At the heart of the school’s program of inquiry is St. Mary’s IB Hub. Students utilize it for research and 21st-century information skills learning and it is a source of enjoyment for our entire school community. The IB Hub offers resources in multiple formats and languages to inspire imagination, nurture storytellers, reflect personal interests, and contribute to the classroom units of inquiry for both PYP and MYP. The physical and digital resources reflects a true understanding of IB principles.
In addition to a large print selection of picture books, fiction, non-fiction and reference materials, the IB Hub features e-books, DVDs and several online subscription resources for our students to conduct research in more than 1,000 full-text periodicals.
The IB Hub houses a World Languages Collection which features books and magazines in more than ten languages, including Spanish, French & Mandarin Chinese.
Students in the Early Education Program visit the IB Hub weekly for story time and an opportunity to check out books. Lower School students in K-2 also visit weekly as a class for story time and the opportunity to check out books. Students learn about the parts of a book, maps, real versus imaginary stories, how to use shelf markers, and how to care for their books. Grades 3-5 visit the library independently, in small groups or as a class during research projects.
St. Mary’s Director of Information Services introduces students to Information and Research Skills beginning in Kindergarten and builds upon the fundamental skills each year as students advance in their academic pursuits.