Library Resource Centre
Welcome
A warm library welcome to all students who are new to Birchwood and also to
returning students. Our school library offers resources in English and French
with a wide variety of reading material in both the fiction and non-fiction
sections. We have available for student use: seven computers, a number of CDs,
and magazines. The library provides an area for students at lunch to socialize
quietly, to play chess or checkers, and to read. Most days the library is open
until 4:00 p.m. for students who wish to work on homework. Students do not
require a library card to borrow material from the school library.
March Library News
The library has been a busy area in our school over the past few months. We
recently received a large shipment of new books which were purchased with
special funding provided by the government last year, in an effort to boost
school library collections. The new books include non-fiction, graphic novels,
resources to support our science and social studies curriculums, and fiction at
various grade and interest levels. We also expect the arrival of new French
books within the next month.
Two grade seven classes recently completed learning stations based on the
theme of "Mystery and Wonder". Currently three grade nine classes are working on
learning stations on "China" to supplement their reading of the novel "Forbidden
City. All grade seven students received several classes in the library over the
past two weeks on the how-to's of preparing and presenting their Heritage Fair
projects.
Prince Edward Island School Library Day
Minister of Education, Mildred Dover, proclaimed Monday, October 23rd, 2006
as Prince Edward Island School Library Day. In a letter to all schools Ms. Dover
stated, “The wider educational community is becoming increasingly aware of the
important role of school libraries and teacher-librarians in the development of
high student literacy skills and the promotion of a love of reading.” The school
library at Birchwood plays a vital role in the day-to-day life of students and
staff, and we look forward to a positive year which will celebrate literacy and
reading each day.
Million Minute Challenge
Birchwood students participated in the annual Million Minute
Challenge. In an effort to encourage the love of reading students island-wide
were challenged by the P.E.I. Teacher Librarian’s Association to read for a
total of one million minutes in one day. Birchwood contributed 24,000 minutes of
reading time to a total of just over 1.3 million minutes. Research leaves no
doubt that students who read on a regular basis are better spellers, better
writers, and better readers overall.
Book Orders Help Our Library
Each month Scholastic book order forms are distributed to students. Each
purchase adds up to a certain amount of free material for the school library
which is very much appreciated.
Parent Volunteers
Parents who would like to volunteer in the school library are asked to
contact Ms. White at 368-6870.
World Book Online Available for School & Home Use
We are pleased to announce the addition of a great new resource for Birchwood
students and staff. Part of the library budget has been used to purchase a
subscription to World Book Online for the school year 2006/07. The "World Book
Kids" edition will be helpful for many of our students because the reading level
is more appropriate for them than the main encyclopedia. There are connections
to all subject areas, lesson plans, maps, a dictionary, etc. The subscription
includes remote access so that students can use this resource at home. Username
and password information has been sent home with students. Please contact Ms.
White if you require further information.
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