Dewey Decimal Rap by Scooter Hayes, and "Gotta Keep Reading" by Ocoee Middle School

Bastion students have been loving these two songs about loving to read and learning and about the Dewey Decimal System (created by Melvil Dewey).  I will list the Youtube clips below, so you can play it over and over (!) without the side bars coming up.  Sometimes the clips run an ad that you can skip after 3-5 seconds.  As this post gets "older" search for the song names above in the blogger search window to get to them easily in this blog.  

Scooter Hayes' Dewey Decimal Rap

Ocoee Middle School, "Gotta Keep Reading"

Happy learning to all, Ms. Murrells-Allaway

Amazing Successes for our Bastion Learning Commons (AKA Library)

Congratulations Bastion!  We made over $2100 at the Festival du livre and thus we were able to save $850 towards our $1200 purchase of great French books.  A reminder that the English Book Fair is the first week of December. Thank you to parents Ravonne Foulger, Tanja Hamilton, Mae Dodge and son Isaac for their amazing help.  We will need more volunteers for the next Book Fair, so please contact me, teacher-librarian Shannon Murrells-Allaway if you can assist.

Family Library Day is up and running every Wed. after school til 2:45pm.  Thank you Theda Gyimesi for continuing this great tradition.  Families can sign out up to five extra books, read with their children, and continue to build our reading culture.

"200 Nights of Reading" started Oct 28th thank you to the amazing help of parent Ravonne Foulger.  Her design adjustment and photocopy hours are much appreciated.  Drop off completed sheets to the "200 Nights of Reading" drop box in the learning commons.  We will celebrate the first 100 nights with book marks, and 200 nights with a new book choice for your household!

Warm wishes and happy reading to all, Shannon Murrells-Allaway

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”— Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”

Follow @_Murrells

Mme Jesse's Class is Studying Sunflowers/Tournesols

Tournesol/sunflower seed germination (0:35):

A teacher's potted tournesol/sunflower growth and bloom (0:44):

The tournesol/sunflower head blooming (1:06):

 

Roderick Haig-Brown Salmon Run Field Trips Begin ...

Oct 7th, a few classes head west to the Roderick Haig-Brown Park to view the salmon run - a "dominant year."

" Every fourth year is a “dominant” salmon run, with millions of fish to be seen (2014 and 2018 will be dominant runs). The Adams River Salmon Society coordinate the celebration known as the “Salute to the Sockeye” during the dominant years. The following years are “sub-dominant” runs of sockeye: 2015, 2019. These years often have substantial returns of sockeye and offer excellent viewing opportunities. During the last three weeks of October in years where there isn’t a “dominant” or “sub-dominant” return, a small number of salmon begin their spawning cycle. The best place to view spawning salmon will be on the new viewing platform  approximatley 300m west of the the parking lot."  Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park 

Video footage by impressed tourists:

And get more great information from the Adams River Salmon Society

A salmon Haiku for you - as poetry simply makes a day richer!

Source: http://www.fauntleroywatershed.org/education/lessonplans/salmon_activities_haiku.pdf

I've Sadly Left My Learning Family at Parkview and Silver Creek ...

Dearest Parkview & Silver Creek students & parents:

I was fortunate to obtain a 3 day per week teacher-librarian job at Bastion Elementary in Salmon Arm, which is 10 mins from my home.  I haven't been able to make this post to say my goodbyes until tonight.  Thus, it is with very mixed feelings that I say goodbye to you all.  Nevertheless, keep in touch with me and continue to contribute to our reading & learning culture through this blog, email, and twitter. And of course, if our paths cross, let's take a moment to say hello and catch up.

I soooo enjoyed my learning journey with you.  Thank you for the risks you took with me in exercising our brain and having fun in a usually quiet library!  We've already begun dancing to Ocoee Middle School's "Gotta Keep Reading" and soon to come will be the "Dewey Rap."

You are in fine hands with Ms. Reed at Parkview, and I believe Ms Killy at Silver Creek.

Dear parents I invite you to keep updated on educational trends, issues, changes, reductions, and successes.  Our district is still in a declining enrollment situation and thus lower funding still plagues us, and yet costs continue to increase.  In order to protect the classroom as much as possible, the trustees had to make very difficult reductions in various areas last year.  Most of our elementary libraries were reduced by 43%.  Three if not four schools in our district have their libraries OPEN JUST TWO DAYS PER MONTH!  Other cost saving measures included reduced school supplies budgets, reduced principal/vice principal time, reduced secondary teachers, learning resource teachers, and education assistance, school clerical and lunch hour supervisors were reduced as well as speech and language pathologists, and the deaf/hard of hearing.  The Family  Life teaching position was eliminated, and counselling reduced.  And sadly the list still goes on.

Next year our district is projected for more cuts.

We has a culture and societal group need to pause and do some deep thinking about "public" education. What do we want to change?  What do we want to get rid off and what do we want to keep?  We then have to demand from our politicians funding to support that vision.  Together we can make a difference.  Wishing you all the very best in life, Ms. Shannon Murrells-Allaway.

National Aboriginal Day, June 21st, First Day of Summer

Canadians across our country are celebrating National Aboriginal Day.  Check out the links and get involved in your community!

• Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
• Three YouTube Clips by this ministry
• Photos on Flickr
• YouTube Channel
• Aboriginal Events local and around the province - listed by First Nations Health Authority (scroll down)
• CBC News QUIZ - 10 questions to get you ready for National Aboriginal Day

Reply below to let us know your plans and report back about events!

Frank Oberle, Alberta Minster of Aboriginal Relations

Aboriginal Day in Winnipeg, Aboriginal Day at The Forks National Historical Site

Men's Traditional Dance - National Aboriginal Day Celebrations 2010

Summer Reads & Brain Muscle Work

Alrighty, how are you going to keep that all important brain muscle stimulated this summer?  Using your five senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, and the ever-so-popular viewing!  Did you know that playing is a great way to learn?  Truly it is.  Also, of course, reading is wonderful for your brain.  Let's start a dialog together about great summer reading options and where to continue our learning on a daily basis.

Try these reading suggestions:
Calgary Public Library Staff Picks (scroll down a little)

The Next Chapter's summer reading list for kids - CBC Radio

Corporate Business Suggestions:
SUMMER READING CHART Random House Publishing
Summer Reading Picks by Mallory Lewis (Random House), June 11th, 2014
TD Reads

OTHER COOL IDEAS FOR READING AND LEARNING:
Custom Reading Book List!  Yes, the Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) will give you five personalized reading suggestions.  Just fill in the form.
Summer Reading Club - ORL

Tips for Parents: Reading (or being read to) helps children maintain and improve their reading skills while school is out. Even reading15 minutes a day makes a difference. To keep kids reading regularly, it’s important to make it fun. Invite them to read whatever they want, whether it’s a book, audiobook, ebook or magazine. Need help finding great reads? Your library can help your kids find just what they like.

Kids' Corner - ORL
Teen Shelf - ORL

Reply below for some more ideas ...