Library

 

The St. Catherine’s library provides students with a collection of fiction and non-fiction titles for their use during the school day and to take home.  The primary children choose from a collection of reality-based picture books in keeping with the Montessori emphasis on exposing very young children to reality.  A collection of non-fiction titles is also available for primary children to check out for home use or to use in the classroom for work such as animal study.  Those students who are learning to read also have access to a collection of phonetic and graded readers.

Elementary children come to the library as needed during the day to choose books for research projects as well as fiction to read for pleasure in the class or at home.  The non-fiction collection covers the breadth of the Montessori elementary curriculum, with topics such as animals, plants, ancient history and countries of the world well represented.  The fiction collection comprises literary classics for children, contemporary children’s fiction and early chapter and series books to help the children increase their reading fluency. 

Older students also come to the library to use the computers for research or for typing research projects.  They may spend time reading and taking notes in the library or may simply spend time reading for pleasure.  The librarian helps advanced students navigate online research databases and edit their written work.  

 

One of the goals of the library is to help create a student body of avid readers.  Parents are encouraged to allow their children to read whatever interests them.  Early chapter series, for example, build fluency, preparing children for more advanced titles.  Even reading children’s magazines, comics, or the sports pages of the newspaper is worthwhile if that is what your child loves. 

 

– Melissa Lopez, Library Manager