. The screencast was created using Jing. What is Jing? Go to the Website and take the 2 minute video tour to find out more about it. This is so easy. You are going to be surprised!

Incoming 9th Graders

Incoming 9th graders check out your summer reading music video and podcast. When you're finished watching, tell me what book you will read this summer.

Incoming 10th Graders

Incoming 10th graders check out your summer reading music video and podcast. When you're finished watching, tell me what book you will read this summer.

Incoming 11th Graders

Incoming 11th graders check out your summer reading music video and podcast. When you're finished watching, tell me what book you will read this summer.

Incoming 12th Graders

Incoming 12th graders check out your summer reading music video and podcast. When you're finished watching, tell me what book you will read this summer.

Don't Sweat Summer Reading!

We are pleased to present the 2008 Summer Reading Lists. Each student is required to select a book from the appropriate grade-level list below. If you are having trouble choosing a book, ask a parent, teacher, librarian or the English department chair for help. The Mepham High School Website has pamphlets and our next post will have podcasts with short summaries to help make your selection easier. The titles below are linked to Amazon.com for more information.

Incoming 9th Grade Summer Reading List:
In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeleine Blais

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Driver's Ed by Caroline B. Cooney

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Things Change by Patrick Jones
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman

Incoming 10th Grade Summer Reading List:
Feed by M.T. Anderson
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by Josh Grogan
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Incoming 11th Grade Summer Reading List:
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
Black Girl / White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer

How to Read Literature Like a Professor* by Thomas C. Foster
The Kite Runner* by Khaled Hosseini
*Only required for E3 AP English students at Mepham High School

Incoming 12th Grade Summer Reading List:
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Freakonomics*by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
*Only required for E4 AP English students at Mepham High School

Mmmmm....del.icio.us

Never heard of social bookmarking? Well, it's one of those new Web 2.0 crazes...and it makes a ton of sense. Social bookmarking allows you to store and share bookmarks (a.k.a. your "favorites") on the web, instead of inside your browser on just one computer. You can then access your bookmarks from any computer, anywhere, at anytime. Some popular social bookmarking sites are: del.icio.us, portaportal, digg, MyBookmarks, Yahoo!Bookmarks, and diggo. Social bookmarking is perfect for someone like me who has 279 bookmarks saved and uses various computers throughout the day at home, school, and work! Visit the social bookmarking sites above to see if it is right for you too...

What Are You Reading?

Review and rate a book you have read.

***** Book is really great, incredible - I couldn't put it down!
**** Liked it a lot

*** Average
** Not bad - nothing special
* Disappointing - I don't recommend it

Image taken from Kate Spade.com

OBTW TY

What's the 411 on text message lingo? Teens today are using a totally different language to communicate with their peers, parents, and teachers. It's about time we are all in the know. Teens, I need your help! Let's use this forum to post some of the more obscure slang you may use or read while using the Internet or text messaging.

TIA (Thanks in advance!)

Title translation: Oh, by the way thank you!

Happy Blogiversary!

What is a blogiversary? It's the yearly anniversary of a web-log (a.k.a. blog). We can hardly believe it has been one year since we started the Mepham High School Library blog! Thank you to all our loyal readers...now go out and tell your friends...we need more!

Image taken from Martha Stewart.com

Poem in Your Pocket

Celebrate the first national Poem In Your Pocket Day!

We celebrated last year with our Poet-Tree and had a blast.

The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month then carry it with you to share with fellow students, family, and friends on April 17th (Happy Birthday Mom!).

Poems from pockets will be unfolded throughout the day. If you stop by at the school library and show us your Poem in Your Pocket you will be handsomely rewarded!

Join the Circle of Knowledge @ Your Library

Do you want to research your next vacation? Get help with homework? Write a resume? Connect to the Internet? Maybe you just want to curl up with your favorite book and enjoy some peace and quiet. You can do all of that and more at your library. Celebrate National Library Week, April 13 to the 19th, and see what’s new @ your library.

A message brought to you by the American Library Association’s Campaign for America's Libraries and the William S. Christy Memorial Library (aka the Mepham High School Library).

Created Equal

The W.C. Mepham High School Library is one of 3,000 libraries across the country selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) to receive free hardcover editions of 17 classic books from the first We the People Bookshelf. The theme of this year’s bookshelf is “Created Equal.” The award is part of the NEH’s We the People initiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture. We have all the books on special display in our library. We, the library staff invite you to check them out...literally.

Cut Loose!

I been working so hard
Keep punching my card
Eight hours, for what?
Oh, tell me what I got
I get this feeling
That time's just holding me down
I'll hit the ceiling
Or else I'll tear up this town
Tonight I gotta cut
Loose, footloose

Come see a fantastic cast including, you guessed it - your librarian, Ms. Stack, John Pawlikowsky, and two wonderful social studies teachers, Ms. Dennis, and Ms. Miller cut loose in Mepham High School's spring musical Footloose! Opening Night is Thursday, April 10th @ 7:30 p.m. If you miss that performance, don't worry, you can catch the one on Friday, April 11th @ 7:30 p.m. or Saturday, April 12th @ 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5. We want to see you there to kick off your Sunday shoes!

Before, During, & After

Ms. Stack BEFORE

Ms. Stack DURING - I just donated 10+ inches of my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths campaign. My hair will create free, real-hair wigs for women who've lost their hair due to cancer.

Ms. Stack AFTER - BALD for St. Baldricks Foundation!

Ms. Hirsch BEFORE

Ms. Hirsch DURING - she donated two pony tails of hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths campaign.

Ms. Hirsch AFTER - BALD and Beautiful!

Ms. Hirsch and I would like to thank all those students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends who supported us in our St. Baldrick's Foundation effort to raise funds for childhood cancer research. The students at Mepham High School and throughout the Bellmore-Merrick CHSD have shown their generosity, braveness, and compassion. With your support, encouragement, and donations, our district raised over $100,000. Additionally, 65 people shaved their heads at Tuesday night's event and 40 ladies chopped their locks for Pantene's Beautiful Lengths campaign. This has been an amazing community effort and we are so proud to have been a part of it. Stop by the library to get a glimpse of your very BALD library staff!

Chop Your Locks for Charity

Do you want to see Ms. Stack bald? For more information, check out the video podcast below.

On March 18th at 6 o'clock in the evening in the South Gym, students and faculty at Mepham High School will "Chop Their Locks For Charity." What's this all about? Students and faculty will be able to donate 8+ inches of their hair for Patene's Beautiful Lengths campaign or shave their heads for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Want to join in the fun? Sign up today with Ms. Netto is room 234. If the students at Mepham raise a total of $25,000, your librarian is going au naturale! Check out Ms. Stack's donation page.

Tune In @ Your Library®

Get Connected @ Your Library® March 2 – 8! Think the library is all about books? Think again. The library is also about blogs, podcasts, gaming, music, and more. Stop by or the library or visit our Website during Teen Tech Week to tune into these technologies.

There are many new cool tools on the market that are perfect for teens. With the new RockStar from Belkin, you can share and mix music with friends. RockStar is a unique hub that connects a combination of MP3 players and headphones. Attach your headphones and hear your friend’s play list. Or, add another iPod to mix songs and listen together. This device will be available in the US in March and costs around $20. For more info on the latest tech toys come into the library!

Secrets of My Hollywood Life: On Location at Mepham High School

It was no secret around here that Mepham High School had the honor of hosting author Jen Calonita on Tuesday, February 26th for a fabulous book discussion. Jen Calonita lives right in our neighborhood, yet she is no stranger to the Hollywood lifestyle. Our afternoon began as Calonita recounted how she started out in the magazine industry working at Teen People, TV Guide, Glamour and Marie Claire. She revealed her first assignment working the red carpet at MTV's Video Music Awards. She then explained her transformation from senior entertainment editor to novelist. Calonita also discussed her writing process (she even passed out one of her manuscripts!), working of her first novel, how she developed the characters, and her procedure for writing the sequel. Students had an opportunity to ask questions about her latest novel (the third installment in the Secrets series), Secrets of My Hollywood Life: Family Affairs, which is due out this spring. She even signed copies of our books! It's no secret Jen - you are great!

Secrets of My Hollywood Life

Jen Calonita will be visiting Mepham High School on Tuesday, February 26th for a book discussion. The Mepham chapter of the National English Honor Society (NEHS) is hosting this event. All students are welcome to attend. Sign up with Ms. Stack in the school library.

About the Author: It's no secret how Jen Calonita knows the inside scoop on young Hollywood. Over the past eight years, as a senior entertainment editor at Teen People, and an entertainment journalist for Entertainment Weekly, Glamour and Marie Claire, Calonita has interviewed celebrities from Lindsay Lohan to Ashton Kutcher. She lives in New York with her husband Mike, son Tyler and their Chihuahua, Captain Jack Sparrow.

About the Book: What if... Your picture was taped inside lockers across America, your closets were bursting with designer clothing, and the tabloids constantly asked whether you were losing your "good girl" status? It's a glamorous life, but Kaitlin Burke, co-star of one of the hottest shows on TV, is exhausted from the pressures of her fame. So she decides to spend a few months undercover as an ordinary high school student. But could it be that real-life high school is just as harsh as cutthroat Hollywood...?

The History of Black History

According to Infoplease.com, Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as "Black History Month." What you might not know is that black history had barely begun to be studied - or even documented - when the tradition originated back in the 20s. "Although blacks have been in America at least as far back as colonial times, it was not until the 20th century that they gained a respectable presence in the history books."

It is Dr. Carter G. Woodson that is credited for the celebration of Black History Month. For more information on who he was and how he created this national celebration click here.

Image taken from TheWebGlossary.com

A New Kind of Library

Bromann, Jennifer, and Ellen Lindner. "Everything Bad Is GOOD!" Comic strip. School Library Journal Apr. 2007: 43-46. 28 Jan. 2008
<http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/info/CA6430955.html>.

MANY More Tips and Tricks!

Google can be a great search tool...if you know how to use it correctly. The tips below were taken from a handout that Google created and posted on their Librarian Central teaching tool website. Want a complete copy? Come into the library for more tips!

define: Find Meanings
What it does: defines a word or phrase
What to type: define: plethora
What you'll get: links to definitions of the word "plethora"

site: Site Specific
What it does: searches only particular websites
What to type: global warming site:edu
What you'll get: references to "global warming" found on .edu websites

link: Linked Pages
What it does: searches for webpages that link to a particular website
What to type: link:www.umich.edu
What you'll get: websites that link to the University of Michigan website

1+1: Math Answers (My favorite!)
What it does: basic calculator functions
What to type: 4+7, 30% of 55, 20^2, sqrt(4), etc.
What you'll get: the answer

cm in foot: Conversions
What it does: converts units of measure
What to type: cm in foot, 28C in F, $ in pound, days in fortnight, miles in league, mph in speed of light, etc.
What you'll get: the converted answer

*NEW UPDATE TO GOOGLE*
You can now get your flight status by typing in the name of the airline and flight number (e.g., American 123, ua226) into the search box, and Google will return the most up-to-date information from FlightStats.com.


Images taken from Google

Tips and Tricks!

The information in this post comes from a Google handout that we have in the school library. Come in for a copy today and look for more Google tips in future posts.

If you want better Google results you need to perform better Google searches. Here are some cool modifiers to type in your Google searchbox to refine your searches and get the best results.

" "
Exact Phrase
What it does: searches for an exact phrase
What to type: “one small step for man”
What you’ll get: results that include the exact phrase “one small step for man”

-
Excluded Words
What it does: excludes search results with a particular word or phrase
What to type: bass -fishing
What you’ll get: results about bass that are ot related to fishing

~
Similar Words
What it does: searches for a word and all its synonyms
What to type: ~mobile phone
What you’ll get: results with the word “phone,”as well as “cell,” “cellular,” “wireless,” etc.

OR
Multiple Words

What it does: searches for webpages that include either word
What to type: “vacation” “London” OR “Paris”
What you’ll get: results with the word vacation and either London or Paris

...
Numerical Ranges
What it does: searches for a range of numbers
What to type: Willie Mays 1950…1960
What you’ll get: results about Willie Mays during this time period

Images taken from Google

Podcasting 101

At this week's faculty meeting, Mr. Stein and I had the opportunity to present a podcast about podcasting. What is podcasting, you ask? Click on the video podcast below to get a brief glimpse at what podcasting is all about and how it can be applied in the classroom!

Why are we talking about podcasting? Next semester in Mr. Stein's Participation in Government class, groups of students will have the opportunity to produce their very own video podcasts for a project on activism. Each group will research a non-profit activist group, produce a public service announcement, create a video podcast, and present it to their peers. Mr. Patten's class has also produced their own audio podcasts for the "Pirates Presidential Campaign" and you can check them out on his website.

"Big" Alumnus

Dr. Michael B. Eisenberg, best known for developing the Big6™ information literacy model, as described in our last blog post, is also a Mepham alumnus! A graduate of the class of 1967, Dr. Eisenberg served as the layout editor of The Buccaneer, our school newspaper. He also served as a member of the repertory band, french club, and ski club. It certainly appears that he was destined for great things. I recently stumbled upon this information as I flipped through the pages of the Treasure Chest, our school's yearbook. This year Dr. Eisenberg has been selected to join the W.C. Mepham High School Who's Who Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Dr. Eisenberg. We are proud to call you one of our own!

Photo taken from the faculty directory at the University of Washington Information School