CORNWALL ON HUDSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

           

            Our mission at the Cornwall-on-Hudson Elementary School Library is to create lifelong learners through the love of books and literature. The doors to the library media center are always open to both students and staff and we encourage parents to participate. Mrs. Diana Jacques, the library media specialist and Mrs. Lisa LaGrutta, the library clerk, staff the library media center. Both make sure that all the students and staff are serviced and provide open library times for special projects and requests.

          The school library media program is correlated with the New York State Learning Standards in Education in conjunction with the Cornwall School District’s own “Scope and Sequence” of skills used in a library media setting. The “Scope and Sequence” provides an overall view of the skills that are to be taught over the course of the year for each grade level and are built on and mastered as the student progresses through school. These include the very simple skills: how to care for a book through using the computer to search-out information for reports (also where and how to find information in the library). The library should be a warm, friendly and fun place of learning, and that is the atmosphere that we are trying to provide for our students.

 

          The Accelerated Reader Program (Red Hot Readers) is a district wide program that was started in this building several years ago. The goal of this program is to provide students with an independent reading program that allows them to advance at their own pace. The student picks a book at a predetermined level (set by the classroom teacher) and reads the book until he/she feels comfortable to take a computerized test in the computer lab or on the computer in the classroom. Then they come to the library and we guide them to the level of books they can comfortably read and they pick out their own titles with increasing difficulty in reading level. The first grade and second grade teachers are the ones who choose to use this program the most, but we are geared to accommodate all the students grades one through four (kindergarten is encouraged to participate late in the spring).

 

The Reading Theme Program is a simplified continuation of the program that was already in use in previous years. Some of the important points are:

1.    Students can take up to two books at a time

2.    They can exchange those books anytime there is open library (usually in the morning before announcements) or any other open library time.

3.    Students can use books from other libraries or home collections

4.    Books must be ones read this school year

5.    Books used in other programs (Red Hot Readers) can also be used

6.    Please sign the parent signature at the bottom of each Reading Theme Sheet.

 

Celebrate and Donate book donation program is ready to get into full swing. Parents and students can buy books for the library. The program is structured to allow books purchased to be dedicated to a special person or event. We have added over 500 hundred books to the collection since this program was started.

Every year the P.T.O. in conjunction with the library media center sponsors an author visit. This is a very important part of creating lifelong learners for our students by offering an opportunity to have a “hands on” experience with an author and the writing process.

The library at COH is an important part of the learning experience.