Mr. Robert Helps Welcome a Soldier Home

A few weeks ago, Mr. Robert recieved a phone call from the pricipal at Woodleaf Elementary School to help a Navy Officer surprise his family.  Robert's job was to tell stories and invite a person from the audience to volunteer.  It took a bit for the family to realise their loved one was really going to be home for Christmas, and the three boys weren't sure if they were able to get up from their seats to see him!

The full story of the Clayton famliy can be found

Link to the story: http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20131220/SP01/131229990/1184

storytime with santa next week!

pics from holiday pajama express @ south

excerpts from the nutcracker next week

holiday theatre this weekend!

holiday programs

free video editing resource

Popcorn Maker, a tool for enhancing and remixing Web video, holds a lot of potential for educators and librarians.  Linda W. Braun, library consultant and educator, takes the application for a spin in a screencast.  In addition to providing an exciting new option for book reviews, Popcorn Maker could also help librarians curate content.  With a drag-and-drop interface, users can annotate video, pulling in Wikipedia content, images, and Google Maps.  "For school and public librarians, teachers, and parents who work with kids and teens, there are a lot of possibilities," says Braun.

Featured on page 14 of the February 2013 edition of School Library Journal.

middle school book cover winners

First Place Design by Grissel Medina, Grade 6

Second Place Design by Victoria Amaro, Grade 8

Third Place Design by Shelby M.D-Brown, Grade 7

teen book cover winners

First Place Design by Krystal Rothermund, Grade 10

Second Place Design by Margaret Young, Grade 10

Third Place Design by Kira Cortorreal, Grade 9

no more bottles needed

The children's room is happy to report that it has collected enough bottles for upcoming craft programs.  Thanks for your donations!

top children's books of the past 100 years

New York Public Library has unveiled its list of 100 great children's books of the last 100 years.  Among the top picks were Harold and the Purple Crayon, Matilda, and A Wrinkle in Time.  Do you recognize any of your childhood favorites on the list?

musical petting zoo tonight!

live action games for teens

Jennifer's Art Program

The library is saddened at the loss of Jennifer Loftin, who worked in the children's room at Headquarters.  Jennifer was planning to retire effective this week.  An edited video clip of Jennifer's last art program, which took place on September 19, 2013, is linked below.

teen tie dye event

plastic makes it possible

The Children's Room needs plastic bottles with lids for an upcoming P.A.C. program.

stories at the millstream

Stories at the Millstream is coming up Friday, September 20th.  Any staff interested in helping out with this special event are encouraged to contact Dara at x7729.  This event is for all second-graders in Rowan County.  Our feature teller this year will be two-time Grammy Award winner Bill Harley, who will also be performing at HQ on Thursday, September 19th from 7-8 pm.

great websites for kids

ALA highlights great websites for kids.  You can browse by category (animals, the arts, literature and languages, etc.), and they feature a site of the week and site of the month.  Definitely worth taking a peek!

end of summer celebration this thursday

tunneling with teens: beneath your feet program

e-mail updates

If you'd like to receive e-mail updates when something new is posted to the RPL Children's Staff blog, enter your e-mail address in the box in the top right corner of your screen (above "Search This Blog").  You will have to sign up for the "Staff News", "Reference Staff", and "Circulation Staff" blogs separately if you want to receive updates for them.

scratching the surface teen craft

elementary battle of the books workshops

The Rowan Salisbury School Media Specialists are offering summer Elementary Battle of the Book workshops on Monday afternoons at Headquarters from 4- 4:45. These workshops are free, open to students in fourth and fifth grades, and are designed to encourage students to enjoy and prepare for the Battle of the Books competition in the 2013-14 school year. RPL is a co-sponsor. For more information, please ask a children's staff member for a flyer.

skill toy workshop for teens

flow circus is coming to town!

teen game show challenge this week

common core standards

Since Common Core Standards are pretty "common" threads for discussion in libraryland, thought this info might be of interest...

From a Post on the METRO Blog:

On Monday, June 18, New York State Library’s Division of Library Development released a set of Common Core Learning Standards to be implemented in libraries throughout the state. These new guidelines will impact school and public libraries alike, and are meant to “foster a community of inquiry and literacy that leads to high academic achievement, independent reading and learning, and collaborative efforts throughout a student’s life.”

Documents (via New York State Library, Division of Library Development)

• Libraries and the Common Core Learning Standards

• NOVELNY and the Common Core

• Summer Reading at New York Libraries and the Common Core

A recording of a recent webinar is also available on the Common Core and New York Libraries Web Page

teens are turning INSIDE OUT!

captain jim is sailing in to aRRRh-P-L!

teens are getting fossilized!

pint size polka is coming to RPL!

summer reading kick-off

Summer Reading kick-off is only a few days away!

the wheels on the bus...

Check out this inspiring idea from a bus driver in Jamestown (Guilford County):

teens summer reading: beneath the surface

Teens:  Beneath the Surface
 
Teens can have fun this summer participating in the Beneath the Surface Summer Reading Program where they will explore the underground through fun programs and reading.  Pre-registration begins on May 13th at all library locations for rising 6th graders to 12th graders.

All programs starting June 18th and running through July 25th will be held from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm.  Programs will take place on Tuesdays at Headquarters in Salisbury, Wednesdays at the East Branch in Rockwell, and Thursdays at the Frank T. Tadlock South Rowan Regional location in China Grove.
 
Each week our teen Beneath the Surface events will focus on exploring our world underground including Mummies, Gems and Cities below the surface.   Each teen will receive a booklet when they register for summer reading to keep track of library dollars they earn.  Those library dollars will be used to enter various raffles for great prizes provided by the Friends of the Rowan Public Library and other local sponsors.  Winners will be announced at the after hours end of the summer Masked Ball to be held at the South Branch on August 1st from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm.

RPL staff thanks the Friends of the Rowan Public Library and all of our sponsors for their continued support of our Summer Reading Program!

children's summer reading: dig into reading!

Children’s Summer Reading:  Dig Into Reading!

Rowan Public Library and the Friends of Rowan Public Library invite children of all ages to Dig Into Reading this summer.  Sign your child up for a fun filled summer of programs and reading.  Pre-registration begins on May 13^th at all library locations for children ages 12 months to rising 5^th graders.   Children will be able to earn prizes throughout the summer by reading!  Reading begins on June 10^th after school is out and goes through August 10^th.  Those who complete their Treasure Map will be able to pick a book to keep.         

Our Dig Into Reading arts and crafts Kick-off events will be held on Thursday, June 13^th at the Frank T. Tadlock South Rowan Regional Library in China Grove from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm, at the East Branch in Rockwell on Friday, June 14^th from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm and at Headquarters in Salisbury on Saturday, June 15^th  from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. 

             

All programs begin on June 17^th and run until August 1^st.  RPL staff will be entertaining the youngest participants, while professional performers “Dig In” with the school-aged children.  These guests include “Pint Size Polka” , “Captain Jim” , Salisbury’s own “Dapper Dion” , “Flows Circus” , “Blue Moon Puppets” and crowd favorite “Ro and Mo” .  One School age show will be offered at each library location and Cleveland Town Hall.  Check with your local library for times and dates of all programs. 

           

This summer the library is pleased to sponsor a special Literacy Event hosted by Altrusa at Patterson Farm on June 8^th from 10am to 2pm.  All children will be able to participated in many literacy based activities and leave with a free book.  The library will also hold a Literacy Workshop for parents of children ages 0-5 on Monday, June 17^th at 6:30 pm.  Registration is required for the workshop and space is limited. You can register at any library branch starting May 13^th.  Check with your library for anymore special events or activities throughout the summer.

books under the big top

Don't forget we're having a very special event at HQ this Saturday...

Readers Theatre

The Julia B. Duncan Players will be at the library to perform a special readers theatre.  Please let your patrons know about this event!

Teen Poetry Slam

Let teens know that registration for the Poetry Slam is open.  It is just a simple form on the website and if the teen comes in to register, please help them out by filling out the online form with them!!  We only need to register those teens planning to perform.

JR Adventure Club

JR Adventure Club for April:

March's teen Program is iPlay: Exploring Digital Devices in celebration of Teen Tech Week. 

Teens will have a chance to explore iPads, Nooks, Kindles, and our new animation station.  We’ll also learn how to download free ebooks, audiobooks, and movies from the NC Digital Library.

pet-themed events 02/23/13

chocolate festival

websites for students k-12

The following is a list of top-picked websites by BookList (pg. 45, 11/01/12):

Test Prep
College Board's Full Practice Test
Dome SAT
I Need a Pencil
March 2 Success
ProProfs
Quizlet
Study Guide Zone

Library-Orientation
A Google a Day
Library Shelving Game
Order in the Library
Preventing Plagiarism: Keepin' it Real
Teen Learning 2.0
Zombie Guide to Miller Library

Other Sites of Interest
KidsHealth.org
Tox Town
Virtual Knee Surgery
Voice of America (VOA)

Children's Programs in the News

In case you haven't seen them, here are the links to the Salisbury Post's articles on the STG Bookmobile and the recent Clown Visit!

Bookmobile:
http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20130107/SP01/130109786/0/SEARCH&slId=8

Clown visit:
http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20130116/SP01/130119769/0/SEARCH&slId=1

Update on Ringling Bros Reading Program



Due to the increased interest and the wonderful Salisbury Post Article about the Clown coming to the library, we will be registering kids ages 2-12 and issuing vouchers after they have read and reported on 5 books through February 2nd. 

The Circus will be in Charlotte from Jan. 30- Feb 3, so make sure you let parents know that they are recieving a voucher and not a ticket.

Parents will need to bring the voucher to the box office, purchase an adult ticket and redeem the voucher for a free children's ticket.  If the show is sold out, a ticket can not be issued!

Winter Book Chats for Children at South Branch

                        BOOK CHATS

Children in Grades 2-5 are invited to participate in book discussions at the South Rowan Regional Library.  Each child will read a selected book and then come into the library to participate in a discussion about the book, fun activities, and enjoy snacks!

Registration is required and the selected book will be available at the time of registration.  Children can sign-up three weeks prior to the date of the program at any location.

 

Catwings by Ursual K. Le Guin

February 21 @ 4:15 pm - Grade 2

          

  

  

Superfudge by Judy Blume

March 7 @ 4:15 pm - Grades 3-4

 

Poppy by Avi

March 21 @ 4:15 pm - Grades 4-5