Baileywick Road Elementary School

Circulation

Baileywick Media Center is open school days, 8:45a.m. until 3:30p.m. for open circulation. All students are encouraged to visit often at their teacher's discretion. All “books are due when you are through”. Overdue notices are sent home in Monday folders as reminders. Books need not be renewed, just returned as soon as the book is read. Students in grades K-2 come to the Media Center weekly with their class for Story Time and Library Skills. All classroom teachers, K-5, plan with the media coordinator to incorporate research skills and literature appreciation into all areas of the curriculum.

Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computerized reading management program. We have AR tests on computer for 5500 of our library books. These books are designated by a red dot on the book's spine and the grade level and point value of each book has been marked at the bottom of the inside back cover. When students have read an Accelerated Reader book they may take the AR test on any computer in the media center, computer lab, or classroom. The test is scored immediately by computer and points are awarded according to the length and difficulty of the book. Each student reads on his own reading level and is encouraged to read increasingly more difficult books as his reading improves.

We are using AR as the basis for our “Reading Takes You Places” reading incentive program whereby students advance up the bulletin boards in the Media Center country by country. Every Friday afternoon, reports are run tabulating the total number of points each student has earned. On Monday, each child's marker (foot, car, train, motorcycle or plane) is moved up the bulletin board according to the number of points he has earned. A second grader needs 2 points to get on the bulletin board ( United States ) and two points to advance to each additional country. A third grader needs three points for each country, a fourth grader needs four points and a fifth grader needs five. Students read to 20 countries in North and South America on the first board and then 28 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa on the second board. We save Australia and Antarctica to challenge our most voracious readers. Each child is encouraged to set goals for himself and read to as many countries as he can. He will receive a “Media Note” in his Monday folder each time he advances to another country. Be on the lookout for that first card. It contains a brief explanation of the program and a list of countries to be visited.

In addition to this individual incentive, at the end of each month the class with the most points on each grade level receives a trophy to keep on display in the classroom for a month. The top 3 readers for the month in each classroom are also announced. We have also set quarterly goals for each grade level. Each class that reaches the goal for their grade level earns a one hour “frequent reader” trip to Africa (first quarter), Japan (second quarter), and Mexico (third quarter).

We also have a schoolwide goal. If our students earn 30,000 points this school year, Mr. Scheuer is going to dye his hair Baileywick BLUE and camp on the roof of the school!

First grade students will be introduced to the program when their teacher thinks they are ready, usually not until after Christmas. It is best not to rush. Even very good readers can be frustrated by the multiple steps involved in taking a test. Each teacher uses the program differently but expertly in her own classroom environment. We want AR to be fun, not a chore, and it will be fun when the time is right.

How can parents help? Ask your child what AR book he is reading. Ask him how many points he has, how many countries he has “visited”. Remind him to return his books as soon as he has finished them and to check out 2 more. Encourage but don't push. Help him set realistic goals. Remember that we have over 13,000 books. If a child reads only AR books he will miss out on some of the best books in the library. It is exciting to see children excited about reading and anxious to get started on another book right away. Thank you for encouraging your student to read more and better books. Studies show that recreational reading improves test scores. Reading takes you places!

AR Quizzes by Title

Volunteers

Parents are invited to volunteer in the Media Center throughout the day. Duties include assisting students, shelving books, processing new materials, repairing worn and torn materials, compiling bibliographies, helping with circulation, inventory, Book Fairs, and lots more. Our volunteers are a vital part of our school program and we always need more. Volunteer today!