Avalon Public School

Opportunity, Learning, Community

Telephone02 9973 1439

Emailavalon-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Library

Avalon Public School Library

Our library slogan is

"Read only on the days you eat"

 
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Our Vision
Our library is dedicated to fostering a love of reading and learning
We strive to provide activities and resources that will support students and staff to become effective and discriminating life-long users of information
Our focus is on reading both for pleasure and information
We encourage all students to borrow from our School Library every week 
 
Wall and mat

Our collection

We maintain a balanced and current collection with a diverse range of materials which meet the learning needs of our staff and students
Our books are carefully selected to meet students reading interests and abilities
The curriculum is supported through the purchase of materials in a variety of formats and linked with NSW Syllabus documents
The library houses a large collection of over 32,000 resources including Fiction and Non Fiction books, magazines, stories on CD and extensive resources for teachers.
 
collection

 

 
Our Catalogue
Students can access our full catalogue via their Portal by clicking on the School Library link
 

Library Website Graphic

 

 

 

Borrowing

All children visit our school library each week for borrowing, literature enrichment and research. Research tasks are carefully matched with class topics and follow the NSW Information Skills Process.
Students in Kindergarten to Year 4 have a one week loan period and the students in Years 5 and 6 have a two week loan period.
Grade Loan Limit
Kindergarten 1
Year 1 2
Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 3
Year 6 4

Hints for reading at home

Reading to and with your child can be a very special time spent together
Set a regular time to read each day. You might even set a timer.
Talk about the book as you read – think of this as a discussion not a set of formal questions
Match books with family activities
Always carry a book
Have a family reading time
Consider reading the library book yourself so you can connect with your child and the books they enjoy
 
 
child reading

Staff

The library is staffed by a qualified Teacher Librarian with support from an additional teacher and clerical staff.  Our school Teacher-Librarian is Elleni Christie.
Opening Times
Our Library is OPEN every day from 8.45am and at lunch time.
 
lady beetle open sign

Timetable

This changes each term and is posted on our library door.  You can also check this with your child's class teacher. Classes visit the library each week for 40 minutes.
 
Classes in the library
Our emphasis with the youngest students is on the enjoyment of literature.  The goals for senior students (Years 4-6) are to use the Information Skills Process which you can view here and to extend student skills with research. We also provide opportunities to incorporate technology.
 
 

CIRCULAR FLOW CHART

Celebrations

Celebrations in our library include Book Week and our special Donate-a-book in Education Week.
During Book Week our Primary students are presented with a daily thinking challenge which is based around the slogan.  For more information about this and the short listed titles take a look at the Children's Book Council of Australia website. In addition to these special events every day we have many activities for students to enjoy during lunch time including games, reading, drawing and craft.
 
  COLLECTION OF TITLES AND DISPLAYS

 

Volunteers

Volunteers from our school community are always welcome in the library.  Our new books need covering.  Even just an hour or two once a week or fortnight will mean our new books can reach our shelves more quickly.  This also gives you an opportunity to view the new books as they arrive. Call in if you can help us in this way.  The process is easy and we provide afternoon tea.
 
Finding a good book
Our library blog is called Momotimetoread.
You can use this blog to read about new books and old favourites. Here you will also find links to author web sites and other book review blogs.
 
Communication
Each week you will find a library news column in our school newsletter.
 
Lost or damaged books
We do not charge for books that are accidentally damaged and we have no library fines.  If a book is lost we need a note from home so we know an adult has been involved in the book hunt.  We do occasionally ask for a small contribution towards the replacement cost.
 
Stocktake
The annual library stocktake happens during the last three weeks of each school year.  Borrowing and regular class visits to the library stop.  Students are required to return all library books prior to the commencement of our stocktake.
 
 
BOOK IMAGE STOCKTAKE

 

School Holidays
We encourage our students to borrow books for reading over the April, July and October school holidays.  Over the longer summer holiday we are unable to provide books so we suggest a visit to the Avalon Community Library or the library at Mona Vale.  Both these libraries can offer you a range of books, magazines and audio books.  This can be an excellent way to keep our students motivated about their reading.
 
Scholastic Book Club
Twice each term we send home brochures from Scholastic Australia.  Participation is optional but it can be an easy way to add books to your own shelves at home.  If you have any concerns about orders or would like to discuss your choices please don't hesitate to contact us. A set of procedures are sent home at the start of each year.
 
NSW School Magazine Years 3-6
Have you been reading The School Magazine in your class? Come along to our school library we have all the titles for this year ready for you to borrow.
 
Remember to always "Read only on the days you eat!"