Winter Library News

Welcome back to the new library! Library renovation is almost finished (we are still waiting for the final touches), and regular services are back. Below you will find more small updates. Please keep an eye on the library website to find more information and updates as they come!

 

What‘s new in the library

  • Our new teacher librarian, Ms. Lynn LEE, started work with the library team in October. She is an experienced teacher librarian who has worked with other schools and public libraries before. Let’s enjoy the new library and the new ideas she brings to us.
  • There are library study pods in the new library which allow students to work collaboratively on group projects or discussions while also having all the library resources at hand to use. Encouraging “sharing” is an important part of education and these pods can encourage students to share their viewpoints with schoolmates.
  • Interactive devices, including electronic whiteboards, are installed in the three teaching spaces in the library. Not only teachers, but also students, will be able to use these facilities for teaching and learning.  Students may also use these spaces for book sharing or project presentations with their teachers.
  • The self-study area is designed for high school students to be able to work quietly on their own, especially during time of intensive study such as just before tests.
  • More new facilities and activities are in the planning. Please keep an eye on our library!

 

What we’re learning

    • This quarter, our students are reviewing library procedures, including the borrowing and returning procedures of library items. They also learned about behaviour expectations in the library.
    • Students are learning about the Dewey Decimal Classification system to help them more easily locate their target books.  They will learn to sort books by fiction and non-fiction and about call numbers and how they can help us find what we need or want in the library.

  • Our students are also learning how to be a responsible and ethical user of information, which means how to respect others’ works and how to distinguish correct information from the incorrect information and fake news on the Internet.

 

E-book resources

  • An e-book corner with three computers has been set up in the library to encourage students to read more books.
  • E-resources include TumbleBook Library, BrainPop, and OverDrive for students in different grades. Students bring their own headphones for watching the videos and listening to the audio files of the e-books.
  • Students are encouraged to use the e-resources provided by the Hong Kong public library and other parties. Links can be found on the school library website under the “Resources” fifth from the left.
  • Other electronic databases or libraries, like Open Library and Public Library of Science, have been added to our list.

 

Library opening hours

  • The library operates from 7:30AM to 5:00PM on school days for high school students. High school students are able to use the library at other times throughout the school day.
  • Primary students may come to the library at their regularly scheduled times and during their lunch recesses on specific days holding their library pass. The library passes are distributed by their homeroom teachers.
  • When accompanied by a parent, primary students are also able to visit the library after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 3:15pm and 4:15pm. Parents will be able to borrow two extra books on their child’s account. Please note that parents are expected to supervise their own children as the staff will be completing other duties.

 

All about borrowing

 

Borrowing limits

  • Prep to grade 2 students may borrow 2 English and 1 Chinese book at a time.
  • Grade 3 to grade 6 students may borrow 2 English and 2 Chinese books at a time.
  • High school students (Grade 7-12) may borrow 4 English and 2 Chinese books at a time.
  • Return dates
  • Students have two cycles to return books to the library circulation counter. However, students may return books the following library class. If a student has any overdue book, he/she may not borrow any further books until all overdue books are returned.
  • Upper primary and high school students will incur fines on their overdue books. Students who have overdue items will be charged at HK$1.00 per day per item. This fine is waived for lower primary students since they are learning library citizenship and independence.
  • Pre-overdue reminders
  • Students and/or parents will receive an automated reminder email that their books should be returned soon.
  • Using student card
  • High school students need to borrow books with their student cards. They should bring their student cards with them to borrow books for faster processing. Grade 6 students are also invited to use student cards for borrowing books.

 

What parents can do

  • Encourage your child to use the calendar or school planner to keep track of their library due dates. Library borrowing is an opportunity for young children to develop independence and responsibility in returning their own books on time.
  • Read with your child and discuss the books with them. For lower grade students, it is important to read to your child but also have them read to you. You can also encourage them to share their feelings with you after reading. For higher grade students, you may read the same book as they are reading, share and discuss with them your likes and thoughts about the book.  This can facilitate the communication between you and your child.
  • For your early reading, encourage your child to find unfamiliar words using their phonics knowledge to try and decode them.  For greater comprehension, make connections between the books they are reading and their own experiences.
  • Encourage reading as a part of life. Take your child to the public libraries, share your daily reading and research with your child. Reading is one way to make sense of the world around us.  Your child can grow and gain a variety of knowledge.

 

Readathon 2020

  • Planning for Readathon 2020 started in November 2019.  There will be numerous activities for students across the school.
  • Readathon 2020 will be from January 15, 2020 to February 14, 2020.  More details will be announced soon!

More Newsletters