Media Center

Scholastic Book Fair is here!

        This week only---the Scholastic Book Fair will be here at Nicholson!  Come shop from a fantastic collection of books, educational activities and gift items!  The book fair will be open the following hours:

Monday - Thursday:  7:30 AM until 3:00 PM
Friday :  7:30 until NOON
Family Night:  Tuesday, November 17, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Please join us at one of these times.  If you are joining your child for the special Thanksgiving feasts on Wednesday or Thursday, feel free to stop by while you are at school.  This is a great time to get in a little holiday shopping!

Did you know....??

    Does your child struggle to find just the right book?  Well, look no further, because we have just the answer for you!  Quizlist Interactive is a program that allows you to search our database of over 5,900 Accelerated Reader quizzes--right from the comfort of your own home!  Not only can you search by author, title, or subject---you have many other options as well!  Here are some of the other options:

• Reading Level
• Fiction OR Non-fiction
• Interest level (for age appropriateness) 

Put these options together, and you and your child will find a great book that is on the right on their level of reading comfort.

In addition to all that, it even gives you a brief description of the book, the number of pages, and its location here in the media center!  You can print the list so your student can bring it to school to look for the books.

Quizlist Interactive is available from the Nicholson website.  http://www.cobbk12.org/nicholson/index.htm  From the home page, click on the 'Accelerated Reader' button, and then click on the link to Quizlist Interactive.

                           Another useful tool is our Destiny online library catalog.  It is available from any computer by clicking on the 'Media Center' link on the Nicholson Homepage.  Destiny holds the records for all the books in the Media Center and offers a number of ways to search.  The Visual search tab is ideal for younger grades who have a difficult time spelling.  The Basic search allows you to search by a variety of options.  Fourth and fifth graders have been introduced to Destiny Quest -- a visually updated and more interactive version of Destiny.  Destiny Quest allows students to set up accounts, write book reviews, and send book recommendation to friends.  Web Path Express  is a feature within Destiny that allows your child to search for information and educational activities on the web from prescreened  age-appropriate websites.

New Books to Discover!

  We just received a shipment of over 300 new books that are now on display and ready for checkout!  Truly, there is something for everyone!  Cool kid's cookbooks, excellent books on snakes, a wide variety of new chapter book series for all reading levels, as well as books with really unusual science project ideas!  Whether you prefer fiction or non-fiction, there is something for everyone!

September Media Lessons

Kindergarten students continue their library orientation lessons through the end of the month.  They will check out their first book the week of September 21.  Look for a 'Golden Ticket' to be sent home---this is a letter for parents outlining library policies.  Students have been instructed to have a parent sign the letter and return the 'ticket'.  Students will not be able to check out a book until the letter has been returned.  They are getting very excited about checking out their very own books and we look forward to introducing them to all the great books we have here at Nicholson!

First Grade students were excited to find out that now that they are in first grade, they are allowed to check out two books!  We are encouraging them to choose one 'early reader' book to practice their developing reading skills, and one storybook that hopefully they can enjoy reading together with a parent or older sibling.  (Of course just enjoying the pictures is OK too!)

Second graders will be reviewing the non-fiction section of the media center.  They began checking out in this area at the end of first grade, so we will be discussing the organization of the non-fiction area, and the features of a non-fiction book.  We are also encouraging second graders to begin moving towards checking out longer books.  They have been in the habit of reading short books and getting quick AR points.  In order to prepare for reading chapter books later in second grade, they need to begin to read books with more text.

Third grade students will be learning to use our online catalog system, Destiny, in order to search for just the right book.  They will have the capability to search by title, author, subject, and reading level. 

Fourth and Fifth grade students will be learning more about the new 'Destiny Quest'.  It is a new version of our online catalog with a colorful interface that really appeals to students.  They have created their own accounts and have been 'empowered' to manage their media center experience.  They can write reviews for books, recommend books to friends, even renew their books online!

Welcome Back!

We hope everyone had a very relaxing summer, with plenty of time to just sit back, relax and read!  The Media Center will open for student orientation and checkout beginning on August 24.  We are looking forward to meeting our new students and welcoming back returning Nicholson Stars!  Students will attend an orientation session with their classes  prior to checking out books.

Accelerated Reader
With their teacher's permission, students in grades 2 through 5 may begin taking Accelerated Reader quizzes on Monday, Aug.17.  This would be a great time to take a test on books that were read over the summer!  As a kick-off for our reading incentive program, students will receive a key chain with a 'dog tag' for the 2009 school year.  Students will earn points as they take Accelerated Reader quizzes,  and when they reach their grade level point goals, will earn charms to add to their key chain.  For more information on our Accelerated Reader Program, you can go to the Accelerated Reader link on the Nicholson website. 

Summer Reading Logs
If you kept a Reading Log of books you read over the summer, please be sure to turn them into your child's teacher by Friday, August 28.  Additional reading logs can be downloaded here. Download Summer Reading Log   Students who turn in their reading logs will be invited take part in a Reading Celebration in September.

Please note in the post below, some other important changes to the Media Center this year!

Home Access to the Nicholson Media Center Catalog with 'Destiny'!!

Just a reminder that you can search for books in the Nicholson Media Center right from the comfort of home!  All the features available to your child at school, are available at home.  Destiny contains the records of all the books found in our media center.  In addition, when doing research, your children can search by subject in Destiny to access age appropriate websites that you know have been pre-approved for use by elementary students!

Follow this link to the Destiny search page:  Destiny Home   This page will serve as the main information page for the Media Center.  Here you will also find links to other useful sites such as the Cobb Virtual Library, a great reference resource when doing research, author pages, interactive reading websites, and information about Accelerated Reader!

Students will be reintroduced to these and other great resources in upcoming lessons in the Media Center and Computer Lab.  We encourage you to explore all that these valuable resources have to offer!