Help! Steve Minecraft has been reported missing from the White Oak Middle School Media Canter. Mrs. Cooper cannot find him anywhere. We need your help! Please examine the crime scene and video evidence below for clues. Please report any findings to Mrs. Cooper as soon as possible.

On Monday, October 31st, Steve jumped into the tent to camp out with a good book in the library.  He stayed all day and read a mystery book by the fire. He even roasted some marshmallows and made s’mores.  He seemed happy and content as Mrs. Cooper locked the library for the night.  

On Tuesday, November 1st at 7:45 am, Mrs. Cooper opened up the library for a new day. As she was tidying the library, she noticed Steve was gone. Where could Steve be?  She checked in the fiction section, but Steve was not there. She checked in the nonfiction section to see if he was reading a book about gaming. Steve was not there.  Then, Mrs. Cooper thought maybe he could be in the green screen room making a video! Nope, no Steve.  What if he went to the think lab to share his great ideas? Nope, no Steve.  Where can Steve be? He loved the library, and Mrs. Cooper knew he would never leave.

Mrs. Cooper decided to call the White Oak Police Department at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1st and report Steve missing.  The police have examined the library and searched for clues. Can you help Mrs. Cooper find Steve?

Global Maker Day is a twenty-four hour event to celebrate makers around the world.  Jamie Donally is the brains and inspiration behind #GlobalMakerDay.  She  invites students and classes across the globe to share their inventions and creations.  The White Oak Middle School Tech Club was honored to participate this year.  In the video below, you can view our #GlobalMakerDay activities.

Check out all the amazing presentations below!

This past week, I had the honor of attending the National Center for Families Learning Summit in Detroit, Michigan.  As a Wonder Lead Ambassador for Wonderopolis, I have the opportunity to participate in amazing events, but this was by far one of the best.  The National Center for Families Learning focuses on programs to encourage families learning together. Today, learning is not confined to the classroom, but can happen anywhere. Starting in the home, parents are the first and most important teachers a child will ever have. NCFL emphasizes a two-generation approach to family learning that centers on the whole family.

NCFL’s longest and most dedicated partner is Toyota Family Learning.Toyota has made a 46 million dollar investment in families across the United States. Focusing on a multi-generational solution to educational challenges which emphasize families learning and achieving together,  Toyota has and continues to make a visible impact on family literacy.

One of the highlights of the summit for me was presenting on Camp Wonderopolis with the fabulous Nicole Robinson, Deputy Assistant Director of the Houston Public Library. Camp Wonderopolis promotes inquiry-based learning and fosters the natural curiosity young people possess. Camp Wonderopolis 2017 will begin in June with a construction/building theme. Previous camps can always be accessed on the Camp Wonderopolis page.   Have you wondered today? At the Toyota Families Learning Banquet , Sonia Manzano, Maria from Sesame Street, spoke about her life and the joy of first learning to read as her Puerto Rican family struggled to find their way in America.  Her powerful and moving story can be found in her new book Sonia Manzano Becoming Maria, A Memoir.

Attending the NCFL Summit was an honor and a privilege. Please  take the opportunity to check out all the wonderful programs NCFL offers.

Our book club friends in Medina, Tennessee were nice enough to send us a video introducing themselves. We love getting to know these wonderful students who live in the Great Smokey Mountains.

Below is our video response to the Medina Hornets! We are so excited to meet you and share ideas!

White Oak Middle School students had the opportunity to attend the Students in Technology Conference at Region 7 Education Service Center on Wednesday, September 28, 2016.  Students were able to create interactive posters using Poster My Wall and Thinglink in addition to coding Spheros and Ozobots.  Check out all the fun and creativity our students displayed in the video below.

Recently, the Roughneck Book Club began reading The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm with Medina Middle School in Medina, Tennessee.  Our students started by introducing themselves and asking the Medina students questions about the first few chapters.

A special thanks to Krista Grace, Medina Middle School Library Media Specialist, who is coordinating with us.  Stay tuned for more news about this book club partnership!

Are you ready to camp out with a good book?  This fall, we will be enjoying our tent, cozy fire, and s’more bookmarks while we read.  Please join us in the library for a chance to take a selfie with your favorite book!

Powered Libraries is an initiative of the Texas Library Association.  Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has declared Thursday, September 15, 2016 as “Power Up at Your Library Day,” and it is a wonderful opportunity to showcase today’s library.  The modern library should be the heart of the school emphasizing student voice and providing opportunities for young people to tinker, create and explore.  Libraries have transformed into innovative centers of learning.  Here at White Oak Middle School, our media center strives to inspire students to become innovative learners who critically evaluate informational resources, solve problems creatively, and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Squishy Circuits

Book Club 2016

Makey Makey

Chibitronics

LittleBits

Check out the Power Up Toolkit!

Share how your library powers up! #poweredlibraries

“Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”

-Vashti’s Teacher, The Dot

Peter H. Reynolds wrote The Dot in 2003 and inspired young people everywhere to celebrate their creativity. Each year in September students around the world celebrate Dot Day by making global connections and creating works of art.  What are you creating for #DotDay?

Our students at WOMS celebrated by creating 3D dots with QuiverVision.  The QuiverVision Dot Day page is free to download and print for your students.  They can design their very own dot and bring it to life!  By viewing the students’ dots through the free QuiverVision app (iOS & Andriod), their works of art turn into 3D masterpieces.

Helping students learn how to navigate our digital world is a priority at White Oak Middle School.  We want to ensure every student has the opportunity to learn in a safe online environment. Through Common Sense Media, our sixth, seventh and eighth graders will participate in a curriculum designed to help students learn to make safe, responsible and respectful digital decisions. Beginning in September, students will start completing lessons in the Digital Passport  curriculum. The lessons are designed to educate students about cyberbullying, online messages, copyright infringement and effective ways to search for information online.  Please help support our digital citizenship initiative by asking your student to share the skills he/she is learning in the Digital Passport curriculum.  Help all of our students become Digital Citizenship Superheroes!