GCS School Library Media News
January 2018
Submitted by Shaunda Camp, SLMC W. B. Beam Intermediate
Carr Elementary says "Thank You!"
The students and staff were excited to receive several boxes of books donated by Books-a-Million. Books were a welcome addition to both the media center and classroom libraries.
Submitted by Lisa Hewlett, SLMC Carr Elementary
New Media Center, New Function
At Cherryville Elementary, a dream became a reality this past summer! The media center was completely renovated -- new HVAC, lights, flooring, fresh paint and furniture. The dark space with its bulking furnishings and lots of underused spaces has been totally transformed. It is now a bright, open, flexible space with areas for whole classes and small groups. But, most important to this change is the way the media center and the media specialist is being utilized.
The beginning of school, much like each new year, brought many changes in instructional practices. One of the most notable has been the way our students use the media center. Mr. Hubers, principal of Cherryville Elementary, supported my vision to have the media center become the hub of our school. I have always felt that there was too much wasted space and the media center was underused. Fortunately, Mr. Hubers quickly came on board to change both the space and the function of the media center. As a result of his buyin, he worked diligently raising and contributing funds, lobbying for the approval of the renovation and being an advocate for the media center.
Once the school year started, I began implementing a flexible schedule for my classes. I am able to plan weekly with grade levels since my schedule allows me to attend their PLC meetings. Additionally, all media lessons are designed to meet the curricular standards that are being targeted by teachers. This makes learning in the media center more meaningful and purposeful. I use the standards and topics that we pinpoint during our weekly planning meetings. I design all the lesson activities and gather all the needed resources. If there are things that teachers need to do or contribute, I go to them for help. Otherwise, when the lessons are ready, I share a Google document with all activities. Teachers select the activities that they want to teach and I teach the one that is left. Usually, teachers would like for me to lead any technology activities, but this varies among teachers and grade levels. The lessons planned address a wide variety standards across different subject areas.
With our new improved media center and scheduling, I often have two, or more, classes in the library at the same time. Teachers bring their students to checkout books at scheduled times. Often these times are when I have lessons for other classes taking place. With all of these changes, I feel that we are better addressing our students’ needs, preparing them to use the library to access information, and using our physical space more effectively. I am thankful for the opportunities to impact instruction and students!
Resources:
Flexible Scheduling: Implementing an Innovation
Submitted by Melanie Sherrill, SLMC Cherryville Elementary
Bringing Literature to Life
Holly Williams, SLMC at Rankin Elementary, assists with the 5th grade auditions for the production of Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon, which is under the direction of music teacher Jeff Ingle.
Submitted By Holly Williams, SLMC at Rankin Elementary.
Connecting the School and Public Library
Submitted by Audra Pressley, SLMC at Mount Holly Middle
Former Staff Members Remember with New Books
The Cherryville Elementary Lunch Bunch Retirees often choose to purchase new books for our library in memory of staff members who pass away. This past year, we lost a retired 3rd grade teacher, Carol Porter, in a car accident. Since her friends and former colleagues knew how much her role of being a grandmother meant to Carol, they asked me to purchase books about grandmothers in her memory. A collection of grandmother themed books have now be added to our library. Additionally, Mary Sue Faires was a former EC teacher at Cherryville Elementary. The retirees collected money to add books that replaced some of the “tried and true”, very loved books in our library. In part, a new Eric Carle collection was purchased.
Pumpkin Book Characters
Submitted by Shaunda Camp, SLMC W. B. Beam Intermediate
Get started on National Board Certification
We are proud to be #TeamNBCT! Why? It's all about student achievement: nbpts.org/research. Interested in starting or continuing your National Board Certification journey? Learn more on the website and get started today. Click here to access the updated GCS National Board information website.
Please share!
The Gaston Natural Resources Department is providing professional development for #gcsk12 in 2018! Visit goo.gl/t6mpD3 to learn more and register! These workshops are for Content CEUs.
Did you know?
The Office of Professional Learning has a new website! tinyurl.com/gcsprof provides information about professional development, CEUs, Truenorthlogic, and much more!
The 15th annual Teaching & Learning Conference will be held on August 6-7, 2018. Please share these dates with your staff. The call for proposals is forthcoming!
DON'T MISS A MINUTE . . .
Missed any of the monthly highlight? Check out past issues to see what has been going on in the media centers in Gaston County: