GCS Library Media News
April 2018
Happy National School Library Month!
Submitted by:
Katherine Plecnik, Professional Learning Specialist
Submitted by:
Laura Pekarek Springfield Elementary, SLMC
Students at John Chavis Middle School share why they love their library!
Submitted by:
Terri Hoyle, SLMC at John Chavis Middle
NCSLMA Announces New Officers
Congratulations to our very own Laura Long, SLMC from Highland School of Technology!
Sadler Receives Book Donation
Sadler Elementary recently received $10,000 worth of books from the Driving Force Group, Epsilon Upsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and The James Anderson Foundation. These books are focused on areas of need for our students, namely: Science, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), and Social Studies. These books and focus areas will help to empower our students to become successful 21st Century learners.
Submitted by:
Tiffany Suttles, SLMC at Sadler Elementary
North Gaston Learning Commons Highlighted at Parent - Teacher Conferences
For Parent/Teacher Conference night this spring, I took the opportunity to inform our parents about the services provided by the learning commons at North Gaston. During the P/T Conference time, I looped a presentation that highlighted the learning commons program and resources. In addition, a bulletin board entitled "Knowledge is Power" was created to support student learning. I think the most eye-opening statistic is the amount of books that have been donated (42.5%) versus county and school monies (29%) spent on purchases. Additionally, my father and I took the initiative to visit the Library of Congress Surplus books program (a completely self-funded trip) accounting for an additional 28.5% of the new books. An additional thing I do is send out a newsletter each month to all staff and anyone else who is interested. My most recent newsletter is located here and can be seen to the right.
Robin Jordan, SLMC at North Gaston High School
Creative Writing Club at Cramerton Middle School
This is the second year I have sponsored the Creative Writing Club at Cramerton, a role I did not seek. However, I have learned to love it for many reasons. First, where else will I get to spend time with a small group of enthusiastic pre-teens who are excited about writing (and reading) and are not afraid to be silly and goofy? They try to write the most outrageous stories just to make each other laugh.
Secondly, it is a great way to meet the newly arriving 6th graders in middle school. This is where I make great connections that will last for the next three years. My current group of library junkies have been hanging around since 6th grade, and I love them dearly.
Thirdly, it leads to more opportunities. A group of members broke off so they could start a school newspaper. They created a template and assigned reporting duties with virtually no assistance from me. Also, it led to a wonderful student winning a Gold Key Award in the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in the Mid Carolina Region and then going on to win a Silver Medal in the National Level—which was the conclusion to a series of innocuous events starting from sponsoring this club—truly amazing!
A few of the Creative Writing Club members with their Comic Book writing prompt samples.
Submitted by:
Carmen Wallace, SLMC at Cramerton Middle
Global Connections at Springfield
Submitted by:
Laura Pekarek, Springfield Elementary SLMC
Author Visit at Costner
On March 19, Costner Elementary received a visit from author Michelle Nelson-Schmidt. She spoke on how she became interested in writing and drawing and how to follow your dreams, no matter what. She brought some of her canvas artwork used in her writings and shared one of her books, Jonathan James and the WhatIf Monster. During the month of March, the nonfiction section saw lots of action as students in several grade levels were busy reading on a topic of their choice. Each student wrote a report while fourth grade also created a display on their topic. Some of these creations are now in the library for everyone to enjoy. Upon returning from Spring Break, students have kept the library busy as classes compete in a two-week long Read-A-Thon to see which classroom can read the most minutes.
Submitted by:
Robin Blackburn, Costner Elementary SLMC
What do you have to share?
There’s still time to submit a proposal! The Call for Proposals for the 2018 Teaching & Learning Conference has been extended to Monday, April 30. Visit tinyurl.com/tlc18gcs to submit a proposal.