The school library supports a love of reading, inspires life-long learning, and fosters independence. Students visit once a week with their class to check out materials and to practice information literacy skills. The library is an inviting space where students may acquire knowledge and gain insight; a welcoming haven where children may seek respite from a demanding day; a stimulating place where they may open books and open their minds for a better tomorrow.

 

The library is open to students most days at 8:10am and during lunch and recess.

 

After school enrichments activities take place in the library on regular school days and the library is not available to students outside of these activities during that time.

 

Students are encouraged to participate in reading challenges throughout the year, and can log their participation on Beanstack via Classlink (or with the student's email - [email protected] - as the username, and last name in all lowercase as the password). Below is a helpful video which explains how to log reading in Beanstack.

At Union Hill School, we’re excited to introduce two amazing features in Beanstack this year! These additions are designed to inspire and reward our students as they work toward our school-wide reading goal of 1 million minutes.

 

The Book Machine

Reading just got even more exciting! We’re partnering with Baker & Taylor to bring students an entirely online rewards program where they can select books as prizes when they reach reading milestones.

Here’s how it works:

• When students earn a Beanstack badge with a Book Machine reward, they can visit the Book Machine “store” online to select their prize.
• Once a month, Baker & Taylor will ship the selected books to our school for a fun unboxing event.

What types of books are available?
Titles include high-interest books like Henry Hecklebeck Builds a Robot, Attack of the Not-So-Virtual Monsters, and Swap’d, ensuring there’s something for every young reader.

FAQs

• Is there an actual vending machine? Nope! The Book Machine is entirely online.
• How do students pick their book? After earning a qualifying badge, students will see a “Pick a Book” button in Beanstack, directing them to the Book Machine site to browse and select their reward.

 

Book Talks with Benny

We’re taking reading accountability to a whole new level with Book Talks with Benny, part of Beanstack’s innovative Reading Integrity Suite. Benny, an AI-powered assistant, engages students in fun, age-appropriate conversations about their reading.

• For Students: A friendly partner that makes reading discussions engaging and non-intimidating.
• For Educators: Valuable insights into reading habits, with tools to evaluate flagged log entries and promote genuine reading progress.

Learn more about this feature on the Beanstack Blog.

Let’s make this our best reading year yet! 🎉