Report+1

__Report #1__

The media center is part of a pre-kindergarten thru fifth grade elementary school and serves approximately 850. The media center staff consists of one media specialist and one media clerk. The resource schedule at the school incorporates the media center as part of its rotation. The Media Center operates on a fix and flex schedule. The only time the Media is closed is for lunch and occasionally for special events. The media specialist teaches six, forty-five minute resource classes everyday (one from each grade level daily) with a six-day rotation. Because of the number of classes in certain grade levels, there are times when resource classes contain a class and a half.

Special programs include the Sunshine State Readers books and the Florida Reading Association books. The Sunshine State Readers books are for third thru fifth grade students. The media specialist has involved the staff with this program by incorporating teachers as book experts. After students read a Sunshine State book, they visit the book expert for a book chat. After the student successfully completes the book chat, they earn a sunshine award. Students then earn rewards based on how many sunshine awards they have. Students in grades kindergarten thru second participate in voting for the Florida Reading Association’s book of the year. The media specialist incorporates these books into her lessons during resource time. After students have listened to all of the books, they then vote for their favorite book.

Funding for the media center has drastically diminished over the past couple of years. Last year the media center had an allocated budget of $12,800 (not including fundraisers). This year the media center has an allocated budget of $0. The only funding available has been money raised through fundraisers, such as the Scholastic book fairs, and limited donations from business partners.

The interlibrary loans are through Sunlink and Destiny, the district’s online catalog database that is accessible to all students and employees. Most of the interlibrary loans are done with other schools within our county.

The media specialist routinely utilizes technology within the media center. Technology, such as Turning Point, is incorporated into lesson plans. Turning Point is an interactive PowerPoint presentation that allows the audience to respond to questions by using remotes to answer question. It also provides immediate response feedback to the students. This provides the presenter the opportunity to collect and assess date collected from the students. Technology is also used to communicate with parents, students, and teachers. The media specialist has a page on the school district’s Destiny website that provides links to important websites that are valuable resources. Students also have access to three online databases that are paid for by the school district – Grolier, Thomson Gale and World Book. The mission of this school district is to “ensure all students graduate from safe and caring schools, equipped with knowledge, skills and the desire to succeed.” The beliefs of this school district include the following:

The media center is handicap accessible and has ample room to allow access for students with wheelchairs. There are a multitude of books that were purchased with the demographics of students in mind. There is a collection of multicultural and Spanish books for ESOL students, which comprises approximately 14% of the school population. There are also low-level, high-interest books for older students with reading challenges. A CAVS system (computerized audio and visual system) provides enhanced visibility and audio for students when lesson are being presented in the media center.
 * Every child can learn, and each child can learn more than he or she is now learning.
 * The core business is to create challenging, engaging, and satisfying work for every student, every day.
 * Quality schools are the responsibility of the entire community.
 * A healthy school system is key to the maintenance of a healthy democracy.
 * The district and its employees have mutual obligations for support and development toward continuous improvement.
 * Therefore, we promise continuous improvement in student achievement and in the success of each individual.