IMC+Welcome+Letter



Red Oak School IMC 530 Red Oak Lane Highland Park, IL 60035

Kate Strong, Library/Media Specialist kstrong@nssd112.org 224-765-3740

Dear Families,

Welcome to the 2012/2013 school year! We are so excited to see all of you. With over 25,000 books, the Red Oak IMC is a wonderful place for students to find just the right books for the joy of reading and the wonder of research. Please check out some information on Red Oak IMC policies below.

All classes will visit the IMC at least once a week. Some of the learning activities students will enjoy include: story times, exploring children's literature, book talks, author studies, poetry units, lessons in library skills, research skills, internet safety, technology skills, website evaluation, iMovie, website creation and so much more.
 * IMC Schedule**

Students may keep their books until they have finished reading them, or return them at any time for another book if they feel the book is not what they were looking for. While we do not put due dates in the books, we will send home overdue notices once a month. We do not charge fees, however, if a book is lost or damaged, it will need to be replaced or paid for in order to maintain the collection for all students. Types of damage to books would include water spills, food stains, coloring, torn pages and broken bindings. The notice form the IMC should list the cost of the book. As a general rule, approximate replacement costs on paperback books is $5 and hardcover books is $20.
 * Check-out Policies**

Kindergarten: 1 1st Grade: 1 2nd Grade: 2 3rd Grade: 3 4th Grade: As many as needed 5th Grade: As many as needed
 * Grade Level: Number of books that may be checked out at one time**

Due to the generosity of the Red Oak PTA and the District 112 Education Foundation, we are able to have authors and illustrators visit our school and present to the students. This fall, author [|Mary Amato], author/illustrator [|Matthew Cordell], and author [|Margaret Peterson Haddix] will be visiting Red Oak students. More information to follow.
 * Author and Illustrator Visits**

The [|Monarch], [|Bluestem] and [|Rebecca Caudill]Awards are children's choice awards for the state of Illinois. Students may read from the award lists from September through January and vote for their favorite title. The books with the most votes receive the coveted awards. This is a great opportunity for students explore different genres and authors while allowing them to make their voices heard! Students in K – 3rd may vote for the Monarch Award, grades 3rd - 5th vote for the Bluestem nominated books, and grades 4th - 8th vote for the Caudill Award.
 * Reading Celebrations**

Send your used ink cartridges and old cell phones to the IMC to be recycled and benefit Red Oak School.
 * Funding Factory Recycle Program**

I look forward to a wonderful year of learning with your children!

Please contact me at kstrong@nssd112.or if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your continued support of the Red Oak IMC!

Sincerely, Kate Strong Library/Media Specialist