April 16, 2021
DISTRICT RESOURCES K-12
- Instructional Services Website: For all your district-vetted resources K-12! Check it out!
- Aboriginal Resources vetted by the District
- District Learning Commons – K-12 Resources to book out! Kits, Lit Circle Sets and more!
- TCS Sites (TCS SS-grade 3, 4-8, Secondary): Key resources are still being placed in these Teams. If you need access to one of these Teams, please email karinwright@sd35.bc.ca.
DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES and RESOURCES
Kids These Days: A Game Plan for (Re)Connecting with Those We Teach, Lead, and Love
April 27, May 25, and June 15 [Register]
We have the potential to make a huge impact on a student’s wellbeing. But are educators okay? Let’s explore how we as educators can look after ourselves to ensure that we are okay, so that we can show up for our students and connect with them. This is a book study for educators: the teachers, bus drivers, administrators, educational assistants, custodians- anyone who leads, loves and supports kids.
SD35’s Read-Speak-Champion Virtual Author Series with Author Sarah Suk
Tuesday, May 25 [Register]
As contemporary educators, we have a responsibility to share diverse stories and varied perspectives with our students. To do so, it’s integral that we first listen to and learn from those voices ourselves. Join us to learn from Sarah Suk, a Canadian Korean Young Adult Author, about her author journey, diversity in kidlit, and how WE can support diverse authors in our educational spaces.
HR Post & Fill Information Meeting
Monday, April 26th, 3:30 to 4:30 pm
Mark Petrik, our District Human Resources Office, will explain the process and protocols for applying for postings, attending interviews, and accepting jobs for the upcoming school year. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. If you need any further information, please contact Brenda Barlow. Attend the meeting using this link.
CONNECTING TO OUR COMMUNITY
Langley SD #35 Teacher Writes a COVID-19 Children’s Book!
When the World Panics by Jillian Knuttila is a timely tale wherein Lilly overcomes her worry and finds strategies to help her cope with the global pandemic, COVID-19. Worry is all that fills Lilly’s thoughts, even when she is having fun adventures with her brother, Lyndon. With encouragement and support from her parents, and a special distanced video call with her Grandma, Lilly learns: I am safe, I am loved, I am healthy. (This book deals with the emotional toll COVID-19 is having on children. It is by no means a medical book or a book to teach health guidelines and protocols.)
A delightful read-aloud with striking full-page colour illustrations, When the World Panics, is suitable for kindergarten through grade 5. It aligns with the BC curriculum as well as First People’s Principles of Learning. A copy of the book will be donated to each elementary library in Langley!
For more information and FREE Educator Guides, visit: www.adventuresoflillyandlyndon.ca
The Langley School District Foundation has many community partners and one of its most treasured is the West Fine Art Show Society. Since 2017, the group has worked with the Foundation to host an Annual Art Show. Featuring the most talented and renowned artists in Western Canada, the show has emerged as a highly favoured fundraiser for the Foundation. Here, artists agree to donate 25% of all artwork sales to the Langley School District Foundation to support Food for Thought Programs, especially important during the coronavirus crisis.
When COVID restrictions determined that a planned live show at the Glass House Winery in Langley, was a no go Plan B kicked in. From April 9 to April 30, all art will be available to view and purchase online at both westart.ca and langleyschooldistrictfoundation.com. Raffle tickets for The Captains by Richard Brodeur, Theatre Row – 1965 by Brian Croft, Fly Me to the Moon by Rosemary Wallace and Artists for Conservation (a coffee table book) will also be available for purchase online. Tickets are just $10.
Emerging Talent
Running at the same time, the Foundation is hosting a virtual online exhibition and adjudication of student art with cash prizes for first, second and third. Photography, paintings and 3-D sculptures follow a theme of COVID-19 and what it has wrought on our society (the positives, negatives, changes, trends). All Langley students from grade 8 to 12 were eligible to enter. See their works at www.langleyschooldistrictfoundation.com.
Cards for Seniors
When Covid struck in March 2020, there were two groups of society that felt it most. The Millennials and the Seniors – the effects of the isolation were profound. Now, with Cards for Seniors the two groups come together and help each other get through the pandemic. Go to www.langleyschooldistrictfoundation.com to donate to the project.
Celebrating Diversity
April 13th marks the first day of Ramadan 2021. It begins this evening and will likely last till sundown on May 12th. {The date depends on the sighting of the crescent moon locally.} Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting. Practicing Muslim students will be fasting from dawn until dusk (approximately 4:30 am to 8:30 pm.)
The fast is referred to as “roza.” Fasting means no food and no water. Ramadan celebrations often involve prayers late into the night. It is not unusual to be up past midnight for prayers and then get up at 3:30/4:00 am to eat and pray before dawn. Our Muslim students may be tired, hungry, and dehydrated in your classes – especially if they are with you in the afternoon.
The month of Ramadan is all about prayers for humankind, mercy, forgiveness, and happiness.
Ramadan Kareem {have a generous Ramadan}
“Let us eat less, feed more. Sleep less, seek more”
OTHER EXTERNAL STUDENT/STAFF OPPORTUNITIES and LEARNING RESOURCES
Core French and French Immersion Workshops organized by BCLCA
1) Core French – Beyond The Basics de Susan Forrester – toutes les information & inscription cliquez LIEN
2) Immersion française – Vers une approche intégrée en immersion de Roy Lyster – toutes les information & inscription cliquez LIEN
La date limite pour s’inscrire est le 30 avril.
SFU GDE Information Session
Language, Literacy and Learning in the Early Years will begin in September and is based out of Surrey. There are three information sessions and one Sampler Series workshop session. Click here to learn more.
Equity and Inclusion for Student Well-Being: CASSA / CSBA Conference July 7-9
Topics include Anti-Racism, Student Mental Health, and Truth and Reconciliation. Terrific speakers including Kike Ojo-Thompson, Dr. Kathy Short, Dr. Cindy Finn, Jen McCrea, Kevin Lamoureux, and Nathan Ip. Click here to find out more.
Mark Your Calendars
Monday, May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. Now is the time to start planning – and parents can be involved in your celebrations as well! One school community in Vanderhoof is working with the public library to create a display for students and parents. Another community group has offered to supply some new SOGI-inclusive books and they are drawing from two PFLAG books lists as recommended reading for parents: this one on coming out and this one on trans identities. For example, Transgender Children and Youth: Cultivating Pride and Joy with Families in Transition is a great resource for parents with trans children. Find posters to use and share here!
Day of Mourning: April 28th
For workers killed or injured on the job. Young workers are statistically more likely to suffer injury or death at the workplace. The Day of Mourning BC Schools Project educates students on safety at work and their rights in the workplace. Download materials
FNESC Speaker Series: Kasari Govender:
April 14th,: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm PDT
BC’s first independent Human Rights Commissioner will provide a thought-provoking online talk about how a human rights lens can inform our efforts to transform K-12 schools and address inequities and systemic racism faced by First Nations learners. Registration is free but please note space is limited. There will be a question and answer period following the address. This event is intended for K-12 educators and education administrators, including representatives from First Nations, First Nations schools, public schools, and independent schools.
REGISTRATION: www.fnesc.ca/speakerseries or contact events@fnesc.ca. See the event flyer at www.fnesc.ca/speakerseries.
Learning Forward: The Power of Story in Deep Cultures of Learning
A BC Case Study on SEL and Mental Health – Wed. April 21, 4:00-6:00 pm via Zoom Learn more and register HERE.
The Colour of Well-Being: EdCan Network Fact Sheet: http://www.edcan.ca/articles/colour-of-wellbeing/
Earth Day April 22
Visit Earth Day Canada to find ideas for environmental actions you can take at home.
Outdoor Environmental Education: CBEEN (Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network)
New Spring Resource: This month CBEEN’s non-profit Outdoor Learning Store has added The School Garden Curriculum: An Integrated K-8 Guide for Discovering Science, Ecology, and Whole-Systems Thinking.
New Student & Teacher Kits: Introductory and Advanced Educator & Student Outdoor Learning Kits – these 4 ready-to-go backpacks stocked with the essentials for starting or enhancing their outdoor learning practice.
Spring Product & Price List: a succinct overview of everything Canada’s Non-profit Outdoor Learning Store currently offers please click here an easy-to-read 2 page .pdf overview that includes titles, prices & links.
Workshops: Spring Virtual Workshop Series registration here: https://outdoorlearningstore.ca/workshops/. Workshop registrants will be sent a 5% discount code for all resources & equipment available on the outdoor learning store
National AccessAbility Flag Design Contest
In celebration of National AccessAbility Week in BC – May 31 to June 6, 2021 – Easter Seals invites students in Grades 6-12 to design a flag that symbolizes the theme Making BC a Better Place to Live Through an AccessAble Society. Grand Prize includes a $200 honorarium for the winning student, $750 for the winning student’s classroom to purchase learning materials, a Panago Pizza lunch for the classroom and a real flag produced for the school. Click here for all the contest details. Contest closes May 14, 2021.