Thoughts by Ms. Travis

Here we are in October already.  Parent Showcase is almost upon us which means the 
first quarter is quickly coming to an end.  The Techsperts have been extremely busy keeping 
up with teacher demand for help plus their daily tasks.  

In the Learning Commons, we are working to make the space user friendly and appealing to 
our patrons.  We have added tiger curtains and flashing lights so far. Our bulletin boards are
now decorated by the Techsperts to encourage reading.  

The Techsperts are also doing book recommendations of which I am posting on the Learning 
Commons Google Classroom and the ESMSTIGERSBLOGS.BLOGSPOT.COM so that students 
can see them.  I am also posting book recommendation from the Dragons Team. Mr. Terranova 
has created a Twitter account for posting book recommendations.  

The Learning Commons has hosted a visit for the 8th grade social studies class.  They had guests 
speak to them about the Indian Reservations. They talked about the history of the university and
the reservation.  The students learned a lot from these gentlemen.  

The Learning Commons has also been a busy place for classes to come discuss different topics.  
One of the most memorable ones was the 7th grade social studies classes came to discuss 
September 11 on that day.  It was interesting to hear them discuss where they were when the 
towers were hit. It made me go back to remember where I was and what was going on that day.  
Other visits included 7th grade ELA and social studies classes coming in to hold competitions on 
knowledge gained from their curriculum. Of course, the regular classes that send students to 
check out books.

We are grateful to the high school for loaning us Chromebooks to let students who have devices 
out for repair use.  Every day we are kept busy checking them in and out to our students. There 
is also the daily issues with the devices that the Techsperts and I troubleshoot.  Issues that include 
Apple Classroom, Google Classroom, wifi issues, and more.  

Every Friday you should be here in the LC. The sounds coming out of the commons during lunch 
represent the attendance rewards.  Apparently they are spinning a wheel to award prizes. It is loud, 
especially if my door is open. The shouts that are coming out of the students tell me it is a 
worthwhile program that encourages good attendance.  I believe they are awarding food and drink 
prizes which really gets the students going. Happy Friday to all who got prizes!

Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to next week….another week of progress!