THE LEARNING CENTRE (LIBRARY)
The Pittwater High School Learning Centre is a welcoming space set over two levels in D Block that connects with all facets of school life and learning.
The Learning Centre is open for all students from 8.00 am Monday - Friday, remains open every Morning Tea and Lunch (except to accommodate staff meetings and formal examinations on occasion), and until 4.30 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (closing times are extended in the lead up to and during Year 11 and 12 exam periods).
We are proud to boast that Pittwater High School Learning Centre offers one of the largest range of services and facilities of any comparable high school library. Our facilities and services include:
A fully air-conditioned library facility containing:
- Quiet and comfortable reading spaces
- Flexible study spaces which support both group and independent study, including four bookable meeting rooms for Year 11 and 12 students equipped with state-of-the-art technology to support collaboration (see the pictures below)
- A computer room with 30 computers
Fantastic support for readers:
- A huge fiction collection with contemporary books for all ages, including short stories and graphic novels, with new titles arriving all the time
- Over 1,500 eBook and over 800 audiobook titles students can access with any device at any time for free Wheelers
- Book request services
We also provide full support for the Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) – each year the Learning Centre team closely tracks students’ progress in the PRC from primary school and strongly encourages students to achieve completion milestones in the challenge, including gold and platinum certificates and medals.
Great tools to support effective learning and research:
- A well-resourced nonfiction collection including science, legal and international affairs magazines
- World Book Online encyclopaedia World Book Online
- ClickView educational video streaming service ClickView
- Information on how to apply for a State Library NSW Card, which gives students free access to a huge range of academic article databases.
A comprehensive standalone library website containing catalogue information for our entire resource collection as well as information on new books, featured authors and series, the capacity for students to review books they read, instructions for students to access electronic resources the Learning Centre supports, along with updates on competitions and other school events.
Students can access this website via their Student Portal (http://student.det.nsw.edu.au/web) and selecting ‘My School Library (Oliver).
A dedicated Learning Centre Instagram account, which showcases new books, updates to our facilities and services, information on competitions and events supported by the Learning Centre, as well as important information on events and resources that can encourage senior students’ success in their studies. Follow us @phs_learning_centre.
The Senior Learning Centre (SLC) – senior students are supported by teachers during their study periods to help them develop and apply research and study skills, thus build their resilience and confidence as highly capable learners. While studying students can also access the Learning Centre’s senior resource table of resources (pictured below), as well as our senior study guide collection containing the very latest publications for most Year 11 and 12 subjects offered at PHS, including:
- Cambridge Checkpoints (HSC exam questions and answers)
- ATAR Notes (summarised study notes and topic tests)
- Excel Success One (HSC exam questions and answers)
- Excel study guides (comprehensive study notes, revision questions and sample exams)
- Copies of the textbooks used in most senior subjects so students don’t have to bring them in from home
More information on the SLC is available here: Pittwater High Senior Learning Centre
New for 2021 – ICAN (I Conquer Assessment Now) Masterclasses! ICAN Masterclasses will address skills within Year 11 and 12 assessment tasks (and some for other stages) that students are very often unfamiliar with/unconfident with/would benefit from expansion of their skills in, such as effective:
- Use of Google as a research tool
- Use of Google Scholar and other academic research sources such as SLNSW
- Referencing
- Resource annotation/analysis
- Quotation/paraphrasing use and other means of avoiding plagiarism
This builds on the success the Teacher Librarian has had with regularly delivering these sessions within timetabled classes several years. The program will have the potential to expand to other stages beyond 2021.
There will be a maximum of 3 identical ICAN Masterclass sessions delivered each week in order to suit students’ needs and each session will be a maximum of 45 minutes in length (from 2:30 to 3:15pm). Students should keep a look out for alerts about upcoming masterclass sessions from the start of 2021.
Beyond the bell – supervised by teachers from 2.25-3:15pm every Monday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday if you have:
- Classwork to catch up on or need help understanding better
- Homework to finish
- Assessment tasks to research or write
Year 12 Major Work Support – a collection of past Band 6-grade major works and major work portfolios in the following subjects that students can refer to while on their study periods or borrow them for a short period to refer to them at home.
- Accelerated Aboriginal Studies (essays and log books)
- Deign and Technology (design portfolios)
- History Extension (essays, source annotations and log books)
- Industrial Technology Multimedia (major work portfolios)
- Industrial Technology Timber (major work portfolios)
- Music 2 (composition log books)
- Society and Culture (Personal Interest Projects)
- Textiles and Design (major work portfolios)
The Year 7 Connected Learning Program, which introduces students in this cohort to the very online and device-oriented nature of learning in high school. Delivered by the Teacher Librarian in the specific context of students’ various subjects, Connected Learning engages students to successfully connect, collaborate and create as 21st century leaners. Following are just a few of the focus areas of this program:
- Digital organisation
- Detecting Fake News/Information
- Using alternative online research sources to Google
- Using the ClickView educational video streaming platform effectively
- Cyber Safety
- eBooks and Audiobooks
Comprehensive Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) support available to students:
- The technology support office within the Learning Centre is staffed every school day by highly trained technicians
- Charger loans for most BYOD device types
- Long-term and short-term loan devices are available upon enquiry
- Device charging stations
More information on Pittwater High’s BYOD program is available here: Pittwater High's BYOD Program
Comprehensive support for students wanting to enter writing, design and other competitions – the Learning Centre provides comprehensive promotion of competitions. We also support student entry into these competitions by providing displays of themed books, writing guides and more. As a result, we have a proud history of student success in these competitions, including 1st place in both the junior and senior secondary ‘Write Round the Bends’ creative writing competition between Pittwater and Barrenjoey High Schools!
Production Room – A fully equipped 'green room' that students can book for filming, animation, group presentation work and video-based learning.
Full printing facilities – students can print off their work in A3 or A4 in full colour for just 10 cents a page! Pittwater High's Printing Facilities
+ more!!