PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - Martha Dechard
Srping break is over, summer is still a ways off, but if you ask the seniors at my school, the year is almost over, so why should we ask them to do any more work?

If you attended a regional conference, I know you came away with loads of good ideas, and renewed energy for the rest of the school year. Those attending the Oregon Library Association conference April 6-8 will also have the chance to learn and renew. If you're able to be there, I hope you'll come to one of the sessions OEMA is participating in. We're doing sessions on OSLIS and collaborations between school and public libraries, and Jim Tindall and I are part of a panel that will be responding to Mike Eisenberg's keynote address.

As you know, Oregon (through OEMA) is one of 14 states that have commissioned the studies mentioned below. Please take a few minutes to go to the site and complete the survey. LRS Conducting Outcomes Survey on School Library Impact Studies

Since 2000, more than a dozen states have commissioned statewide studies of the impact of school libraries and librarians on academic achievement, as indicated by state test scores. While there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence and other testimony to the value of this research, so far, there has been no attempt to capture such data systematically. The Library Research Service of the Colorado State Library and the University of Denver has launched a survey for that purpose. If you have read and used one or more of these studies in advocating for your school library or school libraries generally, please take a few minutes to respond to this brief questionnaire. To find the questionnaire, visit http://www.lrs.org/impact.asp and click on School Library Studies Outcomes Survey.

HIGH TIME IN THE HIGH DESERT, OEMA 2005 FALL CONFERENCE

Spend October 14 & 15, 2005, at Eagle Crest Resort in beautiful, sunny Central Oregon for the OEMA 2005 Fall Conference. This year’s theme, “High Time in the High Desert,” will afford library personnel to learn and connect with others across the state. Friday’s extended sessions include online reference with Dr. Tina Hovekamp, Seven Habtis of Highly Effective Library Managers with Beth Pearl-Gent, Book Repair with Alan Kopf, OSLIS: EBSCO, Lexiles, and other sessions to be announced.

Keynote Speaker is Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust. Featured authors are Michael Hoeye, author of Time Stops for No Mouse, Sands of Time, and No Time Like Show Time; and Jack Prelutsky, poet of Pizza the Size of the Sun and New Kid on the Block. Local authors include Jeff Leeland, Leah Wilcox, and Rick Steber.

For more information, visit www.oema.net or contact Linda Bilyeu, conference chair, at lbilyeu@bend.k12.or.us

POETRY WEBSITES AND BOOKS

Thanks to Edith Fuller from the Portland Public Schools Professional Library for this list of resources for National Poetry Month.

Websites

Academy of American Poets
http://www.poets.org/
Included in this site are tips for teachers and librarians to make poetry a more important part of school life during April and throughout the year.

Favorite poem project: Americans saying the poems they love
http://www.bu.edu/favoritepoem/

ISLMC poetry for children
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/poechild.htm
Resources for elementary and middle schoolteachers and librarians, including poetry in the classroom and across the curriculum

National Poetry Month
http://www.poets.org/npm/
Home page for the second annual National Poetry Month. Includes Create-A Poem and Links to expand your spectrum of poetry.

Online Poetry Classroom
http://www.onlinepoetryclassroom.org

PIZZAZ!
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~leslieob/pizzaz.html
A great site, featuring explanations of many different kinds of poetry suitable for classroom use, from limericks to haiku to quatrains. The site is aimed at older ESL students, but the activities can be adapted for standard classrooms.

Poet's Corner
http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/poets/index.htm
Activities and information for students and teachers

RhymeZone
http://www.rhymezone.com
Find rhymes, near rhymes, homophones, synonyms, and semantic siblings of any English word. Ideas for writing poetry and lyrics.

Scholastic Poetry Writing Project
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/poetry_tguide.htm
On-line activity for grades 1-8

Web English Teachers : poetry collections, poetic forms and styles, and poets
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetry.html

Books: NOTE about lending books. Edith <efuller@pps.k12.or.us> will lend books to any OEMA member, even by mail.

The adventures of Dr. Alphabet : 104 unusual ways to write poetry in the classroom and the community / by Dave Morice. New York : Teachers & Writers Collaborative, c1995.

Calliope : a handbook of 47 poetry forms and figures of speech : definitions, examples, activities / Greta Barclay Lipson, Jane A
Romatowski. Good Apple, 1981.

Daily poetry / Carol Simpson. Parsippany, NJ : GoodYearBooks, c1995.

Explore poetry / Donald H. Graves. Portsmouth, NH : Toronto, Can. : Heinemann ; Irwin, c1992.

How to make poetry comics / Dave Morice. Teachers & Writers, 1983.

Instant poetry frames for primary poets / by Betsy Franco. New York : Scholastic Professional Books, c2001.

Kids' poems : teaching kindergartners to love poetry / Regie Routman. New York : Scholastic, c2000.

The language of poetry : a literature guide / by Jon C. Stott. Book Wise, 1990.

Opening a door : reading poetry in the middle school classroom / by Paul B. Janeczko. New York : Scholastic Professional Books, 2003.

Poetry and pop-ups : an art-enhanced approach to writing poetry / Mary A. Lombardo. Linworth, c2003.

Poetry everywhere : teaching poetry writing in school and in thecommunity / by Jack Collom and Sheryl Noethe. New Work : Teachers & Writers Collaborative, c1994.

Poetry projects with pizzazz! : 15 easy, hand-on poetry activities that invite kids to write and publish their poems in unique and dazzling ways/ by Michelle O'Brien-Palmer. New York : Scholastic Professional Books, c2001.

Poetry with a purpose : develop reading comprehension and enrich vocabulary / Ernestine Cobern Beyer. Good Apple, 1987. For grades 4 - 7.

Writing across cultures : a handbook on writing poetry and lyricalprose (from African drum song to blues, ghazal to haiku, villanelle to the zoo) / Edna Kovacs. Blue Heron Publishing, c1994.

LSTA GRANT PROPOSALS DUE APRIL 15

Please remember that LSTA proposals <http://www.osl.state.or.us/home/libdev/lsta.htm > are due at the Oregon State Library no later than 5:00 pm on April 15. The proposal should not exceed three pages total and should be in 12 point Times New Roman with one inch margins. Late proposals or proposals not meeting this format will not be considered. OSL staff is happy to look over your proposal and be a friendly sounding board. Call Ann Reed at (503) 378-2112 x 254.

School librarians submitting proposals and seeking support from OEMA need to contact President Martha Dechard prior to submitting their proposal.

BLUE BOOKS SENT TO LIBRARIES

Once again, the Secretary of State's office is providing a free copy of the new Oregon Blue Book for many libraries in Oregon. The Archives Division shipped one copy to each public elementary, middle and high school library, each community college library, each state university library and each public library in March.

If you can't wait to browse through the new edition (including the special section of memorabilia from the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition), visit the online version at http://www.sos.state.or.us/bbook/

WORDSTOCK FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK APRIL 23 - 24

The Wordstock Book Fair will be held April 23rd and 24th at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. The Oregon library community will be staffing a booth in the exhibits area. The Book Fair is free and will have over 100 booths and 11 stages for author readings. More information is available at http://www.wordstockfestival.com.

ODE SUPTERINTENDENT'S SUMMER INSTITUTE

Julie Anderson from ODE is extending an invitation to OEMA HS/MS library teachers to attend this workshop as individuals or as part of a team.
The Superintendent's Summer Institute: Strategies for Student Success, July 19-20 at the Oregon Convention Center, will provide educators with useful teaching, learning, and planning strategies that will help each student be successful in middle school and high school and be ready for transitions to next steps: advanced learning, work, and citizenship.

The application with additional information is available at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=262

Twelve nationally recognized presenters will provide keynotes and lead exciting topical break-out sessions including:
(see bios and pictures at this address) http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/elarts/reading/literacy/summerinstitute/presenterbios.aspx#peterafflerbach

Tony Wagner, Harvard, Featured in Education Week
http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/elarts/reading/literacy/summerinstitute/articles_tonywagner.pdf

Michael Kamil, Stanford, Featured in ASCD Education Update, February 2005; author of "Adolescents and Literacy"
http://www.all4ed.org/publications/AdolescentsAndLiteracy.pdf

Cathy Roller, IRA, Featured in ASCD Education Update, February 2005; lead author of "Secondary Coaching Standards"  http://www.reading.org/resources/issues/focus_adolescent_coach.html

Nancy Golden, Springfield SD Superintendent, Co-author for the Toolkit for High Performance Teams and the Educational Leadership Improvement Tool

Ronni Ephraim, Los Angeles Unified SD, Chief Instructional Officer

• Separate breakout sessions will be specific to middle school educators or high school educators.
  
• District, high school, and middle school teams will have time reserved each day to meet together, debrief, and engage in preliminary planning activities. Planning will be facilitated through the use of outlines and templates designed to help teams quickly organize and focus their efforts.
  
• Content will be structured around a range of research-based strategies for improving student success with an emphasis on improved literacy.
  
• Leadership will be examined from several different perspectives, assuring that administrators have a variety of stimulating breakouts from which to choose.

Contact:

WAYNE FREE SUMMER TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP

Remember to register for the Summer Technology Workshop, August 22-24, 2005, at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. From his outstanding keynote address at the OEMA Fall Conference last October, Wayne is returning to Oregon to challenge teacher librarians and classroom teachers on the effective use of technology in instruction. You won't want to miss it!

Registration options are available. For early bird registration, theone-day workshop is $50.00; two-day workshop is $125.00. The latter includes an all-day hands-on session, where Wayne will lead this small group on using the various software products and help you produce a computer presentation. Registration information is available at http://online.jesuitportland.com/tech Click on registration, then click on create a non-member account. Early bird registration ends May 25, 2005.

Wayne will provide practical examples of classroom activities modeling the use of technology at all grade levels and across core curricular subjects. He will also demonstrate Practical use of a variety of technologies including: video/audio capture, PowerPoint, Internet capture, website development DVD/CD-ROM, and a remote mouse.

Invite your colleagues! The Workshop is appropriate for teachers, teacher librarians, media specialists, principals, curriculum coordinators, technology coordinators, professional development specialists, and teacher educators.

Presenter Wayne Free is an award-winning teacher with over 30 years of experience in education (K-16+). He is currently Director of Instructional Advocacy with the Louisiana Association of Educators and for 7 years worked as Director of Professional Development for the Agency for Instructional Technology.

For more information, contact Gregory Lum, summer technology workshop coordinator, at glum@jesuitportland.com

2006 YRCA NOMINEES

GEORGE FOX SUMMER LIBRARY CLASSES

The following classes are offered summer semester at George Fox University. Registration is now open.  Go to http://edfl.georgefox.edu

CALENDAR

OEMA Newsletter -- Editor: Sheryl Steinke

Published monthly on the 5th of the month September through May
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Send news items for the Newsletter to:
* Email: sherylsteinke@comcast.net
* Mail: Sheryl Steinke at 2405 Blacktail Dr. Eugene, OR 97405