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SLS 5/8/26 - O²CM Bookish Bytes

SLS 5/8/26 - O²CM Bookish Bytes
SLS 5/8/26 - O²CMBookish Bytes

📰 In the News 📰 📰 In the News 📰

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Substack: Tech Isn’t Failing Our Kids. Poor Design Is

Substack: AI Chatbots Are Not Your Students’ Friends

Substack: AI and Alternative Assessment

Substack: is Sashimi the next great graphic novel series?

Article: Vernon Hills High School named National School Library of the Year

Article: Banned Books Week 2026 Artwork Unveiled

Article: Knowing Your Worth – Even When Others Don’t See It

Article: Grant Opportunities for School and Public Libraries

Article: Summer Reading Picks: Fun and Fast-Paced

Blog: 25 ideas for digital end-of-semester final projects

Blog: The Art of Classroom Timing: 10 Ways to Fit It All In

Article: Inside One District’s Experiment to Anchor Learning Around Career-Ready Skills

Blog: How to Help Middle School Students Navigate Challenging Texts

Blog: Using Technology to Enhance Student Voice

Blog: Encouraging Creativity and Deep Reflection Through Annotation

Article: Schools are teaching AI — and making a massive mistake

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EdWeek is provided to every educator in O²CM

School Library Journal is provided to each O²CM School Librarian

Please Contact SLS if You Need Access with SLJ Access in the Subject Line

Teacher Appreciation Week Food Freebies Teacher Appreciation Week Food Freebies

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Hello everyone 😊


Michele Gorham (OCM AIE) and I are excited to share something fun with you—Operation Summer Break: Tips, Tools, & Boosts to Get You to Summer! From May 4–22, we’ll be sharing a new little boost each school day to help you make it to the finish line. Since this week is Teacher Appreciation Week, it felt like the perfect time to kick things off and celebrate all that you do! We hope it brings a smile (and maybe a little extra energy!) to your days.


Take a look: https://hturner.my.canva.site/osb2026


Happy May!
Heather & Michele

Blurred Cover Activity Blurred Cover Activity

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Grab the Template

Summer Reading Program Freebies Summer Reading Program Freebies

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Google Drive Update Google Drive Update

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What’s changing


Google has added the option to lock Drive files by right-clicking the file, selecting “File information”, and clicking “Lock”. Locking a file makes sure reviewers can’t change a file. Edits, comments and suggestions can't be added to locked documents.

EDUGem Cards EDUGem Cards

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💎 Use the Gem: Gem link

💾 Make your own copy: Gem link

✍️ Created by: Tori Engel (adapted by Eric Curts)


📄 Description:

This Gem helps students develop a strong, clear thesis statement for their research papers. Acting as a warm, patient English Language Arts teacher, it coaches students through the writing process—helping them brainstorm debatable claims and specific supports without ever doing the writing for them.


To use this Gem, students will have a collaborative conversation with the "Thesis Helper." They'll start by providing their current grade level and the general topic they want to explore. Gemini will then guide them step-by-step to build their arguments, draft a single-sentence claim, and polish the language until it perfectly meets all academic requirements, finally providing the completed statement ready to be copied directly into their document.

EDUGem Thesis Coach

Recently Reviewed Titles Recently Reviewed Titles

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Check out the Blog

FREE Access to Skillshare & Treehouse FREE Access to Skillshare & Treehouse

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Sign Up for your FREE 2-Week Access

Professional Learning Opportunities Professional Learning Opportunities

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Professional Development Website

In Person Professional Learning

  • May 13 - Admin/Advocate Banquet and Communication Coordinator Mtg

  • Jun 12 - SuperLibrarian Banquet with Dan Santat


Virtual/Asynch Professional Learning

  • May 8 - WEBINAR: Roaches in My Cereal: And the Moral Imperative to Reimagine School (edWeb)

  • May 12 - WEBINAR: Designing Learning Ecosystems with AI: Moving Beyond Prompting (edWeb)

  • May 13 - WEBINAR: Scaling K-12 Computer Science: High‑Quality, Equitable Instruction in the Age of AI (edWeb)

  • May 13 - WEBINAR: 3 Reasons Your Directions Aren’t Working (And What to Do Instead) (edWeb)

  • May 15 - VIRTUAL Introducing Elementary Students to the World of Work (Teacher Center)

  • May 19 - VIRTUAL Designing Standards-Aligned Lessons with AI (Teacher Center)

  • May 28 - WEBINAR: CDLC In-Person Workshop: The Next Chapter – Lending Beyond Books (CLRC)

  • Jun 9 - VIRTUAL Rekindling Hope: Healing-Centered Education for Empowered Teaching and Learning (Teacher Center)


OnDemand Professional Learning (2 CTLE)

Note: You can sign up for these trainings anytime between 4/1-6/1

  • Sooth.fyi Training

  • Legends of Learning Science/Math Learning Universe

  • Legends of Learning Basecamp Training

  • News-o-matic Training

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📬Listservs 📬Listservs

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All O²CM Listserv: sls@ocmboces.org

Elem Listserv: elemlibs@ocmboces.org

MS Listserv: mslibs@ocmboces.org

HS Listserv: hslibs@ocmboces.org

BOB Listserv: bob@ocmboces.org

OPALS Users Group: opalsusers@ocmboces.org

Follett Destiny Users Group: destinyusers@ocmboces.org

Sign Up for a Listserv HERE

📢 The SLS Team 📢 📢 The SLS Team 📢

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Email the SLS Team
Check out Previous Bookish Byte Issues
O²CM School Library System
https://www.ocmboces.org/sls
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