Springboard International Bilingual School is committed to ensuring that students can successfully read and understand in both English and Chinese languages. It has a total of three libraries to service the students learning needs and interests. Librarian teams in libraries are tasked with assisting both students and staff with book selections, managing the circulation desk, cataloguing and maintaining collections, as well as the supervision and management of student behaviors.
The Elementary School Library was established in September 2012 and is located in a prominent position on the ground floor of the Elementary School building. In 2019 the library experienced a renovation to support the reading programs of the school. The library space is light, colorful and relaxed. Just perfect to encourage reading!
In the early days, the library was used by approximately 110 students, and the collection of books was only about 1,500. Now the Elementary school library has more than 17,000 books in its collection. It has a vast amount of picture books and a broad range of non-fiction books. It also has many Chinese titles that the students adore and a small collection of books in other languages such as Korean. A majority of the collection is comprised of leveled reading books. Teachers assess the reading levels and abilities of their pupils. Once a student knows their reading level, they can choose books which are at an appropriate level for their ability while still extending their comprehension and reading skills. This allows students to feel accomplished in their reading. To further enhance the reading abilities of the students, KG classes through to grade 3 classes all have assigned library class time with our experienced librarian. During this time, our librarian engages students with exciting read-a-loud books as well as teaches students about how a library works, genre of books and the differences between fiction and non-fiction. Students enjoy using the library during their break times to read for fun!
The secondary school library was established in August 2017 and is conveniently located on the second floor of the senior building. Initially, the library housed about 12,000 books. Within two years, through the continued investment of the principal and the efforts of the library teachers, now the collection of books is in excess of 20,000 books. Titles include, 3000 Chinese books, foreign books, non-fiction titles, leveled reading books, and a vast array of classroom novel sets. All Grades 4 and 5 students are scheduled to visit the library each week. Middle and high school students visit the library with their teachers, especially if they are completing research or assignments. All students are welcome to visit the library during their lunchtimes.
In addition, the kindergarten has its own library which is managed by the Kindergarten teachers. Whilst the students do not borrow from this library, it gives the teachers many resources for the teaching and learning needs of their classrooms. Over 600 Chinese books are found in this collection and close to 1000 English titles. New titles are being added to this collection all the time which teachers enjoy borrowing for their own classroom libraries and to support their lessons.
SIBS students have the opportunity to be involved with the Scholastic Bookclub Inc. (Chinese: American School Music Education Group) twice a year. This provides families with the opportunity to order original English books to support the reading habits and overall English abilities of their children. In return, Scholastic gives Juncheng points to purchase new titles for their libraries. We have exchanged points and received over 4,000 books thanks to this scheme. Thanks to families who have supported this project!
