It seems like in a blink of an eye, the leaves have turned vibrant red, yellow and orange and the winter rains have struck. These are busy times and I know you are trying to balance the needs and wishes in your buildings. Just a heads up that our new licenses have been updated and…
Category: Professional Learning
Welcome Back
Hi Everyone Welcome back to a new year. Hope you had a great summer. Some items to be aware as we work through the year. New review or intro sessions are in the Staff Development calendar: https://learn.burnabyschools.ca/ If you are in need of a refresher or are brand new to the program, please consider this….
September – A New Year
Welcome back from holidays. A number of items are new this Autumn. Foundations 1, along with error reports are complete (Last year, it was in progress.) Student Errors are in a single report making it easier to review Reading Readiness and the RPI have been upgraded to html (No more Flash!) Usability of Foundation 1 and…
New on the Horizon
So many exciting things have been happening with our students’ learning that it’s hard to keep up. Updates on Intervention Practices: If you haven’t recently looked at our Interventions page, you’ll be happily surprised there are new connected activities for you. If you need assistance, please email me. Consistent review of your data reports goes…
It’s October – What’s Happening?
October has entered with stormy weather (I think there’s a song about this..). And as we watch the leaves change colour and blow in the wind, we’ve been able to connect with returning students as well as get to know new students and staff. This is a significantly busy month in Fast ForWord. Learning sessions…
Welcome back
Hope everyone had a great summer. It looks like the warm days aren’t quite ending just yet. I always look forward to beginnings and school startup is no exception – lots of interesting things to learn and new people to meet. With all the changes happening, the dates for Fast ForWord learning series are set….
Learning on the Edge – Reflections on Pro-D
We just finished a districtwide Pro-D, where for the first time we squeezed 2000 people into one building. So parking was quite hairy and the deluge of rain didn’t help matters. Once inside, the atmosphere was positively electrifying (thanks to the facilitators and participants). Our opening started with North’s own Viking marching band, keynote Abe Fernández (Director…
Connectedness & Relationships
Welcome back. Exciting things are afoot… This month is all about connecting and relationship building. Behind every one of those faces are stories waiting to be heard. Changes to both our infrastructure and Fast ForWord content is going to make this an exciting year. If you are interested in having this program in your…
When Opportunity and Resources Meet = Success Happens
Connecting a ‘just right’ opportunity to engage in independent deeper thinking and a resource that allows that to happen is a challenge. When the two meet, it’s almost magical, especially when it can include students who struggle with reading and writing. For these, time is spent mostly on the mechanics of reading/writing, leaving little cognitive energy for…
Welcome Back!
Starting a new year is always exciting and this year cannot be any different. We’ve done some updates to the blog – please take time to familiarize yourself with the organization (you’ll find new consent templates, Admin section now under Program…). New training sessions (for new sites and any teachers new or nearly new to program)…
Secret to the Universe When Motivation Wanes
Many times I’ve been asked “how do you motivate students”? This is usually during the time when the newness of the exercises wear off and it’s clearly drudgery that takes over. This might happen during week one (sigh) or perhaps pop up in week three. If you’re lucky, you won’t see the effects for quite…
Nov-Dec Newsletter is Out
Our November-December newsletter is now published. Read what’s new and exciting in our district. As well, you might not have been aware that you can take advantage of purchasing MS Office at home (for only $11). Click here for this edition. Or select the tab > News to find all issues.
September Newsletter Off the Presses
September is filled with a mix of “welcome back activities” as well as planning for possibilities. Our September Newsletter is hot off the presses. Click here for your copy. You can also click on the News tab in the navigation bar for an archive of all the newsletters.
A New Year – New Opportunities
Welcome back! It’s been a fabulous summer, especially with the spectacular weather offering lots of opportunities to rest, rejuvenate and re-energize. We anticipate a very exciting year filled with new connections and new ways to look at past practices. This summer, some schools were upgraded to the new Active Directory – School Connect structure [replacing…
Virtual Webinar – Brain Connections
Just in case you missed the last offering, here’s another chance to dive into free webinars with Sherelle Walker and Martha Burns. Sherrelle Walker Dates: June 10, 2011 and June 17, 2011 Time: 8am PT (30 minute session) During this information-packed half-hour, Ms. Walker will discuss concrete, useful strategies for integrating Brain Fitness into district…