Library

At all grade levels, the library serves as a reading, research, and resource center. Students and teachers may access the latest information through materials and technology to support and integrate the curriculum. In the primary grades, small group story telling is offered along with instruction in library skills. In the upper grades, instruction is given for information literacy including research skills, source evaluation, and literature appreciation. The library is open from 8 AM to 4PM to allow students to use this facility both before and after school.

Thanks to the expertise of librarians, Mrs. Jean Bellavance and Mrs. Mary Johnson, the media available in the library is only the tip of the iceberg. Said Mrs. Bellavance, "I give them the tools to learn how to do research. We have POWER Library and netTrekker, search engines that are like Google, except that every site has been evaluated. We use web sites and books because I encourage the use of all different types of media."

Starting in Kindergarten, Mrs. Johnson, the K-3 Librarian, introduces the world of the library, focusing mostly on literature appreciation. In 1st grade, students are developing library skills and ending the year with a small research project. By 2nd grade, students are introduced to POWER Library, reference materials and map skills.

For grades 4-8, Mrs. Jean Bellavance institutes a flexible library schedule, each student coming in at least once a week, to accommodate research needs for various subject teachers as the year progresses. For example, the 6th grade is divided into 3 research classes and they focus on how to write a research paper in conjunction with 6th grade social studies.

In addition to providing resources for students, the library also subscribes to a wide variety of periodicals for teachers including Catechist, Religion Teacher's Journal, Classroom Connect, EDTech, Instructor and The Reading Teacher. Not only does the library work closely with teachers integrating the development of library skills into student subject areas, it also provides valuable professional information for our faculty.