• Media Center

  • Shelves and tables in Media Center

  • Meet the Media Center Staff

    Media Center Staff

    Mrs. Martinez and Mrs. Gindlesperger

    Mrs. Gindlesperger, Media Clerk, and Mrs. Martinez, Media Specialist as Mary Poppins and Junie B. Jones, Graduation Girl

    Mrs. Martinez taught for 10 years at Hopkins Elementary in Lilburn, then in 1988 earned her Masters in Library Media and Technology and became the media specialist at Fort Daniel Elementary.  She is a passionate advocate for reading and informational literacy, and along with her love of children has found the perfect job!

    Mrs. Gindlesperger started working at Fort Daniel in 2014, but in 2016 found the best place in the school to work - the media center.  She loves reading and helping students.

    To contact us please call (678) 765-4939 or email beth.martinez@gcpsk12.org or melissa.gindlesperger@gcpsk12.org

  • Welcome

    Welcome to the Fort Daniel Elementary School Media Center!  We work hard to create a positive, welcoming environment for students to learn and teach, read and write, create and collaborate.  

    Many studies have shown that self-selected reading materials positively impacts achievement, fosters life-long literacy and increases the enjoyment of reading.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at beth_martinez@gwinnett.k12.ga.us or call the media center at (678) 765-4939.  

      

  • Reading at Fort Daniel

    Why should Fort Daniel students read at home?  Reading is a lot like soccer, baseball or gymnastics practice - the more you read, the better you get.  Our students will always need their teachers and family to teach them to become better readers, but they also need time to practice. The chart below shows the difference between students that read for 20 minutes, 5 minutes and 1 minute each school day. This is compelling data on the benefits of encouraging your child to read, and the main reason we have a school-wide reading motivational program.  We encourage our PreK-2 students to read and log 10 books at a time to earn a “treasure” from the Treasure Tower.  In grades 3-5, students are asked to read and log online using Beanstack.  Beanstack is an app or you may use the website by logging into the student portal, clicking eClass, then Beanstack. Please email Mrs. Martinez at beth.martinez@gcpsk12.org if you have any questions, need help supporting a reluctant reader, or need suggestions for books to read. 

  • Reading Websites

    1. StarFall - Beginning reading and math for Pre-K through first or second graders.   

    2.  Flashlight Readers - online book club for students who love books for students in grades 4 and up.  Interactive games, author information and much more.  

    3.  National Geographic for Kids - online version of the magazine for kids.

    4.  International Children's Digital Library - Book from around the world in English and many other languages.

    5. StoryNory   Audio Stories for Kids

  • Media Catalog and Online Research Library

    Media Catalog

    To search for items in the Fort Daniel Media Center, students first log into the student portal, then on the right side click "Media Catalog".

    Online Research Library

    GCPS students have 24/7 access  to online encyclopedias and many other subscription databases such as Tumblebooks, Bookflix, Scienceflix, Pebble Go and many others.  To use these online databases, students will log into the student portal, then on the right side click "Online Research Library".

  • Fort Daniel's Summer Reading Program

    sun and sailboat on water

    FDES Summer Reading Challenge Color by Number Form

  • Summer Reading Resources

    Summer Reading Lists

    Rising Kindergarten Summer Reading List

    Rising First Grade Summer Reading List

    Rising Second Grade Summer Reading List

    Rising Third Grade Summer Reading List

    Rising Fourth Grade Summer Reading List

    Rising Fifth Grade Summer Reading List

  • Digital Citizenship Respect Represent Redefine Your World

  • Beanstack Reading Program

  •  

    Fort Daniel's Reading Program starts on Monday, August 21st! We hope to inspire, motivate and challenge all Fort Daniel students to read more and learn to love reading!

    Grades K-2

    Students will bring home a reading log on Monday. As soon as your child has logged 10 books, return the reading log to the teacher and they will get a new reading log. Students will earn a token for the Treasure Tower every 10 books they read, up to 100 books.  When they reach the 100-book goal, they earn the Fort Daniel Readers Hat, and families are invited to watch this celebration during morning announcements.  We will email you when we have the hat ready!  After reaching the goal, students will earn a prize from the Prize Closet for every additional 50 books.

    Grades 3-5

    Students will log the minutes they read at home using the online platform called  Beanstack.  Students may access it at gcpsk12fortdanieles.beanstack.org/ or by getting the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.  Students will earn a token for the Treasure Tower for every 200 minutes, up to 2,000.  When they reach the 2,000 minute goal, they earn the Fort Daniel Readers Hat, and families are invited to watch this special occasion during morning announcements.  We will email you when we have the hat ready.  After reaching the goal, students will earn a prize from the Prize Closet for every additional 500 minutes.

    Tips for Grades 3-5  

    1. Students should log minutes for books they read this year.
    2. If a student is re-reading a book (which good readers do), they should not log those minutes.  We are asking students to read books new to them this year.
    3. Instead of logging a finished book all on one day, we ask students to log each day they read.  This will help cultivate a reading habit, and hopefully encourage all students to make a practice of daily reading!

    Thank you for partnering with us to help encourage all our students to read.  Jacqueline Kennedy said, "There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.".  Please email or call me with any questions or concerns!  

     

        

     
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