I think that we can all agree that the weather is (and has been) doing weird and wacky things. Dry springs and summers leading to devastating wildfires, crazy storms, extreme temperatures. Sometimes it is scary and I wonder (and worry) about the future. Something is definitely going on with our environment. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 in the US. In the more than 50 years since then, Read More …
Did you know that our Library Learning Commons has over 13,000 unique titles? And more items than that. Fiction, non-fiction, DVDs, magazines. We have a great collection! But what happens when you want to find something specific? Without good organization, it could be really difficult to find that particular book you’re looking for. When items are returned, they have to go back on the shelf – in their proper place. Read More …
As a community, we are more purposefully looking at our history. Here in Burnaby, history did not begin with the first white settlers. Well before the late 1800s, when Europeans started settling here, from time immemorial, this land was home to others. What do you know about them? Looking for a place to start? Burnaby Village Museum has done some research for you:Others have come and settled here as well. Read More …
We have a newly arrived book in our library, authored by our own grade 9 student, Cara. Like many others, Cara sometimes found learning online during Covid tiring and frustrating. Her story, Rainbow Puppy Daycare, came out of that experience. When she needed breaks, she would make up stories about her favourite things – rainbows, unicorns, and her EA’s dogs. Mr. Laroque, her EA, helped her develop these into the Read More …
has arrived! After maybe the longest ever summer, autumn arrived this week. We’ve already had a few cool mornings, but the sun has been shining everyday and it’s usually been really warm walking home after school. But now the rain has come, and with it, that cold to your bones feeling. While I don’t like the cold, I do like woolly clothes. And we really need the rain. The changes Read More …
I often have people come and ask me if I “can recommend a good book”. Wow. That is a really tricky one. I can recommend many good books – or at least books that I think are good. That I have enjoyed. With the kind of story I like. But that’s where it gets tricky. Because the type of story I most enjoy might not be what you enjoy. And Read More …
This week we are taking time to stop and consider what Truth & Reconciliation means and why it is important. What are truth and reconciliation? What do they have to do with me? Why wear an orange shirt? These are all important questions and each one of us needs to contemplate our own role. When it feels too big, too difficult, think on these words of Lee Maracle, a local Read More …
Another new school year has begun. The sun is still shining but it’s chilly in the mornings as I walk to school. As I was considering what to do for my first book display, I thought about the books I love and how I like to share them with others. So… Ms. Griffith and I pulled some of the Books We’ve Read; We’ve Loved & [have] Given Us Joy. What Read More …
This Saturday was Independent Booksellers Day and I went over to one of my favourite, Iron Dog Books. This is a small, but busy, bookstore. The owners started with a bus, but now have this great little shop on Hastings. I have other favourites as well. Over in North Van, Edgemont Village, a great little community, is bookended by 2 stores; on the north end, 32 Books, and at the Read More …
April is Literacy Month here at Burnaby Mountain. While we’ll be saving the school-wide celebrating for April 11 – 14, here in the Library Learning Commons, we’re going to make a full month of it. So we’re starting with a week that encourages you to think about your Freedom to Read. Books can take us to different times, different places, just … different. Sometimes we see our own lives in Read More …