Mark your calendar: Pink Shirt Day is February 27nd, 2019.
Wear something pink to show that we are all working together to erase bullying in our community.
2019 Focus: Cyberbullying
Watch the clip below. What is kindness to you, to your family and how can you show kindness in your community?
Think about this prompt:
“Kindness is……”
Here are some great recommendations for books about kindness. Visit your school library to find even more!
The Riot of Reading Solutions 15th annual Family Literacy Fair is on Saturday, February 3rd from 11 – 3 pm at Ecole Mission Central.
Mission Teacher Librarians will be there and our theme is “Winter Rainy Day Family Activities”. Visit our table to see connecting stories and make a winter/rainy day craft!
Exciting events taking place that day include:
How can you participate in Family Literacy Day? Here are some ideas for inspiration:
Activity Ideas:
Source: ABC Life Literacy Learn at Play, Everyday Activities (English and French)
November is Picture Book Month!
Author Katie Davis produced this video with quotes from beloved and famous authors and illustrators all answering the same question;
“What is a picture book?”
For Students:
What is a picture book to you? Do you have a favourite picture book? Visit your school library to borrow picture books this month.
You might like these books for “Roc Your Mocs” Day in November:
How the Calendar Works
“Each day, an author/illustrator, our Picture Book Month Champion, is listed. On that day he/she has an essay posted on the Picture Book Month website about the importance of picture books. Check back every day of November for a new essay.
Each day is also marked with a theme. Use these daily themes to plan story times, blog about your favorite picture books in that theme, or create themed displays.” (Source: Picture Book Month, Calendar)
For Teachers:
Why Picture Books are Important:
“Canadians have a proud history of bravely serving in the cause of peace and freedom over the years. A name from Canada’s First World War military heritage that still stirs emotions is “Passchendaele.” On a muddy battlefield in northwest Belgium, Canadians overcame almost unimaginable hardships to win an impressive victory in the fall of 1917.” (Source: Veterans Affairs Canada)
Link to Indigenous-Canadian Veterans information: (Indigenous Veterans Day is November 8th)
Information about and significance of the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument :
Song: A Pittance of Time
Interactive Activity: (Ages 10+)
Over the Top: An Interactive Adventure
“An activity created by the Canadian War Museum to help students understand the First World War from a soldier’s perspective. The activity’s interactive nature and its animation-based format will appeal to younger students. Includes a glossary of terms. (Recommended for ages 10 and up.)”
Canadian Encyclopedia Articles:
Additional Resources:
Message from the organizers (Mission Arts Council):
This year the Mission Arts Council’s 22nd annual Fraser Valley Children’s Festival is on June 10th, 2018 at Fraser River Heritage Park, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Admission is FREE, and parking is by donation. There will be some food trucks on location, but you’re welcome to bring a picnic lunch.
WE WANT YOU TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AT THE FESTIVAL
1. Dress for the weather Rain or shine, the Festival will go on! Make sure to pack a raincoat or umbrella for a wet day and sunscreen for a sunny day!
2. Be safe and courteous. Don’t forget the buddy system! All children must be accompanied by an adult. Respect the personal space of all performers by ensuring the children are at a safe distance. Roving Performers are people too!
3. Arrive any time between 10 am and 4pm. At our main stage we do have a tight schedule and we try to have all shows start on time. Come early, check out the event and pick the show you want to see. Get your favourite seat, either on the grass or even better bring a lawn chair, sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
4. Plan your day; there is a lot to do and see at the Fraser Valley Children’s Festival. In addition to all of the great Festival shows and activities, you never know what creative fun will happen at the Festival, so leave a little time for the unexpected! In addition to theChildren’s Festival have a walk around the beautiful Fraser River Heritage Park and enjoy the vista’s of the Fraser River and Sumas Mountain.
5. Nourish the soul and your belly Plan to have lunch at the Festival. Our vendors provide good healthy food and yummy treats, or if you like, bring a picnic. There are lots of places on site to sit down and enjoy a lunch!
May 12-21st, 2017
“Science Odyssey is Canada’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, featuring fun and inspiring experiences in museums, research centres, laboratories and classrooms from coast to coast.
Powered by NSERC, Science Odyssey demonstrates how discoveries and innovations shape our daily lives and foster a strong science culture in Canada.” (Source: Government of Canada)
Click on the images below for details:
Click on the poster to see detailed experiments that go with these activities!
International Museum Day is on May 18th.
The goal of this day is to raise awareness that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” (International Council of Museums)
Do you have a favourite museum that you like to visit? What is it that you like about the museum?
Here are some virtual museum exhibits that you might like to visit:
Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Community in the Fraser River Valley (available in English and French with Halq̓eméylem) (Creators: The Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre)
A Scholar’s Garden (available in English, French and Chinese) (Creator(s): Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden)
Canada Under the Stars (available in English and French) (Creator(s): ASTROLab du Mont-Mégantic)
Video Clips from Canadian Museums:
The Canadian Stamp (Canadian Museum of History)
Nature Scoop Playlist: (Canadian Museum of Nature)
Begins with: Forest and seaside lichen adventure in Kejimkujik
For Teachers:
“On May 18th, through the celebration of International Museum Day, museums around the world will raise awareness of the important role they play in the development of society. Established in 1977 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), this day reminds us that museums are “an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”. *
This month’s resources allow students to think critically about the decisions that museums and historians make. Younger students can begin by examining local historical landmarks and the clues they offer about their community. For older students, considering the rightful ownership of historical artifacts, the naming and dedication of museums and the techniques experts use to detect forgeries will assist them in recognizing and thinking critically about some of the issues museum curators may face.” (Source: The Thinking Teacher, The Critical Thinking Consortium, April 19, 2017.)
Free resources:
| Critical Challenge: Community landmarks have stories to tell [PDF]
Grade range: Primary View more resources in the Critical Challenges collection. |
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| Critical Challenge: Alberta’s fossil heritage [Web]
Grade range: Intermediate View more resources in the Critical Challenges collection. |
Year of the Pig (image shared by UBC)
Learn about the animals in Chinese Zodiac:
Watch this video produced for Lunar New Year 2015 and learn about some of the Lunar New Year traditions from the UBC community.
Teacher Resources:
Mark your calendar: Pink Shirt Day is February 22nd, 2017.
Wear something pink to show that we are all working together to erase bullying in our community.
Portraits of Kindness:
Watch the clip below. What is kindness to you, to your family and how can you show kindness in your community?
Think about this prompt:
“Kindness is……”
Here are some great recommendations for books about kindness. Visit your school library to find even more!
Teacher Resources:
Have a Heart Day is on February 14th, 2017
This message is from the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada (FNCFCS) website:
“Have a Heart Day is a child and youth-led reconciliation campaign that brings together caring Canadians to help ensure First Nations children have the services they need to grow up safely at home, get a good education, be healthy, and be proud of who they are.
Watch “End the Gap – Fair Funding For First Nations Schools”
Listen to the ideas of children:
Activity Ideas:
Explore the Have a Heart Day website to download Have a Heart Day resources, and to order bookmarks and buttons! There is also an information sheet entitled “Reconciliation is all of us”.
Through activities like Have a Heart Day, we are creating a movement where the landscape of Canada is only one of honour and possibility for First Nations children.”
FNCFCS also shared this music video by N’we Jinan Artists “Important to Us”, written and performed by students at Pierre Elliot Trudeau School.
Their message is inspiring:
“No matter where you’re from,
let’s fill our home with colour and love.”
Teachers: More resources are available here
The Riot of Reading Solutions 15th annual Family Literacy Fair is on Saturday, January 28th from 11 – 3 pm at Ecole Mission Central.
The theme for this year’s Family Literacy Day is “Learn at Play, Every Day”.
Exciting events taking place that day include:
How will you participate in Family Literacy Day? Here are some ideas for inspiration:
Activity Ideas:
Source: ABC Life Literacy Learn at Play, Everyday Activities (English and French)
The Hour of Code is celebrated in early December each year, but you can participate year round! Watch the videos below to be inspired by the idea of creating and computational thinking.
You can try coding with any type of device. You can try coding without a device! Code.org has activities for trying coding on all kinds of tools and paper activities as well.
Remember, you need your family’s permission if you want to try coding on an app or program that asks you to create an account or for any of your personal information.
Your teacher librarian might even have some books about coding in the school library!
No. We have Hour of Code tutorials that work on PCs, smartphones, tablets, and some that require no computer at all! You can join wherever you are, with whatever you have.Here are a few options:
November is Picture Book Month!
Author Katie Davis produced this video with quotes from beloved and famous authors and illustrators all answering the same question;
“What is a picture book?”
For Students:
What is a picture book to you? Do you have a favourite picture book? Visit your school library to borrow picture books this month.
You might like these books for “Roc Your Mocs” Day in November:
How the Calendar Works
“Each day, an author/illustrator, our Picture Book Month Champion, is listed. On that day he/she has an essay posted on the Picture Book Month website about the importance of picture books. Check back every day of November for a new essay.
Each day is also marked with a theme. Use these daily themes to plan story times, blog about your favorite picture books in that theme, or create themed displays.” (Source: Picture Book Month, Calendar)
For Teachers:
Picture Book Month Teacher’s Guide (Ideas for using picture books in ELA, Science, Math and Social Studies)
Why Picture Books are Important:
“October 31 to November 4, 2016 is Media Literacy Week! This year’s theme is Makers & Creators and focuses on all the ways young Canadians can become more creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial by embracing media production, remixing, maker, and DIY culture and coding.”
Here is a sample video from the ‘Media Minute’ series – a unit of videos and lessons designed specifically for elementary students.
For Families:
Ideas for Families (Tips, Games, Videos, Tutorials)
For Teachers:
Use, Understand & Create: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools (“Teachers can access digital literacy classroom resources aligned with curriculum outcomes set out by their province or territory.”)
Digital and Media Literacy Fundamentals
Media Literacy 101 (Media Minute Videos and Lessons)
MediaSmarts Lessons and Resources (Search by topic/grade)
This year’s theme is “Don’t Wait, Check the Date! Replace smoke alarms every ten years.”
Here are some fun ways to learn about fire safety and the importance of smoke detectors:
Teach Fire Safety using resources from the National Fire Protection Association :
A message from the British Columbia Teacher Librarian Association:
“October 2016 is Library Month.
Monday, October 24th is BC School Library Day.
Share-Celebrate-Advocate. Everyone can participate:
The 2016 Drop Everything and Read Challenge will be held on Monday October 24, 2016!”
Looking for ideas for how your school can participate? Take a look at this DEAR photo album for inspiration!
Teacher Librarians: Submit this form to send a record of how your school participated in DEAR.
One Book to Connect the World
Connect with classrooms around the world through stories! Watch this video from the 2015 school year to explore the inspiration behind this project and how your class can participate.
2016 Contenders (Authors/Books by Age)
Make your mark this school year! September 15th-ish is International Dot Day! Join the celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration! Based on the story “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds, this is a great way to start the year by celebrating the creative talents of children.
Watch the videos below to see examples of students collaborating creatively and get inspired to create:
The summer solstice occurs on Monday, June 20th.
Follow the links below to learn about two Canadian celebrations connected to the summer solstice.
National Aboriginal Day, June 21st:
“Catch the spirit of the 20th Anniversary of National Aboriginal Day on June 21! Come celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada.”
La Fête Nationale Du Québec, June 24th:
It’s that time of year again! This year, the theme for the Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) Reading Club is “Book a Trip”.
Mission Public Library: Summer Reading Club Kick-Off
Saturday, June 25, 2016 (1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
“Book a Trip and travel with your imagination as you read throughout the summer! Join us for games, refreshments, and fun. It’s a one-stop shop to sign up for all of our Summer Reading Clubs, including preschoolers, kids, teens and adults.”
Grab your compass and get ready to travel the world! Book a trip to the library and join the Summer Reading Club. There is a club for everyone! Visit your favourite FVRL location to join. Sign-up starts mid-June and continues throughout the summer.
Read To Me (0 to Preschool)Little ones get stickers, prizes and a medal. Keep track of the reading you do with your child. |
Kids (grades K to 6)Join the SRC and get an awesome reading record designed by BC illustrator Lee Edward Fodi. Win prizes, see great shows, and earn a medal. Just read every day! |
Teens (grades 7 to 12)Pick up a reading record. Read. Enter to win prizes. Repeat. It doesn’t get much simpler than that! Teens @ FVRL on FVRL’s Facebook page. You will find book reviews, trailers, quizzes, and more. |
Adults (everyone else)Reading isn’t just for kids! Read and enter draws for every seven days of reading. The more you read, the more chances you have to win. Travel A to Z this summer. Join the summer reading club and discover amazing places far and near. Sign up starts in June and continues throughout the summer. |
Rukhsana Khan
Rob Scotton
Ame Dyckman
