PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Sleek new look for the Hamersley Centre
The renovation of the Preparatory School Hamersley Centre was completed early in Term 2 , with the new look library now flooded with natural light , new shelving and lots of soft furnishings !
If it ’ s been a while since you visited the Hamersley Centre , you will notice some big changes ! Gone are the high metal shelves , replaced with sleek low , curved shelving , lots of natural light and space that is conducive to inquiry and small group learning .
The library is very well utilised and is required to accommodate lots of different learning scenarios , from small groups , individuals , classes and event adult groups . As a result we created several zones to allow for multiple classes and activities to take place at any one time .
The fiction area has been relocated to become one zone , where students can browse the shelves and kick back on the soft furnishings . The picture book section , popular to all , but mostly our early learners , changed to forward facing displays allowing the children to actually flick through books and be enticed by the myriad of titles and characters displayed on the covers . This is an approach that is widely used in book stores and which has become very popular in libraries .
Our biggest coup was relocating the nonfiction section onto the curved lower shelving that flows through the centre of our library ! This change has bought about a burst of natural light and the curves create little nooks where students can bunker down and read . More importantly , it makes our resources more accessible !
Our booth seating is incredibly popular for groups working collaboratively . The concentrated and focused work that has come out of these booths has far exceeded our hopes and expectations .
For more individual and concentrated work the benches looking out over the hockey field have become very popular for all ages . At times students have sat in an almost meditative state , contemplating whatever challenge they are facing or simply thinking through their tasks and approach .
Next on the agenda is the transformation of the traditional computer lab into a creative , collaborative “ ideas building centre ”. Stay tuned for this transformation over the coming months .
Feel free to pop in and explore our dynamic space before or after school with your children or perhaps on your own !
Mrs De Graber Teacher Librarian
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