Council Traditional School Library Media Center
Contact
Heather Hartmann
Phone: (251) 221-1136
hhartmann@mcpss.com
Welcome
My name is Heather Hartmann. I am the Library Media Specialist at Council, and I want to personally welcome you to Council's library webpage. On this page, you will find our hours of operation, check-out limits, and information on overdue, lost or damaged books. If you would like more detailed information, you may view the CTS or MCPSS Library handbooks in the forms area. There are also links to many helpful websites, including our library catalog.
Hours of Operation
The Council Traditional School Library is open from 8:10 AM-2:45 PM Monday through Friday. This time is divided between library classes and open circulation.
See the CTS handbook in the forms section for more detailed information about the library, including a detailed daily schedule.
Students in Pre-K through 1st grade may check out one book at a time for a period of two weeks. Students in 2nd through 5th grade may check out two books at a time for a period of two weeks. All students have the opportunity to renew books if they need more time to read them; however, the book must be brought to the library for renewal.
Overdue/Lost/Damaged Books
Students will not be charged overdue fees; however, they will not be
allowed to get more books until all overdue books are returned. Students are required to pay for any lost or damaged books before they
will be able to check out more books. Any fines for lost or damaged
books not paid from previous years, including at another school, will
carry over to the next school year.
Links
Council Library
Council Traditional School Library
Search our our library catalog to see what great books are currently available. The district Sora e-book platform is also integrated into this program.
CARP
Renaissance AR Tests
The Renaissance site is where students take CARP tests. These tests are taken at school during regular school hours only. Access CARP test scores at home with a Home Connect account. Ask your student's teacher about signing up for an account today.
AR Book Finder
Type in any book title and see if it has a CARP test!
myOn
MyOn is a subscription based e-book platform that the district provides. It contains many nonfiction books that supplement what students are learning in their classes, while also providing a large selection of fiction. Teachers can assign e-books for students to read or students can read a book of their choice for pleasure. All students have access to this platform via Clever by clicking the myOn app and can read books anywhere they have an internet connection.
Sora
Sora is an e-book platform that the district uses to purchase books for the entire school system. All students have access to this platform via Clever by clicking the Sora app and can read books anywhere they have an internet connection.
Epic!Epic! is a resource for students 12 years old and younger that includes numerous e-books, videos and quizzes. Books range from those that read to the students to those that the students read themselves and even includes Spanish books. It is a paid subscription for parents, but for educators it is free and comes with a class code for students to use. Ask your child's teacher if he or she has an account today or take a look at the parent account option.
Educational Websites
Discovery Education
Discovery Education it a district provided resource that has a huge collection of educational videos, images, and teacher/student created boards to learn from. Student usernames and passwords are the same as student computer login and e-mail. This is a awesome resource for research.
Starfall
Starfall helps students learn their letters, sounds, and short and long vowels. It has short stories and short activities to do for several holidays also. It is a fun and educational site for younger students.
Cool Math 4 Kids
Cool Math 4 Kids has several math games and activities to practice math concepts, as well as lessons on basic math operations. This site is great for elementary students to build math skills.
Public Libraries
Alabama Virtual Library
The Alabama Virtual Library hosts databases full of a variety of resources, quality encyclopedias, and even e-books. Go to Student Resources. Choose Elementary. Explore the wonderful options available. This is a fantastic resource for research.
Mobile Public Library
Stop by any Mobile Public Library branch and get a library card. You not only have access to the thousands of books the public library holds, but by downloading the Cloud Library app you have access to numerous e-books as well. Check out the website to learn more about the many resources and e-resources available. This is a great option for CARP and research.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has many great resources for research available.
Helpful/Research Websites
Homework Help
Go to the Alabama Homework Help website to get help with any homework you may have questions about.
Researching State Symbols
State Symbols USA contains articles and pictures of the symbols for each state in the United States of America. This is a great research resource.
Biography.com
Biography.com is a collection of quality biographies and video clips related to thousands of people, both past and present. Citation information is included at the end of each article making this a great site for research. Please be mindful that the ads are aimed toward adults and that video clips are for a wide range of ages, so please check the rating and content for students.
Parent Resources
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is a great parent resource website. It offers reviews of books, movies, television shows, apps, websites and games. There is a huge parent section for help in dealing with numerous concerns facing children as they grow up today.
Cyberwise
Cyberwise is an amazing website for parents. It has numerous resources to help parents stay current on what apps children are using, what digital citizenship is and how to guide children to make good choices online, and how to keep children safe on the internet.