One for the Record Books
February 2020
B. L. Gray Scholars Complete Digitial Citizenship Classes
by Wenndy Pray
Digital Citizenship is an important skill to develop. B. L. Gray scholars have attended the library to learn more about becoming responsible digital citizens have 99% of students have completed the lessons. As their librarian, I am beyond proud of them for being receptive and approaching this topic with maturity and importance. I couldn't have addressed our entire student body without the help of our English Language Arts departments. Thank you for your support, Teachers!
Shawn Elliot Russell Visits Sharyland North Junior High School
Hip-Hop Artist/Author Shawn Elliot Russell spoke to our Sharyland North students about how to deal with stress. The Librarian, Mr. Koenig, worked with the counselors to organize this event.
Actress and Author Alyssa Milano Visits Shimotsu Elementary
Alyssa Milano, actress and author of Project Middle School (Hope series), visited Shimotsu Elementary in November. She spoke with the students about ways to improve their community and read the first chapter of her book. Scholastic provided a free book for each 4th grade student and Ms. Milano graciously autographed each one.
Garza Library Receives Special Book Donation
by Samantha Silva
On Friday, November 8, Michelle Lee Garza and her mother, Alicia Garza donated several children’s and young adult book to Olivero Garza, Sr. Elementary library on behalf of the Garza family. Michelle Garza is the great-granddaughter of Olivero Garza, Sr., the namesake of Olivero Garza, Sr. Elementary. Her father, Oscar Garza, Sr. who graduated from Sharyland ISD in 1974 is pictured above in his graduation cap and gown. Michelle Garza stated that many of the Garza family have attended and graduated from Sharyland ISD; including her own sons. Her son, Andrew Lopez, currently attends Jensen Elementary, and her oldest son, Christopher Lopez, who currently attends Sharyland North Junior High. The donation will be specially labeled as donated by the Garza family, and will be used for classroom libraries throughout the school. The donation was made in loving memory of Oscar Garza, Sr., Sharyland Class of 1974, and who passed away on March 1, 2017. We thank the Garza family for being willing to donate to Sharyland ISD, and invest in our students.
SA3 and SHS Book Club Members Shine
SA3 sophomore Cecilia Longoria and SHS senior Anastasia Cruz share a common love of reading. Their BCM Club sponsor encouraged both of them to enter the Letters About Literature state writing competition. This competition pairs reading and writing together by asking students to write a letter to an author, poet, or playwright. They need to explain how the novel, poem, or play has impacted their life or changed their view of the world. Both students were notified that their letters have moved on to the 4th and final round of judging out of more than 1,300 submissions.
Learning Lunch Series Continues at Pioneer High School
by Elizabeth Moreno
My goal at Pioneer High School with the Learning Lunch Series is to give teachers an opportunity to learn something new, while having fun. The topics, are on a variety of subjects. This month, I presented on Canva for the classroom and beyond. The teachers and staffed enjoyed learning how to use Canva for both personal and student projects. It’s really satisfying to know that teachers have taken what they’ve learned and implemented the projects with their students. I believe that by providing these types of Learning Lunches, I give teachers new information/skills in a positive, fun learning environment.
Author Visit- Anya Damiron
Ms. Damiron writes, creates, collects, story-tells, rents, and sells picture books in her native Dominican Republic. She came to visit our Ruben Hinojosa student body. She shared her books and writing process with all students from PK through 6th grade.
JHS Participates in Hour of Code
Kinder - 6th grade students participated in Hour of Code at John H. Shary. Students were introduced the concepts of coding and computational thinking. Students used the Ozobots to create a story map using the read aloud Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story. Students
Shawn Elliot Russell Visits RD Martinez Elementary
Shawn Elliot Russell visits RD Martinez Elementary . Students were able to rap and beat box to his book.
Non-Fiction November Challenge
3rd -6th grade students at Donna Wernecke Elementary participated in a Non-fiction November challenge during November 2019. The students used print and digital resources to complete this challenge. In order to complete their form, students had to access digital resources via Mackin such as National Geographic, Brittanica School Edition, and BrainPop. They also had to read digital non-fiction books on Mackin and print resources from the library. Once students completed their form, they were entered in raffle. Pictured are some of our students who were able to choose raffle prizes.
PHS December Book Club Meeting
by Elizabeth Moreno
One of the best experiences, as librarian at Pioneer, is the student book club. The PHS book club has grown to 45 members this year. I absolutely love the enthusiasm that the students bring to our meetings. For our December book club meeting, the members were treated to lunch, cupcakes and a craft. The students enjoyed the food, fun and discussing our book, “One of Us is Lying”. The students loved this book so much that they picked the sequel as our next read. I can’t wait till our next meeting!
Shimotsu Photo Contest
Almost 30 students in grades 3-6 participated in the Shimotsu Photo Contest. Our SPTSO organization donated gifted cards to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. Nine of the photos were chosen to advance to the Texas Youth Creator Awards competition. Good luck to our amazingly talented students!!
2019 Sharyland High School Alumni Share
Seven recent graduates returned to Sharyland High School on January 9th to share college wisdom with current students. Students from left to right: Oscar Garcia, Laura Garza, Sua Cho, Javier Lopez, Eduardo Heredia, Diego Lopez, and Daniel Montalvo answered questions from students ranging from skills they wished they'd mastered to living arrangements. This is the 5th panel discussion that Counselor Carol Santiago and Librarian Nicole Cruz have implemented.
SNJH Takes Part in Hour of Code
To promote interest in Computer Science all of the 8th graders at Sharyland North took part in Hour of Code activities led by Mr. Koenig at the library.
Real Men Read -Guest Readers
“Real Men Read” program kicks off at RD Martinez Elementary. Men from our local community have visited our school and read aloud and inspired a love of reading to our students.
Successful Community Partnerships: B. L. Gray Jr. High's SPTSO and Library Unite
by Wenndy Pray
For the second year in a row, B. L. Gray SPTSO has hosted Market Days. It is an event that hosts multiple local businesses to share in their products and services. Parents and students who attend enjoy the variety of booths and showcase performances from band, cheer, and Mariachi. This year, all Market Days visitors enjoyed having access to books as well. Thank you for making our Scholastic Book Fair a success, SPTSO! Our library is a better place because of successful partnerships like these.
Rapid Review by Sharyland North Junior High Librarian Darvin Koenig
Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell
The year was 1955. The place was Carolina County, Virginia. The two main characters were Richard and Mildred, two teenagers who fell in love. The problem was that Richard was white and Mildred was black. In that time and place marriage between people of different races was against the law. This is the Love story that made possible all the interracial marriages that would come after theirs.
Stop the Bleed
by Thanya Montemayor
Ruben Hinojosa Elementary staff participated in the district wide initiative: Stop the Bleed. Staff learned about the dangers of uncontrolled bleeding. They also practiced how to apply a tourniquet and pack a wound.
MLK Jr. Escape Room at John H. Shary Library
Students at JHS traveled back in time to stop the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Students worked in teams to solve the clues to stop James Earl. they were engaged will learning the actual accounts, facts, and places, and exact timeline of this day. This provided students with teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving while making learning fun.
Wernecke Volunteers Are Top-Notch
Wernecke loves having volunteers. This year, Mrs. Ramos is blessed to have her Work-study students along with winter Texans that enjoy giving of their time to help our students succeed. Our volunteers love encouraging students to enjoy reading via Story-time and small group reading. We truly believe that students need to Read to Succeed!
Nicole H. Cruz, SISD Lead Librarian
Email: ncruz@sharylandisd.org
Website: https://www.sharylandisd.org/departments/library_services
Location: 1216 North Shary Road, Mission, TX, USA
Phone: 956-580-5300
Twitter: @Cruz23Mac