Library Agreement

Studies show that a large percentage of students stop reading for fun around the age of 9. In order to avoid that, I try to provide the students with books they will both learn from and enjoy. Then I also ask them to read independently so that they have a choice in what they are consuming, as research shows this is the best way to make sure kids keep reading. This is vital, as reading is a great predictor of a child's later success in high school, college, and beyond.

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With all of this in mind, students' independent reading choices can come from the school's library or not. I encourage them to use the public library as well. However, when I approve independent reading, all I am looking for is that the grade level is not too low for a WAAS student.  It's important for them to become responsible readers, and part of that is asking questions or talking about the content of the books they have selected. The school's library as well as my classroom shelves are filled with books of varying content, interests, and reading levels. It's important to point out that there are oceans between 6th and 8th grades in terms of awareness and maturity. 

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Please be aware that, as with any library or bookstore, there will be books with material that parents may consider sensitive. Parents are the authority on what a child can and cannot read, and therefore, I ask that students be expected to share their reading selections with their families. 

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Students, I want you to read as much as you want. A lot of hard work went into making the library a place that students would look forward to reading and working in. We want for students to be in the library, but we need students to take care of the library.

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Therefore, students, please keep the following things in mind when you are working in the library:

• No food or drink in the library, not even water

• Don’t use pens/pencils while sitting on the couch; we’d like to avoid the possibility of stains on the fabric

• Keep feet off the furniture

• Please push in chairs and remove any trash when you have finished working in the space (Mrs. Upton and Mr. Fichetti often meet with visiting families in the library, and it needs to be neat in order to create a good first impression)

• Please follow procedures to check out books (they are posted in the library); a book should never be taken out of the library without being checked out

• Students should receive teacher permission to be in the library

 

Thank you in advance for adhering to these guidelines and helping us to keep the library looking great.