Next Monday the students and staff of our school will rise to the DEAR Challenge: Drop Everything and Read. During the long 2nd block (C block) everyone is challenged to read for 20 minutes.
October 27 is Canadian School Library Day & BC School Library Day. School Libraries are valuable in so many ways. Amongst the most important is how much school libraries can educate students and staff about the massive importance of recreational reading, and how vital school libraries are in supporting students by giving them access to books. We encourage everyone in our school– indeed, everyone in the community at large– to take up the challenge to Drop Everything and Read.
On Bandi Chhor Diva, Sikhs celebrate Guru Hargobind, the 6th Guru, who was released from prison, along with many other prisoners, in 1619. The name Bandi Chhor Divas means “Liberation of Prisoners Day.” Sikhs in Canada, India and around the world will celebrate this holy day, which coincides with the 5 day Indian festival known as Diwali.
From the BBC:
According to tradition, Guru Hargobind was released from prison in Gwalior and reached Amritsar on Divali. He would only agree to leave prison if 52 Hindu princes who were in prison with him could also go free. The Emperor Jahangir, said that those who clung to the Guru’s coat would be able to go free. This was meant to limit the number of prisoners who could be released. However, Guru Hargobind had a coat made with 52 tassels attached to it so that all of the princes could leave prison with him.
The story reminds Sikhs of freedom and human rights and this is what they celebrate on Bandi Chhor Divas.
Diwali is celebrated by millions of people in India, Canada and around the world. Hundreds of millions of Hindus celebrate “the Festival of Lights.” Millions of Sikhs, and people of other faiths, also celebrate Diwali.
For Sikhs the festival of Diwali has added significance as it generally coincides with a Sikh celebration known as Bandi Chhor Divas. In 2025 this takes place on October 21
Many people will celebrate a five day festival from October 18 to 22, with the many public celebrations of Diwali in Canada on Saturday, October 18 and Monday October 20. However, it may be celebrated at different times, and in different ways, by various groups in India, South Asia, and in the Indian diaspora.
Diwali may also be rendered as Deepavali or Divali.
Happy Canadian Library Workers Day to the wonderful Volunteers and Library Science students. October is Canadian Library Month and on the third Friday each year we celebrate the vital role played by workers in all of libraries across the country, including school libraries, public libraries, and more.
October 17 is Canadian Library Workers Day October 27 is Canadian School Library Day October 27 is DEAR: The Drop Everything and Read Challenge October is Canadian Library Month October is International School Library Month
Come down to your School Library this month to join us in celebrating Canadian Library Month. The theme for 2025 is “Libraries For Life.” We should all celebrate, enjoy, protect, support, and make use of libraries throughout our lives, from childhood to our golden years and every stage in between.
October is CLM and ISLM (International School Library Month): two good reasons among 18 billion other good reasons to visit your local library!
What are you thankful for? Take some time this Thanksgiving to appreciate the good things in your life.
We have a long weekend with the day off of school on Monday. For many Canadians, this is a day of traditions.. Perhaps you will be eating a turkey, surrounded by friends and family. But will you take some time to “give thanks” on Thanksgiving?
Staff at Lord Tweedsmuir getting ready for a Thanksgiving meal.
Thankfulness is strongly correlated with positive mental health outcomes. According to Harvard Medical School: “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
Some of us are incredibly privileged. Some would even say blessed. Over this Thanksgiving long weekend, we encourage you to take some time to consider the things in your life for which you are thankful.
Note: Life is full of challenges and hardships for all people. However, it may be worse for some, whose difficulties may be profound, perhaps even traumatic. In the midst of painful circumstances, it may be difficult to reflect on the things for which one might be thankful. Being grateful for the good things in life does not take away from the pain and trauma that may also be there. Gratitude alone is not a substitute for seeking help from mental health professionals.
A new documentary explores how public school librarians are standing up for our rights in the fight against book bans and the rise of fascism.
Source: PBS News
Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights. As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities.
“In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQia+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale. ” (thelibrariansfilm.com)
October 5-11 is the ALA’s “Banned Books Week.” Censorship and book banning is alive and well, and we need to fight it. In Canada, and other nations that claim to embrace democracy and freedom, fascism no longer just lurking in the shadows– it is here, out in the open, and seizing power where it can. Fascists seek to control information as a means of controlling the population, and the censorship of books and other reading materials is one prong in that attack.
In Canada we observe the similar “Freedom to Read Week” in the new year. However, we can also join with our American neighbours in recognizing Banned Books Week and the attacks on freedom and democracy that are posed by the massively sharp rise of book banning. The US has seen an especially concerted attack on books for teens about marginalized communities. We are not immune from such fascist tactics in Canada, as book challenges have risen in step with the rise of far right propaganda, and in most cases are centered on schools, classrooms and school libraries.
“On this World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and Education International call on governments, partners and the international community to make a collective commitment to ensuring that collaboration is recognized as a norm within the teaching profession – because it is only through effective cooperation at all levels that we can build truly inclusive, equitable and resilient education systems worldwide.”
School Libraries are worth celebrating every single day of the year, but every October we dedicate the month for a chance to learn more about the joy and value of the School Library.
Sometimes known as the Learning Commons, the School Library is an integral component of public education and the welfare of children throughout the world. This October we invite you to visit us, in person, or online, to learn more.
October is AWESOME. International School Library Month. Canadian Library Month. BC School Library Day and the Drop Everything and Read Challenge on October 27. Canadian Library Workers Day on October 17. Canadian School Library Day. And much, much more…
Celebrate the joy and the power of libraries. Visit us at your School Library to celebrate all month long!
Yom Kippur, or the “Day of Atonement”, is the holiest day on the Jewish Calendar. For devout Jews in Canada and around the world, Yom Kippur is the most important Holiday, beyond Hanukkah or even the Passover. Many Jews will spend the entire day in fasting, praying and other observances.
In 2025 Yom Kippur begins at sundown on October 1, and ends at nightfall on October 2. (This is according to the Gregorian Calendar, while the Jewish Calendar is at year 5786.)
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 