March 2 is Read Across America day and many of you already have big plans but I wanted to share this opportunity from Discovery Education just in case you can work it into your celebration plans.
Also here are some ideas from NEA and Scholastic about how you might celebrate! What ever you do to promote reading I know it will be great! Take pictures and share in the comments. We'd love to hear the great things are you doing in your media centers.
There have been many emails about the upcoming competitions, but to help put everything in one place, please note the following resources. We wish each team the best of luck!
Middle School Competition: Friday, February 26
West Campus Conference Center and Gym
211 E. Rose Street, Smithfield, NC
Elementary School Competition: Friday, March 4
Workforce Development Center
135 Best Wood Road, Clayton, NC
Title 1 Schools check this out from Kathy Parker at DPI!
For those who may not have heard about the Open eBooks initiative, I'm forwarding an announcement I posted to an Oregon listserv for school library staff. You are welcome to share the information.
Open eBooks makes thousands of award-winning and popular electronic books available to K-12 students from low-income families. Access is via an app, and that app is now available for download to mobile devices. Educators, including librarians, in schools with 70% or more of students in need may register to receive codes, PINs, and a letter to share with students' families. Once set up, students access the eBooks via the app on their personal or parents' smartphone or tablet or via school or library-loaned devices.
Partners in this initiative are Digital Public Library of America, First Book, and The New York Public Library, with content support from Baker & Taylor. A variety of publishers have generously submitted their full catalog or a selection of titles.
For an overview of how the program works, read today's press release and browse the FAQ. To stay in the loop, you can follow Open eBooks on social media and sign up for a mailing list.
Students in your school qualify if the school is Title 1 eligible or receives Title 1 funds, or if 70% or more of students are on free or reduced lunch. If your school qualifies or if you are unsure, please share this information with administrators and staff to determine how to take advantage of this opportunity.
Thanks,
Jen
Links
Website: http://openebooks.net/
Get started / register / qualify: http://openebooks.net/
Follow on social media / mailing list: http://openebooks.net/
Press release (2/24/16): http://openebooks.net/