September 17, 2021
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 mismith@sd35.bc.ca
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Several of you will remember the powerful story and documentary of the “Witness Blanket” – a commissioned piece in honour of the TRC. Many teachers and staff attended the Seapass theatre in 2018 when this film was presented and Carey Newman was in attendance with the release of his new book and interactive teaching resource – “Picking up the Pieces”. Here is a CBC podcast as well.
“The Making of the Witness Blanket” Film Screening and conversation with Kwagiulth master carver Carey Newman and his sisters Marion and Ellen – September 21st, 2021
For personal growth, considerations, and ideas for the classroom, or out of pure interest and curiosity, this is a powerful film and a great opportunity to engage with the creators of this project. Inspired to know more about his father’s time at residential school, Kwagiulth master carver and artist Carey Newman created the Witness Blanket – a wall-sized monument that commemorates the experiences of residential Survivors and their families, as well as the children who didn’t make it home. There is no cost to attend. Registration for this Webinar can be found here:
Why Carey Newman & Kirstie Hudson created a book about the making of the Witness Blanket | CBC Radio
OTHER DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES and RESOURCES
To see our full calendar of offerings, visit www.thinklangley.com
Word Works Daily: Beginning Phonological Awareness – September 20 [Register]
Word Works Daily is an oral phonological awareness program for Kindergarten and Grade One students that is district approved. Daily 8-10 minute sessions help you cover the early foundational skills necessary to build a strong literacy foundation. It is engaging and students develop great listening skills.
Story Workshop Book Study Series –September 22, November 3 [Register]
Join a small passionate group of teachers who wish to create or continue their journey with the story workshop model and explore aspects of the Early Learning Framework. In this 3-part series, we will be reading the brand new book Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers by Susan Harris MacKay. Participants will be immersed in the book talk for the first 2 sessions and will also be encouraged to try story workshop in their classrooms. Session 3 will be spaced out from the first 2 sessions to give you opportunity to live that teacher researcher role and come back to share ideas and experiences with other members.
From Phonological Awareness to Reading Building a Strong Foundation – October 4, 18, & 25 [Register]
As teachers, we strive to provide a rich learning environment and a balanced literacy approach to helping all our learners become strong readers, writers and communicators. The BC Early Learning Framework recognizes that children approach learning in different ways to construct knowledge, test theories, explore and express ideas. We want to give all children access points to reading and the tools to success. We have created this 3-part series of workshops on early reading development to help you explore the skills that all students need to be successful in learning how to read. By attending this workshop, you will grow an understanding of how a child learns to read and how writing and vocabulary are an integral part of this process. While learning to talk is natural and innate, reading skills must be taught.
Beyond the Classroom – October 5 [Register]
An opportunity to have an inspiring and motivating conversation around a book written by Langley teacher Tim Stephenson. The book is a collection of themes and ideas taken from a long career that has been marked by strategies and activities that have taken Tim’s practice…beyond the classroom.
NEW SD35’s Read-Speak-Champion Virtual Author Series with Author Danny Ramadan – October 5 [Register]
Sign up your class for a virtual session with Danny Ramadan, a Syrian-Canadian author and LGBTQ – refugees activist who wrote Salma the Syrian Chef, a 2021 Langley Picture Book of the Year! During this interactive session, Danny will talk about his book, his writing and answer student questions! Designed for teachers to sign up their class and to present the session to students during class time.
Math Place: A New Math Resource for Grade 1-3 Teachers – October 5, October 19 [Register]
Math Place is a newly approved Math resource for Grade 1-3 teachers. This September, each school will receive 1 kit per grade of the NUMBER and OPERATIONS set. Join Diane Stang, the author of Scholastic Math Place, as she goes through the kits and shows you how this new resource aligns with the BC curriculum and how you can use it as part of your math instruction. This is a great way to start building number sense in your students right at the beginning of the year.
NEW The Power Hour of Co-planning – October 6, December 1, 2021, and January 12, 2022 [Register]
Get ready for an energized shot of learning! Tan Huynh will be guiding teachers through three different topics to co-plan with a colleague (or more)! These are virtual so that you can grab a snack, your laptop, and your favourite teaching buddy all from the comforts of your own classroom. Work together on pre-existing units, lessons, or brew some new ideas.
Provincial Pro-D Day | Friday, October 22:
NEW ACT CPR & AED Teacher Training Workshop with NEW Opioids Overdose Response Training enhancement [Register]
The ACT program prepares teachers to deliver the Compression-Only CPR and AED course to students. ACT is now adding the Opioid Overdose Response Training to the existing CPR and AED program already established in Langley schools. This workshop will provide teachers with Level A CPR & AED certification. Taught by CPR agency Instructor Trainers, the content takes into account the teaching expertise of high school teachers and is designed to prepare teachers for delivery of the program in the school environment.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN Connecting the Pieces: Pre-K & Kindergarten Conference [Register]
Our annual conference dedicated to professional development for kindergarten 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. This year’s keynote is Susan Harris MacKay from the Centre for Playful Inquiry.
NEW Get Your Marking Game On, It’s in Your DNA… 9 [Register]
Proficiency Scales, what do they mean to you? Get a better understanding of marking using proficiency scales by grading last year’s DNA9. This year is the first year Grade 9s will be receiving a proficiency mark, no percentages or letter grades will be given. So get a leg up on your marking ability!
Tan Huynh’s Guided Co-planning with Colleagues [Register]
This full-day event is dedicated to giving teachers time to collaborate with their colleagues to support their language learners. Teachers will be guided by Tan in ways to co-plan at various levels such as writing, lessons, and assessments, and then given time to create together. They may choose to work with other ELL teachers, content teachers, and resource teachers to foster rich learning opportunities for their students. At the heart of collaborative professionalism is “leadership from the middle (your peers in your own and other schools).
EXTERNAL STUDENT/STAFF OPPORTUNITIES and LEARNING RESOURCES
Apple Clips for iPad Workshops – Spark Provocation and Inquiry using Clips! Saturday, September 18th from 12:00-1:00 pm EDT REGISTER
Looking for ways to engage your students and provoke learning, with technology? Try Clips! In this session, we’ll create a short annotated video using Clips on iPad. We’ll play with filters and effects, learn how to add music, animated text, stickers and more. Clips can be used as a tool to spark inquiry for both students and teachers alike, creating unlimited possibilities with just a few taps. Presented by: Tina Zita @misszita
Whether your back-to-school is face-to-face, online, or blended, iPad can be a great tool to help build community, promote creativity, and get to know your students. This series is designed and delivered by Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs) who use Apple technology to transform teaching practices. You will leave these hands-on sessions with new skills and great ideas for how you can use Clips and iPad in your classroom. We hope you can join us.
Scientists in School – Virtual Workshops
After 31 years, Scientists in School is branching out. To support young scientists, teachers and parents during COVID, we are now delivering our engaging hands-on STEM workshops and STEM Clubs virtually. All of the highly investigative activities you expect, delivered safely and seamlessly to your classroom or community organization by a team of topic expert presenters.
Curio and Campus (NFB)
Looking for high quality Canadian content? We’ve got you covered! See attached for teacher instructions on how to access to Curio and Campus (NFB). These two sites offer Canadian videos curated for K-12 use. Campus has over 5200 documentaries, animated films, interactive productions, and short films in English and French along with study guides and educational resources (click here to learn more). Curio in your go-to site for CBC/Radio-Canada content with more than 10,000 documentaries, TV/radio shows, podcasts, archival clips and more (click here to learn more or to register). Enjoy!
The Pacific Museum of Earth at UBC
The Pacific Museum of Earth aims to showcase the wonders of our dynamic planet, promote an understanding of processes happening on earth and other planets, and inspire visitors to observe and respect earth’s magnificent landscape and treasures. Visit https://pme.ubc.ca/ for group rates and how to book a virtual or in-person visit.