GCS Media News
March 2019
Vendor Fair: Thursday March 28th
GCS Media department will be hosting a vendor fair on Thursday March 28th at the Linda Rader Staff Development Center in Cramerton. The event will be from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Participants include, book vendors, furniture representatives, book fair representatives, food and TONS of door prizes to win. We hope to see you there!
Submitted by:
Pepie Jones
GCS Media Point Person
March Book Madness
Belmont Central will be kicking off it’s second annual March Book Madness. Each grade will have 16 books that will compete! Students will fill out individual brackets with their predictions of winners in each round. Students will be awarded points for each correct pick. The student in each grade that has earned the most points will win a prize. Students will vote to determine winners in each bracket through the use of an online Google Form. The Media Center will update the brackets as winners are selected. Brackets will also be updated online to follow. Use these links to stay up to date:
March Book Madness 5th Grade Belmont Central 2019
March Book Madness 4th Grade Belmont Central 2019
March Book Madness 3rd Grade Belmont Central 2019
March Book Madness 2nd Grade Belmont Central 2019
Janice Kahn
Belmont Central Elementary School SLMC
Showing Kindness in the Little Things
Showing kindness and responsibility are important character traits that we all try to model for our students. Teaching those traits can at times be difficult, but the Library Assistants at WB Beam Intermediate have it figured out! The 4th and 5th grade students that assist Mrs. Beam in the library each week are full of joy and excitement and are a great help to others.
They have not only learned to scan books for check in/ check out, organize and shelve books properly, but they have assisted other students in searching for books online and in the physical library, suggesting series or titles that they may like and being a role model to others in how to care for books and the library space.
These students have shown great pride in the work that they do and have become more confident in their own decisions. Mrs. Beam has witnessed their maturity, increased communication skills and overall kindness they show toward others. The library is such a non-threatening place to come to. There is much freedom and choice available to all students, and these helpers are allowing others a positive environment, where help is offered and a friend is ready to help you find a book… how awesome is that!
Mrs. Beam accepts student applications for 1st and 2nd semester. Once trained, students assist on their “class day” as well as give up their recess one day per week, to come help out. The best part of the experience for Mrs. Beam, is watching the 1st semester group train the 2nd semester group. It’s then that its obvious just how much they have learned. It makes her heart smile!
Submitted by:
Kim Beam
W.B. Beam Intermediate School SLMC
Letter Writing with Second Grade
Second Graders read The Day the Crayons Quit in the Media Center. After reading the story students learned the proper way to write a letter. Each student chose a crayon from the story and wrote a letter back to that crayon!
Submitted by:
Janice Kahn
Belmont Central Elementary School SLMC
CTE and Makerspace Collaboration
Ashbrook's media center has a brand new makerspace!! The best thing about this space is that students in the CTE Carpentry and Electrical Trades classes built and wired the entire space. We are nearing completion and hope to have some pictures of the final product soon!
Submitted by:
Andrew Collins
Ashbrook High School SLMC
Regional PD Offered by NCSLMA
When: Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 9 am - 2:30 pm (may finish a little earlier)
Where: Highland School of Technology Library
What: A Morning PD Session Focused on the AASL Standards, lunch is included, afternoon session focused on DLCs
Cost: Free to NCSLMA members and $40 for non-members (includes membership to NCSLMA)
Registration is Required and Seating is Limited: visit www.ncslma.org to register
Lunch is a boxed lunch from Chick-fil-A (salad vegetarian option)
NCSLMA has a new website! Visit www.ncslma.org and follow the directions on the homepage to login as a member.
Submitted by:
Julie Overpeck
Piedmont West Regional Leader
Holbrook Middle School SLMC
Remembering Shaunda Camp
As many of our library media coordinators know, our sweet friend, Mrs. Shaunda Camp passed away last summer. Our hearts have been broken as she has left a void in many of our lives. But we are finding ways to remember her and her Sunshine Smile! WB Beam Intermediate is holding a fundraiser from March 1- April 12 and raising funds to purchase outdoor park benches in her memory. The benches will have her name on them as well as the sunshine logo, that we so often associate with her.
Our students have found this to be a way to heal our hearts as we remember her. Students will be able to sit outside and read a book, as they reflect on the special relationship they may have had with her. She shared so many wonderful books with our students for seven years!
In coordination with this campaign, we are also having Hats Off to Mrs. Camp each Friday during March. Students may donate $1 to wear a hat for the day. These donations will go toward the purchase of our park benches as well. If we raise more money than needed for the park benches, we will purchase new library books with the additional funds. You may contact Mrs. Kim Beam for more information at khbeam@gaston.k12.nc.us.
Submitted by:
Kim Beam
W.B. Beam Intermediate School SLMC
Fifth Graders Study the Westward Expansion
Robinson 5th graders studied about America’s Westward Expansion over the past several weeks, and learned a great deal about US history from 1800 – 1870.
They chose their own topic from a list compiled by Mrs. Holland that included options such as the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis & Clark expedition, the Indian Removal Act, the California gold rush, the Texas fight for independence, and the Pony Express.
They researched their subject using the Kids InfoBits database on NC Wise Owl, as well as print books.
Using at least two or three different sources, they wrote a short research paper which included in-text parenthetical citations and aWorks Cited list.
After completing their papers, the students visited Robinson’s makerspace to build visual representations of what they learned. They are displaying these Western “scrappy towns” in the media center.
Submitted by:
Ilisa Jenkins
Robinson Elementary School SLMC
Bessemer City Middle School
One of the many ways we support our students is through the Spelling Bee. BCMS was grateful to have so many participants in our School Bee. They were excited! We used the media center to host our Bee with our students, staff, and invited parents. The area is such a great shared space and to have so many different events like this be in here, shows how the media center can be the hub of a school. Along with lessons, check in/ check out, collaborative lessons, research, BOB, PBIS events, PBL groups, Book Fairs, staff get togethers, and so many other special occasions that make the space an invaluable part of our school.
So back to the Spelling Bee! Kaylan Davis represented us very well in both the Gazette and the GCS Spelling Bees. We enjoyed the experience and opportunities it provided. So a special thank you to all of our media specialists, you support our students in so many different ways, some small, some large; and you provide a hub not only for learning, but also for special occasions and memories.
Submitted by:
Amy Medlock
Bessemer City Middle School SLMC
Surplus Book Program
Submitted by:
Robin Jordan
North Gaston High School SLMC
Library Display Idea
A display in the BCHS media center.
Holly Key
Bessesmer City High School SLMC
Read-A-Thon
Submitted by:
Audra Pressley
Mount Holly Middle School SLMC
NCSLMA Wants Your Input!
NCSLMA is seeking member and non-member feedback for future planning at our Spring Board meeting. Please complete this brief survey to help us serve the needs of librarians across the state! Thanks! Here is the link: http://bit.ly/NCSLMAPlanning
Laura Long
NCSLMA President Elect
Highland School of Technology SLMC
What Pet Should I Get? A Fifth Grade Research Project
What pet should Mrs, Kahn get for the Media Center? My 5th grade students were tasked with a research project to help me decide. Each class was divided into research groups and assigned a possible pet for the Media Center. The possible pets included: snail, lizard, hamster, fish, bearded dragon, frog or hermit crab. Students learned about the Big Six Inquiry Model and how to use it to assist them in the research process. Students were then assigned a project with different areas of research on each animal. Students also have to conduct a presentation. After all presentations are complete I will make the determination of which pet will work best in the library!
Submitted by:
Janice Kahn
Belmont Central Elementary School SLMC
DINO-MITE Book Fair
Submitted by:
Pepie Jones
GCS Media Point Person
Read Across America in Gaston County
Belmont Central celebrated Read Across America throughout our school. The school celebrated Dr. Suess each day with a different theme! However, in the Media Center the approach was quite different! To start, on each door a printed poem was hung written about all of the states. This was written by the Media Specialist. A link to the poem is here : Ode to Read Across America - Belmont Central Media We celebrated Read Across America with our students literally Reading Across America. Throughout the Media Center there were 50 seperate stations each one representing a different state in America. During Media classes students rotated to learn information about different states. Students were then allowed to initial a map ( one created for each grade) for each state they “visited” during Media class. Our mission was accomplished as Belmont Central Elementary literally Read Across America.
Submitted by:
Janice Kahn
Belmont Central Elementary School SLMC
Another Birthday for Dr. Seuss!
You’re never too old to celebrate a birthday, and when it’s a Dr. Seuss birthday, it’s really special! Students and staff of WB Beam Intermediate school decorated doors, listened to books read by community guest readers and learned facts about many of his popular titles. Local firefighters, the Mayor, the public branch librarian, retired GCS employees as well as administration from the local middle and high schools all visited classrooms and shared some of the Dr. Seuss classics as well as folk tales and other popular children’s books. Each classroom door was decorated with a unique Dr. Seuss theme and the winning teacher, Mrs. Lara Britton received a Free Friday lunch and dessert of her choice, compliments of Principal Todd Dellinger. Mrs. Beam took photos and emailed them to fellow media coordinators and art teachers to judge the anonymous decorated doors! This is always a fun week that our students look forward to each year!
Submitted by:
Kim Beam
W.B. Beam Intermediate School SLMC
February ended and March came in with a blast for Costner Elementary students. Students dressed for a different themed book each day for Read Across America week. To wrap the week up on Thursday and Friday, Dr. Seuss characters came to life as actors from Cherryville Little Theater dressed as Dr. Seuss characters and read his/her book to classes. Students enjoyed listening to each Seuss character read about his or her own adventures in their respective book. Each class was visited by at least four character readings during the two day event. Thanks to Cherryville Little Theater for providing the students with this fun rendition of Dr. Seuss read alouds.
Submitted by:
Robin Blackburn
Costner Elementary School SLMC
Submitted by:
Linda Cathcart
Belmont Middle School SLMC
Katherine Plecnick
GCS K-12 Curriculum Faciliator