JISD Library Services Newsletter
December 2019
In this Newsletter
Friends of JISD Libraries
Hour of Code Week in JISD
Events & Activities in Your JISD Libraries
Coming in January
Save the Date - NEW
Librarians Outside the Library - NEW
Technically Speaking
Learn 360
Learn360 offers thousands of videos, audio clips, printables, games & activities, maps & flags, and STEM lessons. One of my favorite features is the transcript feature. You can have the transcript on one side of the screen while it highlights the words with the speakers voice. See the picture below. This is a helpful feature for our ELL students as well as hearing impaired students! Transcripts also make it easier to use a video as a source for research.
All of the videos may be shared with others and/or put in your Google Classroom. If you don't want to share an entire video, you may also select specific segments to show. Citations are available so that students and teachers can cite their citations correctly, if necessary.
The selection of videos is broad too. They cover all of the core course, of course, but they also provide videos on career and tech, languages other than English, engineering & technology, health & guidance, and professional development videos.
Videos is not their only game though! Check out the printables! They provide fact sheets, science diagrams, science experiments, and math activities. See picture below of just a few examples.
It's a great resource. I hope you make time to peruse it during the Holidays or upon your return in January. Please contact your librarian if you need more help or information.
friED Technology: Education Technology Professional Learning & Development
Want an easy way to keep up with all the updates and improvements in G-Suite? Follow Fried Technology at https://www.friedtechnology.com. They have a great team working to provide you with the best ways to incorporate the new features into your classroom. Look for information on
- Rubrics in Google Classroom
- Priority Page in Google Drive
- Blank Screens and Timings in Google Slides
- Comparing Documents in Google Docs
Thanks to Wagner High School librarian, Raelene Tschirhart, for sharing this blog.
Friends of JISD Libraries
Mission Statement
Jingle Bell Jamboree
Mugs to Support FJL
Mug Shots
Thank you to Gary West who led the sale of our mugs at the ERC and around the district. He also supplied our first round of mug shots.
You may send your photo to parevalothompson@judsonisd.org
"Mug Shots" inspired by "Sunday Today with Willie Geist. National Broadcasting Corporation, WOAI, San Antonio, TX. December 15, 2019."
Suzanne Yates @ Converse
Lucia West, ELAR Specialist
Sharisa Rhoades, RME
Kristin Rigney @ Escondido
Gary West, Math Specialist
Katrina Simmons, Librarian @ Escondido
Summer Programming in our Community
We still have more planning to do, and we need more money to pay for all of these great opportunities for our students. If you want to donate and/or you know a business owner that would like to donate or sponsor an event, please contact Pamela Thompson, lead librarian, at parevalothompson@judsonisd.org
We appreciate your support. Look for updates in our newsletter each month.
Hour of Code Week in JISD Libraries
Coding @ JHS
The Judson HS Library was closed for STAAR EoC and TSI testing, so we took our coding activities to the cafeteria during all the lunches. One activity focused on teaching directional coding. Students and staff were challenged to face off in a head-to-head coding challenge to create the code that would direct the robot mouse through a maze to the cheese. The other activity focused on teaching binary coding by having students and staff create key chains showcasing their initials in binary code.
Hour of Code @ Paschall
December 9th – 15th was Hour of Code week at Paschall and across the United States. Students from all grade levels were introduced to coding and given the opportunity to participate in an Hour of Code. Students played Box Island or Lightbot on the ipads, tried to program Dash (the blue robot) to move through 4 different mazes, or used different codes to program an Ozobot to go faster, turn in circles, zig zag along a drawn path or win a race against other Ozobots. You can learn too. Go to https://code.org/learn to play more coding games.
Unplugged Coding @ RME
Students at Rolling Meadows Elementary watched a video called “What makes a computer a computer?” Our tangrams were the input and the completed puzzle was the output. They had to figure that part out and also tell their partner an algorithm for solving the puzzle.
Librarian, Jennifer Heine, also did a procedural text tie in with classroom TEKS and read them a recipe for frozen yogurt treats, and discussed the input/output and algorithm and what would happen if you change the algorithm (recipe).
Events & Activities @ Your JISD Libraries
Scuba Diver @ RME
Christmas Fun @ Metzger MS
Bites & Books @ Wortham Oaks
Come to your library, and get some Bites and Books! Students and staff members can enjoy Cocoa and Cookies! Now that'll make any Story Sweeter!
The Wortham Oaks Library hosted an event, HEB Loves Reading, to promote literacy and build on community partnerships. The Wortham Oaks Librarian reached out to their local HEB on 281 for a donation and all students and staff members were invited into the library for a delicious treat. This event was an effort to ensure that every student had fresh books to read over the Christmas break. It was also an opportunity to encourage reading as an enjoyable activity, and create a warm memory for all students and staff!
Activities @ Converse Elementary
Before School @ KHMS
“Bingo's Birthday Month.” Holiday Smart, www.holidaysmart.com/holidays/monthly/december/bingos-birthday-month.
Show Us Your Shelfie Contest @ JHS
Activities @ Escondido
Travelling Mural
Flexible Seating
Bricks & Blocks
Students and teachers alike are enjoying using a variety of bricks and blocks to create many amazing things.
Story Walks @ Paschall
Paschall Elementary had a Story Walk. One story was posted in the foyer and another in the cafeteria. Classrooms partnered with other grade levels to walk around and read a story (pages from an actual book) mounted on construction paper. The 2 classrooms then met together to create a STEM project connected to the story. After students read The Littlest Christmas Tree by R. A. Herman, they built the tallest Christmas tree possible with 25 green cups and pom poms. After students read Olive the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh, they created an airplane to fly Olive the farthest.
Reindeer Shapes @ Copperfield
MakerSpace and Marketing/Advertising Class @ JHS
Students from Ms. T. Foster’s class created their own products and then were asked to design marketing campaigns for their product lines. They learned about Maker-communities like Etsy and talked about how entrepreneurs raise awareness about their products. These young women are modeling their duct tape earrings they created. The young men are showing off their marble-painted Christmas ornaments.
Hands-On @ CWE & Hopkins
Candlewood and Hopkins students completed design, measurement, and building activities after reading The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier.
Fifth graders at Candlewood created FlipGrid response videos describing the author’s purpose of a selected book. Teachers and students have enjoyed learning this tech tool that allows a variety of response types.
Coming in January
Holocaust Remembrance Week
Bluebonnet Voting
Students from around Judson ISD will be participating in the vote! Interested in the Texas Bluebonnet List? Click HERE to see the titles.
Save the Dates
Library Palooza
The JISD librarians will be coordinating with one another to take buses to this Friends of North Side Libraries event at Brandies High School. Please check with your middle school or high school librarian in your feeder pattern to find the nearest bus pick up. Everyone is welcome at this event, so parents can take their child to the event. Entrance is free. Money is only needed to purchase books and/or lunch.
Battle of the Books
Letters to Rose
Sponsored by the Friends of JISD Libraries, the presentation will be open to all schools, families and employees in JISD. Parents are welcome to attend with your younger children, who may have questions following Rose’s very detailed account of her life as a prisoner in several concentration camps. As you can imagine, the subject matter may be frightening and sad at times.
Before and after the presentation, the authors, will have signed books available for purchase as follows: paperback ($16.23) and hardcover ($27). Rose will also dedicate books and will be available for photos.
This event is free and open to all JISD families, employees and community members. For questions or concerns please contact your school librarian or lead librarian, Pamela Arevalo-Thompson at parevalothompson@judsonisd.org. Please join us for this night of unforgettable historical significance.
Librarians Outside the Library
On Wednesday, December 11th, Mrs. Boyd, JHS Assistant Librarian, joined 59 other members of the San Antonio Symphony Mastersingers as the accompaniment to famed Italian singer Andrea Bocelli at his concert at the Tobin Center.
Congratulations to Mrs. Boyd on this prestigious accomplishment!
Lead Librarian, Pamela Thompson
Email: parevalothompson@judsonisd.org
Website: https://www.judsonisd.org/Page/23705
Location: 7618 Evans Road, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-619-0220
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jisd.librarians.79