We made it through the first full month of school! Library visits are in full swing, and good things are in store for October!

• Class library visits and self-checkouts have begun.
• Library Schedule updates
• Your WWTX Fall 2021 Broadcasting Crew!
• Usage and Stats
• Library amnesty
• Furniture giveaways
• New Library Books Coming Soon!
• Contact Info
• Business Hours

We began accepting classes on August 31st, and things are going smoothly as we settle back into our 6-day rotation. The students have learned the routines, procedures, and expectations for turning in and checking out books, searching in the online catalog, asking for help, and participating in read-alouds. Kindergarten kids and 1st graders are already checking out books. The self-checkout station is up and running, and we are seeing kids come in on their own or with a few buddies, during early morning hours and throughout the school day. Teachers and specialists are making use of our computers and printers, both during the school day and after hours. Our TSS, Stephanie LaRochelle, stays on top of our technology needs and keeps those printers running, despite having to split her time between our campus and Allen Elementary. My parent volunteer, Mrs. Donías, is doing her part to keep me from going bonkers on those busy busy days.

Below is an image of the Library Class Schedule with its most current updates.

Teachers, remember you have access to the schedule and all its most current updates via this link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlXAtfoTpY93hxedTzZDjt1dmlAzafslUB5-rofEYKs/edit?usp=sharing

By now, you ought to recognize our anchors: Faith, Siddhant, Jeneska, and Makayla. They're doing a bang-up job delivering the morning announcements, with Makenna and Zander setting up our equipment and manning the cameras behind the scenes. When you see them around campus, give them a pat on the back and thank them for representing Westwood Terrace Elementary!

[Left to Right] Makenna Zamarripas, Siddhant Sharma, Zander Sanchez, Faith Basaldua, Jeneska Perez, Makayla Garza.

This will be a regular feature of the monthly library newsletter: Circulation statistics, Patrons of the Month, ebook usage, space usage, etc.

First, a look at how many books were checked out by homeroom. These numbers include students who came in during the week, outside of scheduled class visits, to take advantage of self-checkout...

Now, a look at the 10 students who checked out the most books this past month...

Which books were the most popular this month?

Faculty Meetings: 2

Academic Technology Coach: 2

WWTX Morning Broadcast Crew Sessions: 20

Bilingual Team Meeting: 1

Team Leader Meeting: 1

SAT Meeting: 1

Parent Cafecito: 1

Special Ed Team Meeting: 1

Webinar: 1

Class Visits: 76

National Arts in Education Week (September 12th - 18th): Ms. Jurado the Art Teacher loaned me some wonderful student artwork to display in the Library for a few weeks.

As promised in my beginning-of-year smore, I have cleared all teacher and student library accounts of any overdue books or items from last school year. This was completed on September 17th. I did distribute notices for those overdue items on the following school day, mainly to encourage people to continue searching for those missing books at home or in the classroom. No fines were charged.

If you or your students find any library books lying around in odd places around campus, feel free to bring them to the Library. Just last week, someone found a couple of library books outside on a bench and brought them to me. Think of how those books might have been damaged by rain or heat if they had been left lying outside over the weekend!

As the 2021-22 school year continues, I shall print overdue notices every 2-4 weeks, and distribute them by homeroom using teacher mailboxes.

Thank you, Broncos, for being responsible with your library books, protecting them from damage, and returning them on time!

I have submitted book orders to two of our regular vendors, for the purchase of new library books, totaling more than $2900. These will include the Bluebonnet Award nominees for 2021-2022, the Texas 2X2 Award winners, and more Spanish fiction and nonfiction. Keep an eye on the morning announcements; I'll let you know when the new titles arrive!

• Regular Hours 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
• Early Morning 7:15 AM - 7:40 AM -- WWTX Crew Members eat breakfast together and then pre-record the announcements for the following day. Teachers may send students individually or in small groups for checking in/checking out books.
• After Hours: Teachers, please feel free to use the library after school for as long as you need, barring any special events or meetings. Even after I pack up my saddlebags and head home (usually around 4 PM), you are welcome to stay. If you borrow items in my absence, just leave a note with your name, the titles of the borrowed items, and their barcode numbers.