Learning and Project Commons

Goal or Mission

At Michael Strembitsky Learning Commons, our goal is to ensure that students develop as critical and creative thinkers, evaluators, ethical users and creators of information. It is our mission to prepare lifelong learners, information literate citizens able to determine their information needs, recognize relevant information, pose questions, solve problems and effectively communicate their findings. It is our belief that literacy for all learners encompasses a broad set of skills and competencies. Therefore, we are working towards creating a student centered learning commons where students are supported in their diverse interests and learning needs across the programs of study and have timely, seamless access, both in person and online, to accurate, reliable, appropriate, current and scholarly information. It is our belief that reading fiction and nonfiction in a multitude of formats is cornerstone to a student's ability to access, examine, evaluate, restructure, create, communicate and reflect upon learning and knowledge.

Supporting Learning

Our learning commons supports ongoing project based, inquiry, collaborative and interdisciplinary learning both in real-time and online so activities and spaces in the learning commons are flexible in design to accommodate small groups, individual readers, large group instruction and multimedia presentation. We are working towards building the collection - fiction and nonfiction books, graphic novels, picture books, audiovisual materials, online resources, film, multi-media, personal/mobile devices, etc. – to create a media-saturated and technology-rich environment that will continue to grow and reflect the diverse interests and learning needs of our school community. It is our hope that the learning commons provides both an inviting and productive learning environment where students and staff have access to a wide variety of digital and print resources for research and enjoyment.