Whitehead Road Elementary School Media Center

Whitehead Road Elementary

• Our Vision:Inspiration, Motivation, Discovery-Every Student, Every Day

• Our Mission:Our mission is to actively engage early learners in order to develop readers, writers, and thinkers.

• Our Motto:When You Miss School, You Miss Out!

Whitehead Road Data

• Located in Athens, Georgia

• Part of the Clarke County School District

• Serves students pre-kindergarten through 5th grade

• A title I school

• Has always made AYP

• Approximately 680 students

• Predominately middle and lower middle income students

• Predominately African-American and Hispanic student population

• Approximately 60 staff

Whitehead Road Media Center Profile

• One full-time media specialist

• Two half-time media paraprofessionals

• Collection of approximately 14,000 total materials

Media Specialist Responsibilities

• Battle of the Books

• Yearly inventory and maintenance of library materials

• Book Fair twice yearly

• Accelerated Reader

• Teach 29-32 classes a week

• Assist in the set up of meetings held in the Media Center

• Purchasing of materials for Media Center

Technology

• Wireless Internet access is available campus-wide.

• Every teacher has a personal laptop.

• Mobile laptop carts are available for students use.

• Smart Boards and Projection Systems are in every classroom and the media center.

Media Center Location

• The media center is located at the rear of the school.

• The school has a somewhat awkward layout due to several additions.

• Considering the changes made to the school the media center is reasonably well located

Media Center TourCirculation desk is L-shaped and is offers good visibility for the entire media center.

The Media Specialist’s office is directly behind the circulation desk and has windows surrounding it offering additional visibility

Story time area and easy reading fiction area

The story time area is directly in front of the circulation desk and along the front wall of the library.

Soft seatingIn the rear of the story time area there is one small soft seating area.

Nonfiction and chapter booksChapter books are located in the rows of shelves and Non-Fiction books along the rear wall of the media center.

Class meeting area

• The classroom area is located in the left rear area of the media center. The book shelves that line the rear wall are all filled with nonfiction books.

Smartboard and projection

A portable Smartboard is used in the Media center. This offers the SLMS the option of using the space in the media center in multiple ways

ComputersIn addition to the mini computer lab the media center has six computers for student use. Three are along the far right wall of the media center. There is also a computer at the end cap of each of the chapter book shelves.

Mini Computer lab

A former storeroom has been recently converted into a computer lab. This is located to the right of the circulation desk. It has its own half-time paraprofessional .

Rigby Book RoomThe book room connects to the rear of the mini lab and can be accessed through a door at the back right of the media center. This room is primarily for teachers to locate and check out leveled readers for small group reading instruction.

Technology StorageThe technology storage room is behind the computer mini lab and next to the Rigby book room.

Whitehead Road Elementary School Media Center

Buy SmartDraw!- purchased copies print this

document without a watermark .

Visit www.smartdraw.com or call 1-800-768-3729.

Survey results from students grade 3-5 and teaching staff

Positive comments

• Great books

• Helpful media center staff

• Book fairs are well run and enjoyable

• Mini computer lab

• Scheduling options (flexible scheduling)

• Well organized

Negative comments• Needs more books fiction and non-fiction• Needs to be larger• Needs more staff• Would like to be able to work

with a class in the library when the SLMS is working with a separate group of students

• Schedule fills quickly wish we could have more time in media center

• Unlimited student checkout

Redesign of Whitehead Road Elementary School Media Center

Buy SmartDraw!- purchased copies print this

document without a watermark .

Visit www.smartdraw.com or call 1-800-768-3729.

Changes made in the redesign of media center

• The first major change would be to extend to rear wall of the building a considerable amount. This area would allow the addition of a flexible use classroom, a teaching well, as well as a considerably larger class meeting area.

Flexible Classroom

• This area would have a fully functioning wireless laptop cart

• Comfortable seating and work tables

• A portable Smartboard and projection cart

Purchasing for Flexible ClassroomBundle Offer : Buy TSL-610 withCP-A52 Projector $2,599http://www.electronicwhiteboardswarehouse.com/electronic_whiteboard_bundle_offers.htm

OfficeMax Battista Task ChairPrice: $59.99 will need approximately 20 http://www.officemax.com

Purchasing for Flexible Classroom

HON 61000 Series Interactive Rectangular Training Table, 60" W x 30" DPrice: $369.99Will need about 10 of theseWWW.officemax.com

Laptop Cart, 20 UnitPrice 1599.95http://www.blackbox.com

Purchasing for Flexible ClassroomLatitude E6500 Price $1,019.00

will need 20 laptops

Books

One of the things that was mentioned by students, teachers and the SLMS is the need for new and more books. Our school has expanded in the last year as our district has been rezoned which has made Whitehead a much larger school than it previously was. I believe that because if this, we need more books to best serve our students.

StaffIn the past two weeks our school has added a second half time media center paraprofessional. This much needed help will allow the SLMS to be more effective in her job. It is my hope that perhaps the students and staff will begin to feel the effects of the recently added help in the weeks to come!

Organization

This was not an issue that was brought up in the survey results. As I looked at the pictures of our Media Center it was clear we need to focus our attentions to organizing the space that we have. Hopefully the large addition of space in the redesign would help to alleviate the messy nature of many of the spaces. In the mean time I think that it might be time for some spring cleaning. One option would be to look into having volunteers help with this project or working with the media center staff to focus on this issue.

Comfortable seatingThe replacement of the current seating would help the overall appearance and comfort level of the media center. It is also advisable to increase the amount of soft seating space as well.

Decorated Cocoon Cushion

$65.89

Community Hudson 1-person Lounge Chair $896.00

Flexible Foam Round Pillow

$25.99

All from

http://www.highsmith.com

Well Seating

In an effort to create a instruction area that would allow for the effective use of space and resources I felt a well area might be beneficial for the redesigned media plan. While I was unable to find a well I was able to find seating which would serve the same purpose.

This model also offers book storage on the back.

Gressco KinderSystem® Three-tier Reading Riser

$2,310.00

Media Center Policy

• Hours of OperationThe library media center is open each weekday from 7:20 a.m. until 3:20 p.m.

• SCHEDULINGThe media center operates on a flexible schedule.

• Library Media CommitteeThe library media committee serves as the advisory board for library media center functions. It is composed of representatives from administration, each grade level, a parent representative, and the library media specialist.

• SelectionEach school shall have a library media center containing the quality, quantity and variety of print and non-print materials with the necessary equipment to support the curricular offerings and to challenge individual students at their level of development.

• StaffThe media center will be staffed by one certified school media specialist and paraprofessionals as funding allows

• Media center materials will be inventoried once a year

• Each school shall comply with the rules set forth by the State Department of Education and standards set forth by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Check out Policies

• Pre-K and Kindergarten students—one book at a time

• 1st grade students-2 books at a time

• 2nd-5th grade students-3 books at a time

• Students will be fined for lost books

Five dollars for paperback books

Ten dollars for hardback books

• Budget

The media center budget is based on the number of students being served in the school

Internet Acceptable Use Policy

• Student access to information via school district computers and computer systems has the potential to support the school district's curricular objectives: to promote innovation, collaboration, and communication; and to prepare students for their roles in a technical society. Such access to information, including access to the Internet, is, therefore, to be encouraged within guidelines that protect students and the rights of others.

Need additions to school media center policy

• Media Center Goals

• Reconsideration of Materials

• Gifts

• Weeding