Hello Skyway Families,

This is Mr. Quick, the new Librarian at Skyway. I wanted to formally introduce myself, my background, what we’re working on in the library, and thank you all for the incredible support during the November Book Fair! 

I started my teaching journey in 2007 as an ESL instructor in Japan. There, I taught all levels of students from all age ranges (2y – 80y). When I returned from Japan I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and have worked in a variety of teaching roles since; including a challenging Substitute Teaching position in the 2020-21 school year here in CDA. 

My wife and I met in college and raise two boys. Our youngest, Emmett, is a second grader in Mrs. Anderson’s class and has attended Skyway since enrolling in Kindergarten with Mrs. Martin. Our oldest is a Sophomore at Lake City HS and has worked a few jobs during school breaks/free time. We are quite fortunate to share this community with you and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as Skyway’s Librarian.   

I’ve been writing for leisure & professionally for decades. A few years ago I self-published a novel on Amazon and that marked my first major publication. In the field of financial technology, I’ve written/advised the creation of white papers, technical documents, and every type of communication imaginable in the space.

All of my teaching, writing, and technology experience aligns well with the mission of the Skyway Library & Technology Center. The first 15-20 minutes of each class are reserved for greetings, check-ins & check-outs. The remaining 25-30 minutes we’ll have a lesson plan that touches one of the three following areas:

1. Encourage reading and further develop student’s skills
2. Channel creativity and imagination through writing activities
3. Introduce & explore technology together

This week (12/12 -> 12/16) we’ll be introducing a voluntary book report form. If students complete the report they’ll earn a small reward (Dogman/Pete the Cat bookmarks or animal erasers), and I’ll keep track of who submits the most through the rest of the school year. I would expect most Kindergartners or First Graders will need parental assistance to complete the book report. Please keep in mind this is voluntary but meant to spur interest in reading.

The following week is the last before Winter Break. I’m asking all students to return their library books before we depart for break, and I appreciate your assistance in gathering any library books floating around your houses. Our books will have a sticker barcode that says “Skyway Elementary School” if in doubt. We do not charge late fees but if books are not returned the cost to replace it is charged to your student’s account. My ultimate goal is to not charge anyone’s account.  

Finally, I’d like for students to develop formal library etiquette and this is something we’ll be working on through the rest of the year. As the Librarian I want to prepare students to behave properly in any library setting. As library etiquette translates across all venues – public, private, school or collegiate – our early years present the best opportunity to form good library habits. We’ll be working on library voices, not running/goofing around, and treating books with care. I appreciate any conversations or examples you provide for our students in this regard. If your family takes trip to any of our beautiful local libraries, setting expectations and drawing correlations from our library at Skyway presents a great learning opportunity. 

Last but not least, I wanted to pass along a sincere thank you to everyone who took part in our November Book Fair. We had both student & PTA volunteers who allowed us to setup & operate. Without their efforts I don’t know if we would have reached our goal – which we did! This was a shorter fair than normal, lasting only five days instead of seven. I have high hopes for our next one starting in March and hope to set a record for books sold. 

If you ever have questions/concerns about what we do in the library, anyone is welcome to email me at: Nicholas.Quick@cdaschools.org. I’m happy to discuss any activities we do in the school and/or find ways I can help support your child’s reading development.  

Thank you for your time and Happy Holidays!

Mr. Quick