When you hear ‘heart of the school’ what is the first thing that comes to mind? As school libraries grow in popularity, many educators think of the library. You can find the library is referred to as the heart of the school on social media, in newspaper articles, and books. This isn’t surprising considering the library is for much more than instilling reading habits!
Today's school libraries allow students to work on life-long learning skills. It’s a place where students can go to develop their creativity, imagination, and critical thinking skills. The school library is a place for the entire school community to visit for not only books but also resources.
For these reasons, we think the school library has earned the reputation to be called the heart of your school. Join us in April, and all year long in celebrating School Library Month with these ideas.
Thank Your School Library And Librarian With StickTogether
Over the past year, our school librarians have been evolving to overcome COVID challenges and continue to serve their community. StickTogether is the perfect thank you gift and a novel way to show your appreciation to them. With StickTogether, your entire school community can work together to honor the heart of their school.
To give this as a thank you gift we recommend buying the Thank You! kit, removing and hiding the cover, and gifting it to your school library or librarian. Tell them to hang it up in the library for the entire community to work on. Once the image is complete, and the Thank You! is revealed, your message will be received.
Celebrate Your School Library With Fun Promotions
School Library Month is a great time to promote your school library in fun ways! It’s an opportunity to get your teachers, students and community involved more with the library. We love this idea from Shannon McClintock Miller that features a card she made with a coupon for her teachers and students.
Shannon and her library associates started by creating a card in Buncee. They printed the coupons and added them to a box of Starburst candy to hand out to their teachers! The coupon on the card was for a virtual StickTogether Sticker Boards each teacher could use with their students as they celebrate School Library Month.
Advocate For The Heart Of Your School During School Library Month
How often do you collaborate with your colleagues? Do you think you could collaborate more to make a bigger difference in your school community? Can you see a difference when you collaborate?
When educators come together they can create powerful learning experiences for their students. There was a study done by NCLE that indicated school librarians are crucial for building a school’s collective capacity. Advocating for your library is the best way to get your colleagues on the same page as you. Ashley Cooksey wrote a wonderful article for Knowledge Quest that features five ways to advocate for your school library. The ideas include sharing your calendar, decorating, make and take activities, and more. Be sure to check out Ashley’s article for the full details.
How are you celebrating the heart of your school during School Library Month? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. And as always, feel free to send an email to support@letsticktogether.com.