LRC Weekly Update

Sarah and I are so excited to be returning as your librarian and library assistant for another wonderful school year. We are truly looking forward to collaborating with all of you, supporting your curriculum, and bringing plenty of exciting new programming, great books, and fun to the library.

As we prepare for our students to return for library, please stop by and say hello with your class and take a walking tour of our new and improved space before the 17th!

We are excited to launch our new Teacher Hub, designed to streamline your daily planning and simplify access to key media resources! Moving forward, this one-stop shop is where you can:

• Schedule Library Time: Easily reserve open slots for your class visits.

• View the LRC Daily Schedule: Check real-time daily availability and events.

• Access Lesson Plans & Digital Resources: Browse shared lesson ideas, database links, and instructional tools.

• Find Testing Resources: Quickly locate standard assessment guides, rubrics, and testing materials.

Faster Communication via Remind

To ensure faster, more expedient communication with our LRC staff, we are transitioning our direct messaging to Remind. Whether you have a quick question about booking, need tech support, or want to coordinate a lesson, sending a message on Remind is the fastest way to reach us!

How to Join the Richmond LRC Remind:

1. Via Text: Text @richlrc to 81010

2. Via Web: Visit remind.com/join/richlrc to sign up directly.

Explore the new Teacher Hub today, and don't forget to join our Remind channel so we can support your classroom needs seamlessly!

We are so excited to refresh our library routines this year! To make the most of our space and give students more hands-on engagement, library time will look a little different from last year. We are transitioning to a two-part format that incorporates station rotations at the library tables during the second half of our visit. This update gives students the opportunity to explore STEM kits, crafts, and brain games while learning to manage their checkout time independently. Here is how our new schedule flows:

Part 1: The Library Lesson (~20 Minutes) We kick off every visit together as a community, gathering in the seating area by the library windows. During the first 20 minutes, students engage in an interactive library lesson—whether it’s a vibrant read-aloud, a deep dive into research skills, or a mini-lesson on digital citizenship and technology.

Part 2: Choose Your Adventure! (~20 Minutes) For the second half of library time, students move over to the tables. Checkout happens in a staggered fashion, with students being dismissed from their assigned table teams to head to the checkout desk and the bookshelves.

While waiting for their turn or after checking out, students can choose how they want to spend their time—curling up in a cozy spot for independent reading or exploring our hands-on station rotations:

🧩 Brain Games: Puzzles and classic board games.

🎨 Creativity Corners: Crafts, coloring and imaginative writing activities.

🧱 STEM & Maker Kits: Hands-on building and engineering sets.

🎧 Tech & Media: Immersive audiobooks and cutting-edge VR books!

When library time wraps up, students will be dismissed from their tables to line up on the velcro dots next to the table area.

Book Return & Checkout Periods:

• Standard Books: Checked out for 1 week at a time and may be renewed up to 3 times.

• Audio/Visual (A/V) Books: Checked out for 24 hours and may also be renewed up to 3 times. Students are encouraged to drop off or renew their A/V books at the library as soon as they walk into school the next morning!*

• Overdue & Replacement Policy: District 303 does not charge overdue fees or fines. If a book becomes lost, we will reach out to families asking for a book replacement. Replacing lost books is optional for families, but it is always greatly appreciated to help keep our library collection complete.

* - K/1 will not have the option to checkout A/V books until November

Book Return Process:

As students enter the library, they will individually place their returned books directly on the circulation desk. To keep things running smoothly, we ask each teacher to assign two students as "Library Helpers." This role can rotate as you see fit. These helpers will check in the class’s returned books at the beginning of library time and place books on the return cart with Mrs. Perkins.

• Renewals: If a student wants to renew a book, they don't put it on the circulation desk—they will take it to the self-checkout computer, select their profile, and tap "Renew."

Student Self-Checkout:

Students will continue using the self-checkout stations like last year. At the screen, students simply select their profile and scan the Richmond barcode of their books.

• Grades K–1: Younger students will use the self-checkout stations with guidance from classroom teachers, assistants, or LRC staff.

Staff Checkout:

Staff members are always welcome to check out materials! Staff checkout works the exact same way as student self-checkout: at the screen, classroom teachers will find their names listed under their own homeroom, and all other staff members can find their names under the dedicated "Staff" homeroom.

Teachers, please copy and paste the blurb below into your upcoming classroom newsletter to help spread the word to our Richmond families!

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Explore Our New LRC Website for Families! 📚✨

We are thrilled to share our brand-new Richmond LRC Family Website! Designed as a digital hub for our school community, this page makes it easy to stay connected with everything happening in our library.

By visiting our site, families can:

• Explore Digital Resources: Access online databases, e-books, and research tools for home learning.

• Stay Updated: See current library programming, read-aloud highlights, and special LRC events.

• Discover Reading Recommendations: Find curated book lists for every reading level to keep your students inspired.

Check out the site with your student today: Richmond LRC Family Webpage!