Thank You for the Book Fair Support!

Our Virtual Scholastic Book Fair was a success!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this important library fundraiser. 

We sold 60 books and have earned over $100 in credit to purchase new resources for the Learning Commons. Wahoo!

Virtual Book Fair Family Night is Tonight!

 Our virtual Scholastic Book Fair is under way! 

Thank you to everyone who has already supported the Learning Commons through this important fundraiser! If you would like to make a purchase, you're not too late! You can take advantage of the FREE shipping for all orders placed during Family Night 6 - 8 pm this evening!

Dates : Monday, November 30th to Sunday, December 13th

Link : Click https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/ 

FREE Shipping on orders $35 or more!

FREE Shipping on any order placed Wednesday 6-8 pm during the fair! That's TONIGHT!

Virtual Scholastic Book Fair

The Learning Comomns is having its annual book fair fundrasier VIRTUALLY this year!

And you're invited! 

For every purchase made, the Learning Commons will earn Scholastic credit to be spent on books and other resources for our school library!

Thank you for your support!

Dates : Monday, November 30th to Sunday, December 13th

Link : Click here

FREE Shipping on orders $35 or more!

FREE Shipping on any order placed Wednesday 6-8 pm during the fair!

Indigenous Veterans Day

Did you know that Sunday, November 8th is Indigenous Veterans Day in Canada?

Here are some online resources for you to learn more about the contributions that Indigenous Peoples have made to the Canadian Military. 

• Veterans Affairs Canada : https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/people-and-stories/indigenous-peoples 
• Cree Code Talkers (includes short video) : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cree-code-talkers
• Indigenous Peoples and the First World War : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-peoples-and-the-first-world-war
• Indigenous Peoples and the Second World War : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-peoples-and-the-second-world-war
• Indigenous Peoples and the World Wars : https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-peoples-and-the-world-wars
• Tommy Prince (includes Heritage Minute) : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tommy-prince
• Francis Pegahmagabow : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/francis-pegahmagabow
• Edith Monture : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charlotte-edith-anderson-monture
• Charles Tomkins  (includes Heritage Minute) : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charles-tomkins
• Mary Greyeyes Reid (interesting tie-in to misinformation/dishonesty/manipulation in the media) : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mary-greyeyes
• Bertha Clark-Jones (Cree-Métis from Alberta) : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bertha-clark-jones
• Fred Loft (founder League of Indians) : https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fred-loft

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/people-and-stories/indigenous-peoples

Remembrance Day Resources in the Learning Commons

November is an important month for honouring our Canadian military and its members, both past and serving. I have displayed a variety of non-fiction books for you to look at in the Learning Commons. If you find something that interests you in the photo, search for it in e-Library and then submit a Book Request form to borrow it.

Online resources can be found here:

• Remembrance Day on the Online Reference Centre. 
• In the First World War collection of The Canadian Encyclopedia. 
• In the Second World War collection of The Canadian Encyclopedia.

It's Media Literacy Week in Canada!

For information about Media Literacy Week go to Media Smarts : Canada's Centre for Digital and Media Literacy.

From the Media Smarts website:

About Media Literacy Week

Media Literacy Week (MLW) is an annual event promoting digital and media literacy across Canada. Schools, libraries, museums and community groups organize events and activities throughout the week.

In 2020, we’re encouraging Canadians of all ages to be good digital citizens by checking the info they see online before sharing it. Take part by becoming a Collaborator, planning digital and media literacy activities for your classroom, and by spreading the word on social media using #MediaLitWk!

Resources

• Break the Fake resources
• Media Literacy Week newsletter
• Press Centre
• YouTube Channel
• Connect with MediaSmarts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

https://mediasmarts.ca/media-literacy-week

Women's History Month Resources

It's Women's History Month in Canada! I have displayed books about fabulous women around the world. If you see something you like, you can order it by using the online form here. Find the book in e-Library, fill in the information, and submit your request!

Watch these Heritage Minutes featuring Canadian women of history! I 💙 Heritage Minutes. Don't you?

Happy Women's History Month!

October is Women's History Month in Canada!

 October is Women's History Month in Canada!

I have been busy gathering resources to create a display to celebrate women and all their achievements this month. We have so many books about fabulous women from all over the world! Stay tuned!

In the meantime, the Goverment of Canada has wonderful online resources to help you learn more. Have a look at this Canadian Women in History Time Line. 

Think about . . .

• Who have you already heard about?
• Who is the most interesting?
• Who inspires you?
• Who is your favourite?
• Who are you most like?

https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/commemorations-celebrations/womens-history-month.html

Orange Shirt Day

 Thank you to everyone who wore orange to support Orange Shirt Day.

"On this day of September 30th, we call upon humanity to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it."  (https://www.orangeshirtday.org/about-us.html)

Please visit https://www.orangeshirtday.org/ for more information.

And visit the Learning Commons to browse our colleciton of Indigenous resources. Here are some of the books we displayed for Orange Shirt Day.

Every child matters . . . every day.

Books Belonging to Other Schools

Do you have a book that belongs to another school? I can help you with that! 

Please return it to me in the Learning Commons and I will send it to other school. No worries. Easy peasy! 

If I'm not in the Learning Commons when you visit, please put it in the bin and I will find it when I check in all of the books. 

Happy reading!

Please Return Overdue Books!

Do you have a book that belongs to your last school's library? Please return it to me in the Learning Commons and I will send it to your last librarian!

Do you have a book that belongs to the Willow Park School library? Please return it now!

Books can be returned to the bin just inside the Learning Commons doors any time Tuesday to Thursday.

Book Schedule

Monday	Check in books
Tuesday – Thursday	Return books
Friday – Sunday	Quarantine for 3 days

 

How to Use e-Library and Request a Library Book

Borrowing books from the library is very different this year. Students are not allowed to visit the library to browse books. I miss you all! Hopefully this is a temporary measure.

Instead, all students will browse books using our online catalogue called e-Library. Here are some helpful videos that show you where to find it and how to use it.

Links

Accessing e-Library  https://www.screencast.com/t/OzIFwlg4Pbm 

Navigating e-Library  https://www.screencast.com/t/7gAJ7LGmg 

e-Library Quick Search https://www.screencast.com/t/cDVAuQ25mQ 

How to Log into e-Library and view My Account  https://www.screencast.com/t/1OS4RL2NC 

Access e-Library https://ims.cbe.ab.ca/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=GCVgpWNoDs/AAAERS/X/60/1182/X 

Make sure you check out the links under the Resources for Students tab!

Book Request Form

Once you have chosen a book that you would like to request, you need to fill in this form

WPS Library Book Request Form https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hxMW71old0evNoC4_OTuc0D221YhdPhNjmLAiMH102RUQkhaSlRTNlVTNlYySFRJSUc3N0ZVN09ORC4u 

 I will do my best to get the book delivered to each student in their classroom within a week.

Library Book Schedule for the Learning Commons

Monday	Check in books
Tuesday – Thursday	Return books
Friday – Sunday	Quarantine for 3 days

 Happy Reading! 

https://ims.cbe.ab.ca/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=XF4PykUlYo/AAAERS/X/60/1182/X

Let the School Year Begin!

The 2020 - 2021 school year has begun! And the Learning Commons will run a little differently for now. Stay tuned for more information about how to browse and request books from the Learning Commons. 

In the meantime, please see earlier post How to Borrow eBooks and Audiobooks from Calgary Public Library for instructions. They have loads to choose from.

I've missed you! Although you won't be able to visit the Learning Commons to borrow books, you'll see me around the school delivering books and supporting technology. Say hello! Show me your smiling eyes above your mask. :)

Good-bye For Now

Sadly, today is my last day of work for the 2019 - 2020 school year. Thank you for visiting my blog over the past few weeks. I will pick it up again in the Fall. In the meantime, I shall miss you all, small and tall. Please take care of yourself. Stay active, create, learn, and read lots. I look forward to seeing you back in the Learning Commons. xo

Book Suggestions

Do you want to borrow an ebook or audiobook from the Calgary Public Library but don't know what to choose? Well this might help!

All new books that are purchased for the Learning Commons are displayed on our New Books bookshelf for everyone to see and borrow. I take pics of this shelf and share it with staff so they know what's new in the LC.

Here are some of those pics! Perhaps you'll find some inspiration!

Don't forget to keep track of all the books you read (or listen to) so you can add beads to the bottle on my desk!

Please see earlier post How to Borrow eBooks and Audiobooks from Calgary Public Library for instructions.

Ongoing Learning with CBE

https://www.cbe.ab.ca/Pages/default.aspx

Have you seen Calgary Board of Education's Ongoing Learning page?

There is a nice video for you to watch and resource links down the right side.

Check out these Activities and Ideas for Families

• K-6 Parent Supports
• Grades 6-9 Parent Supports​​​
• Grades 10-12 Parent Supp​orts

Remember to look after your body with this . . . 

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines 

• Build Your Best Day
• Smiling Mind

And your brain with this . . . 

18 Best Podcasts for Kids in Elementary, Middle and High School 

What's Going on in this Picture? Images from The New York Times stripped of their captions – and an invitation for students to discuss and write about. 

Estimation180 

• Use visual estimation, and patterning to form an estimate based on a picture and then see a “reveal" 
• Suitable for Grades 4 – 9  

SolveMePuzzles 

• Use logic to solve visual, interactive mathematical puzzles 
• Suitable for K – 12 

Let's Talk Science 

• Hands-on a​ctivities 
• Interactives 
• Learning strategies ​

And more!! So go ahead and click around! Keep both your body and your brain active!

2020 Rocky Mountain Book Award Nominees

The 2020 Rocky Mountain Book Award nominees have been posted!

This is an Alberta based award for Canadian books for kids. I recognize a lot of the titles from our collection! How many have you read?

Click on each book to find out more about it. If you are interested, try borrowing it as an ebook or an audiobook from the Calgary Public Library! See earlier post on how to do this.

2020 Nominees

Keep track of all the books you read so you can add beads to the bottle on my desk when we are back in the Learning Commons! I can't wait! 

What is the Online Reference Centre?

The Online Reference Centre is a set of resources created by the Ministry of Education to support Alberta curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

You can find all sorts of interesting sites such as . . .

• Indigenous Peoples
• Muzzy for language learning
• National Film Board of Canada
• National Geographic Kids
• PowerKnowledge for Science
• Scholastic Go!
• ScienceFLIX
• TeachingBooks
• Teen Health and Wellness
• Twig
• Various Encyclopedias 
• And many more!

During this time, all access is open and students do not need to log in.

So go to the Online Reference Centre now and check it out!

How to Check Your School Library Account From Home

Are you wondering if you have any school library books on your account?

Or maybe you know you borrowed a book but you can't remember what it's called?

No worries! You can check your account from home. It's easy peasy!

Just log in to e-Library (that's where we search for books) using your CBE number and password.

Here are a few ways to get to e-Library:

• Use this link to our school website and follow the instructions in the blue box ⇩
• Use this link to e-Library 
• Use a tablet or cell phone camera to scan the QR code ⇩

Then follow the steps ⇩ to see your account.

If you do have books on your account, please keep them safe until we can see each other in the Learning Commons again! Thank you! 

Explore the Calgary Public Library at Home!

Just becasue we are at home now doesn't mean we can't enjoy the Calgary Public Library!

Library at Home is their collection of online resources and it's fantastic!

You know I love their ebooks and audiobooks but they have so much more for you to explore!

Calgary Public Library and CBE have a long partnership and they offer lots of resources to support our students. Have a look around their website and see what they've got for all ages and grades, as well as pre-school and adults. They truly have something for everyone.

All CBE students have access to all online CPL resources using . . .

Library Card Number : educbe email ID (ex. jordanf23, rileyd56)
PIN : 1234567 

WPS Library Books at Home

Have you got Willow Park School library books at home?

No problem! Lots of students still have school library books at home right now and that's okay. 

Please keep them in a safe place until we are back at school.

If it is a book you enjoyed, maybe you can read it again!

Remember to keep track of all the books you read so you can put beads in the bottle on my desk when we are back in the Learning Commons!

How to Borrow eBooks and Audiobooks from Calgary Public Library

Two ways to borrow eBooks and Audiobooks from Calgary Public Library

Do you have your own cell phone or tablet that you do not share with others?

• If Yes, see On Your Personal Device
• If No, see On a Shared Device

  

On Your Personal Device

1. Download the Libby app to your device
2. Add a Library -- type in Calgary and click on Calgary Public Library
3. Add a Card
• Card Number : your educbe email (ex. ChippyD14@educbe.ca)
• Pin Number : 1234567
4. Search or browse and Borrow ebooks and audiobooks!

On a Shared Device

1. Go to Calgary Public Library at https://calgarylibrary.ca/
2. Click on the horizontal menu lines in the top left hand corner
3. Click on Digital Library under Read, Learn, and Explore 
4. Click on See A-Z list of Digital Resources
5. Scroll down and Click on OverDrive eBooks & eAudiobooks
6. Scroll down and Click on Access OverDrive
7. Click on Sign In
• Card Number : your educbe email  (ex. ChippyD14@educbe.ca)
• Pin Number : 1234567
8. Bookmark this page!
9. Search or browse and Borrow ebooks and audiobooks!

Main Screen Navigation

Across the bottom of Libby . . . 

• Click on Library to search, browse and borrow books
• Click on circular picture of book cover to continue reading (or listening)
• Click on Shelf to see your Loans, Holds and Reading Now shelves

Placing a Book on Hold

• If you place a book on hold it will go on to your Holds Shelf
• You will get a notification on your Reading Now Shelf when it is available to borrow
• Check regularly if you are waiting for a book
• Look at your Holds Shelf to see how long your wait will be

Returning a Book When You are Finished

• All ebooks and audiobooks will be returned automatically at the end of their loan period
• You may Renew an item if there are no Holds on that title
• To Return a book early, click Manage Loan and then Return Early
• People waiting to borrow that book appreciate when you do this!

Don't forget to keep track of all the books you read so you can add beads to the bottle on my desk when we return to school!

Hello from Mrs. Dickson!

Hello Willow Park Students!

I wanted to let you know that I miss you, I am thinking about you, and I hope you are well. I can't wait for us to get back to Willow Park School and see each other again. In the meantime, treat yourself kindly and read lots. Don't forget to keep track of how many books you read so you can add beads to the bottle on my desk!

I'll see you in the Learning Commons!

Mrs. Dickson