The District Support Services Team wants to extend a very heart-felt thank you to all of the educators in the Langley School District for all that you do every day to support our students in reaching their full potential, especially in a year that has had so many challenges to navigate.  Your commitment to our students and their families is second to none and we are so appreciative of the care you have demonstrated every day.  We hope you have a well-deserved (yes, although different) break full of the 3 Rs:  Rest, Relaxation and Rejuvenation!

DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES and RESOURCES

Odyssey: Calls to Action – Building Capacity, Understanding and Mutual Respect
Save the Date: Friday, February 12, 2021 – Virtual Professional Learning Event
As we continue our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation in Langley Schools, our focus for Odyssey this year is on enhancing Indigenous student achievement and integrating Indigenous world views and perspectives into learning environments. As Justice Sinclair said, “Education is the key to reconciliation.” Our presenters will use the educational Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation document to guide their learning with you and the First Peoples Principles of Learning will be forefront. Odyssey 2021 connects to our work on Ensouling our Schools which has focused on creating compassionate learning communities which nurture the gifts of all of our learners. More details will be shared in early January.  Please join us in our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

Grade 6-12 Teachers Needed for Ministry Work
The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is seeking 41 public school teacher representatives to participate as BCTF representatives to a Ministry of Education committee tasked with collecting, submitting, and analyzing K–12 example tasks and corresponding student work samples in all learning areas that reflect students’ ongoing development of literacy and numeracy competencies. Teachers representatives will benefit by:

• receiving further clarity on how literacy and numeracy are embedded in the curricular competencies from K–12 in all learning areas.

• learning how to design numeracy and literacy tasks with a focus on curricular competencies.
• contributing to developing grade-specific literacy and numeracy proficiency descriptions to be used province-wide.
• gaining confidence in competency-based assessment of student learning using the proficiency scale.
• developing the capacity to help other educators grow professionally in instruction and assessment practices.

For more info: The posting for the Literacy and Numeracy Proficiency Benchmarks Project 6-12 is live on the BCTF website: https://www.bctf.ca/opportunities/MinistryCommittees.aspx

Shuffling into Math Card Games – Primary Math Games with Jane Felling from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks
January 20, 2021 [Register] Registration closes soon!
Hosted by the Langley Primary Association. We need to keep our students active and engaged in meaningful, hands-on math games and activities. Come prepared to play Jane’s best card games that can be played in all settings, small groups, centers, whole class with social distancing practices, home if being taught remotely. Participants will learn how to use games daily in your math program, how to develop math journals and math talk extensions, and how to differentiate the games to meet the needs of all students.

Show & Share: SS9 District Developed Resource
January 18, 2021 [Register]
In the summer of 2020, a group of Langley educators worked to create a resource for the benefit of all Social Studies 9 teachers. This workshop’s purpose is to bring teachers together who have been engaging with the resource as well as teachers who haven’t used it yet, and are interested in learning more. In this virtual space, we will be: sharing experiences with the source, addressing questions, connecting educators, and discussing the unique ways many have made this resource their own.

Show & Share: SS10 District Developed Resource
January 27, 2021 [Register]
In the summer of 2020, a group of Langley educators worked to create a resource for the benefit of all Social Studies 10 teachers. This workshop’s purpose is to bring teachers together who have been engaging with the resource as well as teachers who haven’t used it yet, and are interested in learning more. In this virtual space, we will be: sharing experiences with the source, addressing questions, connecting educators, and discussing the unique ways many have made this resource their own.

Online Workshop Registration
Do you have a workshop idea that you’d like to host online? Professional Services can support you with registration for your digital event! Send us a workshop proposal at thinklangley.com or email us at thinklangley@sd35.bc.ca for more information.

On-Demand Webinars
Do you have a pre-recorded workshop that we could host as an on-demand webinar? We’d love to share it! Contact Andrea at adriedger@sd35.bc.ca for more information.

CONNECTING TO OUR COMMUNITY

OTHER EXTERNAL STUDENT/STAFF OPPORTUNITIES and LEARNING RESOURCES

Cinderella Live will be premiering worldwide this holiday season with 5 live shows broadcast between 18th-24th of December. The shows will be available to watch on-demand from 1st-31st Jan 2021. For full details on the cast, the production and tickets, visit here.

Megamind Learning Centre, a chain of tutoring centers in the Greater Toronto Area is awarding a one-time scholarship of $1000 to the student who writes the best short story or informational text for children in either English or French. This is open to all students who are currently in Grades 8-12. Click here to find out more.