For Parents
Library Policies
Policies about using our library and the collection are explained fully on the Policies page.
Search Engines for Kids
The next time your child wants to jump on Google, why not try a search engine aimed at kids? (Note these are not filters, but rather they guide students to appropriate sites.) Here are some good ones:
WebPath Express - WIS subscription to excellent pre-screened web sites. Access it from our online library catalog
SweetSearch - sites are pre-selected by research experts at Dulcinea Media.
Students who have not yet learned how to evaluate web sites for credibility, bias, currentness, etc. are discouraged from using Google to search. However, if you use Google at home you may want to use their "Safesearch" option, a filter to prevent explicit content in its search results.
Parenting in the Digital Age
Common Sense Media - a site for parents of children of all ages that rates the latest video games, apps, movies, websites, etc. for content.
Webwise.ie for Parents - Webwise is the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre. It provides resources and advice on internet safety topics, including cyberbullying and privacy.
NetSmartz for Parents - Advice for parents, including how to recognize dangers and increase self-confidence whenever kids go online.
Tocomail.com - Tocomail is a free email client for Gmail with optional parental controls available for a fee through an in app purchase.
ICL Learning Outcomes
At the start of the 2014-2015 academic year, the WIS Primary School released its Information and Communication Literacies Learning Outcomes for students in grades 1 through 5. The Outcomes have been revised twice since then and are applied throughout the school.
Where can I find good books in our three languages, other than the library shelves?
Our eBooks collection is a great place to start, and here are some more resources to try:
English:
DC Public Library RECOMMENDED BOOKS, organized into PreK through grade 6 lists
Montgomery County Public Library BOOK LISTS and MORE BOOK LISTS.
American book awards
CALDECOTT (Illustrators of American picture books)
CORETTA SCOTT KING (African American authors and illustrators)
NEWBERY (Authors of American literature)
PURA BELPRÉ (Latino/Latina authors and illustrators portraying Latino cultural experience)
WE ARE KID LIT Collective's book lists (Authors and illustrators who are indigenous or people of color)
The Boston Globe HORN BOOK AWARD
French:
ALLIANCE FRANÇAIS DC - the children's collection is open to the public for on-site reading. Joining as a member allows you to also borrow the books.
POLITICS & PROSE - local bookstore in northwest DC with a small French children's section
PRIX ALBERTINE JEUNESSE - Book list of francophone reader's choice award, from the French Embassy Cultural Services
CENTRE NATIONAL DU LIVRE LECTURES D'ÉTÉ - Recommended summer reading list from the French national library
Spanish:
DC Public Library's recommended LIBROS PARA NIÑOS (Spanish books)
Montgomery County Public Library's "GREAT LATINO/A PICTURE BOOKS" - many are bi-lingual
Spanish and French at local public libraries
The public libraries below have children’s books available for borrowing in French and Spanish, even to residents in the DC area living outside their borders. Their online catalogs do not represent their language collections well so we recommend going into the branches detailed below to browse. Ask a children's librarian to help you select more from their catalog and the books can be brought to you at your branch of choice.
If you are looking for French then we recommend 1) Montgomery County Public Libraries' Bethesda branch (7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda, MD) and Rockville branch (2100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD) and 2) DC Public Library's Georgetown branch (3260 R St, NW) and Cleveland Park branch (3310 Connecticut Ave, NW).
If you are looking for Spanish then we recommend 1) Montgomery County Public Libraries' Bethesda branch (7400 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD) and Rockville branch (2100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD) and 2) DC Public Library's Mt. Pleasant branch (3160 16th St, NW) and 3) Arlington Public Library's Central library (1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA).
Local bookstore partners
Browse the carefully selected titles from our book fair vendors' online stores and place an order for at-home delivery.
BOOKWORM CENTRAL for English and Spanish
Enter Org Code at top of page: "wisp" and our Library will earn 15%
Shipping is free for orders over $20.
BONJOUR BOOKS for French
Shipping is free.
Encouraging reading
DC Public Library's summer reading program is a fun way to keep reading and earn prizes. Here is a flyer to learn about the GEORGETOWN BRANCH'S program.
READING ROCKETS is a national multimedia literacy initiative offering information and resources on how kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.
Book reviews
Book reviews are a wonderful way to share recommendations within a community. WIS students can write book reviews in the library and often in their classrooms. We can also share them via our online catalog. If you'd like to read book reviews written by students outside of WIS and perhaps even write your own, visit Scholastic's "Share What You're Reading."