Thanks to Shanna Leonard for this fun idea for a book contest to generate enthusiasm for her upcoming book fair! To encourage creativity, the media center is hosting a Spud Love Book Fair contest. This is an optional contest that involves students reading a book, decorating a potato like a character from the book, and writing a summary about the book. The spuds will be judged and a $5.00 gift card for our upcoming October 8-12th Book Fair will be awarded to one student in each grade level.
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What do Charlotte's Web, Bridge to Terabithia and the Bible have in common? Yep, they are titles that have made the official "Banned Books" list for having been "banned" from at least one library or school district for inappropriate content. How many of these books have you read??The First Amendment gives everyone residing in the United States the right to hear all sides of every issue and to make their own judgments about those issues without government interference or limitations. The First Amendment allows individuals to speak, publish, read and view what they wish, worship (or not worship) as they wish, associate with whomever they choose, and gather together to ask the government to make changes in the law or to correct the wrongs in society. The right to speak and the right to publish under the First Amendment has been interpreted widely to protect individuals and society from government attempts to suppress ideas and information, and to forbid government censorship of books, magazines, and newspapers as well as art, film, music and materials on the internet. The Supreme Court and other courts have held conclusively that there is a First Amendment right to receive information; the right to receive information is a corollary to the right to speak. Student aides from North Davidson High School created this display to celebrate the right to read during Banned Books Week 2018. Library Bill of Rights The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services. I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas. V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996. "First Amendment and Censorship", American Library Association, June 13, 2008.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship (Accessed September 24, 2018) Document ID: 2875609a-85af-be74-e98e-b951ad2b4859 "Library Bill of Rights", American Library Association, June 30, 2006. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill (Accessed September 24, 2018) Document ID: 669fd6a3-8939-3e54-7577-996a0a3f8952 Thanks to SLMC Kenny Foster for sharing this blog post! I just love this idea! Way to #TrendThePositive! This year at West, I have decided to start a new weekly feature called “Reading With Dragons.” The goal of this program is to keep reading at the forefront of our school. The high school reading culture can be a tough one, but I am reaching out to our faculty, staff, and students to highlight a favorite book, a favorite genre, or a title they might be currently reading. We are promoting this through our social media outlets, our daily publication, our daily announcements, and as a bulletin board in our media center. We are looking to promote our school population as a community of readers. I am stressing to everyone who is participating that it doesn’t matter what the level of the book is. One of my all-time favorites is: This is the first book I ever bought at a book fair in elementary school. Yes, it was totally the 1970’s, but it was and still is great! If a book can make a lasting memory for a first grader in 1974, is there anything a great book can’t do? Our first feature is our teacher of the year, Coach Tedder:
Julie Faria - Friendship ElementaryHi, I’m Julie Faria and I have been given the privilege to be the Media Coordinator at Friendship Elementary. I’m not new to Friendship, my 3 daughters all went through the school and I have been working as the Media Assistant and ETS for 5 years. During that 5 years, I went back to school and earned my MLS from Appalachian State University. I am honored to have developed many skills under the supervision of Dianne Wright, Sue Tobin, and all the teachers/administration of Friendship. I feel like I have landed in my dream job and can’t wait to start the school year. This summer I spent time with my family, traveled a bit, and enjoyed my hammock on my back porch. Two great summer reads that I enjoyed were A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd and We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan Higgins. Kendra Gallos - North Davidson High SchoolMy name is Kendra Gallos and this is my first year as Media Coordinator for North Davidson High School. This year will mark my 27th year in Education. I completed a BA in English and English Education at UNC Chapel Hill in 1991. I followed this with a Master of Arts in Teaching from UNC Chapel Hill in 1995. I obtained my National Board Certification in 2002 and renewed this in 2012. I am AIG certified as well! I am looking forward to working with all of you! Kelli Pendergrass - Central Davidson Middle SchoolHi! My name is Kelli, and I’m the new media coordinator at Central Davidson Middle School. Prior to this position, I was an English teacher at South Davidson High School for eight years. I started my journey in education by first graduating from Ledford High School in 2005. I attended Davidson County Community College for two years before transferring to UNC-Greensboro. I graduated from UNC-G in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in history and a concentration in secondary education. Currently, I am enrolled in the MLS program at Appalachian State University. Outside of work and school, I spend most of my time with my small family, which consists of my husband, Zach; our almost two-year-old son, Bodhi; and my chocolate lab named Lucie. I enjoy spending way too much money at Starbucks and Target, eating an abundance of pasta and sushi, and of course, reading. Amber Crotts - Southwood ElementaryHi Everyone! My name is Amber Crotts and I am so excited to be starting my first year as a Media Coordinator at Southwood Elementary School!! During the last 15 years, I have taught Seventh Grade English Language Arts at North Davidson Middle School. I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from UNC-Charlotte. Once I settled into teaching I went back to school and received a Master’s in Education from Grand Canyon University. Then, I decided to further my education and will be graduating in May 2019 from UNC-Greensboro with a Master’s in Library and Information Studies. I am so excited to begin this new chapter and I look forward to sharing the world of reading and technology with my students. On a personal note, I am married to my wonderful husband, Adam, and we have two dogs, Roxy and KoKo. In my free time I enjoy reading, spending time with my family and friends, being outside, and traveling. I look forward to working with and learning from everyone!! We all know that those students that don't read over the summer can fall months behind their peers that do. Over the course of the years, this could mean students falling 1-3 grade levels in reading proficiency. The best way to tackle the summer slide is to just read! This spring, we announced a summer reading promotion contest. Thanks to everyone that participated, but we could only choose 3 winners. Prize packs will be delivered later today. Here are the winners: Danielle Treadway @ Brier Creek Elementary"Our reading fun for the summer is a collection... 1. All students have had a Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge account created for them. They were showed last week during their computer lab time how to log on and log their minutes. Click here for the S'more that was posted on our website. 2. On Wednesday, June 6th we will have a magic show with the Amazing Reading Teacher. He will "magically" reveal our one book one school book Pie by Sarah Weeks. This is a Title I event in which all families will be invited, including incoming Kindergarten families. We will tell everyone about the next day's activities... 3. On Thursday, June 7th all students will come into the media center for a reading party to put the following in their I love reading bags (see pic below)!
Shelly Carlton @ Tyro Middle School"Tyro Middle School hosted a Title 1 Parent Transition Night on May 8, 2018. This evening allowed rising 6th, 7th and 8th graders an opportunity to visit classrooms and learn a little bit about the next grade level they will be attending in the upcoming school year. In conjunction with this, the library was open and was promoting a free book give-away. Any student attending was able to to drop by and pick up a free book to take home for summer reading. (All books were brand new and were purchased with Title 1 funds at our spring BOGO Book Fair.) Both parents and students were very excited to see the large variety of books that were available. There was something for everyone!! It was also a great opportunity to chat with students and parents about our library program. We offered handouts and information on the Battle of the Books team and encouraged students to visit the West Davidson public library over the summer as well. We distributed approximately 175 books....which was a huge success for a middle school parent event. I would LOVE to continue to do this in the future. Both students and parents were very appreciative!" Brene Duggins @ Oak Grove High School"This year students can sign up (with parental permission) to check out up to 15 books from the OGHS Media Center for the summer! Yes, that is right for the summer. Students also have the opportunity to stop by the OGHS Media Center twice during the summer to exchange books. The OGHS Media Center will be open June 18th and July 16th from 11am-1pm. All books checked out for our summer reading program are due the first week back for the 2018-2019 school year. Checkout the Blog Post on our program! http://dcslibrarymedia.weebly.com/blog/129-summer-readingat-oghs-gives-students-more-access-to-books." In addition to our Summer Reading Checkout the OGHS Media Center is also promoting AudioFile's SYNC: Audiobooks for Teens Program. This program offers 2 FREE Young Adult Audiobooks a week from April 26th-July 25th. That is 26 FREE Audiobooks! To promote this AWESOME program we created a window display with a HUGE set of headphones to catch the attention of Students and Staff members. This display includes the weekly titles for the whole summer as well as the website. Students can also find this week's current FREE Downloads on the Media Center Door and on the list on the Circulation Desk." Thanks to Shanna Leonard from Tyro Elementary for this awesome blog post about her ETS, Dru Davis! Tyro Elementary's School ETS, Dru Davis, is an asset to student learning! Dru engages students in Technology lessons on the following topics: creating emojis in Google drawings, coding, and keyboarding. She has a Technology Word Wall posted in the lab to introduce and review technology concepts. Dru also created a huge keyboard that hangs in the lab to assist in keyboarding lessons. Students are able to track their keyboarding words per minute progress through lesson activities, timed tests, and the student goal board. Students are rewarded with lunch in the lab and have a chance to win small prizes. Dru created a digital drawing of the eWISE Research Model to be displayed in the Media Center and Computer Lab. The students are pumped about the lessons and enjoy improving their tech skills. Thanks Dru for taking us into the 21st Century! Thanks to Brene for this innovative idea for summer checkout for students. What a great idea to put books in the hands of children instead of letting them collect dust all summer! Get ready for Summer, fun and BOOKS! Wait...what? Yes, that is right! Books are the “IN” thing this summer with Oak Grove High School’s Summer Book Checkout! This summer students at Oak Grove High School will have the opportunity to checkout books for the summer. Students will also have the chance to visit the OGHS Media Center during the summer to exchange books with two Book Exchange dates already on the calendar.
So how will it work? Students will pick up Summer Book Checkout permission forms from the OGHS Media Center during the month of May. This permission form allows parents to give the child permission to check out up to 15 books from the Oak Grove High School Media Center for the summer. These books will be due the first week of school in August. Parents are also reminded on the form that it is the responsibility of the student to return the books in the same condition that they received them and that materials not returned or returned damaged will result in a charge for lost or damaged materials. Students that have turned in a permission form will be able to come by the OGHS Media Center the week of May 29th-June 1st and checkout books for the summer. They will also have two opportunities during the summer to stop by and exchange books. The Media Center will be open from 11am-1pm a day in June and a day in July where students can come and exchange books and checkout additional titles. During the summer each week we will also be posting to FB and Twitter using the hashtag #OGHSReads with Summer checkout reminders,activities and a few prizes! Why Summer Checkout? Here at OGHS we have a group of avid readers that stop by to exchange books, some daily and in speaking with them we have learned that many do not have the opportunity to go to the public library during the summer. We promote the NC Digital Library as well as Audiobooksync for Summer Reading, but many LOVE to have that physical book in their hands. This was an opportunity for OGHS not only to encourage that continued love of reading but also help students with their personal and academic growth. Reading correlates to so many benefits like vocabulary growth, better understanding of topics and synthesis, relaxation and for many can just be FUN! We are excited to start this new Summer program and hope that it will continue to grow and expand in the future! Thanks to Stacy Morgan at Friedberg Elementary for this awesome blog post! NC Kids is an awesome resource for K-5, but don't forget the Teen eReading Room for 6-12 and NC Overdrive. All accessible with a library card or Student Access. Earlier in the year, Student Access forms were sent home throughout Davidson County Schools to grant students access to the online resources found through the Davidson County Public Library. Initially, very few forms were returned at Friedberg. I then realized that the best way to have students bring back their forms was to show their teachers how useful this resource could be. During a staff meeting, I opened up the NCKids Digital Library with my own library card and shared resources found there with staff. Many teachers were immediately excited, particularly our upper grade teachers who have 1:1 Chromebook access. Another way that I increased form return was to feature these resources to students during their enrichment time and let them know that they too could access them once I received their signed forms. Eventually, access form return increased greatly. I had multiple classrooms that had the majority of their class return and I also had almost 100% return across all 3 of our 5th grade classes. Since 5th grade seemed to be my best audience, I used a set of iPads to log all students onto the Davidson County Public Library during enrichment time. Students immediately started checking out books to read and listen to through the NCKids Digital Library. It was an instant hit! In the following days, I had teachers share with me that their students were frequently reading books that they found online. Teachers whose own children attend Friedberg shared that this resource was being used not just at school, but at home as well. When in classrooms, I also noticed students with headphones listening to audiobooks while following along in the print text. Now that this resource is widely used in our 5th grade, it has received rave reviews. A teacher who was new to 5th grade and had a small classroom library uses Student Access to give her students more independent reading options. A 5th grade parent noted that the NCKids Digital Library audiobooks have been a game changer for her son’s reading comprehension as he does best when hearing the book and following along in a print version. He is now reading more than he ever has! Students also enjoy the instant access to some of their favorite titles as well as the fact that books can’t be lost and are returned automatically! Hopefully this great resource will continue to grow in usage in the coming school years! In a previous blog about a year ago, I encouraged you to consider building a volunteer staff to support the library media center. Recently, our Media Volunteers were featured in the Dispatch and Thomasville Times. In honor of National Volunteer Week and National Library Week, I honored our weekly media volunteers with a celebration. The local papers interviewed several ladies and included an article. What a great way to promote Friendship Elementary and even our Media Center! Village of Volunteers by: Sharon MyersFor the original article, click the link above.
From the Lexington Dispatch, April 13th, 2018: It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child, Dianne Wright, media coordinator at Friendship Elementary School, said she has the support of a “village of volunteers” that has brought outstanding service to the students and faculty of the school. In an effort to relay her gratitude for their loyalty and commitment, she organized a volunteer appreciation reception on April 9. Wright said that she has a total of nine volunteers who come on a regular basis throughout the week. She said they assist her in daily tasks such as preparing books to be shelved, helping students checkout books, repairing damaged items, designing school bulletin boards, clerical duties, and many other things. “They are essential because they help us provide outstanding patron service,” Wright said. “If they did not help us, we would not be able to get as much done for our students and our staff as we do. The list of all the things they do goes on and on.” She said that she wanted to hold the volunteer appreciation reception to let the ladies know how much their work and support is valued. “We can’t afford to pay them monetarily so we do other things, such as this reception, to let them know they are appreciated,” Wright said. “These volunteers do so much….I keep teasing them that I will give them a raise, but if you multiply zero by zero, it still comes out to zero.” Wright said that over the years these volunteers have become more than just people who come in a couple of times a week to shelve books. “We are a very tight-knit group, we’re more like sisters,” Wright said. “I don’t feel like I am the boss. They are partners with me.” Sandy Tew has been volunteering at the FES library since 2010. She said that it began when she attended an awards ceremony for her grandchildren. “I had a lull between the two different classes, so I came in here and met Dianne,” Tew said. “I asked if there was anything I could do and her eyes got real big. That is how it started.” Tew said that she volunteers two days a week and all week during book fairs and special projects. She said that she has made lasting friendships with the other volunteers and really enjoys her time at the library. “I can stay home and do a lot of things, but I really enjoy it,” Tew said. “They are a great group of people.” Mary Sessoms is another volunteer who said she feels it is important to support the local school system. She said since she is a stay-at-home mom, she felt she needed to do something while her kids were in school. “Parent involvement reflects on the school,” said Sessoms. “You can tell a difference, and you get to know what is going on in the school. Plus you get to know the teachers and the students.” She said she looks forward to her time volunteering at the school library. “I really enjoy it here, even if it is mundane things like putting stickers on books or shelving books,” Sessoms said. “You look forward to it each week. I was bummed during spring break that I couldn’t get my library fix!” Penny Kennedy said she began volunteering at the school library shortly after getting laid off from her job. She said since her nephew attended the school at the time, she wanted to offer her time where it would be needed and valued. “I can’t just sit at home and do nothing, “ Kennedy said. “They were excited and welcomed me. It is just really nice to work here, it is so appreciated. I think I get as much as I give here. When you come in here it is a family, we all really work well together.” FES principal, Steve Reynolds, said he is thankful that members of the community support the school. “We are very lucky to have all these people who come in and give of their time freely to support our school and the students,” Reynolds said. “They have been very loyal to us.” Wright said she feels that holding a reception for the volunteers is only a small token compared to the benefit the school gets from their time and effort. “We are very appreciative of these volunteers, and I can’t thank them enough,” Wright said. “The little things we do for them is only a drop in the bucket to what they do for us. They make my day and they are great examples for the children, and they love them.” Friendship Elementary School recently honored its Library Media Volunteers on April 9. Their many hours of service each week shows the spirit of America’s National Volunteer Week celebrated the third week in April each year. Mrs. Dianne Wright, Library Media Coordinator, expressed the value of the volunteer team to the services that the school library provides to students and staff. This dedicated team performs such duties as: checking out patrons, shelving books, cataloging new books, working in book fairs, repairing books, assisting students and staff with book choices, creating bulletin boards, laminating for teachers, and many other tasks. Why do these ladies volunteer their time each week? Many of them said that volunteering brings them an excuse to escape mundane daily routines at home, connects with their children’s friends and teachers, and gives those who have retired a reason to get dressed in the morning! Sandy Tew and Suzanne Ogden have volunteered for so long that their children have moved onto middle and high school. Penny Kennedy’s great nephew has also moved on to the upper grades. Carolyn Vaughn, a former educator, enjoys seeing her grandson when she is in the media center each Friday. Jaime Russell waves at her girls as they pass in the hall going to lunch. Show-Jon Hsieh enjoys getting to know her sons’ teachers. Mary Sessoms’ family moved out of Friendship’s district, and she still comes to volunteer! So why do the members of the Media Volunteer Team keep coming? “Well, the team is like a family and they share stories, laughs, and burdens. They also become attached to the students and can call many of them by name,” explained Julie Faria, Media and Technology Assistant. Mrs. Wright adds, “There is a moral to this story: Volunteering is a great way to escape the mundane routine of life and bring joy to others as well as being fulfilled yourself! Embrace the spirit of America’s National Volunteer Week! Go Volunteer!” Thanks to SLMC Mary Howell, students and staff at South Davidson enjoyed a variety of poetry activities this month in the library media center. April may be almost over, but there are some great ideas here for next year. If you have ideas to share, please comment below! Poems and Pastries The faculty and staff of South Davidson Middle and High enjoyed poetry and pastries Tuesday, April 24th, 2018 as a part of their month long National Poetry Month celebration. This event was highlighting “Poem in Your Pocket Day.” Teachers enjoyed a poem and a pastry before school then headed to class with a bag of poems to share with students. Passive Poetry Displays Library Aides constructed a display of book spine poems for students to enjoy. For more information on "book spine poetry" click here: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/alycia-zimmerman/super-simple-book-spine-poetry/. Also, students were able to create "Push Pin Poetry" using a bulletin board and words clipped from magazines and newspapers. Students select words and pin them in place to create random prose. Mrs. Howell also emptied the 811 section to put many poetry books on display for students to browse. Featured titles included Shel Silverstein, Jacquelin Woodson, Gary Soto and others. Public Library Visit Finally, the public library came in to do a program for middle school students. Branch manager, Susan Craven, visited 7th graders for a hands on activity using poetry.
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About UsWelcome to the official blog just for DCS library media programs. Enjoy new posts from one of our many contributors and follow along to see the amazing things happening in Davidson County school libraries. Archives
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April 2019
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