One for the Record Books

In honor of National Library Card Sign Up Month, the first district librarian meeting was held at Speer Memorial Library in Mission. The librarians heard from 4 guest speakers -2 speakers were in person and 2 speakers joined us virtually. They also celebrated Josie Saldana, SNJH Librarian with a baby shower after the meeting. Do you have a public library card? It is never too late to get one.

by Alma Paredes

We had a great turnout at our first Harry Shimotsu Reading Night! Students were able to enjoy reading books with their parents and AR test for their goals. They colored bookmarks with their siblings and participated in a raffle for prizes and books. Thank you to all the families for joining us and a big shout to our volunteers who helped make it a success!

by Wally Trevino

Students in kinder – 6th grade learned about cooperation, making new friend and determination in the book Snail Crossing by Corey R. Tabor. Snail doesn’t let anything stand in his way and with the help of his new friends, snail reaches his goal. Providing student with the opportunity to compare and contrast, make predictions, connects, and learn about story elements.

by Oneida Aleman

Family Reading Night was great at RDM. Students were reading and AR testing to meet their goals. Students were accompanied by their favorite reading buddy, their parents. We also had a representative from McAllen Public Library sign up parents for a library card and explain to them the different resources available.

by Elizabeth Moreno

Pioneer High School received a Texas Reads Grant at the end of the last school year. This grant provided ten copies of the book, "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt for a fun staff summer reading project. The staff were asked to take a copy of the book over the summer and were also asked to jot down any related thoughts, quotes or connections on a sticky note. Then they were to pass the book along to a colleague. At the beginning of this year, we came together to share our sticky notes which were placed on a themed bulletin board. This project really promoted community, connections and continues to inspire conversations! More than anything, I was surprised to have staff asking, "What are we reading next?". This was certainly a fun way to celebrate the importance and value of literacy.

by Nicole H. Cruz

South Texas College dual enrollment students from both Sharyland High School and Sharyland Advanced Academic Academy attended a presentation Tuesday September 19. The presenter was Alison Young- STC Academic Outreach Librarian. She was invited to present by Nicole Cruz, SHS and SA3 librarian. Instructors who attended were Cesar Alvarado, Beatriz Solis, Rebecca Franco, and Oscar Garza.

by Adalberto Ramos

Our very first Family Reading Night at Jessie Jensen Elementary was a huge success! Parents were invited to come into our library to read with their children. Parents enjoyed an evening of reading and having quality time with their children. All students that attended received a book!

by Oneida Aleman

Our 6th-grade students help our 1st-grade students navigate the process of AR reading and testing. Buddy reading has encouraged students in both grades to build a love for reading. It also helps our older students practice lifelong skills in authentic ways, and it helps our younger students see what a fluent reader looks like as they have a peer model demonstrating realigning skills.

by Josie Saldaña

Friday Sept. 29th was the first after school meeting of the SNJH Dungeons and Dragons Club. Students shared their original character creations and began a brief introductory adventure where they faced off against a fierce dragon. The club was guided by Mr. J. Rangel of the fine arts department and Mrs.Saldana the campus librarian. The club was also recently awarded a grant from the Sharyland Education Foundation to purchase materials to help expand their club.

by Denise Cirlos

B. L. Gray's book club meets every Monday morning before school to read and discuss books. Our voracious readers are already on their second book of the year, Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd! Our goal is to read at least ten books this school year!

by Monica Silva

For National Hispanic Heritage Month, students learned about traditions that honor the culture of Hispanics and Latinos. One tradition that Hispanics have is playing Loteria. Many Hispanics/Latinos play with their family and friends at fiestas, street fairs, or just for fun. In the library, we read the book, Playing Loteria by Rene Colato Lainez followed by playing a few games of Loteria. Each student who won, received a Mexican candy to have a little taste of a Hispanic flavor.

by Jose Guerrero

Bentsen library hosted this year’s UIL Roundup event. It was a student lead presentation from previous UIL students. Students presented and tried to persuade students to join their UIL event. Students were very enthusiastic in sharing their UIL experiences. After listening to all the presentations, students could sign up for the event they liked to try out for. The event was very successful in that it made students aware of all the different UIL events and gave students the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills.

by Patricia Ramos

Students at Wernecke Elementary reviewed Chromebook care skills with librarian Mrs. Ramos. Our September topic was how to properly power off Chromebooks at the end of each day. Students practiced this skill and learned of its importance in making sure that their devices get updated and work at their best.

by Thanya Montemayor

RHE students from 2nd through 6th grade participated in an activity involving call numbers. Students had a blast doing a scavenger hunt and matching with their assigned books throughout the library. We also discussed why it is so important to maintain the library organized in order for it to be an effective learning tool.

by Elizabeth Moreno

The GEAR UP Facilitator, Lisa Salazar and PHS librarian, Elizabeth Moreno joined forces and collaborated to celebrate GEAR UP Week in the library. The students were able to come to the library during the lunches throughout GEAR UP Week and participate in different activities, win prizes, and talk about their future career plans. Some of the more popular activities were the mini-Jenga competition and the bingo. Students had a great time celebrating the week thanks to the great teamwork of these two departments!

by Nicole H. Cruz

September is National Library Card Sign Up Month. Speer Memorial Library staff members Magaly Garcia and Lisa Cantu joined students at the Penny Payte McLeaish LRC to share information on their teen services. Students listened to a presentation during lunch A and lunch B. The following students won prizes: SHS Damon Dean, John Liss, Ricardo Arias, Vanessa Chavez Elizondo, Bryan Becerra, and from SA3 Zani Zema and Mauricio Mejia. Library Assistant Mary Muniz presented the guests with an appreciation gift.

by Josie Saldaña

SNJH library held our annual book fair the week of September 18th. The library held several contests throughout the fair. The “Caught You Reading” contest allowed our RLA teachers to issue a special ticket to our students who were “caught reading” for a chance to win a prize from the book fair. We had 8 lucky students and 2 lucky teachers win goodies from the fair. Special thanks to our principal, Mr. Karr, for donating items from that fair to allow the library to reward more readers!

by Nicole H. Cruz

Were you watching the Buffalo Bills play the Cincinnati Bengals last year when Bills Safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest? "According to the most recent data from the American Heart Association, about 90% of the 350,000 people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year will not survive.” CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival. Nicole Cruz, librarian for SHS and SA3, wrote a grant in partnership with her library assistant Mary Muniz, and campus RN Valerie Morales to fund the purchase of a portable AED for the library. "We have so many campus, district, community and regional events held at the library every year. I felt it was absolutely necessary to write this grant to be proactive. Just this past weekend, the SHS band hosted the TMEA Regional Orchestra auditions." said Nicole Cruz

by Monica Silva

To kick off the month of October and Halloween, students learned about mummies, pyramids, and how they originated. We read the book National Geographic Readers: Mummies and watched a virtual field trip on the pyramids in Egypt. Next, students collaborated with their groups by using some magnetic sticks to design a pyramid. This STEM activity allowed students to engage in learning by using logical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.

by Nicole H. Cruz

On September 26, the administration team of SA3 including Principal Diana Rojas, Dean of Instruction Gina Garcia, Academic Counselors Lily Lopez and Emily Pietrzak, and Go Center Counselor Janet Amaro invited junior parents to an informative meeting at the library lecture hall. Parents were also given the option to join virtually. Librarian Nicole Cruz shared library hours, staff contact information, parent access to MackinVIA, and one resource Gale Peterson's Test Prep. "It is pivotal to engage parents in the learning process. Of all 46 subscription resources that the library budget provides to students I would rank Gale Peterson's Test Prep in the top 3." Cruz told parents.

"One for the Record Books" was recognized by the Texas Library Association for a PR Branding Iron Award in 2016. Submit photos and stories by the deadline each month to be included in "One for the Record Books." Please make sure any students are not on the "Do Not Photograph List" before submitting their photos for publication.

Email: ncruz@sharylandisd.org
Website: http://www.sharylandisd.org/departments/library_services
Location: 1216 North Shary Road, Mission, TX, United States
Phone: 956-580-5300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.cruz.9066
Twitter: @Cruz23Mac