Welcome to Library & Music

Welcome to PRIS's Music & Library blog! I am so excited to meet all of the students and share musical and literary experiences together. On this blog, I will share pictures, videos and keep you updated on what is going on in music and library classes.

My name is Megan Jaye Highfill and I come to Balikpapan from Kansas City, Kansas via two years in Cairo, Egypt. This is my ninth year teaching and you can find out more about me by clicking my profile link on the right side of the page.

My philosophy of music education is based on a whole-child approach, covering singing, playing (instruments and games), moving (dance) and listening (analyzing and criticizing). I also like to integrate a fair amount of core academic content into the music classroom where possible. I believe every student deserves a personal and communal relationship with music and assess students on personal growth, individual skill, and group contribution. Great music is still being written and performed, so I balance historical education with modern music and dance, making it more relatable to the students' experiences. Read more about my Philosophy of Music Education.

In library, I hope to create an environment where students can love reading and advance in their literacy skills. Students will begin to check-out books next week, and our lesson focus will be on browsing through and choosing books at the appropriate level. Some library procedures to consider:

• Students can check-out up to two books and keep them for one week.
• If a student is still reading a book, he or she may renew it by explaining to Ms. Yanti, "I am still reading (Name of Book). May I please renew it?"
• Students will only check-out books on their reading level as determined by their reading assessments and classroom teachers

Students will receive plenty of guidance when checking-out books and will often choose from books within a genre that they are studying within the classroom. I will also be available to conference with students about the books they are reading so I can better understand students' choices and preferences. Ms. Yanti, Library Assistant, is dedicated to making sure the students have a wonderful library experience.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. I will be posting an update soon, sharing what we have accomplished during our first week of school. I will also post links and assignments for students to access at a later time. Thank you for the warm welcome I have already received and I am so excited to join the PRIS community!