Seasons of Change at the CMS Library

A Redesigned Library is Unveiled: Welcome to a new school year at the Camillus Middle School Library! The fall season brings many exciting changes including a redesign of our library space. As part of the district capital improvement project, the library received brand new carpeting over the summer. We then had the ability to relocate shelving and seating areas to accommodate the busy hub that is our library! I think it really looks great and the feedback has been very positive. We are so lucky to have a beautiful, open and resource rich library to use all throughout the year!

The 10 Book Challenge: Fall is also a wonderful time of year to cuddle up with a great book!  Both middle schools in the West Genesee community are encouraging students to take the 10 book challenge. Research has proven that reading 20 or more books per year will increase literacy skills and improve student performance. 

We are urging our students to rise to the challenge and read both in and outside of school. There are so many wonderful books to choose from in our library including fiction, graphic novels, biographies, short stories, etc. Reading is an adventure that lets your imagination soar, so let's all get motivated to take the challenge this year!

A Maker Space at CMS: Another fantastic new offering from our library this year will be a Maker Space. What is a Maker Space you ask? Sometimes referred to as a "Fab Lab" or "Hackerspace", it is basically a do-it-yourself area where makers come together to create, invent, and learn. Many of our area public libraries have joined the maker craze and offer courses, classes and programs for all patrons. Here's a great article from Education Week magazine about how schools are developing maker spaces, like this one in Michigan.

The CMS Library is committed to joining the movement. We believe that a maker space educates students by allowing them to tinker and create, offering learning experiences by way of exploration and discovery.  Plans this year include starting a "Makers Club" with students who have a passion for technology, art, and design. We will also have a dedicated space open to everyone who wants to try their hand at making all sorts of things including Legos, origami, and cardboard creations. Look for more information coming soon!

If you are new to our school community, we welcome you and hope you'll take full advantage of all that the CMS Library has to offer. We are the "place to be" this school year and can't wait to see you all soon!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Bush
sbush@westgenesee.org

Season's Greetings from the CMS Library!

It's a busy time of year and the library is buzzing with activity!  Here's an update on some of the latest happenings...

Research, Research, Research!

Students have been busy with many research lessons.  By far the largest was our 8th grade American Icon English project.  Students chose notable events from American History or researched a famous American.  A combination of complex databases, primary documents and print resources were used to locate information.  Eighth graders worked very hard to organize and synthesize information in order to write their papers.  I can't wait to read their final copies!

Other projects have included 7th grade current events and French food and fare.  Students have selected books for classes related to non-fiction and biography, historical fiction - particularly the Revolutionary War - and fictional titles revolving around the theme of perseverance and resilience.

 Albert Einstein said it best:

The Battle has Officially Begun!

Led by 6th grade English Teacher, Mrs. Ellen Miller, the Camillus Middle School Battle of the Books has begun!  All students were urged to join and assemble a team of four participants.  This year's theme is "Mrs. Miller's All Time Favorites!" and includes a range of titles including classics such as Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein as well as more recent novels like James Herriot's Every Living Thing. We've been very busy checking books out to students who are anxious to get reading!  A full schedule of the competition will be posted soon.  For the latest updates, be sure to check out this link.

The Book Tree...

I am fortunate to have a talented library staff including Mrs. Susan Gifford who's always full of fun and creative ideas.  She really outdid herself this time with our tree! Constructed entirely out of books from our library with green spines, the "Woodland Tree" has been a huge attraction!  You may even remember seeing it in the December CMS e-Newsletter. Everyone admired it and asked us repeatedly how many books it took to make it?  We never counted but decided to host a contest to find out!  So far, we've received hundreds of guesses and the lucky winner will be notified after we take it down on Monday, January 5th.  And you thought books were just for reading?!

Happy Holidays to all of our families!  

Mrs. Bush

Fall Greetings from the CMS Library

Welcome to my new library blog! I am excited to be able to share news and updates with you throughout the school year. 

The library is a busy hub in our school.  Students come to the library for research, to use our electronic resources or to return or check out library materials.  We have several quiet reading or study areas, new book displays and a well-equipped library classroom that enables classes or groups of students to work on assignments. 

Students are allowed to check out as many as five items at a time. They may renew any item at least once and if I don't have something they are looking for, I can always try to get it via inter-library loan. 

Here's a quick link to OPAC, our online catalog where you can search for materials found in our library. Students are encouraged to take out books or magazines for pleasure reading. We are very fortunate to have many new books currently on display in our library and students are checking them out like crazy!  

Even though we're very fortunate to have many avid readers here at CMS, one of the challenges we face at the middle school level is to keep all of our children reading. With increased demands in coursework combined with after school activities, students often admit they don't have adequate time to read.  Reading is critically important to growth and academic performance in all subjects.  Studies show that children who read have higher test scores, an increased vocabulary and better writing skills. Reading is Fundamental, the largest non-profit literacy organization in the United States offers these tips for families of young adults to encourage and motivate their children to read. Check it out! 

I am fortunate to have recruited several library volunteers for this semester.  Our volunteers help us with many tasks and duties in the library including shelving, book displays and organization.  It is a great opportunity for these students to learn about the inner workings of the library and we are grateful for their help! If your student is interested in volunteering in the future, have them come in and fill out an application. We are always looking for new talent!

I look forward to getting to know you and your children this year in the library.  If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, I am always happy to hear from you!  My contact information can be located here.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Bush