LIBRARY POLICIES
Every student at Austin Montessori comes to the library once a week for a library class. During library class, the focus is on helping the children check library books in and out. Then, time permitting, the rest of the class is spent with the children being taught a library lesson. In addition, for two periods each day, students have more opportunities to check books in and out during book exchange. The child’s teacher decides on a daily basis if a child can come to book exchange. Each child’s classroom teacher determines the child’s reading level and the corresponding books they may check out of the library. A child may check out from 1-3 books at a time, based on their teacher’s discretion. If a child has an overdue book, they may not check out any additional books until the overdue book is returned or paid for. Payment for overdue books must be made by check or money order, for the exact amount due, with the check or money order made out to “Austin Montessori.” Once a lost book is paid for, there are no refunds. The Austin reading program for all grades and the Library operations are all based upon a program called "Accelerated Reader," or "AR" which was created by Renaissance Learning, Inc. When a child finishes reading a book, they take an on-line test on it, which earns them points. These points, in turn, earn the child a ranking of reading excellence, which is recognized at the end of each semester during an all-school assembly called a “Knighting Ceremony.” |
HOW CAN I HELP MY
CHILDREN WITH THEIR LIBRARY ACTIVITIES Help them to look upon reading as a pleasure, not a chore. Regularly read aloud to them as they follow along with you. Encourage them to read aloud to you, and shower them with praise when they do. If they seem shy about reading to you, arrange for them to read to someone they will not feel intimidated by, like a pet, a doll, etc. Instead of doing one large piece of reading, arrange for them to undertake lots of small bits of reading on a regular basis, like reading food labels as you shop. When they are reading AR books for school, help them to understand the emphasis is not upon earning points on a test, but just enjoying the book while improving upon their own reading skills. Keep in regular contact with their teachers to see how you can best help. |
MULTICULTURAL
BOOKS The Austin Library fosters a respect and understanding for different cultures of the world by having an entire section of the collection dedicated to books in Spanish and also having a significant number of books dealing with multiculturalism. For example, one set of books we have is entitled Cultural Mosaic. Published by Scholastic Books, Inc. in conjunction with USA Today, this colorful and informative collection describes six different ethnic groups that make up part of our country's multicultural population. The titles of these books are: The Hispanic American Experience; The American Indian Experience, The European American Experience, The Asian Pacific American Experience, The Middle Eastern American Experience, and The African American Experience. Each volume is filled with many colorful pictures, informative facts, experiences, sidebars, online resources, and cultural traditions of that book's featured group. There are even traditional ethnic recipes the reader can try at home. Any one of these books or the entire set can offer a wonderful opportunity for your children to foster a better understanding of different ethnic groups and an overall respect for multiculturalism. |