Media Matters

November Highlights

Georgia Peach Book Award:  Students and teachers from around the state nominate some of their favorite books for the award.  A poster of the nominated books is on display in the media center.  A ballot is provided for students to rank the books on the list.  At the end of the year, media specialists from around the state compile the votes to determine the winner of the award.  There is a category for children and teens. Come by the media center and check out our display.  Check out the following link :

Georgia Peach Teen Book Award

Featured Author - Joseph Bruchac. His stories reflect his Abenaki Indian heritage.  In 2005 he was honored with the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for his efforts to preserve Native American traditions, and bring to light issues of concern to contemporary Native culture.  Some of his books include the following:

Code Talker: a novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two

The heart of a chief: a novel

Skeleton Man

Whisper in the Dark

Research:  Don't forget about using Cobb Virtual Library for all your research needs.  It is available at home with a password.  We have password lists in the media center.

Here is a great website for all kinds of information;

Ref Desk

WELCOME BACK!!

Welcome back Vikings!  Mrs. Boling and Mrs. Daniel would like to welcome you back to school.  We look forward to seeing each and every student in the media center.  Hopefully everyone had a great summer and read lots of books. 

The Media Center will open on Monday, August 20 at 8:30 a.m. Students are welcome to come to the media center in the morning with a pass from Mrs. Daniel in the lunchroom.  Students can work on class assignments on the computer or sit quietly and read or check out books.  To use a computer, students must sign in and provide their class assignment to the media specialist. During the day students are welcome to come by the media center as long as they have a pass from their teacher. 

Sixth grade students will have media center orientation with their Language Arts teachers on Monday or Tuesday of next week. 

We have lots of great books in the media center.  If ,however, you do not find what you like, let the media specialist know and I will try to place an order for the books you like.

***Note to parents-Many of the teachers are requesting jump drives for students.  When purchasing jump drives, it is best to purchase a generic jump drive.  Any jump drive with secondary software will not work on a students login.

Have a great week and we look forward to seeing all the students soon.

New Books on Display

Check out National Book Award Winner, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing-The Pox Party. The story chronicles the experiences of Octavian, a young African American, from birth to age sixteen, as he is brought up as part of a science experiment in the years leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.

Several great new books are now on display in the media center.  To see the entire list of new books just received, go to the Destiny web site and click on the Catalog tab.  Once in the catalog section click on Resource Lists, then Public Lists, then Follett Winter Order.  To find out more information on each book, just click on the title of the book.   If you need any help finding a good book to read, just ask Mrs. Daniel or Mrs. Boling to help you.

Remember next week is the CRCT!  Don't forget to have a book with you so you can read after you finish the test.  Have a great weekend and get plenty of rest for next week.  Good Luck on your test!

March Madness

March has flown by here in the media center at Awtrey Middle School. We enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick's Day by wearing green and greeting patrons with a "Top O' the morning to ya!" Our media helpers enjoyed St. Patrick's day Sugar Cookies.  Currently in the media center we are spotlighting the author Avi and books with sports themes.  We also have some wonderful displays to check out.  Mrs. Bailey's literacy class created books.  They are so cute.  Also the seventh grade Language Arts classes have displayed some of their best research projects. 

March is a great month to read stories of inspiring women.  Check out the following list of women's stories from Scholastic:

Women's stories from Scholastic

A quote to think about:

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing. And good things never die. - The Shawshank Redemption

Reminders!!!

Don't lose those library books over spring break.  Most books will be due the Monday we get back from spring break, April 9. 

Have a good time and READ, READ, READ !!!

OCTOBER A BUSY MONTH IN THE MEDIA CENTER

Come check out our scary stories display in the media center.  Some of the featured stories include:

The Chilling Hour, Tales of the Real and Unreal by Collin Mcdonald

Everything You Need to Know About Monsters & Still Be Able to Get to Sleep, by Daniel Cohen.

Masters of Shades and Shadows, An Anthology of Great Ghost Stories, Selected by Seon Manley-Gogo Lewis.

WALTER DEAN MYERS FEATURED AUTHOR FOR OCTOBER

Most of Myers works revolve around urban teenagers with real problems.  Some recommended novels include Hoops, Scopions, and Slam!

Recommended Site from Classroom Connect  (November 2006 Connected Newsletter)

Did You Ever Wonder?

This site features answers to some complex scientific queries.

www.lbl.gov/wonder/

2006 School Year Begins With Excitement

Welcome Back Students!

The 2006-2007 school year has started off with a bang!  Students are coming to the media center excited about reading books.  All the sixth grade language arts classes have been to an orientation in the media center and checked out books to begin fulfilling their 25 book requirement.  Many other classes have also been to the media center to research or check out books.  Mrs. Voss and Mrs. Peck's classes have been researching their topics this week for their research unit on art.  Parents remember your students are welcome in the media center in the morning before school if they would like to research or finish homework.  I am usually at school by 8:15.

Other notes of interest:

New Cobb Virtual Library is available to all Cobb county students.  Students may pick up passwords at school in order to use this source at home.

Books on display for September include new arrivals, adventure books, and books by Jerry Spinelli.

Week of March 20 - March 24th

Calendar for March 20th - March 24th:

Library

Monday, March 20:  Wiedman, 3rd and 4th, Biomes

Tuesday and Wednesday, March 21 and March 22:  Worthy, 1st and 2nd, World Issues

LCD Projector/Laptop Schedule

Monday, March 20: Platt #2, Dampier #4, Hutchins #5

Tuesday, March 21:  Dampier #4, Ross #5

Wednesday, March 22:  Platt #2, Dampier #4, Hutchins #5

Thursday, March 23:  Dampier #4

Dell Lab/Mac Lab Schedule:

Monday, March 20: Dell-Puga, 1:20-3:10; Humphrey, 6th.  Mac-Sanders(all week)

Tuesday, March 21: Dell- LA Teacher's Inservice; Salvador, 1:20-3:20.

Wednesday, March 22:  Dell-Salvador, 1:20-3:10.

Thursday, March 23 and Friday, March 24:  Dell-Worthy; Salvador 1:20-3:20.

Beyond the Borders of Narnia

If you devoured the Chronicles of Narnia series (or loved the movie), check out our newest display of recommended titles by The Young Adult Services Association, a division of the American Library Association.  All offer a trip to a fantastical world.  Some of the titles displayed include:

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

The Chronicles of Prydian by Lloyd Alexander.  Includes two books with Newberry accolades:  The Black Cauldron and The High King.

The Earthsea Series by Ursula Le Guin

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Saga by J.R.R. Tolkein

Inkheart and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Season's Readings

Season's Readings is the greeting you will receive when you enter the media center at Awtrey Middle School.  We have a large display of Christmas themed stories for our students to enjoy.  Some of the titles we have displayed are:

What Child is This?: A Christmas Story, by Caroline B. Cooney

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

The Glass Angels, by Susan Hill

Christmas in Canaan, by Kenny Rogers

Other Announcements:

We have moved our Newberry Award books next to the paperback books in order to make more room in the fiction section.  If you are not sure if a book you are searching for is a Newberry Award book, please ask your friendly media specialist.

Reminder to students---Please keep up with books you have checked out over the holidays.  The due date for books checked out now is Tuesday, January 10 which is the first day back from the holidays.  Hopefully you will have a lot of time to enjoy a good book and be ready to check out a new one when we see your smiling faces on January 10.

A quotation on reading from Scholastic Treasury of Quotations for Children: A book is like a garden carried in a pocket (Chinese Proverb).

Great Books to celebrate Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day is Friday, November 11, 2005.  To help celebrate our veteran's and their contributions read their inspirational stories.  Some of the books on display in the library are:

Captain's Command by Anna Myers

Flags of Our Fathers:  Heroes of Iwo Jima by James Bradley

Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence

Soldier Mom by Alice Mead

Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen