Another term ending

As the Easter vacation approaches, it is hard to believe two thirds of the school year is over already. So much has been achieved since I arrived at Rego but there is still so much more which could have, and should have, been possible.

I have taken an empty space with only boxes and turned it into a proper functioning Library with space for students of all ages to read, study and carry out activities. We have held a very successful Book Week which has involved the entire Primary School and resulted in a superb Creative Writing Competition by the Literacy Co-ordinator; our Book Dragon; a Dress-up parade; 2 day Book Fair and new books for the Library from the Book Fair.

Library skills are underway with all students in Years 3 and 4 completing a unit on organisation of Fiction books, and Year 5 exploring the Dewey Decimal System. Foundation and Y1 and 2 are fairly solid in their knowledge of how the Picture books are shelved and how to look after them and they are starting to enjoy selecting from the small Non-Fiction section in their area. Have done some limited research skills with Y6 but am continually frustrated that only half the Y6 classes come to Library on a regular basis.

There is a wonderful team of parent helpers who organise displays; stamp and cover books and generally appear when I most need them. They are now being supplemented by some enthusiastic Y6 students who come down at break and lunch to do some stamping and sticking date pages in.

On the other side there is an increasing list of areas which need to be addressed and are not.

Top of the list, as it has been since the start is purchasing - none of the orders I have raised have been placed with suppliers - they have all been approved by both the Primary and Whole School Principal but that doesn't seem to make any difference. We haven't had a newspaper in the Library since Dec last year and the whole school is waiting for printer cartridges. At the moment the Library has 2 of the only working printers in the entire Primary School, and they won't last the week.

This has meant that any new books are as result of parent donations, credit from the Scholastic Book Club and credit from the recent Book Fair. Basically our parents are paying out more money to fund the school library over and above the fees they have already paid.

The new Oliver Library system is still not up and running, it's been almost an entire term now. The head of IT comes to the Primary Library most weeks and spends a couple of hours talking to Softlink in Australia or disappearing to the server room to try other options but the situation remains the same - Oliver doesn't work at Rego. So no OPACs and a limit to the skills that can be shared with the students.

Soft furnishings are non-existent, we have 15 very shabby cushions that came over from the old building and some pieces of carpet but none of the bean bags we were promised or sofas or anything else to make the Library a comfortable, attractive place for the students to visit and relax.

I have decided that the frustration of not being able to provide the kind of Library servies required is too much and today I resigned from Rego. I will work my notice during the Summer term and start afresh at a different school in the next academic year. The staff, students and parents at Rego are a wonderful community of people, however the School Board are only interested in making as much profit as possible at the expense of the students' learning environment. This is a real shame as there is such potential for Rego to be a great school.