TDSB Elementary Library Website - NEW and Improved!

Over the summer, TDSB Library and Learning department was busy recreating our school library website to make it easier to navigate and adding more links to support learning.  The TDSB Virtual Library is a great source to use at home for:

- research tools and educational databases in English and French
- access to the school library catalogue
- browsing age appropriate recommendations for books
- links to web tools to create, organize and communicate learning
- reading ebooks and watching educational videos
- helping parents to navigate the Virtual Library to help their child with homework

Discover 5 cool things about our new virtual library:
https://youtu.be/svK20IvbizA

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Did you know that your child can get help from their school library even when they’re not at school?

The TDSB Virtual Library has carefully selected resources, to enhance your child’s learning, that can be accessed online anytime, anywhere.

Attached to this letter you will find the 2016-17 Virtual Library Learnmark which includes passwords your child will need to access some Virtual Library resources from home. Please keep the Learnmark in a place where you and your child can easily find it.

This year we have redesigned the Virtual Library to make it even better. On the newly redesigned Virtual Library, your child can find:

• Curriculum relevant online resources/tools that promote learning, provide help with projects, homework, encourage reading and viewing in a variety of formats for K to 12 learners (eBooks, database articles, streamed media, and online tools)
• Subject links to help with math practice, games, homework
• Resources to use when starting an inquiry or research project
• Reading suggestions, student book reviews and lots more!

There are 3 ways students and parents/guardians can find the Virtual Library:

1. TDSB Public site (http://tdsb.on.ca) -- Find Your School -- the Virtual Library link is on the left.
2. AW (http://aw.tdsb.on.ca), login using student number and network password.  Click on the My Home tab. The Virtual Library link is on the left.
3. Search online for “school name” TDSB virtual library.

For more information about how to use the Virtual Library with your child at home, we’ve created a section on the site just for you! From the homepage, look for the orange Spaces and choose the white Parent button.

If you’d like to learn more about the Virtual Library and your school’s library resources, please contact your school’s Teacher-Librarian.

Happy surfing!

Ms. Tong

Google Classrooms

As I.T. (Information Technology) classes get rolling in Grades 1-6, students have been introduced to Google Classroom.  Students in Grades 2/3, 3, 4 and 5/6 are learning to log into school computers with their unique student numbers and personal passwords, instead of sharing a generic grade account.  With this independence, comes responsibility to learn how to protect personal information (like passwords and account numbers) and how to keep your identity and work safe online.  Each I.T. class is set up with a Google Classroom, an online classroom, which students access during Computer class to see the agenda and assignments for the period.  Students are learning how to submit assignments online to make our I.T. class paperless.  Students are able to share their finished I.T. projects with peers and are learning to make constructive comments to help each other become better learners.  Teachers are also able to make descriptive feedback online.  Parents will also be invited to subscribe to their child's Google Classroom via email to get weekly updates on I.T. assignments, monitor the progress of projects and support their child at home - to be announced.  As a rotary teacher, it is difficult to monitor student deadlines so the "Email Guardians" will be helpful to keep students on track and give parents a glimpse of the learning happening during Computers.

Ms Tong

Partnering with Classrooms

As the Teacher-Librarian, I have been awarded some opportunities to partner with teachers and collaborate in planning and teaching a variety of projects relating technology with Science, Social Studies, Media Literacy and Health.  Partnering is available for teachers in the morning during 1st and 2nd period everyday except Day 5.  If teachers have an curriculum topic they'd like to integrate with technology, you can fill out a form (located on the Easy Chapter books shelf by the doors) and return to me ASAP to begin the planning process.  Typically projects are allotted 8 periods, with flexibility in the length and frequency of each partnering class (1 period vs. a double period, 4 days straight, every other day, once per week).

Here are some 2015-2016 Partnering Project ideas:

FDK:  Bees and Paint program

Grade 1:  Media Literacy - Parts of a book and cover design
                Animal research project with Pebblego and Book Creator apps

Grade 2:  Countries research and Adobe Spark Pages
                Traditions brochure with MS Publisher

Grade 3:  ON communities and Popplet, collage postcard
                Aboriginal research and Padlet

Grade 4:   Ancient Civilizations research and Google Slides
                 Narrative writing and MS Word

Grade 5:  Narrative writing and Bitstrips
                Poetry and Google Slides

Grade 6:  Canadian Heroes and Google Docs
                Immigration and Google Docs

Can't wait to team up!
Ms. Tong

2016 Autumn Mabel's Fables Book Fair is coming!

In partnership with our community bookstore, Mabel's Fables, we will be hosting an amazing book fair from October 3-6.  Last year was so successful that we invited them to come back again!  This is the place to get the latest and greatest reads from hilarious picture books, cute beginning readers, exciting chapter books, eye-catching non-fiction and dazzling graphic novels.  There is something for everyone!  And the bonus is the knowledgeable staff who can make great recommendations, answer questions about the appropriateness of some books and point you to the latest addition in a series.  Parent library volunteers will also be on hand to assist in making wish lists, locating copies and supervising scheduled class visits.

Below is a link to our Book Fair flyer.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0LzY7ayxNEIS0xxdmluaWJOV3M/view?usp=sharing


Here's how it works:

Monday October 3rd after lunch:  scheduled classes will browse and make wish lists (no purchasing)
Tuesday October 4th:  scheduled classes will browse and make wish lists (no purchasing)
Wednesday October 5th:  Open for purchasing, scheduled class visits (9:00am-4:30pm, closed at lunch)
Thursday October 6th:  Open for purchasing, scheduled class visits (8:30am-4:30pm, closed at lunch)

Below is a link to the Book Fair Wish List.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0LzY7ayxNEINDBOSFEzNURXeWc/view?usp=sharing

Looking forward to some good reading!
Ms. Tong

WELCOME BACK JRR Students, Teachers and Parents!

This is our school Learning Commons blog.  My name is Ms. Tong and I am the Teacher-Librarian at JRR.  I am so excited to continue another year working on the third floor in the library and computer lab.  We have some new and exciting things happening here and this is the online place to find out the latest news and information about upcoming Library events!

I hope you will subscribe by email (on the right side of the page) to get automatic updates about author visits, book fairs, reading clubs, computer projects and classroom partnering collaborations.

Happy reading!
Ms. Tong