A new month, a new year...Collaboration!

I love crossing things off my to-do list.  Sometimes I will even put the inevitable on there (eat dinner, pick up kids from where ever they are) just so I can cross it off.  Well, down towards the bottom of this week's to-do list was "BLOG" (yes, just like that in all caps) and I really don't feel I can cross it off unless I squeeze just one post in now before I head off to school to meet up with my colleagues.

Last year was such a great year all around.  Kwame Alexander won the Newbery and then came to CES! Chris Grabenstein, with editor extraordinaire, Shana Corey, lead our "CES Library Olympics" evening and it was incredible! We even got the approval to pick him at the train station with a YELLOW school bus! Sara Varon came up just for the night to be our special guest for our Grades 2/3 Read Over Sleep Over.  (I'm a big Bake Sale, and all around graphic novel, fan!).  Scaredy Squirrel came to a K-2 assembly and visited classes.  And although Trombone Shorty didn't play in our physical presence, we dedicated a whole monthly assembly to him.  I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting.

The bus for Chris!

Our FIRST of two Skypes with Kwame in early January, 2015! BEFORE he won the NEWBERY!

So what about this year????!!!!

SARAH WEEKS! YES!  I've been a fan of hers for many years.  She is the very first author I connected with in my very first months of my job.  We couldn't Skype but I had students do a VoiceThread back and forth with her.  I love Oggie Cooder!  I remember sending her a copy of an article from the NYT Magazine about pie crusts around the same time that Pie was released.  Yeah, long time fan here.  So when I got to meet her at the NYLA-SSL conference in April and we connected, I begged "Please come to CES!" and she is!  She also agreed to have us have our year planned around her and a theme--Collaboration, or as I borrowed from Twitter,

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

I'm so excited!  Today is our first day back with faculty and staff.  I asked my principal if I could have a few minutes at the faculty meeting to share my vision for the school year and he agreed.  Yes! I hope to get my teachers pumped and we will have another stellar year!

Oh, and Chris is going to come back!  Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics is due out the first week of January and we will be his FIRST school visit of the book!  Couldn't get on his calendar for the release party like we did last year for The Island of Dr. Libris but that is OK! Just got to collaborate for some great ideas to make it another fabulous visit! (Considering that we did all Olympics last year, hmmm....)  just as a quiet aside, this book is dedicated to three people including Mr. Reischer, my collaborator extraordinaire, and ME! AGGGGHHH!!!!

And not to be overlooked, a couple of first grade teachers asked if Franklin the Turtle could come to school, like Scaredy Squirrel. Sure.  I will do whatever you like my friends.  Teamwork makes the dream work....So...Now can I go cross "BLOG" off my list?