It’s time for the some of the movies you have seen multiple times– maybe even some you’ve seen every year that you can remember? Yes, it is time for Christmas movies!
What are your favourite holiday films, movies that you watch every Christmas season?
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American friends, family and neighbours! Along with Turkey and football games, another staple of American Thanksgiving for many is listening to the 18 minute classic, “Alice’s Restaurant.”
November has been Peace month in the School Library, with an emphasis on understanding peace education, the anti-war movements, civil disobedience and other non-violent means of social change. Such themes overlap with American Thanksgiving in “Alice’s Restaurant.”
Originally released in 1967, Arlo Guthrie’s 18 minute long recording of “Alice’s Restaurant” is a protest song against the Vietnam War. The events described in the song, beginning with a Thanksgiving celebration amongst friends during the sixties, were the inspiration for a film which was released in 1969.
More than 50 years later Guthrie’s signature song is a staple of classic rock radio stations on and around American Thanksgiving.
Find out more:
Imagine all the people
John Lennon
Living life in peace
We previously featured “Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon on a Songs of Peace post. “Imagine” is arguably his greatest song with or without the Beatles, and certainly one of the most loved and most played songs of the 20th Century.
International Games Week @ Your Library was back at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary after a two year hiatus. While Covid protocols forced us to hold a smaller event than in past years, it was still so very wonderful to bring students into the library to celebrate the fun and educational power of games. Thanks to all the teachers who brought their classes, and to all the student who participated with joy!
*Good OR sick OR groovy OR bussin’ OR rad OR lit OR awesome OR wicked OR choice OR brilliant OR fye OR gnarly OR capital OR fire OR neat OR magic OR cool OR jolly good OR da bomb OR swell OR whatever the latest word for good is. Take your pick.
International Games Week is on at YOUR School Library. Here are a few of our favourite games. How many of these have you tried?
The original was introduced to the world as “The Settlers of Catan.” This game proved to be so popular it spawned many new versions and expansions, including Seafarers of Catan, Cities and Knights, and much much more. The rise of Catan was part of a resurgence in interest in board games after a decline in the video game era.
Monopoly is often the first game mentioned when people talk about board games. Monopoly was arguably the most dominant board game of the 20th Century and remains a cultural phenomenon that transcends the board game industry. While many modern game enthusiasts are rightly critical of many of the mechanics of Monopoly, the most common criticism, that the game takes far too long to play, is almost always because people don’t follow the official rules. In particular, “house rules” such as the collection of all taxes and penalties to a pot, which has been already seeded with $500, for those that land on Free Parking, serves to keep enough money in the game that it becomes incredibly difficult to bankrupt anyone, making the game go on for hours at a time. If you follow the rules and keep play moving, a good game of Monopoly should be about an hour.
Unlike most other board games, chess has no elements of chance or “luck,” unless you consider it luck if your mistakes are left unpunished by worse mistakes from your opponent! With no dice rolls, card flips or other random elements, chess is considered to be the most pure game of skill amongst all board games. Chess requires concentration, strategic thinking, time management, pattern recognition, patience, spatial awareness and many other thinking skills and qualities.
Here are some more games of note. How many have you tried?
What are some of your favourite games?
At least in this library they will.
Have a FUN and SAFE Halloween.
Monday, October 25 is BC School Library Day and the day of the annual DEAR Challenge. Every student and staff member in the school, along with all British Columbians all over the province, are challenged to “Drop Everything and Read.”
Make sure that you are prepared for 15-20 minutes of glorious silent reading. Read something that you have chosen, something that you are interested in for your own reasons, outside of required reading assigned by a teacher.
Read to escape. Read to learn. Read for fun. Read to experience new things. Read to be entertained. Read to find out more about things you are interested in. Read to laugh or to cry or to be scared. Read for joy of reading.
If you need help finding something good to read, you have many options, not least of which is coming down to your school library!
Celebrate International School Library Month and Canadian Library Month with a nod to a few of the most significant librarians in the history of librarianship, including many Canadians.
Look for future posts with more information about these librarians, and other additions to the Librarian Hall of Fame.
A big thanks goes out to all the people who work in libraries around the country, and in this library especially! Thanks to our Library Team of volunteers, Library Science students, and others whose work in this program provides a vital service to the students and staff of this school.
Remember to bring your student ID card to the school library. Your student ID card is ALSO your library card.
Speaking of ID, that brings to mind a classic joke:
“ID is a strange abbreviation.
Norm MacDonald
I is short for I,
and D is short for
dentification.”
Of course, the joke really only works when delivered by the recently departed, and deeply beloved comedian, Norm MacDonald.
The theme of ISLM in 2021 is “Fairy Tales and Folk Tales Around the World.”
Check out some of these titles which collect legends, myths, tales, sagas and stories from around the globe:
Note: Some tales have been handed down from ancient times, many since before they were written down, while other are modern “mash-ups” or new spins on old stories. Some of the stories are integral to deeply held spiritual or religious beliefs. Some are, clearly, made up stories told for entertainment value of adventure or comedy. Others are somewhere in between. As with all great stories, we hope you can learn while you enjoy!
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 