Looking for something new to read? Eager to spend some extra time with your youngster after school before you start your evening activities? Looking for a place to share stories with friends and neighbors? I hope so – because I’m so excited to be sharing this news with you:

The library will now be open for families after school every B rotation day from 3:15-4:00 PM!

Although the library is currently open many days after school, because of my unpredictable duty and meeting schedule, it’s not always possible to check out books or fully enjoy the space. But thanks to the amazing dedication of our St. Anne’s-Belfield School parent volunteers, families have a special time to enjoy our engaging, diverse, and exciting collection together in one of our campus’ most beautiful and inviting spaces! The coolest part? This program was designed and is run completely by parent volunteers. These friendly and knowledgeable parents will be running the show checking books in and out, shelving, and helping readers find the books that they love.

Did you know that each student has a parent in our library system, so that families can check out books to read at home together? There is no limit on the number of books a parent can check out, and we don’t charge overdue fines. Our library collection is just too good to keep to ourselves, so come share it and check out a big pile of books to read at home. Not in the system? No problem! Check out under your kiddo’s name, and make sure to give your name to the parent volunteer at the desk so that we can get you added in a jiffy.

To make checkout even easier, we’ve created a Family Library Time display featuring popular, family-friendly titles that make great read alouds or stories to share. Feel free to take any book from the display that you’d like – and add your favorites in their place! My hope is that this display will grow and change each week, making it a true reflection of our favorite family stories.

Don’t forget – it’s our school policy that students must be accompanied by a responsible adult on campus after 3:35 PM. Food and water are allowed in our library at any wooden table, but please do not handle books or sit on soft library furniture while you are snacking. Please respect our library space by putting books, objects, and soft cozy items back where you found them. If you’re not sure where a book belongs, please place it in the book return to be re-shelved correctly. Our library is not a silent space, but quiet voices help hard working readers to do their best work. And make sure to thank our wonderful parents, who are donating their time to make our library such a magical space.

We kicked Family Library Time off this week with such a fun crowd, and are so looking forward to watching our after school reading community grow. Mark these upcoming B day dates in your calendar*, and we’ll see you at 3:15!

• Thursday, September 20
• Friday, September 28
• Tuesday, October 10
• Thursday, October 18
• Friday, October 26
• Monday, November 5
• Wednesday, November 14

*Please note that if the school closes due to inclement weather, rotation days will shift the number of dates closed. For example, if we miss a day, B day will shift from Thursday, September 20, to Friday, September 21.