Bye-bye Meany!

Well, we've turned in our keys and said our goodbyes. I have to admit I got pretty choked up closing those beautiful library doors with the Jaguar mosiacs for the last time.

I plan to shut down this blog in the next two weeks. Thanks to those of you who followed along for the ride.

Best wishes!!

Turn in your books and magazines!

Clean out that locker, look in your closet and under the bed, it's time to turn in your library books! Every year we close the library a few weeks before school ends to gather in and do an inventory of materials. This year it is especially important since we need to reassign many books to other local middle schools. We want the books you love to follow you!

So please, oh please, turn in your books to Ms. Sarah and the library as soon as possible. No more books will be checked out after Friday, May 29th. The final deadline for all books to be returned is Monday, June 1st.

May You Live in Interesting Times

I think the fact that it's been 6 months since I wrote a post can attest to the fact that things have been unusually interesting at Meany this year. There is still some amazing learning and growing going on here, but we've had some distractions. Mainly, that the Meany Middle School program will be dissolved after 107 years of serving students. The building will be used by other programs with their own history, so we've begun the process of honoring our past and saying goodbye.

In the next couple of weeks I will finish up the last yearbook for Meany Middle School with the help of my 7th period students. We didn't start working on it until February, but we've gathered what we could in these two months. After that, we will focus our energies on either a supplement for the yearbook that will cover the Jaguar Festival (May 14th) and/or a video tribute to the school.

To follow what's happening with the yearbook and Jaguar Festival, subscribe to our Google Group. Just visit the school homepage and enter your email where it says "Subscribe to Meany Middle School Celebration" and hit the subscribe button.

In library news, we have added some fabulous books to the collection, which I will write about starting in the month of April. We also have a student librarian who will be coming by this spring to work with students and teachers. Get ready to finish our school year with a bang and go out in style!

Just Added: Cat in Numberland

Title: The Cat in Numberland

Author: Ekeland, Ivar

Genre/Format: Fiction with illustrations

Summary: At Mr. and Mrs. Hilbert’s Hotel Infinity, the resident cat is puzzled. The hotel is fully booked — the rooms are full of Numbers, both Odds and Evens — yet guests continue to arrive. When Zero shows up, there’s a massive room switching, and he stays, even though Mr. Hilbert insists he’s not really a Number. Then the Letters appear and everyone still has a room, even though no Numbers have left. No matter how many guests arrive or depart, the hotel accommodates them all, and is always full. But when the Fractions arrive, demanding rooms, real chaos threatens. Can an ingenious solution be found to house them all?

Based on mathematician David Hilbert’s famous paradox of the Grand Hotel, The Cat in Numberland offers a refreshingly clear explanation of infinity for readers of all ages. John O’Brien’s imaginative line drawings further elucidate the complex concept, as well as simple functions like addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.

Ms. Sarah says: This book was recommended as something fun to stretch my mathematical thinking. It was purchased through a generous donation from the Meany PTSA.

The Library Wants You!

We need your help! Parents, guardians and willing adult community members are invited to volunteer at the Meany Middle School Library. With the building being closed this summer, a lot of great books came in but have not been processed to go out onto our shelves. In order to get these books into the kids hands, I need some help. No previous training required! The tasks are even fun!

I'm looking for both short term and long term help. In the short term, I'll take any hours you can spend at the school during the next month. In the long term, I'm looking for people who can come in once a week and shelf some books. It would be a very valuable contribution to our school community. Please contact me as soon as possible at 206-252-2542 or saevans@seattleschools.org.

(Poster featured is available from the American Library Association)

One more week until opening!

The library will officially reopen to students on Monday, September 15th. I apologize for the delay, but as you may know, the building was closed this summer, putting everything back a step in terms of scheduling.

Teachers may send down individual students who need assistance. But the doors won't be wide open during lunch and before and after school until next Monday.

Read A Million Words is coming back!

The millionaire madness continues this year with the goal of every student reading one million words between October and June. Seattle rocked other cities who've done a similar campaign and Meany aims to rock the other schools in the district this year. Just 20 minutes of reading a night will make sure you meet the goal of 1,000,000 words or about 16 young adult novels. Use the reading log your teachers have given you to track your daily totals. Your log will be what I will use to confirm you've earned a prize. Prizes are available for every 250,000 words or 4 books you read.

More information on Read A Million Words for students, parents, and teachers, visit http://www.seattleschools.org/area/readamillion/index.dxml.