Alabama LM Update April 2025

Governor Kay Ivey has officially proclaimed April as School Library Month in Alabama! Join the celebration as the Alabama School Library Association (ASLA) hosts Alabama School Library Week from April 7–11.

Follow ASLA on social media for exciting updates, including this year’s school library awards, Yellowhammer Book Award announcements, and more!

We want to celebrate you—so be sure to tag us in your posts and use #ALLibraries to showcase the incredible work happening in school libraries across Alabama!

@ASLAlib on X

@ASLAlib on Instagram

@aslalib.bsky.social on bluesky

Alabama School Library Association on Facebook

Mark your calendars for Friday, April 4th, for two exciting First Fridays sessions designed to support K-12 librarians!

Important Reminders:

✅ To receive PSPL credit, you must register in PSPL before attending.

✅ If joining with a group, enter your name in the chat.

✅ If your display name differs from your PSPL registration name, enter your name in the chat.

✅ Otherwise, do not enter your name in the chat to avoid duplicate entries.

📌 9:30 AM: Tammy Starnes will showcase innovative ways to integrate technology into the library using Apple Education tools, providing practical strategies to enhance student learning and engagement.

• April 4, 2025 AM: Section 527155

📌 1:30 PM: Hollis Bosch will lead a session on practical strategies for integrating the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) to enhance research, instruction, and student engagement.

• April 4, 2025 PM: Section 527157

🔗 Login Information: Use the link in your PSPL registration, or if the link doesn’t work, try a different browser and enter the session numbers manually.

📌 Missed a session? All sessions are recorded and available on our First Fridays site, where you can also find upcoming topics, registration details, and archived sessions. Note: You will not receive PSPL credit for watching a recorded session.

💡 Have a session request or want to present? Submit your ideas for topics related to library management using this form.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Explore the Office of Student Learning’s new Google site, your “one-stop shop” for a wealth of resources supporting student learning. The site includes valuable links to key programs and services, such as OSI, Instructional Services, EdTech, Professional Learning, AMSTI, and ARI. Additionally, you’ll find quick access to APLDS, National Boards, Leadership Calendars, EL, Teacher PREP, ALEX, ARIC, PowerSchool (Alabama Edition), OMI, AL-MTSS, and OXL. Visit today for streamlined access to all your educational resources in one convenient location!

We're expanding our statewide outreach to celebrate and support Exemplary Libraries across Alabama! A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of this initiative—we couldn’t do it without you!

Exciting news: Spots are still available in select sessions, so don’t miss your chance to get involved. Due to high demand for professional learning, we’ve added an extended session on April 3rd at the JSU RIC. Find all the details at the link above—we look forward to seeing you there!

Important Details:

✔ Sessions are free and offered only in person.
✔ You may attend any session, regardless of location or region (unless noted in the registration details).
✔ All K-12 librarians are encouraged to participate.
✔ Sessions will be hands-on and engaging.
✔ Discussions will focus on:

• ALSDE Library Updates
• Compliance Monitoring
• Learner Outcomes with connections to the Alabama Course of Study standards.
  **Session locations are listed in the PowerSchool Professional Learning (PSPL) registration notes.

How to Register:
Click here to view the work sessions. Session numbers are now available in PSPL for sessions open to all librarians. If the link isn’t working, try logging in on a different browser and search by session number.

📌 Have questions? Contact the facilitator listed for your session.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate—register today!

Enjoy this book review from Phenicia Nunn, AMSTI Math Specialist for Grades 9-12.

A Grain of Rice

​Author and Illustrator: Helena Clare Pittman

Math Content Area: Algebra and Functions

Concept: Exponential Growth (exponential function)

Course/Standard: Algebra I with Probability (A1WP.6c, 22, 24c)

“A clever, cheerful, hard-working farmer’s son wins the hand of a Chinese princess by outwitting her father, the Emperor, who treasures his daughter more than all the rice in China.”

When a humble farmer named Pong Lo asks for the hand of the Emperor's beautiful daughter, the Emperor is enraged. Who ever heard of a peasant marrying a princess? But Pong Lo is wiser than the Emperor knows. And when he concocts a potion that saves the Princess's life, the Emperor gladly offers him any reward he chooses--except the Princess. Pong Lo makes a surprising request. He asks for a single grain of rice, doubled every day for one hundred days. The baffled Emperor obliges--only to discover that if you are as clever as Pong Lo, you can turn a single grain of rice into all the wealth and happiness in the world! (Pittman, 1996)

It takes a clever man to win the hand of a princess…

CONTINUED HERE

Are you looking for ways to support Alabama's Seal of Biliteracy in your school? Join us for one of three upcoming webinars, where you’ll gain essential insights to help support this important initiative in your school. The sessions are scheduled as follows:

• April 3rd – 3:30–4:30 pm

• April 10th – 3:30–4:30 pm

• April 17th – 9:00–10:00 am

During the webinar, you'll learn about:

• The Alabama Seal of Biliteracy Program and its goals

• Key legislated aspects of the program

• Approved assessment tools and resources

• Schools’ roles and responsibilities for successful implementation

Target Audience: School personnel and educators in Alabama’s K-12 schools.

Please note: All webinars cover the same content, so choose the session that best fits your schedule.

Click here to register for the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy Program Overview Webinar.

A Microsoft Teams link will be sent to you prior to the webinar. If you have any questions, please contact Teresina Vazquez at teresina.vazquez@alsde.edu or call (334) 694-8887.

Join us at the Alabama Educational Technology Conference in Mobile this June! With the theme Building Digital Bridges, this event is a great opportunity to explore and share innovative library practices. Be sure to register, then secure your hotel accommodations, as rooms are filling up fast!

Jocelyn Neville, Library Media Specialist at Hueytown Primary School, has created a dynamic live resource of finger plays designed for library use. These interactive activities captivate young learners while fostering fine motor skills, language development, coordination, and early literacy. By pairing simple gestures with engaging rhymes, Jocelyn makes learning both fun and accessible for her students. Here is a link to her document. For more information, reach out to Jocelyn at jjneville@jefcoed.com.

Have questions about school library programs, compliance monitoring, curriculum integration, or best practices? Join my monthly office hours—a casual, open forum where K-12 librarians and their administrators can connect, ask questions, or just listen in. Held on the second Tuesday of each month, these sessions will alternate between morning and afternoon times to accommodate different schedules. There’s no need to register—simply drop in using the WebEx link provided.

https://alsde.webex.com/meet/susanne.estes | 25981914173

Alabama Library Media Online Site

Alabama Library Media Shoutout Form

Newsletter Subscription Form

Professional Learning Form

First Fridays Site

Alabama Library Media Email

Alabama Achieves Website

Office of Student Learning Sway