Author: Ms. Rudolph

During Literacy Week, students rotated through hands-on literacy stations inspired by our theme: Literacy for All. Each station helped students discover that literacy comes in many forms—and looks different for everyone!

At the Braille Station, students explored braille books and examined the braille alphabet. They were fascinated to learn how readers use their fingertips to feel the raised dots that form letters and words. Many tried decoding simple messages and gained a new appreciation for how people who are blind or visually impaired read and write.

The World Languages Station invited students to browse books written in a variety of languages. They worked together to match each book to its correct language, using clues like alphabet styles, familiar words, and illustrations. This station sparked wonderful conversations about the many languages spoken in our community and around the world.

At the Find-the-Letter Station, students had a tactile challenge! Hidden letters were tucked into sensory materials for students to discover by touch. Once they found the letters, they worked to build as many words as they could. It was a fun and engaging way to connect physical exploration with word building.

Finally, the Magnetic Poetry Station encouraged creativity and self-expression. Using magnetic words, students experimented with building poems—some silly, some thoughtful, and some surprisingly profound!

Literacy Week reminded us that reading, writing, speaking, listening, and creating can happen in so many different ways. Truly, literacy is for everyone!

Literacy Week was a wonderful celebration of reading, writing, and connecting with our community! Our students had the opportunity to meet three very special guests who inspired us all in different ways.

We were delighted to welcome local author Jenn Wint, who visited with our primary classes to share her book, Josie’s Busy Calendar. Students loved hearing the story of Josie, a young girl who begins to feel overwhelmed by all the activities and commitments filling her calendar. The story sparked thoughtful conversations about balance, feelings, and the importance of making time to rest. Jenn answered many enthusiastic questions from our curious readers and even brought copies of her book to share. It was such a treat for students to meet a real author and learn about the writing process firsthand!

Our intermediate classes enjoyed a visit from Ana Calabresi, the children’s librarian from the Cameron Public Library. Ana spoke to students about the exciting new library building currently being built and what they can look forward to when it opens. She also helped us celebrate our Read Local day by sharing the names of several local authors. Students were excited to discover that there are talented writers right here in our own community!

         

On Friday, we had the privilege of welcoming Marilyn Rushton and her guide dog, Lima. Marilyn spoke to all of our classes about how she uses braille to read and write. Students and staff were completely captivated as she demonstrated her braille typewriter and explained how it works. There were many thoughtful and respectful questions, which Marilyn kindly answered. Her visit was both educational and inspiring, helping us better understand accessibility and different ways of experiencing the world.

Literacy Week was a tremendous success, filled with learning, curiosity, and community connection. We are so grateful to our wonderful guests for sharing their time and stories with us—and for reminding us that literacy comes in many forms!

This week, our  library buzzed with excitement as hockey players from Simon Fraser University stopped by for a special reading event. It was a joyful mix of books and Red Leafs spirit—an unforgettable morning for our students!

Instead of skates and sticks, the SFU players brought picture books and big smiles. Classes gathered in the library, where each athlete chose a favorite children’s book to share. The players talked about how reading helps them stay focused, learn new strategies, and succeed both on and off the rink. Their visit showed our students that strong minds are just as important as strong muscles. Many kids were thrilled to discover that even college athletes love storytime!

After the read-aloud sessions, students asked fantastic questions:

• “What’s your favorite book?”
• “How often do you practice?”
• “Why did you decide to play hockey over any other sport?”

The players answered thoughtfully and shared motivating messages about setting goals, practicing hard, and keeping up with schoolwork.

We are grateful to the SFU hockey team for making time to connect with our young readers. Their visit brought energy, inspiration, and a lot of new hockey fans to our halls!

Today our library was filled with excitement and plenty of imagination. We were thrilled to welcome Cara Komukai, a talented young author who published her first book, Rainbow Puppy Daycare, when she was just 13 years old. Cara, now a student at Burnaby Mountain Secondary and already an inspiring storyteller, spent the afternoon sharing her book with our primary classes.

Students really enjoyed the hilarious story about the mischievous puppies and had lots of questions for Cara. Cara happily answered every question and shared that she came up with the idea for her story while she was learning online during the Covid-19 pandemic and was inspired by her Educational Assistant’s puppies, Reggie and Olive.

Cara’s book will be on the shelves of our library for families to borrow and enjoy. You can purchase your own copy from Chapters Indigo. More information can be found on Cara’s website.

We are so thankful to Cara Komukai for visiting our library and showing our students that creativity has no age limit.

We can’t wait to see what Cara writes next – we got a hot tip that her next book will be about space!

Friday, October 10, 2025 is World Mental Health Day. It’s a reminder of the importance of good mental health and the need to prioritise and invest in good mental health.

This year’s theme is ‘access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies’. The theme is about protecting your mental health when it seems like there is a lot going on in the world to be anxious about. Read more from the Mental Health Foundation here.

We have a lot of books in our library about mental health and featuring characters who struggle with mental health.

We have picture books:

We have non-fiction:

We have fiction novels and graphic novels:

Come and check out a book for World Mental Health Day this week! Is there any better way to take care of your mental health than reading a good book?

That’s right! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The Scholastic Book Fair has returned to the library. It runs Monday to Thursday and is open at lunch and after school. Remember, odd divisions can shop at lunch on Monday and Wednesday ONLY and even divisions can shop at lunch on Tuesday and Thursday ONLY. Anyone can come after school. See you at the fair!

 

There are so many fun literacy-themed events going on this week! Have you seen the bulletin board outside the library? Stop by and try to guess which “shelfie” belongs to which staff member. You could win a fabulous prize!