October 26, 2023

KEY RESOURCES IN LANGLEY

• Clickable PDF to Key Resources in Langley
• Instructional Services Website: For all your district-vetted resources K-12!  Check it out!
• Aboriginal Resources vetted by the District
• 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 dzurbuchenjonker@sd35.bc.ca
• District Learning Commons is a lending library of classroom and teaching resources available to all school staff in the Langley School District. All of our items are available to view and book online through the Insignia Library system. Find instructions, an area to check out new resources, request new resources and report lost or damages kits here: https://sway.office.com/qbfcZW739otNIwLe?ref=Link
  We deliver and pick up all the items you request through district mail twice per week (check with your admin assistant to see which days your deliveries are on).

MENTORSHIP

We are looking for Mentors | Contact: gthornburn@sd35.bc.ca
Do you have more than 5 years teaching experience? Do you love to help others grow and learn? The Teacher Mentorship Program needs you!
The mentorship program is looking for mentors! A mentor is a teacher with more than 5 years of classroom experience who understands the needs and challenges of the early career teacher, a reflective practitioner who analyzes his own teaching, someone who is involved in ongoing personal and professional development, and a collaborative educator with strong interpersonal skills willing to provide professional guidance to a colleague.
We have a number of early career teachers looking for a mentor.  We need mentors at all grade levels and especially primary (K-5) and middle school (6-8).
Please contact Gwen Thornburn, District Teacher for Teacher Mentorship Programs, gthornburn@sd35.bc.ca.

HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

Centering Indigenous Pedagogies in Mathematics Education | Register
Join this webinar series where educators will explore Indigenous pedagogies as they relate to the study of math and math assessment. Gain transformative insights and strengthen your commitment to inclusive, culturally responsive mathematics education. Sessions will focus on teacher sharing ideas for various Indigenous pedagogies such as Indigenous Storywork, culturally responsive education & assessment, and learning with/from place & land.

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

Calling Grade 4 and 7 Teachers | FSA Coding | Application deadline November 3, 2023
Grades 4 and 7 FSA coding (marking) will occur on Saturday, November 18 at the School Board Office. This is a wonderful professional development opportunity for grades 4 and 7 teachers. If you are interested in helping mark, please use this form to apply. Teachers will be compensated for their work (information is included on the form). Training will occur on the morning of the marking session. Deadline for application is Friday, November 3. Please direct any questions to Alexandra Baxfield at abaxfield@sd35.bc.ca or via Teams.

Tell us a Story | On-Demand Learning Feature
Who doesn’t love a great story? Students love to listen to and tell a variety of stories. This workshop will capitalize on that enthusiasm as participants learn a variety of techniques that will assist students in planning and creating their own stories about themselves, their families, and community. During the session, participants will have an opportunity to explore the use of a variety of manipulatives such as puppets, storyboards, toys along with digital tools to support your student’s storytelling skills. Come and be ready to engage in the story.

ATTENTION DATE CHANGE/ADDED | myBlueprint: Making the Transition from All About Me to Spaces EDU | Nov 9 | Register
With All About Me being decommissioned as of September 2023, K to grade 7 teachers are invited to come and learn about how to use the new myBlueprint platform: Spaces EDU. Participants will learn how to create individual spaces, document student learning, label artifacts with curriculum tags and how to easily meet the new Ministry reporting order in Core Competency Reflections and Goal Setting. Participants should bring a charged laptop.

NEW! Secondary Teachers (8-12) Using Spaces as a Tool to Support Students for Core Competency Reflections| Nov 15 I Register
This session is for Secondary 8-12 teachers who want a better understanding about how to support their students to use Spaces for Core Competency Reflection. Participants will be shown a demo student account and will be walked through the steps of how students can upload content and store evidence of learning and thinking.

EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

IT4K12 Conference | Nov 14 & 15, 2023 | Register
This year’s IT4K12 will be held at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. What to Expect at IT4K12 is an Exploration of AI: opportunities and implications for teaching and learning, what’s new in Teams and Paths for Privacy Impact Assessments: new tools and resources. Digital Resource Highlights: NFB Campus and Media School; Live it Earth; French Resources; Book Creator will be covered as well as Building Cybersecurity Awareness. Putting the ‘A’ in ‘STEM’ will be discussed and some Indigenous Storytelling and Resources.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF/STUDENTS/CLASSES

LEPS Education offered to Elementary and Middle School grades | More info
The aim of LEPS’ education program is to include the community in Stewardship activities that raise awareness of the natural environment. We are achieving this goal through each of our education initiatives. LEPS has lots to offer! From preschool through university there are learning opportunities for all ages. The team of educators will visit your classroom, or meet you on location at one of the outdoor learning spaces, to present one of many experiential, environmental education workshops.

JAL Foundations 18th World Children’s Haiku Contest 2023-2024 | For students under age of 15 | More info
Haiku, a short form of Japanese poetry, would be a great way to introduce children to the world of poetry. There is a lot of understanding needed to craft a true three line Haiku.  The 5-7-5 syllable structure doesn’t actually apply in English haiku.  If teachers are considering having their class participate in this contest, please read the “How to Make Haiku”. There are educational resources on Haiku Canada’s website providing examples and sentence structure. Educators please read the Haiku Contest Rules carefully on the flyer and ensure the child’s guardian signs the application form.

Beyond the Win Education Programs | Connect Your Class with Sport Icons | More info
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame is proud to offer an incredible opportunity to virtually connect your classroom with a remarkable HALL OF FAMER in real-time! This exclusive opportunity to learn from a Hall of Famer will be offered via YouTube livestream to all schools that have registered for the social-emotional learning (SEL) based presentation. One lucky school will be chosen for each program to join a Zoom call and interact directly with the Hall of Famer throughout the presentation, making for an unforgettable learning experience. Learn more about the Hall of Famer roster, and click to register for this FREE SEL based four-part education program.

New Climate Grants and Free Resources | More info
“N:OW for Net-Zero” is a new project supported by Environment Climate Change Canada and Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body. There are three programs, all geared towards supporting Canadian educators and students in reducing GHG emissions in schools and improving climate literacy:

• Funding for Net-Zero: $2,500 – $15,000 grants for student teams to implement projects to reduce emissions and/or improve net-zero literacy in their schools. Applications are open NOW!
• Curriculum for Net-Zero: Free curriculum linked lesson plans and resources on climate solutions for Grade 7-12 classrooms across Canada.
• Solutions for Net-Zero: Examples of student net-zero projects and a practical Energy Audit tool for students (Coming soon!)

LEARNING RESOURCES

New OUTSIDEPLAY Tool for Elementary School Teachers | More info
We are excited to announce the launch of a new free educational tool made by teachers for teachers who want to take their classrooms outdoors! This tool is the newest addition to the OUTSIDEPLAY.org suite, joining existing parent and early childhood educator tools. It is the result of years of practical hands-on experience and the PhD thesis work of Megan Zeni, a teacher who teaches exclusively outdoors. She worked with teachers across BC and Canada to develop the material. The development of the Teacher.OutsidePlay.org tool was funded by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. The 16 modules cover topics that teachers most want to know about, ranging from the basics of outdoor play and learning in schools to practical tips on getting started.

Launching QuitNow’s Youth Vaping Mini Site | More info
QuitNow has launched a brand-new mini site made for youth who vape and are interested in quitting or reducing. Informed by QuitNow’s engagement work with young people across BC, and feedback provided by the Youth Advisory Council at McCreary Centre Society, the mini site provides information and interactive activities on the health risks of vaping, the benefits of quitting vaping, and coping with addiction and mental health. We’ve also developed a step-by-step guide youth can use to quit or reduce vaping.

Canadian Primary Sources for use in the classroom | More info
The Begbie Contest Society has a website full of rich primary source documents that teachers can utilize in teaching a variety of subjects related to Canadian History. The site includes maps, pictures and other primary resources plus a large volume of useful and relevant political cartoons that can be used to teach both the history as well as to provide students more knowledge and understanding of primary and secondary source materials.

MY BLUEPRINT

Take Our Kids to Work Day | More info
As we gear up for the much-anticipated Take Our Kids to Work Day (TOKTWD) in collaboration with The Students Commission of Canada (SCC), we’ve curated impactful resources to enrich classroom discussions and student exploration:

• Career Exploration Discussion | More info
  Engage your students in dynamic group discussions, where they’ll dive deep into various career aspects, sharing their perspectives and drawing insights.
• Family Career Exploration Kit | More info
  Propel students and their families into exciting career conversations using our interactive discussion cards. They’ll not only connect with their loved ones but will also reflect on their aspirations and ambitions.
• Full Day of Programming Live for Take Our Kids to Work 23 | Register
  Interested in joining the Student Commission Take Our Kids to Work live event? It’s not too late!This event includes 7 pre-recorded sessions with professionals across diverse career sectors and real-time conversations with Career Advisors during live-streamed Q&A sessions tailored for students. 

New Family Webinar | Register
Interested in discovering how you can maximize your experience with myBlueprint? Explore our upcoming Webinars, featuring a new webinar for families, aimed at enh ancing family involvement in career education, as well as a webinar focused on promoting skilled trades and much more.