You Belong @ the Library!
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a time to celebrate love, acceptance, and diversity in all its beautiful forms. The original Pride organizers chose this month to pay homage to the Stonewall uprising in June 1969 in New York City, which helped spark the modern gay rights movement. In the spirit of diversity, inclusion, and the freedom to read, check out some books written by and featuring individuals from the LGBTQ+ community!
You can pick these titles up in the library or borrow them on the Sora app or SoraApp.com. Not sure how to use Sora? Watch a short tutorial on the library's blog!
Your Summer Assignment: Read What YOU Like!
The importance of reading really can't be overstated. It doesn't matter what you plan to do with your life; reading will help you do it better.
This summer, make it a priority to find a way to enjoy reading. Comics, graphic novels, fiction, non-fiction, magazines, how-to books, electronic books, audio books--it doesn't matter. Reading is reading and it is so, so good for you.
Not sure what you enjoy, reading-wise? Relax with some great reads from a mini-library made just for you. Order a grab bag of library books to take home with you over the vacation!
Summer in the South Bay and Beyond
When you need a break from your book, step outside and enjoy these (mostly) free activities around North High and further afield!
Shakespeare by the Sea: Performances of two of Shakespeare's plays in parks and green spaces all over the Los Angeles area, including Wilson Park in Torrance, Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach, Hesse Park in PV, 22nd St. Park in San Pedro, and two locations in Redondo Beach. Attendance is free and no tickets or reservations are required--just bring a blanket and picnic to enjoy!
Palos Verdes Street Fair and Music Festival: Near the PV mall June 7, 8 & 9--June 7 is teen night. Food, drinks, vendors, and carnival rides cost money, of course, but it's free to listen to the bands!
Summer Parks After Dark: Free activities at 34 LA County parks. Each week brings a theme, in addition to Teen Zones, Senior Social Hours, Aquatics, movies and concerts in the park.
Explore the city: Get to know Los Angeles better with free self-guided walking tours from Angels Walk LA and the Los Angeles Conservancy. LAC has tours which specialize in filming locations, as well as (paid) tours guided by members of the conservancy.
Bike the Strand: Rent a bike from Marina Bike Rentals in Redondo Beach and pedal all the way to Santa Monica! The beach is free, of course, but the bike rentals aren't too expensive.
Take a hike: Weekend Sherpa has a great collection of free hikes in the Los Angeles area. Some are as far away as Malibu and the Valley, but many are in San Pedro and Palos Verdes!
Free museums: Los Angeles has a bunch that are free all the time, and many more that have free days a few times a week or month.
IMPORTANT End of Year Library Information
It's your responsibility to know and understand the information below. If you have questions, please see Ms. Masters or Mrs. Clarkson in the library.
Return Options
Book return: A slot located inside the library, in the counter straight ahead of you as you enter. For books only. Use before school, at break, at lunch, and after school. Do not come to the library during class time.
Textbook window: Hand your book to a person! Use before school, at break, at lunch, and after school. Do not come to the library during class time.
Circulation desk: Hand your book to a person! Located inside the library, near the entrance/exit. Use before school, at break, at lunch, and after school. Do not come to the library during class time.
Drop box: Located outside the library, next to the textbook window. For books only. Directions for use are on top of the box. You can use this 24/7.
DO NOT leave books on library counters, on top of or near the drop box, in your locker, in a classroom, on a bench in the quad, or any other place that is not on this list.
Seniors
Overdue library materials and fees from previous years must be turned in in order for students to pick up yearbooks beginning May 31.
ALL library materials are due by 3:30 P.M. on Thursday, June 6. Students with materials still on their library record after this time will be unable to pick up their caps and gowns, diplomas, or final transcripts until their records are cleared.
Underclassmen
Overdue library materials and fees from previous years must be turned in in order for students to pick up yearbooks the first week of June.
ALL library materials are due by 3:30 P.M. on Thursday, June 13
Materials which are not turned in by the deadline will be marked as lost and their replacement fees added to the appropriate accounts, which may result in holds on ASB purchases in the 2024/25 school year.
Missing books which are later returned will have their replacement fees replaced by nonrefundable late fines of $5 per book.
BONUSES!
Check your own library record! See directions here. Please also read your email, which is how the library and North High School officially communicate with you.
AP, honors, and ElCo dual enrollment students who require textbooks to complete their summer assignments may pick these up before the end of this school year if they completely clear their library records first. Otherwise, the library will be open for summer pickup at the times below. For details, please talk to your teacher.
Friday, June 14, 8 A.M.-11 A.M.
Monday & Tuesday, June 17 & 18, 8:30 A.M.-3 P.M.
Thursday & Friday, June 20 & 21, 8:30 A.M.-3 P.M.
Ms. Masters doesn't just check out books! A couple of months ago, she kept a 30-day log of how much time she spent on all of her other jobs. You can see all of the results in the pie chart below, but this month let's focus on:
Social media & website: About 11% of an average week. This includes keeping the library's website updated with correct and seasonal information, writing and posting blog posts, creating social media posts, and publishing to social media at least three times per week. The number of hours Ms. Masters spends on this increases at the end of every month, when she has to prep the library's online presence for whatever is happening in the month to follow.
School & district tasks: About 20% of an average week. This includes things that most teachers on campus have to do, like grading student work and submitting those grades online. It also includes meetings and trainings, chaperoning field trips, and completing required paperwork and surveys.
Administrative miscellany: About 5% of an average week. This is basically all the little things that didn't really seem to fit anywhere else, like making photocopies or counting and depositing money.
My lunch & breaks: About 6% of an average week. Ms. Masters takes these where she can--there's always something to be done in the library, so it's hard to stop long enough to really enjoy a break!
It's important to note that Ms. Masters would be unable to complete all of these tasks without the assistance of her student aides and especially Mrs. Clarkson.
