Guilford County hosted 14 NC School Districts for the Region 5 Elementary Battle of the Books. We are especially proud of our Northern Elementary students and coaches who placed 3rd in the competition. Barbara Farrell is their School Library Media Coordinator.

GCS’ first district lead EdCamp is coming this summer on June 20^th. Register for the course in Performance Matters – Professional Learning by searching for course #10698. Participants will receive 0.5 Digital Learning CEU’s for attendance and course work. Seats are limited. This opportunity is open to all staff in GCS including administrators, facilitators, and district leaders.

It is with great pleasure that I send a congratulations to all of our School Library Media Coordinator of the Year nominees and our winner, Barbara Farrell at Northern Elementary.

I want to thank these individuals for their hard work and dedication, both in and out of the classroom, motivating students to fulfill their potential and instilling a love of learning, reading, and innovation. We have accomplished much in Library Media and in GCS, but so many of those great strides are a result of the time and effort of educators like you all. As we work towards providing all students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed, you are our greatest asset.

All nominees (listed below) and the winner, Barbara Farrell at Northern Elementary, were recognized at the April 30th school board meeting.

Nominees:

• Natalie Strange - Northwest High
• Sandy McGoogan - Oak Hill Elementary
• Jamie Cyrus - Simkins Elementary
• Barbara Farrell - Northern Elementary - *Winner*
• Jason Little - Claxton Elementary
• Keyunda Miller - Union Hill Elementary
• Su Ann Klawitter - Hampton Elementary
• Michelle Wallace - Stokesdale Elementary
• Tonya Monroe-Leach - Western High

What is an EdCamp and why attend?

GCS will host an EdCamp on June 20^th @ Newcomers School from 8:30 am -12:30 pm. Share the flyer with your staff.  For more information, please contact Christine Clark, Director of Library Media Services.

GCS Library Media Services

The mission of the GCS Library Media Services Department is to advance and support School Library Media Coordinators; to build quality programs that empower 21st Century Learners with the ability to access information and process ideas. We strive to accomplish this by:

1. Establishing and promoting highly effective Library Media programming.
2. By providing quality professional development and building a trusting, productive, collaborative relationship with public libraries, local universities, and community partners.
3. Empowering all media specialists to be an integral part in preparing students with competitive 21^st century skills and abilities, enabling them to be college and workforce ready.
4. Increasing organizational effectiveness and efficiency and ensuring high performance and support to schools.
5. Embracing and facilitating change by aligning Library Media Services goals and services with the mission and goals of the district to establish a respectful, positive culture centered on teaching and learning.
6. Supporting state and national standards; being an advocate for librarianship and the rights of readers;
7. Promoting the exploration and pursuit of additional funding sources to support Library Media Programming.