Highland to Offer Summer Checkout to Students

For the first time this year, interested students are invited to check out books from the Highland Library collection to read over the summer.

There are many studies that have explored the impact of summer reading on students. Students at Highland read regularly throughout the school year, and we want to remove any material obstacles to keep students reading over the summer.

Each participating student can check out up to ten books for the summer. Books will be due back to the library during the first week of school in the fall.

The expectation is that students will take good care of the items taken for summer break. Students will be responsible for the cost to replace any lost or damaged materials, much like they are for items checked out during the school year.

Students and an a parent, simply need to fill out this Summer Checkout Agreement and return to the Learning Center. Books for summer reading can be selected from Thursday, 5/28, and Wednesday, 6/3. Please consider participating!

Maker Monday

The April Maker Monday is coming up non Monday, 4/13.
Students have made some great things at our maker activities the last several months! Maker Monday is open from 8:15 - 8:45 and 3:40 - 4:30. Any interested students can drop in and make stuff! Many of our projects repurpose old books.

Spring Book Fair

The Highland Spring Book Fair is just around the corner.
The book fair will be held in the Learning Center from 4/13 - 4/17 during the school day. Students will have a chance to visit the book fair during their class visits to the library.

On Wednesday, 4/15, the Highland Open House will run from 7 - 8:30, and the book fair will be open during that event. Participating teachers will have wish lists of desired items for their classrooms posted.

Scholastic now has an online component for the book fair. If you are interested in browsing for titles or doing some online shopping, the link to the fair is - http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/highlandmiddleschool2

Learning About eBooks Available Through the Highland LC

Highland is part of a project called eRead Illinois which allows our students and staff members to

Mrs. Kaiser helps a student learn about eBook options

access many eBooks and check them out.

This week in the Learning Center, we have an information station set up to help students get started with accessing this library of virtual reading (and soon listening) materials. Students can get content to load on their own devices - eReaders and tablets.

Information about eRead Illinois and other eBooks available to members of the Highland community is available here.

Introducing...MakerMonday

MakerSpaces are a hot trend in the library world and in education. We are going to dip our toes into the Maker Movement in the Highland LC with a low-tech Maker Monday on Monday, 12/15. Interested students will have the chance to up-cycle library materials and repurpose them into a variety of projects.

The Maker Monday will open before and after school. Students are welcome to stop in during morning study hall time (8:15 - 8:45) or after school (3:40 - 4:30). It's a drop in program with no sign-up required. 

What will you make? 

The Book Fair is Coming to Highland, 12/8 - 12/12 - and New This Year, An Online Book Fair

The Highland Middle School Fall book fair is just around the corner! The book fair will run from Monday, December 8 – Friday, December 12, and it will be held in the Learning Center throughout the school day. Students will have a chance to visit the book fair when their LA/Lit classes come to the library during book fair week.

This is a great opportunity to stock up on books for your own collection because it is always nice to have new things to read over winter break. You can also find great gifts for your teachers, or do some holiday shopping for your friends and family!

Online Book Fair

This year we are going to try the Scholastic online book fair as well. The online book fair will be "open" through 12/19. The items ordered through the online book fair will be shipped to Highland and distributed once we return to school in January. If you are interested in taking a look at what is available or placing an order, visit this site. The sales from the online fair will add to the money raised at the physical book fair. Funds raised help to add more materials to the library collection and are used for programs such as bringing visiting authors to Highland.

A special thanks in advance to the HFA parents who will volunteer their time working at the book fair and especially to Cheryl Otto and Charlotte Lawless who coordinated the volunteer sign-up!

Highland LC Welcomes Nicolle Rivera, Student Teacher

We're thrilled to have Nicolle Rivera at Highland in November and December. She's the guest author of this post as a way of introduction.

Nicolle Rivera leads a library activity

Hello!  My name is Ms. Rivera and I will be working with Dr. Wyatt in the Learning Center at Highland until winter break as I finish my Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.  I grew up in Chicago, but I lived in New York, France, and Central Illinois for school before coming to Highland.  I have worked in all sorts of libraries, but I think school libraries are the best because I get to teach invaluable research skills and still share my passion for children’s and young adult literature. I read all types of books, but I am especially interested in sci-fi/fantasy, historical fiction, and stories that feature diverse characters and would be happy to recommend some great books!  In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family (including my two cats), playing softball, hosting trivia nights, and baking tasty treats.  I am thrilled that I get to work with such a bright and vibrant community, and I am looking forward to the fun events and activities planned for the rest of the my time here!