September 21, 2023
KEY RESOURCES IN LANGLEY
- Links to Key Info AND 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).
HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Advancing Re(al)conciliation – limited time offer | Offer ends Sept 30 | More info
FNUniv’s Indigenous Continuing Education Centre is excited to offer the NEW Advancing Re(al)conciliation Online Course at a reduced rate of $249+GST! for the month of September!
Anyone looking to expand their understanding of reconciliation, check out this amazing online course, Advancing Re(al)conciliation, which provides critical insight into the historical injustice and challenges facing the First Nations People of Canada. Continuing our education is crucial to building a future where all Canadians thrive, and our course is a perfect place to start. Join us in supporting this important initiative and finish our course with an “actionable” plan that responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity – enrollment ends September 30th, 2023!
DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
To see our full calendar of offerings, visit www.thinklangley.com
Writing a Student Success Plan | On-Demand Learning Feature
This workshop goes through how to write a student success plan and works through using the template and the peaceful schools documents.
Introduction to Coast Metro Math Project Website (K to 7) | September 26 on Teams | More info
Please join Marc Garneau and Josh Angiola, Math and Numeracy Consultants from the Lower Mainland Math, for an introduction to the new, Coast Metro Math Project Website. Marc and Josh will provide an overview of this excellent, free numeracy framework for teachers in grades K to 7 and show how it can be used by teachers to support numeracy instruction in their classes. As well, Marc and Josh will provide an overview of the new resources and updates made to the site over the summer. The session will be held on Teams from 3:30 to 4:30pm – click on the link above to access the flyer for more information and to access the Teams link for the meeting.
ATTENTION DATE CHANGE/ADDED! myBlueprint: Making the Transition from All About Me to Spaces EDU | Oct 12 & 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. Both dates will have the same session content. Only sign up for one.
NEW! Connecting the Pieces: The Early Years Conference | Oct 20 | Register
Connecting the Pieces: The Early Years Conference is our annual conference dedicated to professional development for kindergarten, Grade 1 and 2 teachers and early childhood educators.
Our workshop line-up includes local and internationally recognized experts selected to share their innovative and practical ideas for working with young learners.
EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Physical and Health Education (PHE) PSA Conference | Friday October 20, 2023 | More info
The October 20 Provincial Pro-D Day is a provincial pro-d day where individual Provincial Specialist Associations host their own, provincial conferences and events. The provincial PHE Association has organized a fantastic conference for October 20th in New Westminster. There are several workshops to choose from! Follow the link above for more info.
Crosscurrents Conference – Provincial Pro-D Day – Friday October 20, 2023 | More info
The October 20 Provincial Pro-D Day is a provincial pro-d day where individual Provincial Specialist Associations host their own, provincial conferences and events. The Teachers of Inclusive Education will be hosting their annual Crosscurrents Conference on that day. If you are interested and would like to learn more, please see the link above under more info.
2023 Leadership Superconference | Friday October 20, 2023 | More info | Register
This conference is being held at the Langley Events Centre and is featuring guest speaker J.P. Nerbun who is a world-renowned leadership coach and sports consultant. Carleton University Women’s Basketball Head Coach Dani Sinclair will also be part of this incredible conference. Check out all the details at the link above.
Tom Schimmer – Reaffirming, Rethinking and Reworking Student Assessment | Friday October 20, 2023 | More info
Please join assessment expert, Tom Schimmer, on Friday October 20, for a full day, Professional Development workshop that focusses on the practices and processes which will modernize grading and reporting systems to be more aligned with our current standards-based instructional paradigm. This pro-d opportunity will take place at the Chandos Pattison Auditorium on the Pacific Academy Campus.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF/STUDENTS/CLASSES
Power Smart for School – Orange Shirt Day | September 30, 2023 | More info
September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, where Canadians wear an orange shirt to acknowledge the impact residential schools have had on Indigenous Peoples, to support reconciliation across Canada, and to recognize that Every Child Matters. To help your classroom take part, Power Smart for Schools has developed a hands-on activity for K–3 students where they’ll learn about the origins of Orange Shirt Day, engage with B.C.-based Indigenous stories, and complete an educational colouring sheet. The activity is available in both English and French.
Langley Environmental Partners Society Workshops | Ideal for Middle School | More info
LEPS is offering free classroom workshops for middle schools to educate students about water conservation and climate action.
Aboriginal Program Cultural Presentations | More info
The Aboriginal Program would like to let SD35 Staff know that the Cultural Presentation Site is now open for bookings. Just a reminder to use your district email address when booking and make sure you receive the confirmation email.
LEARNING RESOURCES
Fraser Institute High School Programs | Economic Edukits | Request your Edukit
Our free Edukits are back by popular demand! We know that teachers spend countless hours outside the classroom and spend hundreds of their own money prepping for their classes. So we are here to help! Each Edukit comes with all materials needed for each activity, electronic access to our engaging lesson plan library, and a copy of Economic Principles of Prosperity book. The best part is these Edukits are FREE – no registration fee, no shipping cost and all the economic resources you need!
Free Veterans’ Week learning materials and other great remembrance resources | More info
The Veterans’ Week learning materials have been revised for 2023 and are now available for order. Get your free class packs of the Take Time to Remember activity booklet (ages 5-7), Tales of Animals in War newspaper (ages 5-11) or the Canada Remembers Times newspaper (ages 12-18). Our popular cards, bookmarks and posters are also back, along with our on-line Veterans’ Week teacher’s guide. These resources are available in both print and digital formats. Explore them today!
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.
How to Coach Emotions | More info
For a healthy school community, help people handle their feelings. Read more from Elena Aguilar about the importance of attending to the emotions of the adults in a school building, because without that there is no way to transform schools and give students what they deserve.
TECH TIPS
Looking for “Creative Commons” media? (photos, videos, audio that is shared and enabled by a set of open copyright licenses.). Check out these sites: Media Creative Commons (Web view)
Looking for Elementary Lessons for Digital Storytelling using iPads? Check out these 5 lessons made by Langley teachers featuring: Scratch Coding, Stop Motion, Explain Everything and Toontastic (specifically primary). Check out: iPad Create Digital Storytelling (Web view)
Free ‘Artificial Intelligence 101 for Teachers’ Training Series Launched by Code.org, ETS, ISTE, and Khan Academy | More info
The series focuses on explaining what AI is, how it works, how to use it responsibly, and how it can be used in teaching, especially in freeing up teachers’ time from routine administrative tasks. It opens with an introductory fireside chat between Khan Academy founder Sal Khan and Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi. It is a video series that you can register to view and be notified when more are created.
This Week’s Artificial Intelligence terms:
- AI Bias: refers to the tendency of a model to make certain predictions more often than others. Bias can be caused due to the training data of a model or its inherent assumptions.
- AI hallucination: refers to the instances where a model produces factually incorrect, irrelevant, or nonsensical results. This can happen for several reasons, including lack of context, limitations in training data, or architecture.
- Generative AI: describes artificial intelligence systems and algorithms that can create text, audio, video, and simulations. These AI systems learn patterns and examples from existing data and use that knowledge to create new and original outputs.