The Greenbrook Library Media Center is home to many forms of technology, including Chromebase student workstations, HP Chromebooks, and a smartboard projection system. Mrs. C incorporates technology into her lessons and activities wherever possible, and the workstations and Chromebooks are also available for student use during Open Library periods. Appropriate websites and games, including ABCya!, Cool Math Games, Prodigy, Code.org, and NitroType, are utilized to integrate learning and gaming in a safe environment. Mrs. C supervises all students to ensure that their gameplay remains relevant and secure in the library classroom.
South Brunswick School District policy states that all staff, students, and parents must sign the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for technology being used in classroom settings. Any member of the school community that has not signed the AUP, or who has violated the AUP in any way, will not be permitted to use library technology until the document is signed or their probationary period ends.
General Library Policies
All students participate in conversations and lessons at the start of the school year to establish proper behavior and book care rules. The photo above shows the "rug rules" all students must follow during their library time. Whenever the students hear, "Show Mrs. C that you're following all of our rug rules!", they know exactly what to do. We also discuss the importance of taking good care of library books, as these books pass between many hands and are well-loved by our entire school community. Our students know not to keep food or drink near their books (especially in their backpacks!), not to draw or write in them, and not to allow pets and younger siblings to handle them. They also know to hug their books (if your child is in kindergarten, ask them to sing our "Hug Your Books" song to you!), keep them in a safe place, and read them in a comfortable spot.
Checkout Policies
Library checkout runs from early October to late May or early June. All books are loaned out for a period of one week.
Borrowing: As long as their previous loans have been checked in and their accounts are clear: All students in kindergarten and grade 1 are entitled to check out ONE book per week All students in grades 2, 3, and 4 are entitled to check out TWO books per week All students in grade 5are entitled to check out THREE books per week (plus additional materials as necessary for classwork) What they check out depends on student interests and teacher requests; if a teacher asks that each student checks out a book pertaining to a curricular requirement, Mrs. C will make sure that that requirement is met wherever possible.
Renewals: If a student would like to renew a book, they should bring it back to the library after one week. Mrs. C will renew it and return it to your child. Students may renew books as needed until they've finished reading them.
Overdue books: Any book that hasn't been returned after the standard one-week lending period is technically considered overdue; however, Mrs. C regularly reminds students to bring back overdue books in order to check out new ones. The verbal reminder, in many cases, is enough. However, if a student has a book that is more than two weeks overdue, Mrs. C will print an overdue notice for the classroom teacher to send home. Overdue fines: Mrs. C would rather see the book come back to the library for someone else to borrow! If your child has come home with an overdue notice, please assist them with finding the missing book.
Damaged books: If a library book becomes damaged while in your child's possession, please contact Mrs. C (via email, handwritten note, or phone call). She will assess the extent of the damage and attempt to make any necessary repairs. If the damage is irreparable, she will arrange the purchase of a new copy with you.