At Rodeph Sholom School, our comprehensive library program supports our students’ evolving literacy needs. Each division’s library offers unique resources and opportunities tailored to students’ developmental stages, fostering not just reading skills but a genuine love of literature.
Early Childhood Library: Building Foundations
Our Early Childhood Library serves as a welcoming introduction to the world of books for our youngest learners. Students from the Twos program through Kindergarten visit weekly with their classes, exploring age-appropriate literature specifically curated for their developmental needs.
Parents are invited to share in this literary journey by visiting the ECD library with their children any morning before drop-off, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 8:45 am. This early morning reading time creates special one-on-one moments between parents and children while reinforcing the importance of literacy from the earliest ages. Friday mornings, the day parents walk their children up to their classrooms, some families have made stopping by the library part of their Friday routine.
They can also keep current with the regularly changing, eye-catching display of books for each Jewish holiday, new season, and monthly heritage celebration. These early morning gatherings in the library have also become something of a multigenerational affair, with baby siblings, fathers, grandparents, and caregivers joining in the fun too!
The library also offers a unique parent volunteer program on Tuesday mornings. Volunteers assist with various projects, including covering new books and creating materials based on beloved characters like the “Library Mouse” from Daniel Kirk’s popular series. These volunteer-created resources inspire young children to see themselves as authors and illustrators of their own stories.
Elementary Division Library: Growing Independence
As students transition to the Elementary Division, the library program evolves to support their developing reading skills through small group instruction and individualized learning approaches. The curriculum maintains a student-centered focus, engaging children with materials that match both their interests and abilities.
A highlight of the library program is the Mock Newbery Award project for 4th and 5th graders. Students read multiple nominated books, create their own creative categories for evaluation (including playful designations like “Most Overlooked Book” and “Ms. Shaw’s Best Plot Twist”), and ultimately vote for their favorite. This year’s student choice was The Frindle Files by Andrew Clements.
Middle School Library: The Action Center
In Middle School, the library transforms into the “Action Center (AC),” reflecting students’ growing academic independence. This drop-in resource space provides curriculum and organizational support across all subject areas.
Students can visit the Action Center during study hall periods when they need guidance with assignments, help understanding concepts, or assistance getting started on projects. Staffed by Middle School faculty from various disciplines and overseen by a learning specialist, the AC encourages students to take responsibility for their learning and advocate for their academic needs.
In addition, English classes visit the MS Library regularly to select new and interesting independent reading books, Hebrew classes shop our expanded Hebrew collection, and advisories have utilized our reference collection when researching notable figures in American History. The MS Library Action Center is, in many ways, the home base of the Middle School.
Family Book Clubs: Connecting Through Literature
One of the most beloved features of our library program is the Family Book Club series, which brings parents and children together to share the joy of reading. The program follows a simple but effective format: Participating families receive a book to read together at home, then gather at school for a morning discussion complete with snacks and conversation.
These book clubs create meaningful opportunities for families to connect through literature while reinforcing the school’s commitment to developing lifelong readers. Each selection represents award-winning literature, exposing students to excellence in children’s publishing while fostering important discussions around the themes presented in these outstanding books.
The final round of Family Book Clubs will soon be underway. Each session is thoughtfully facilitated by our dedicated librarians, Helen Singer, Elizabeth Shaw, and Amy Sulds, who create engaging discussions that deepen students’ connection to literature.
Upcoming books include:
- Kindergarten and 1st Grade Book Club: Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers, 2025 Caldecott Medalist
- 2nd and 3rd Grade Book Club: Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle and Jason Chin, 2025 Sibert Medalist
- 4th and 5th Grade Book Club: Popcorn by Rob Harrell, 2025 Schneider Family Book Award winner
- 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Book Club: The First State of Being by Erin Estrada Kelly
Annual Parents Association-Sponsored Book Fair: Supporting Our Libraries
Each fall, the annual Parent Association-sponsored Book Fair serves to support our library program and school community. This much-loved celebration of literacy and the printed word brings students, parents, and faculty together around a shared love of books.
Profits from the sales of books and other items go directly to the Parents Association and are used to support a variety of events throughout the school year. Beyond just a fundraiser, the Book Fair creates an opportunity for our community to engage in simple but meaningful mitzvot that benefit our school libraries.
One special tradition is the bookplate program, which allows families to leave their mark in the Rodeph Sholom School Libraries. For a donation of $18, families can purchase a bookplate that they can sign, dedicate, or decorate at the Book Fair. The school libraries receive 100% of the proceeds from all bookplate sales, directly enhancing our collections and the resources available to students.
The Book Fair not only helps stock our library shelves with the latest award-winning titles, diverse perspectives, and curriculum-supporting resources but also provides an opportunity for students to build their home libraries while strengthening our school community through shared literary experiences.
A Unified Approach to Literacy
Across all three divisions, Rodeph Sholom School’s library program reflects the school’s mission of challenging academics paired with strong values and ethics. Reading, writing, and oral expression are taught in conjunction, with texts becoming increasingly complex as students progress through the grades.
From the self-identity focus in Early Childhood to the rich textual analysis in Middle School, our library program plays a role in facilitating a continuous path of literacy development that grows with our students, supporting them as they become thoughtful readers, writers, and thinkers.
To learn more about how Rodeph Sholom School might be a good fit for your family, contact admissions@rssnyc.org or inquire below.