Whitehall Public Library has launched a new initiative, the Teacher Classroom Book Bundle, to provide teachers with themed content for their classrooms at no charge to the teacher or the school district.
Teachers may register for a subscription with a library card. The resource also is available to parents who are borough residents or non-residents, who have a library card and are homeschooling their children. The initiative already has 17 subscribers and continues to grow in popularity.
“Having worked with so many wonderful teachers over the years, it has been my experience that educators are always looking for fun, new ways to engage students,” said children’s librarian Denise Ignasky. “We design the teacher kits to provide new books that may not be available in the school or classroom library. All of the supporting materials and learning activities encourage further exploration of the stories provided within the kits.”
Each Teacher Classroom Book Bundle includes resources such as themed books, songs, rhymes, flannels and storytime props. New boxes are delivered to the school at the beginning of the month and picked up at the end of the month. The library notifies teachers in advance about delivery and pick-up dates. Delivery is only available to schools and child-care facilities in the Baldwin-Whitehall area. Non-residents and home-schooling educators may pick up the bundles at the library.
“I wanted to personally thank Denise and her team for being a tremendous community resource for our students, families and our Baldwin Whitehall staff,” said Melissa Anderson, a teacher in Baldwin Whitehall School District. “The recent initiative she created has been a highly motivating and rewarding experience for both myself and our students.”
As the subscription service is new, Ignasky chooses themes by events happening within the month, such as seasons, holidays and famous people. An educator may request a special theme or topic with advanced notice. Ignasky also plans to survey teachers to gauge future themes and resources that may be of interest.
For more information, or to become a subscriber, visit whitehallpubliclibrary.org or call 412-882-6622.
