MESSAGE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS REGARDING OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOKS AND TEXTBOOKS

Due to the short notice we all had when the school closed there are still a number of library books as well as a few textbooks that need to be returned to the school at your earliest convenience. All lockers and desks were thoroughly cleaned out and the missing items were not located. I have sent emails to those who still have outstanding items. Your support in having these items returned would be greatly appreciated as many of these books are ones that other students will want to read If the book has been lost or severely damaged there is a $10.00 replacement fee per book that is required and payment can be made by cash, cheque or on your school account. Students entering RIBMS that had outstanding overdue materials at JEE or Sunnyside School are also still responsible for their items from the previous school as their library account is linked to all Palliser SchooTextbook replacement is much higher so it is our hope that these will just be returned. We have so many avid readers in our school and we are proud of the wide and varied collection we have available for them. Your support in having items returned assures us of being able to continuing providing this great opportunity to our students.

The Library Missed You!

The library is a lonely place these days with all the books just waiting for someone to open them and let their stories escape. The librarian also misses the faces of eager students looking to see what their favorite author has just written or to try a completely new genre, series or author. Please read the following document to see how our library has adapted in order for us to safely provide our students with the opportunity to continue to have access to our wide and varied collection of reading materials

“Adventure is just a page away……….”

As we begin this new and unusual school year we want to assure you that the safety of your child is our first priority. We are pleased that we have so many avid readers within our school and we definitely want to encourage the continuation of this as well as enticing non-readers to appreciate the benefits and joys of reading.

As per district instruction, students will not be allowed to peruse the school library shelves or handle the books on the shelves. We are fortunate to have a new library software program that allows students to access and reserve our collection online. The librarian will pull the reserved books from the shelves and sign them out to the student and either deliver them to the student or have the student come and pick them up. Students will be required to return their books in the usual timely manner and returned books will be held in quarantine for a minimum of 3 full days prior to being shelved or recirculated to another student. Since our library is now available online, parents will be able to view the collection and assist children with putting items on holds. Students will be given instructions on how to do this starting September 14^th. The website is destinydiscover.com and the first item that appears is the one you use to choose our school ‘R.I.Baker’. Once you have selected the correct school, access is obtained by using the students google account and password. The first screen that will appear shows the latest new books that have been added to the collection and from there you may search using title, author, series, genre etc. For most of the books there is also a color picture of the front cover of the book which is very useful for students. We encourage you to help your child become familiar with this method of acquiring reading materials. Students will still be expected to renew or return their books within the 2 weeks time frame and are responsible for returning the book in the condition it was received in. Students are responsible for the replacement cost of any lost or severely damaged items with the basic cost being $10.00 per item. Hardcover books and textbooks are priced higher.

The librarian will continue to show case new books to students as well as give short book talks to all classes once a week. Students will not have access to the library, however, the ‘traveling librarian’ will continue to share her love of reading and new books to the students as she travels to each classroom once a week.

We will be continuing to send home the monthly paper SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS and we are hoping you will take advantage of this opportunity to purchase some of the new titles students have been waiting for. This may also be helpful to parents that want their child to have their own personal book that they keep at school for free reading rather than using library books. Orders can be returned to the school in the usual manner or parents can order directly online and orders will be shipped directly to your home. If your order is a total of $35.00 or more there will be no shipping fee. If ordering online please use code # RC236283 so our school receives the bonus points. When accessing the online forms @ Scholastic Reading Clubs you will have access to all of the varied reading levels and materials to choose from. We appreciate all that support Scholastic as it enables our school library to build its collection with bonus books and coupons.

Thank you for your continued support of our school library and for encouraging your child to appreciate the benefits and joys of reading! We hope to supply our readers with many hours of reading pleasure this year.