Sivells Library Media

Laura Grosser

979-532-6886
mailto:lgrosser@whartonisd.net

Pre-kindergarten-3, Pre-Kindergarten-4, and Kindergarten students check out a book weekly and are allowed to keep their book to read in the classroom. 

First grade students visit the library once a week and are allowed to take home the books they have checked out.

It is vital to our library program that students take care of their books.  Please encourage your child to keep their books in their backpack when not reading it, this will ensure that they are kept in good condition.  
This also helps children keep up with their library books so that they can return them on the next scheduled library visit. 

Students are responsible for turning their books in on the due date.  Students are charged fines for lost and damaged library books and will be unable to check out another book till it has either been found and returned or the fine has been paid. 

Book fairs are also scheduled throughout the school year where you are able to visit the library with your student and purchase books.

Check-Out Policies

Students in Pre- Kindergarten3 through 1st grade will go to the library during specials.  One book will be checked out in Pre K-3, Pre-K-4, Kindergarten and 1st .   Teachers are highly encouraged to check out books for their classroom libraries. Teachers should provide Mrs. Barbee with student reading levels so that appropriate books are checked out by the students.

In an effort to instill good reading habits and responsibility as well as cultivate a positive library experience, the following guidelines will be used by patrons when visiting the library.

1. Students will be allowed to check out two books at a time.   Books will be loaned for a period of two weeks.  
2. Students will not be able to check out books until overdue books are returned.
3. Damaged or lost books must be paid for in a timely manner. Students will be limited in checking out books until payment for lost or damaged books has been made.
4. Parents do not have library accounts.  They may check out books for their child under the student account.

Intellectual Freedom Policy

Wharton Elementary considers the materials provided by the library to be protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Further, the library accepts and utilizes the Library Bill of Rights adopted and reaffirmed by the American Library Association. The library materials provided to the students offer varying levels of difficulty, diversity of appeal, and a variety of viewpoints. These materials, in turn, allow the reader to research and discover personal philosophies and decisions.

We acknowledge the standards of free library services and free inquiry as ideas essential to our nation’s democratic legacy. We respect the rights of the students to be selective in their own reading. While parents or guardians may choose to restrict the selections of their minor child(ren), the library will not act in that role. We will protect the constitutional right of our students to read. Reconsideration of materials

The responsibility for selection and evaluation of library materials has been delegated to the school library media specialist. Reconsideration procedures to address concerns about those resources are in place. If you wish to request reconsideration of library resources, please return contact your campus librarian.

Back to School

Back to school — it’s a hectic time full of shopping, preparation and new routines. But just because children are headed back to school doesn’t mean that parents should stop teaching their children. And just because life is hectic doesn’t mean you can’t make time to improve their literacy skills.

You may feel that there isn’t enough time to add more activities to an already packed 24 hours. But these ideas take just a minute!

• Choose a letter of the day. Look for the chosen letter in any printed materials you see — the newspaper, labels at the grocery store, street signs, billboards or advertisements on TV. Make up a silly sentence using only words beginning with the letter of the day. (For example, cats can cuddle. Dogs don’t drive. Amy always acts awake.)
• Singing songs is certainly a literacy activity. Try this twist: Sing short songs like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” several times, leaving off the last word each time until there are no words left. This activity always produces giggles from children and parents alike. 
• While you’re waiting for the bagel to toast, have your child look for the letter B on any items on your kitchen counter or table. Count as many as possible before the toaster pops. 
• Play “Guess Who.” Describe a cartoon character, celebrity or historical figure. Allow a guess after each detail is disclosed. Expand your child’s vocabulary by using unusual words, and then explain their meaning. Take turns. Listen carefully to your child’s descriptions, especially his choice of vocabulary. Encourage him to paint a picture of the character with his words. At the end of the game, compliment him on any unusual or new words used.
• While stuck in traffic, describe the view from the car by taking “word turns.” The activity is as easy as the name suggests. Parent and child each add a word until the scene is described. (A… yellow… convertible… with… a… golden… retriever… in… the… back… seat… is… next… to… our… car.) This activity works well on a walk around the block or while waiting in line too. 
• Talk to your child about her day. Pretend to be a television reporter. Try questions like “what was the most surprising (curious, funny, eventful) thing that happened today?” Or gather news for the local paper. “If your day’s activities were an article in the newspaper, what would the headline be?” You are giving your child opportunities to increase vocabulary, recall and reflect, and you are receiving a more detailed version of the time you spent apart. Be prepared to answer the same questions. You and your child will begin looking for events to report to each other. 
  
  
  From the National Center for Family Literacy