Being away for a vacation is nice. It helps to reset, rest, and look to the future. This spring vacation has been different, to say the least. Understatement of my lifetime. I am trying to figure out what to do as your school librarian while under the Honolulu City & County's "stay-at-home/work-from-home" policy and the fact that my beloved campus is closed until April 30. As the school administration and teacher leaders (myself included) make appropriate plans, I found myself not sleeping well, and mentally stumbling around for direction. If I was feeling like that, I became certain that a bunch of my students were also struggling. So what can I do? The answer for now is: "Do the best you can with what you have." So what do we have available?
• A JOY for reading
• A need to stay CONNECTED
• A desire to know what is FACT (and what is not) Let's start with the first one and CELEBRATE Reading!
1. Our book fair was a huge success! It was a really busy week, and I'm glad that so many books were purchased. During our home isolation, going to a bookseller for printed books is tricky, so we may have to order our book supply online for now. An alternative would be to explore eBooks (more info below the book fair graphic).
2. Where can I get eBooks?
Your school library provides access to thousands of eBooks through a website and app called Sora. Follow this link for Kailua Elementary School: https://soraapp.com/welcome/login/201171
Everyone (employee and student) has access to all the ebooks in our library's collection plus ebooks provided by the state. Students will need to use their 10-digit ID to log in. Adults use their employee ID. Explore and try things, then message me with tips, suggestions, and/or questions. Mailto:darren.tanaka@k12.hi.us
3. A fun way to celebrate reading with others: #808Reads
Your school library is participating in a Statewide Reading Challenge called "#808Reads". You'll have to log in to Beanstack through this link: https://hidoekailuaes.beanstack.org/reader365
Everyone (employee and student) has access to log in and record your daily minutes (on your honor). The challenge currently is 9 weeks long and is challenging you to read 20 minutes per day. I have logged in and started recording my minutes. Students use their 10-digit ID to log in and their 6-digit birthday for the password (mmddyy). Adults, it's a little bit trick use Employee ID to login and use this formula for your birthday - "school code + employee id" Ex. "30812345678" Try logging in and then message me if you have any questions: mailto:darren.tanaka@k12.hi.us
As always, have a blessed week. Be well. Be kind. Take care of one another. I'll see you soon.
Mr. Tanaka
Your school librarian