Book Character Parade

Today we had a Book Character Parade. I am always amazed at the creative ideas that students come up with for this event. The rule of thumb is that you have to be carry a book that matches your outfit to be able to walk in the parade. Of course there were princesses from all across the Disney spectrum and a few superheroes.
Here are some ideas that might be of use for future parades:
The Paperbag Princess---a dress made of brown paper.
Captain Underpants---oversized undies stuffed
Diary of a Wimpy Kid---boy with white T-Shirt
A Bad Case of Stripes---stripes on the face
Mother Goose---apron, boots, skirt with a big hat

Trying to feel flexible during fixed testing weeks

Today we start MAP testing and the library is used both for our space and our personnel. I always have mixed feelings about these dates---3 times a year at 2 weeks each time--because the library is basically closed. I know that testing is a part of our educational lives and that the data collected is useful for teaching and learning. I'm trying to think about these weeks with a "glass is half full" attitude. Our library is fortunate to have 28 computers for students to use during the rest of the non-testing year. I am blessed with an library assistant who comes in early and works late. So by 7:00 AM we have both the lab and the library set up for testing and we open for checkout before school. Today we did not open because of technical difficulties---yes it all worked before Spring Break when I tested it, but it didn't work at 6:30 AM this morning! Tomorrow we will be open for checkout before school. When we are finished testing during the day, I send an email school-wide letting teachers know we are now open. Some days we don't have that option, but it's my way of trying to be flexible in a fixed world.