Places to go, things to do!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by choices? My e-mail does that to me and then I pass all those choices on to others so I am trying to put some of this material on here rather than e-mail.

In a past blog I mentioned Room to Read and there is a link on the side. The local chapter is screening a documentary, See-Them-Run, about three Victorians who have literally ran around Africa raising money for work in local communities in Africa. Erin, Reuben, and Patrick will be there to introduce their film. This will be Wednesday, November 26 from 7 pm to 8:45 pm at The Ridge Theatre. Tickets are $20 and available online.

Do you like reading new books on line? Pembroke, the publisher of many Canadian literacy resources plus the Canadian distributor for Stenhouse, has a great e-mail newsletter which highlights there new books. Press here for this month's edition.
Tonight there is an event at Christianne's Lyceum on using sophisticated picture books to set the stage for literature circles. Many of you know Christianne from her years at Kidsbooks. I keep meaning to go to one of the workshops but haven't yet but someday...

One of my favorite events is coming up sponsored by Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable
and Children's Writers and Illustrators of BC (CWILL BC)at Hycroft on November 12 when a Canadian writer is featured and we get to hear about new books from our BC writers as well. This year's author is Kathy Stinson. If you want to book authors for your school the CWILL website is extremely useful!

Now that I have passed on all these choices...

Drop Everything and Read

Well, yes, I did drop everything and I read the first few chapters of a new Orca young adult book, res judicata by Vicki Grant. I am intrigued and I think I will have to take it home tonight to finish. Intriguing characters with a Halifax setting. Mom is a lawyer, once a street kid, who had her teenage son when she was no more than sixteen. The story is told from the point of view of her son who ends up having to help out his mom more than he sometimes wants to.

I spent the weekend in Kelowna attending the provincial International Reading Association conference but I also had time to discover the best wine I have ever tasted in the Okanagan and experienced bicycling on high on the Kettle Valley Railway.

Today I have also had a chance to update my wiki so that you can download all our annotated book lists and also our dvd lists. Just check out my pbwiki site on the side at Good Sites to Visit! Bringing the wiki up to date will be a continuing project for me...

Need a little inspiration on a rainy day?

A friend sent me this clip recently, a little inspiration from a fifth grader. Now this is a child who knows how to use oral language! You can also find the video of an interview with Dalton with Ellen on the same page!

Possibilities...

Just a reminder about some possibilities! The Engaging Adolescent Learners' Diploma being offered in district is to begin in January. The deadline for this program is November 7. It's a great way to go up a category and if you are accepted into the Master's program it will only take you an additional year. Lots of great conferences on the PSA day on October 24. Feel like a trip to the Okanagan check out BCLCIRA and CINCIRA's conference in Kelowna with lots of great sessions. In Vancouver, you can spend a day with Paul Kropp or Lori Rog at LOMCIRA's fall conference at the Hastings Room at the PNE! The BCTELA conference will be at the Delta Inn in Richmond with lots of great sessions with popular speakers.