In the United States the American Library Association presents Banned Books Week, September 24 to 30.
From the ALA: Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the freedom to read, will be held the week of September 24th in 2017. For this year’s celebration, the coalition of organizations that sponsors Banned Books Week will emphasize the importance of the First Amendment, which guarantees our inherent right to read.
People in Canada and around the world stand with Americans who are celebrating and standing up for their right to read. As Canadians we can also celebrate our rights, and learn more about what we need to do to protect those rights.
Each year on the 10th of October people all over the globe observe World Mental Health Day. This is an opportunity to acknowledge the serious issues related to our Mental Health.
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.
The Surrey School Board is pleased to announce that the District’s first ever Latin Immersion Program is starting this September at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School. All incoming Grade 8 students will receive instruction in Latin for all classes. All Grade 9 students will have Latin instruction in all the core academic classes. Meanwhile students on the Graduation Program will have Latin instruction in subjects chosen at random. In the cases of Provincially examinable courses, the Provincial Exam will also be written in Latin. When interviewed, Lord Tweedsmuir Principal Buggie was very excited about the plan, exclaiming, “vero nihil verius.” Then he added, “quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur.”
The Reading Buddies program at the Surrey Public Library is looking for volunteer reading buddies. Reading Buddies is a great volunteer opportunity where you can develop your mentorship skills. Being a “big buddy” is a rewarding experience, and counts towards CAPP hours. For more information, check out surreylibraries.ca. You can download an application form there. You can also contact the Youth Services Librarian at the Cloverdale Library to ask questions, and to apply.
The Orientation and Training Session at the Cloverdale Library takes place in March. Spots fill up fast, so get your application in right away!
Teachers spent the day on Thursday, November 12, planning for the implementation of BC’s new curriculum. BC Teachers have been busy writing the curriculum to reflect the changes that have already been going on in education, and in anticipation of the needs of students moving forward. The K-9 Curriculum goes into full effect for the 2016-2017 School Year, while the 10-12 Curriculum, currently in draft form, is slated for full implementation for the 2017-2018 School Year.
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.
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.
“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.”
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 those born in last few decades, the greatest goal in hockey that they ever witnessed was the “Golden Goal” of Sydney Crosby, the overtime goal which captured the Gold Medal for Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
For others, sandwiched between the baby boomers and the millennials, the greatest goal ever scored, that they saw, came in 1987, as Wayne Gretzky passed the puck to Mario Lemieux, who scored to give Canada a 6-5 victory over the Soviet Union in the third and deciding game of the Canada Cup.
The case can be made for other great goals as well. However, hockey fans in their 50’s or older were witnesses to “The Goal,” what most hockey observers, experts and fans alike, consider to be the greatest goal in hockey history.
In 1972 the Summit Series featured the stars of the NHL, Team Canada, against the Soviet Union. The series was about more than just hockey. It was the height of the cold war, and for many people, this was an extension of that conflict between Soviets, representing communism and totalitarianism, and the democratic, capitalist, “free” countries of the “West.”
1972 was the first time that the best players in professional hockey would be assembled to take on the Soviets, the powerhouse that had dominated international and Olympic hockey since the 1950’s. Canadians were confident that this time it would be different, as hockey was our game, and now we finally had a chance to prove it, “best on best.” For the first time we would send our best players, our NHL stars, to teach the Soviets about hockey.
It didn’t start out that way. The Canadian stars were used to using September to get in shape for the NHL season. They weren’t ready to play and it showed, as Canada only won one game out of the first four games at home, and then dropped the first game in Russia. Down 3 games to 1, with one tie, the Canadians needed to win the final three games in Russia to win the series. They would win the next two to even the series and make the 8th and final game the decider.
What had already been a dramatic series was about to achieve legendary status. Down by two goals going into the 3rd period, Canada clawed their way back to tie the game with about 7 minutes left. In the final minute, Paul Henderson scored to give Canada the lead and the victory in the series.
Canadians had been watching on their television sets, all over the country and around the world. Many Canadians can still tell you where they were when Henderson scored “The Goal.”
Fans of baseball and the English language are celebrating the life of Yogi Berra, who passed away yesterday at the age of 90. Berra is in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest players and managers of all time. He is also the source of:
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
“It’s déjà vu all over again.”
“Baseball is ninety percent mental; the other half is physical.”
“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
“You can observe a lot by watching.”
“Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours.”
The 
The Orientation and Training Session at the Cloverdale Library takes place in March. Spots fill up fast, so get your application in right away!
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 