“The literacy we seek is ultimately the ability to understand and influence the world around us and to use language and other forms of communication to create and articulate meaningful, purposeful lives.”
With Exceptional Literacy as an organizing theme, it is no wonder that St. Patrick’s three libraries are such beautiful, purposeful destinations in our school. Central to each space are the emerging relationships that individual students create with the reading process and with individual texts—fiction and non-fiction, picture books and novels, “pleasure” reading and class assignments.
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St. Patrick’s is home to the Nursery School Library, the Elementary School Library, and the MacArthur Campus Library, each serving a distinct segment of our student body. The Nursery School Library, completed in 2001, is home to more than 2,500 books for Nursery and PK students. The moveable playhouse walls convert the spacious library into cozy corners for reading parents to share stories with classes or for children to curl up with books. On Thursday mornings, children gather in the Nursery Library for weekly chapel.
The Elementary School Library has quickly become a favorite spot for St. Patrick’s students. Also completed in 2001 as the crowning level of the academic addition at the west end of the Day School building, this library, with its spacious interior and abundant natural light, features more than 16,000 volumes and offers subscription internet resources such as Grolier’s Encyclopedia, World Book Encyclopedia, and Cobblestone Online. The Elementary School Library features separate areas for Upper School and Lower School students, comfortable reading chairs, and a tiered reading circle where younger students gather for story time. All Lower School students visit the library once a week with their classes to hear stories and select books to check out. Upper School students visit more frequently during research projects. All children are also encouraged to visit the library during free times to check out books.
The MacArthur Campus Library, St. Patrick’s newest library, is used exclusively by students in Grades 7 and 8. In addition to housing a growing collection of young adult fiction, the library also holds a collection of non-fiction resources for research. The MacArthur Library—complete with a fireplace, conference table, and French doors onto the terrace—is also an excellent, light-filled meeting space for class discussions, faculty-student advisories, and informal gatherings.
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