In the Loop – March 2, 2023

March 2, 2023

KEY RESOURCES IN LANGLEY

HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

CAfLN | Decolonizing Assessment Speaker: Dominic Beaudry | April 4, 2023 | Register
CAfLN’s Indigenization Sub-Committee is excited to announce the third speaker in our Decolonizing Assessment Series. Dominic Beaudry, Associate Vice President of Academic and Indigenous Programs at Laurentian University. As an Anishnaabe historian and language advocate, Mr. Beaudry brings extensive experience in Indigenous education and land-based learning. The topic is: Weweni Akinomaagedaa: Assessing students on curriculum and content that is lacking in equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenous can be problematic. Free to Members (be sure to login), $20 for non-members.
The recording will only be available for members after the event as per agreement with the speaker.

GOVERNOR GENERAL’S HISTORY AWARDS

2023 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching | Deadline April 30, 2023
Today’s history students are increasingly engaged in their learning – through digital initiatives, community partnerships or intergenerational projects. And at the heart of this work is a dedicated teacher who is passionate about making history meaningful and relevant to students. Each year the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching honours six teachers for innovative approaches to teaching Canadian history. Teachers receive a cash prize fo $2,500, an additional $1,000 for their school, and a trip for two to Ottawa to receive their award. Submit an application. Nominate a fellow teacher.

DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
To see our full calendar of offerings, visit www.thinklangley.com

A Conversation with Len Pierre | On-Demand Learning Feature
Join us for a conversation with Len Pierre. Len is a member of our local Katzie first nation, and is also a parent in our district. He is a social activist, and a proponent for change in breaking down the colonial institutions in Canada by shining a spotlight on the damage these practices continue to have in our country.  “It is no longer enough to be not racist, but instead we need to be anti-racist.” In this session, Len speaks to us about Indigenous Cultural Safety, Allyship, and Anti-racism in schools.

ACT CPR and AED Training Workshop | May 19 | Register
Local CPR instructors will train phys. ed teachers in CPR-A followed by our Opioid Overdose Response Training and train-the-trainer session, enabling teachers to deliver the ACT High School CPR and AED program at their schools. Certificates provided by the training agency and ACT Foundation.

EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

CAfLN | Feeling Alone in Assessment? | April 5, 2023 | More info
This is a members-only invitation to a conversation happening April 5,2023. The purpose of a CAfLN Conversation is to bring together members of our network for a loosely structured conversation about a topic of importance to the field. The guiding questions will be:
Where do you currently find supports for your assessment journey and how is it going?
What supports would you like, to extend your assessment practices?
Note: The CAfLN membership is only $20/year – and being a member gets you access to the April 4 session for free as well.

SFU Summer French Programs | More info
SFU is offering two summer programs for French teachers. “J’enseigne en français : semaine de francofun” will take place from July 3-7, for French Immersion teachers and from July 10-14, for Core French teachers. Each day, there will be pedagogical and cultural activities organized around the theme, Culture and Identity in the French Classroom. This program will allow teachers to explore this important theme, to develop a deeper understanding of the action-oriented approach, to practice your French language skills, and to collaborate and network with your French colleagues.

SFU Master of Education Programs Starting Fall 2023 | More info
The following themed programs of the MEd Curriculum & Instruction degree are being offered this fall:
     Children’s & Young Adult Literature
     Contemplative Inquiry & Approaches in Education
     Health Education & Active Living
There is also a MEd Educational Leadership offering:
     Imaginative K-12 Leadership
These are two-year programs, offered in a cohort format, with classes on weekends and evenings at the SFU Vancouver or SFU Surrey campus. Applications close March 15.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF/STUDENTS/CLASSES

Career Talk featuring Darian Kovacs | March 7, 2023 | More info
Darian is host of the podcast Marketing News Canada and is a contributing writer for publications including the Globe & Mail, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Canadian Business Quarterly. He is founder of the Vancouver-based search engine optimization company Jelly Digital Marketing & PR and their digital marketing school, Jelly Academy. This is free of charge and designed for the classroom’s big screen or for students to join on their own devices. Ideal for Grades 9-12, from 9:00-10:00 AM.
Steps to enrol: Visit jabc.ca/connect, then log in or if you are a first time user Sign up. Select “Enrol Your Class” and “Select a Program”, choose “JABC TechWorks Online March 7-9.” Once enrolled, a link to join virtually will be sent on March 7.

The 2023 Great Big Crunch | March 9, 2023 | More info
This year, throughout the month of March, many thousands will gather in person in their school, at home, at work and online with friends and colleagues to highlight the importance of healthy food at school and call for a Healthy School Food Program for Canada. You are invited to host your own crunch or join the Coalition for Healthy School Food and students from coast to coast to coast for a Virtual Great Big Crunch on March 9, 2023 at 1:00 pm EST. Register for the Event here.

Bees@Schools 2023 Program | More info
The University of Guelph is offering an exciting opportunity to provide a hands-on learning experience to grade 4 to 12 science classes while contributing to an exciting new research initiative. The Bees@Schools project is installing wild cavity-nesting bee boxes (also known as bee hotels) at 200 schools across Canada in 2023 to track the distribution of these pollinators and what flowers they are using. These boxes mimic natural nesting sites for leafcutting bees, mason bees, and small carpenter bees. For anyone interested in this project please apply here. Applications are open March 1 – 31, 2023.

AccessAbility Flag Design Contest March 1 – April 28 | More info
Easter Seals invites students in grades 6-8 and 9-12 across B.C. and the Yukon to enter its AccessAbility Flag Design Contest. The contest is designed to bring out the creativity of students and spark a discussion in the classroom around INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND ACCESS, leading up to National AccessAbility Week, May 28-June 3, 2023. Students are asked to design a flag that symbolizes what diversity means to them and what B.C./Yukon looks like as an AccessAble society. There are prizes for teachers and students.

SWEAT 2023 | March 20-23, 2023 | Register | More info
Structured Work Experience and Training is offering creative career opportunities in workshops in learning to create project-based portfolio work with industry-related technology and equipment. Be Inspired! Participate in hands-on workshops in one of the following areas and receive 30 hours of work experience: 3D Modeling for Animation & Games, Digital Film & Video, Game Art & Design, Culinary Arts, Fashion Design, Interior Design etc. Deadline for applications is March 15, 2023.

World Water Day March 22, 2023 | More info
Water is essential in powering our province with clean energy. In celebration of World Water Day on March 22, Power Smart for Schools has developed exciting activities to inspire classes to protect this natural resource. For grades K to 3: A water-themed game and craft. For grades 4 to 7: A hands-on science experiment about water. Activities are available in English and French. Win a prize package. Classes that complete the activity, could win a prize package including Science World passes and more.

The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! Are YOU our next Astronaut? | April 29-30, 2023 | More info
The Abbotsford International Airport is hosting this incredible event of a lifetime: The Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too! World’s Largest Aviation, Aerospace Marine & Defense Diversity Outreach Event! Everyone is invited to this FREE event where you can meet the crews and explore several billion dollars of amazing assets, hands-on activities and displays from the Canadian and U.S. Military, Coast Guard, RCMP, CBSA, various municipal police/fire, search & rescue and others in Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defense! You might even meet a NASA astronaut! We also offer hundreds of free helicopter flights for female first-time fliers (any age)!
That’s why the Achieve Anything Foundation, with the support of like-minded industry leaders, chooses an immersive, hands-on approach to improve gender diversity. Our events, projects & programs are always completely free for participants to prevent any barriers to participation.

LEARNING RESOURCES

The ABC’s of Substance Abuse – Mental Health and Substance Abuse Podcast | More info
The ABC’s of Youth Substance Abuse is a provincial initiative to promote evidence-based approaches to youth substance-use education in BC schools.  The ABCs refers to Autonomy, Belonging and Competencies. They are three factors that promote youth wellbeing and prevent, delay and reduce substance-related harms.  Through their Youth Addictions and Mental Health Provincial Advisory Council, they have produced a “Podclass” where Youth talk about their lived experiences with mental health and addiction. They share the activities and resources that have supported them in their journeys and ideas for educators to support students and create safe spaces.  You can access the podcast at the link below: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mental-health-and-substance-use-with-members/id1541382368?i=1000514094475

TECH TIPS

Resource
If you are looking for more background information on ChatGPT – check out this launch slide organized into categories (just click on the desired icon to further explore). ChatGPT through an Education Lens.

Young Canadians in a Wireless World new research
Media Smarts has pulled together their latest results from Canadian students in their Phase IV research:
     Life Online Infographic
     Online Privacy & Consent Infographic
     Encountering Harmful and Discomforting Content Online  Infographic
     Online Meanness and Cruelty Infographic

Innovation Grants 2023 | Applications due April 14, 2023 | 2023 Application Guide Innovation Grant
To support innovative and collaborative professional practice for the purpose of improving student learning and engagement through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion, the District Leadership Team is providing the opportunity for school teams to apply for grant funding.
The grants will support either ONE of the below:

  1. Innovative technology: a new and/or unproven technology compared to what is currently available in your school and is not a scaling up of an existing technology tool
  2. Innovative application: creation-based use of technology in an innovative way to provide access to many or all students.

The Innovation Grant funding will have a timeline of 2 years from application process, to receive the grant, implement the project, and refine the learning potential of the innovative technology.
Overall grants: (total funding $50,000)

  1. Grants will be provided to successful applicants to a maximum of $5,000.
  2. Grants are to be used to purchase tools that the Langley school district does not already provide, for example, district hardware or district Learning Commons tools; and student/staff professional learning opportunities.

Instructional Services | #Think35

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