It is hard to explain to a non-educator the excitement that builds as a new school year approaches. As the pencils, crayons, binders, notebook paper, and all the trimmings begin to show in the stores in July, the ideas for the new year begin to flow. A new theme for the year, a project to accomplish, a challenge to be better and create more engaging lessons for our students, the goal to continue to find ways for the library to be the catalysis for learning and sharing. As the new year approaches in the elementary campus I will strive to find ways to put books in the hands of students, to find the one book that stimulates an individual to become a self motivated, life reader. I will reach out to our parents in the elementary school to encourage them to use the library to read aloud to the students and their younger siblings. As I attended Meet the Teacher Night, I was reminded that those of us that are educators forget that we set a pace of learning for our own children that many of our parents don't provide in the home of our students. I will extend invitations to parents to borrow books for their younger children at home. What a way for a new language learning family to practice their English in sharing a read aloud book. I will invite community readers to share books and their love of reading with our students. A new year to make connections with our students. This year will be "Hands up for Reading".

Amazing connection with Sci-fiction and science once again. Curiosity, Mars rover bring us the photos of the moon's eclipse http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2013/08/17/curiosity-catches-martian-moons-in-eclipse/?utm_campaign=techtwittersf&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social  Fiction believed, predicted, guessed the moons were orbiting Mars before they were discovered. There is no "chicken before the egg" guess with fiction and science. Wonder how many scientists discovered something triggered by reading about a supposed thing from science fiction. Way to go Jules Vernes and so many others! Challenge our students to read!