At Anthony Burns we are so lucky to have some of the best students ever. Our students know the meaning of being responsible citizens. At the beginning of the school year all students were given lessons on how to take care of books. You can help us by reinforcing these rules at home:

1. help your children find a safe place to store their books when they bring them home from school
2. keep books away from pets and siblings
3. don’t allow your children to take their books to parks unless you are sure they will remember to take them home
4. don’t allow your children to eat at the table while they read, or take a bath (we had a book fall in the tub as well as the toilet)
5. please teach your children to wash their hands before they read
6. ask your children to throw away any uneaten lunch otherwise there is a possibility that fruit or other items can leak from the lunch box on to books that are in the backpack
7. check newsletters from teachers to find out when your child has library and make sure they return their books.

Students are allowed to check out books for two weeks, and may renew them provided they are not on hold for another student. Any student with a book checked out for over a month will not be allowed to check out books until that book is returned. There are no fees associated with overdue books.

Students know they are responsible for damaged or missing library books. I asked students for their help in defining what damaged books are.

The following constitutes damaged books:
• wet ( wet books mold and swell the bindings and can’t be put on the shelf)
• books marked with crayons or pens ( replacement costs to be determined by amount of markings)
• food stains
• cut or pages missing
• eaten by pets (yes this did happen)

The extent of damages to a book will be determined when the book is returned to the library. I will check over the book and if payment is necessary I will send a note home with your student.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call or email me.(loewpa@staffordschools.net)

The following is the check out policy for books.

Kindergarten: one book
We will learn at the beginning of the school year to take care of books and it is hoped that by the end of January they will be able to start bringing books home.

First grade: one book

Second grade:currently one book, at the end of January they will be able to check out 2 books including books from the nonfiction area.

Third grade through fifth grade may check out two books, unless they are doing a special project or are in the book club.

Please keep in mind the library is open for student checkout every day unless otherwise posted. Parents please review the policy on overdue or damaged books.

The Anthony Burns Mission Statement exists to support and enrich the curriculum of Stafford County School District. It is also our mission to provide current and readily accessible information from a variety of print, visual, and electronic sources and to teach the skills necessary to access, retrieve, and use information in a productive way. The ultimate goal is to teach our students to become effective users of information and lifelong learners.