Library Program
The Heatherwood School Library is the center of the school. You may remember it simply as the school library, the place you went in between classes to read, do homework or work on a term paper. But that school library has given way to a new and exciting place where information is available in a wide variety of formats – print and electronic, where materials and activities are coordinated and where students learn skills that will prepare them to live and work in the 21st Century. It plays an integral part in educating children for the future.
The library is where students learn to :
- Find
- Analyze
- Evaluate
- Interpret
- And communicate information and ideas.
Research by Keith Curry Lance shows clearly that the school library is key to teaching students not just to read but to practice the skills they need to seek, evaluate and use information throughout their lives. In fact, his research shows those students from schools with professionally staffed, fully equipped libraries score higher on achievement tests. Our library program is directly integrated into the curriculum.
The Heart of Heatherwood Elementary School
Teacher/Librarian—Mary Jane Ransom
The mission of the Library Media Center program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The Heatherwood Library Media program provides intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats, provides instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing, and using information and ideas. The librarian works at making a serious commitment to the library users and the children, to the value of the universal and unrestricted access to information and ideas.
AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
The Standards describe how learners use skills, resources, and tools to:
- Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge
- Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations and create new knowledge
- Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society
- Pursue personal and aesthetic growth
Kindergarten Storytime
Neighborhood children are invited to join the Heatherwood Kindergartener story time:
Tuesdays at 10:00am
Wednesdays at 8:25am
Thursdays at 12:15pm
Library Technology
Change is difficult, but Heatherwood is progressing at a great pace since our computers were all replaced for us recently. Education is going through a period of revolutionary change; and Heatherwood needs to continue to strive harder to change to meet the new environment. In the case of technology,...To stand still is to fall behind! As teachers and educators we are striving to embrace the changes that are taking place in the world based around new technologies.
Educators, Librarians and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills frame an educational experience that goes beyond traditional academic learning while putting a greater emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving. Educators at Heatherwood Elementary believe that to be successful in an environment marked by access to an abundance of information and rapid changes in technology, individuals must be able to exhibit skill in information, Communication and Technology.
The BVSD webpage has been revised and improved and the staff at Heatherwood is working hard to improve our web usage and websites as well. Many classrooms have websites for parents and student use.
With a “mini” lab on the primary side and a new “mini” computer lab for our intermediate students, we are working hard to use these technology tools to their full instructional capacity.
21st Century learning means more than memorizing facts. It means learning to learn for a lifetime.