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- 2022/2023 Impact Report
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2022/2023 Impact Report
Librarian
- Chess group: As a part of the THINK TOGETHER THURSDAY series, 16 - 20 students gathered 8 times throughout the year in the library every 2nd Thursday at 7:45 am before school to be taught and practice their skills in a CHESS community. The community not only included students but teachers as well. Coding group: As a part of the THINK TOGETHER THURSDAY series, students gather to practice their coding skill
- Origami group: As a part of the THINK TOGETHER THURSDAY series, 16 - 20 students gathered 8 times throughout the year in the library every 1st Thursday at 7:45 am before school to be taught and practice their folding skills. A community setting. 3D printing group: As a part of the THINK TOGETHER THURSDAY series, 16 - 20 students gathered to learn 3D printing design.
- Harris MS BookMarkers: 10 -20 students gather monthly to read and discuss selected books from a variety of genres. Students participate by collaboratively writing summaries and creating art to support their reading reflection.
- Haiku board: I set up a Haiku board with magnetic words for students and staff to write Haiku for poetry month. When students and staff completed a poem, they received a gift from the library.
print books in collection
ebooks books in collection
print books checked out
ebooks books checked out
Teacher
- I taught ELAR ALE (Alternative Learning Environment) classes biweekly using a picture and SEL or TEKS-based activity. Picture books were chosen according to what they were learning for the week, and then reinforced with a reading, writing, and/or science activity, along with SEL (social-emotional learning) skills.
- I taught Gifted & Talented (GT) students how to find and use Reliable Resources. Students determined the author's purpose for online resources and analyzed websites by using the CRAAP (Currency, Relevant, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) strategy.
- I taught AVID classes to research Career and College choices using databases. They will use their research for AVID Parent Night poster presentations.
- In preparation for STAAR testing, I taught writing extensions for 8th grade ELAR. I created writing exercises inspired by the Blueprinting lesson protocol which guides students through the creation of their memoir that they will use in high school assignments and college essays in the future.
Lesson Spotlight
I taught Holocaust lessons to all history classes for the entire school by creating a museum exhibit gallery walk. I created 5 days worth of lessons for 6 history teachers on 3 grade levels. Lessons began with the introduction to the Holocaust and culminated in students creating reflective questions to ask a second-generation Holocaust survivor speaker that I invited to our campus. Library efforts not only made us in compliance with HB 1828 for Texas Holocaust Remembrance Week but also engaged students in the inquiry process to accomplish it.
Collaborator
- I collaborated with SAPL Children’s librarians, Randi Jones and Valerie Carroll at the Semmes branch to prepare materials for parents for our Greenback Night (Meet-the-Teacher for middle schools). We set up tables in the main thoroughfare of our school and fielded questions about our programming opportunities, including signing up for library cards, as well as teen and tween programs.
- I collaborated with the lead 7th grade Reading acceleration teacher to design a 9-week series of research lessons. Students researched self-selected topics using the Biography and Britannica databases and applied all 5 NOTICE & NOTE strategies to the research that they gathered.
- I collaborated with our ITS to create a social-emotional learning (SEL) opportunity for our teachers. We prepared bullet journal pages and mandalas for teachers to increase mindfulness, relaxation, and for use in their classrooms.
- I collaborated with our theatre teacher to help students create a 3-part scene. For this inquiry project, students chose a famous or infamous historical figure to research and build a character profile into a scene that they later performed.
Collaboration Spotlight
I collaborated with our Family Specialist, Martha Diaz on a themed-series of booktalks for her Family Engagement Leadership Academy (FELA). My first book talk was in February about the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Parents learned what Civil Rights were according to the US Constitution and heard about more than 50 books in the Harris MS library collection. The second book talk was in March on Women’s History. FELA parents were given a stack of books, then self-selected the ones about which they wanted me to speak. With translation from English to Spanish for this bilingual audience, I showcased nearly 40 books in the Harris MS library collection about women from diverse backgrounds. Book genres ranged from biographies to informational texts, in both English and Spanish. Finally, I promoted partnerships with parents by inviting them to sign up for a campus library account. Parents were excited to browse and check out books.
2 women stand beside a round table
Campus Leader
- I serve on the Campus Improvement Committee (CIC) which addresses issues on campus and keeps our campus on track to meet its yearly goals. In this, I serve as an advocate to equitable student access to programming.
- Throughout this school year, I closely collaborated with Holocaust Memorial Museum of SA’s (HMMSA) Museum Director, Leslie Davis Met and HMMSA’s Museum Education and Curations Manager, Jessica Hanshaw, EdD, to create professional development to support teachers in presenting Holocaust education. I revamped and updated resources in HMMSA’s educational trunks, as well as participated in the filming of a documentary on the importance of Holocaust education.
- I collaborated for a half day with 7th grade ELAR teachers on a 9-week Informational unit. My role served to connect them with library resources, as well as a guide as a mentor teacher to these new teachers.
- I served as a member of the Harris MS CITE team which prepared and organized new Chromebooks purchased with bond monies to make our campus a 1-to-1 device campus. I helped to anticipate potential issues with the rollout and developed campus policies to address them, as well as address issues of equity for Harris MS families.