Librarian Without Walls

Greetings, CMS readers. Although the school is closed until further notice, you can begin checking out books again on Monday, April 6. You won't be able to come into the library, but you can check the library catalog before coming to campus and email me with your requests. I'll confirm the request - or let you know if the book isn't actually available. Here are some details: Library Curbside Checkout Hours Effective Monday, April 6, 2020 Monday: 4:00 – 6:00 PM Tuesday: 7:30-10:00 AM Wednesday: 4:00 – 6:00 PM Thursday: 7:30-10:00 AM The library is not open to visitors, so please email Mr. Mortimer ahead of time (vicm@corvallis.k12.mt.us) to request books. View the middle school library catalog online to check on book availability. Library Catalog: from the District home page: Select Schools > Middle School > Students > Library Catalog Search If you have a bit of time on your hands, recommend a book to other students by contributing to the library...

The CMS library does not charge fines for overdue books, so I have always told students that I would send the library cops after students with late books. The inspiration for the joke comes from the sitcom Seinfeld , In one episode, a New York Library cop named Mr. Bookman tracks down Jerry and asks him to return and pay the fine for a book he had checked out when he was in junior high school. In the last few years, I have tried different ways to encourage those students who have helped out in the library: shelving, checking books in and out, processing new books, and occasionally helping out with fifth grade STEM labs. A few years ago the award was a photo ID similar to the ones that CMS staff members wear. Last year, Nick Wethington, the spectrUM  Making and Tinkering Specialist who has been helping us develop a terrific making and tinkering program, laser cut some wooden "Library Special Ops" cards. Students designed the card: This fall, more students than ever be...

Fifth graders began the fourth year of STEAM labs last Tuesday, October 1, by building and testing CD hovercrafts in the library. The STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) labs began and continue with the expert support of spectrUM's making and tinkering program. The hands-on experience has been so popular that teachers at all grade levels have begun developing their own labs. As the following photos illustrate, STEAM labs can create a bit of temporary mess in the library. But the apparent chaos and the exuberant voices are evidence of creativity in action. STEAM labs will take place every other week for most of the school year.

This year's seventh graders were the first group to participate in a STEAM program that began in the fall of 2016 and has turned into one of the highlights of fifth grade. The program - Making and Tinkering in the Bitterroot - features visits from Nick Wethington, a making and tinkering wizard from spectrUM Discovery Area in Missoula. Until now, the program has been limited to fifth graders. But beginning in January, seventh graders will have a chance to revisit the ozobots, squishy circuits, and other great design activities that they experienced as fifth graders. Beginning mid-January, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders can sign up for Maker activities in the library during advisory, lunch, and recess. Because eighth graders are eligible to participate, they will finally get a chance to do some activities that were not available to them three years ago. The idea for providing some making and tinkering time came from watching some seventh graders trying out an activity using s...

During the school year I try to read a couple of books from the CMS library. Here are three books I have particularly enjoyed in the last few months. At the top of my list is A Monster Calls , by British writer Patrick Ness.  Conor, the main character, is a 12 year old boy whose mother is suffering from cancer. One evening, just after midnight, a monster appears at his bedroom window. The catch is that this monster, which has emerged from a large yew tree up the hill from Conor’s house, is not the monster that Conor has been expecting. It is not, in other words, the monster of his recurring nightmare. This monster is ancient and wild, but not malicious. He has been summoned to help, he tells Conor, and that will require facing the wild truth. Conor has more to worry about than his mother’s illness. A bully at school has singled him out for special attention, Conor’s emotionally distant and bossy grandmother is making his life difficult, and his father lives across the A...

The Battle of the Books program has been around since the 1980s, but is still fairly new to Montana. Students read from a list of books and, in teams of up to three contestants, answer questions about the books. The teams that provide the most correct answers advance to the state tournament in Missoula. Students are grouped by grade levels: 5/6 and 7/8 for middle school. Last year, a team of fifth graders won a very close contest at the middle school and represented CMS at state, while an eighth grade team won the 7/8 category and placed third at state. At this time, Montana is using the Alaska Battle of the Books list of titles. But as participation continues to grow in Montana, we hope to develop our own list and practice questions. For a list of this year's books - all of which are available in the CMS library - click here .

On Halloween, fifth graders visited the library to put together insects they drew in an earlier visit. Fifth grade science teachers Amanda Bestor and Melanie Auch limited materials to those gathered outside by students: sticks, leaves, cattails, and so forth. We also let them use a little bit of foam craft paper. The results were often striking: intricate, creative, humorous. Take a look: Pine cones, dried leaves, glue guns, and two artists at work. The two bugs above hint at student creativity. These happy faces - on student and bug - sum up the day's cheerfulness. Fifth graders will be back in the library this week to build zip line racers. Yes, it's a glue gun world in the CMS library right now!