Cover Letter

Dear School District, With a Master's of Library Science Degree, a Bachelor's degree in Secondary English Education, as well as a School Library Media Specialist certification and a Professional Certification in Secondary English Education, it is with a great deal of pleasure that I present my resume in response to the School Librarian/Media Specialist position currently available in your School's District. In today's school media centers the librarian plays four different roles: instructional partner, information specialist, teacher, and program administrator. My background experiences as an English language arts classroom teacher has really prepared me for these roles. As a classroom teacher I was able to become well rounded in a variety of new technologies through the projects and assessments I had my students take part in. As your school librarian I would be able to take this knowledge, and first-hand experiences gained from using these technologies, and transfer that to the staff and the students so they could use them effectively in their own classes or for their own assignments. Also as a classroom teacher I had the opportunity to developed effective lesson plans for teaching students how to identify, locate, and interpret essential information, while making sure these resources were appropriate and useful. I also had the opportunity to cooperatively work with other teachers within their various subject areas to create crosscurricular units. As your school librarian I would be able to use these skills in lesson planning in order to teach students how to be effective users of ideas and information. Librarian lead lessons could be offered in coordination with classroom assignments and units. I would also be able to collaborate with other teachers in order to create engaging and effective lessons that would enhance and build on what the other teachers are already doing in their classrooms. My position as a classroom teacher has also taught me how to engage and effectively interact and instruct students of various ability levels and scholarly interests. I have been able to develop my ability to entice and instruct those students who struggle with traditional learning environments. Being able to find materials that all learners can connect to is an essential skill of any school librarian and one that I feel that I have been able to develop because of my background in education. I am passionate about the function of the school library within the framework of the school structure and the effect it has on learning and student success. The school library media center is and should be the heart of the school. The information and technologies housed within its walls should be used to pump new energies and new instructional and learning opportunities into the school classrooms, staff, and students. I welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how my experiences and skills will benefit the School District. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Melissa K. Lopes

Resume
Melissa K. Lopes

Education
Southern Connecticut State University Master of Library Science, anticipated graduation May 2013

Plymouth State University, Plymouth N.H. Bachelor of Arts in English, 1999

Certifications
Connecticut Professional Certification in English 7-12 (Cert. #015) Connecticut Certification School Library-Media Specialist(Cert. #062)

Experience
Middle School Language Arts teacher 7th and 8th grades. August 2000 Current East Windsor Public Schools, East Windsor, CT Developed and implemented lessons using a variety of activities and diverse methods to engage students in learning essential skills and critical thinking. Assessed students using a variety of technologies and strategies. Initiated cooperative learning projects. Engaged students in a variety of new technologies. Co-taught with special-education teacher. Taught READ180 as an intervention language arts class. Implemented the Reader's and Writer's workshop methodology as a form of classroom instructional.

Leadership Roles
Facilitator--Accelerated Reader Renaissance Learning, 2010-Present READ180 Instructional Liaison, 2009-Present Facilitator--First Steps Writing Program, 2011-Present 1. Trained teachers to assess students' writing using the Developmental Continuum.

2. Trained teachers to select teaching strategies and activities that were developmentally appropriate for their students. 3. Trained teachers to use data to review students' developmental stages and re-evaluate and re-plan instructional materials and methods. Language Arts Team leader, 2009, 2011 1. Led data team discussions.

2. Co-taught research methods for content area learning. 3. Introduced new technologies. Prezi Power Points Livebinder, online binders Google Lit-trips QR-Codes Book Trailers Web creation Wikispaces

Literacy Committee Co-Chair, 2008-Present 1. Assisted with organizing and running Summer Reading Project.

2. Organized, ran, and created booths for Literacy Night. 3. Organized literacy raffles. 4. Created presentation for staff, students, and Board of Education members introducing literacy efforts within the school. 5. Organized the end of the year Celebration of Reading fun day.

6. Assisted with Battle of the Books. 7. Organized school wide Accelerated Reader Challenge.

Professional Development Participant--Capital Region Education Council Teaching American History Fall 2008-Present 1. Worked collaboratively to develop cross-curriculum that aligns to the new CT state frameworks. 2. Designed authentic assessments and activities that promote critical thinking and raise student achievement through implementation of new content pedagogy. Participant--Columbia Teachers College, Workshop model of teaching 1. Implemented whole and small group instruction.

2. 1:1 conferencing and coaching.