Month: October 2015

World Food Day

From the United Nations:

On 16 October 1945, 42 countries acted in Quebec, Canada, to create the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In doing so they took another important step forward in man’s perpetual struggle against hunger and malnutrition. For through the establishment of FAO they provided themselves, and the many other nations that were to enter the Organization, with a mechanism through which its Member Countries could deal with a set of problems that are of major concern to all countries and all people… FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

Read more at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Rugby World Cup

Have you been watching the Rugby World Cup?  The tournament heads into the Quarter-Final “knockout” stage this weekend. The Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the world (after only the Olympics and the Soccer World Cup.)  The Rugby World Cup takes place every four years and brings together the top 20 international sides to battle for global rugby supremacy. Check out our display of materials related to Rugby Union Football.

rugby1111For more about Rugby and the World Cup:

International Day of the Girl

source: UNICEF

The United Nations has declared October 11 to be the International Day of the Girl Child. The day was first celebrated in 2012, as an opportunity to recognize the rights of girls, to raise awareness about the challenges that they face around the world, and to celebrate our daughters, sisters, friends and students. Sadly, girls around the world daily face discrimination, violence and the violation of their human rights.

The theme for 2015 is:  The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.

Find out more:

 

World Mental Health Day

From the World Health Organization:wmhd

“Thousands of people with mental health conditions around the world are deprived of their human rights. They are not only discriminated against, stigmatised and marginalised but are also subject to emotional and physical abuse in both mental health facilities and the community. Poor quality care due to a lack of qualified health professionals and dilapidated facilities leads to further violations.

The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day, observed on 10 October, is “Dignity in mental health”. This year, WHO will be raising awareness of what can be done to ensure that people with mental health conditions can continue to live with dignity, through human rights oriented policy and law, training of health professionals, respect for informed consent to treatment, inclusion in decision-making processes, and public information campaigns.”

Find out more:

World Mental Health Day 2015

WHO Information Sheet

Canadian Mental Health Association

Magazines, Newspapers and More

The School Library Program offers many choices in terms of reading material and sources of information for research. One of the areas that many students (and staff) should check out more often is Periodicals. We have regular subscriptions to a wide variety of magazines. We also pick up other magazine titles on a more casual basis.  And we have  a daily subscription to both the Vancouver Sun and the Province.

magazines

More than that, through our district sponsored online resources, we offer you access to thousands of different newspapers, magazines, journals and more. We have created a short tutorial on how to use one of these databases to find current articles. Click here.

How Much of the Internet is “Google-able”?

DarkWebWhile it is impossible to give a firm answer to the question, it is clear that for every website that is free and accessible through search engines such as Google, there are thousands of other places on the internet that are not. Many valuable sources of information are hidden behind various layers of walls, including paywalls. While the estimates can vary widely, one study  suggested as little as .03% of the internet was searchable with Google, while there are claims that only 1/25000th (.004%) of the internet had been indexed by the search engine (source). Whatever the number, we can set aside the myth that all anyone needs is a a computer and Google and the whole world of information is at your fingertips.

Good news: As a student (or staff member) in SD36 you can have access to many online databases and other district sponsored resources that other people have to pay for. If you are using a computer or other device within the district, you can use these without passwords. If you are at home, you will need usernames and passwords. Your teacher librarian can give you these.

Find out more!

 

World Teachers` Day

Happy World Teachers’ Day!  In 1994, the United Nations (UNESCO) established October 5th as World Teachers’ Day, a day to recognize and celebrate the vital role that teachers play in the lives of all people, especially children and youth.

world teachers day 2015
source: UNESCO

Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies

“Empowering teachers, building sustainable societies” is the World Teachers’ Day slogan for 2015.

It is recognized that teachers are not only a means to implementing education goals; they are the key to sustainability and national capacity in achieving learning and creating societies based on knowledge, values and ethics. However, they continue to face challenges brought about by staff shortages, poor training and low status…”

 For the rest of this article at UNESCO, click here

 

Mohandas Gandhi

source: public domain / wikimedia commons

Mohandas Gandhi was born on in this day in India in 1869. Gandhi led India to independence from the British Empire, primarily through non-violent protest and peaceful resistance. His ideas would inspire future movements from such people as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

For more on the life of Gandhi, click here.