St Paul’s has a well-equipped digital library that plays a central role in learning and teaching. It helps to meet the needs of all learners, empowers young people and encourages them to develop into lifelong learners.
Each class has a weekly borrowing session – sharing and encouraging reading – with their class teacher and the teacher librarian. We offer a vast range of fiction for all ages which ensures students are constantly curious about new titles and authors. We also house a wide range of non-fiction to support learning and will soon be releasing our new e-book selection to encourage students’ interests. Students also participate in the K-6 Premier’s Reading Challenge during borrowing sessions.
Themed fun book displays keep the library vibrant and encourage the students to see “what’s new”. The annual themed Book Week is another highlight in the school year with author visits, competitions and crafts aimed at all year groups. This terms Library lessons are focused on visual literacy, as we work with the CBCA shortlisted books. We also hold our annual Book Character Parade and a Book Fair to celebrate the love of reading.
Students also participate in formal library lessons with the teacher librarian each fortnight. These lessons focus on integrating technology with 21st century learning skills: Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving and Digital Citizenship.
The library itself is comfortable and welcoming and open every lunchtime. Students have access to a range of resources including computers, iPads and books. Extracurricular activities are also promoted during recess and lunch breaks including the Premier’s Reading Challenge, Story Bird/Creative Writing, ICT skills, Filmmaking and Photography and Coding 3-6.
CODING
St Paul’s Code Club provides our students with the skills of the future. Coding, in the simplest of terms, is telling a computer what you want it to do using computational language. More importantly it offers the students the opportunity to learn how to collaborate, create, communicate and problem solve.
Code Club is project-based learning using the software ‘Scratch’ which is aligned to the National Digital Technologies Curriculum. Our coders meet weekly and love being a part of a community of like-minded people, making new friends and coding awesome things together.
STEM
St Paul’s provides access to STEM learning for our students. STEM develops the deep mathematical and scientific underpinnings students need to be competitive in the 21st century workforce.
St Paul’s library has been designing integrated units of work that are inquiry-based with an emphasis on STEM skills and knowledge. Our STEM activities include focusing on real world issues like sustainability: water cycles, animal extinction, a frog study and recycling. Students problem solve using research and inquiry processes and team work. Resources include items as simple as playdough and paper, right through to utilising various digital technology and our 3D Printer.
