Around the Clock Schooling

Government officials announced this morning that they approved plans for a new schedule for Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary and all schools in the district, effective September 2025. In an effort to maximize the efficient use of space, time and all resources, all schools will be adopting a year long and around the clock schedule.

There will be 3 different groups who will be assigned to one of the following schedules:

Schedule A: Monday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Schedule B: Monday to Saturday 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Schedule C: Monday to Saturday 1:00 AM to 9:00 AM

Sunday will be reserved for 24 Hour Detention, for students who have been late, absent, misbehaving, not completing homework, using cell phones, or not paying attention during the regular schedule. Students in Detention will be required to clean and maintain the school, as none of that will be done during the regular schedule.

This schedule ensures maximum use of the school building. Assignment for schedules will be based on an auction system, with preferred spots going to the highest bidders.

Anonymous sources have hinted that there will be no human teachers in the buildings during the school day, as all students will be learning via remote connections to AI instructors, but that has yet to be confirmed. Officials did acknowledge that security guards, contracted from local prison populations, would be patrolling the hallways so there will be at least some adults present.

Many observers were quite shocked by the announcement, however it was clear that pressure has been mounting from influential parent groups such as “Moms for Our Kind of Indoctrination” and “Dads for Schools that don’t let Children Mooch Off the Taxpayer.”

Ramadan Mubarak

The Islamic month of Ramadan has begun . Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer and other acts for devotion for Muslims. Ramadan Kareem!

We wish Ramadan Mubarak and Ramadan Kareem to the more than one million Canadians who follow Islam, and to our Muslim neighbours around the world.

Find out more about Ramadan:

BBC: Ramadan

CBC News: Ramadan

Muslim Association of Canada

Get Caught Reading Banned Books

In the past few years, the number of challenges to books in both Canada and the United States has exploded. And while sanity prevails in many cases, in more and more places the censors have been successful. In some jurisdictions, hundreds and hundreds of different titles have been pulled from libraries, schools, government offices and other public institutions. In the private sector, bookstores and publishers have reported the increasing pressures of censorship. Writers have commented on the chilling effect this has on intellectual freedom.

Stand up for your rights and freedoms. Democracy is built on upon your right to information. You have the right to choose for yourself.

Adults have the right to choose for themselves what they want to read. Adults don’t have the right to choose what other people get to read. Parents have the right– and the responsibility– to teach and guide and discuss with their children about what types of library materials are right or wrong for them. Parents are free to have their opinions on what materials are good or bad for children in general They even have the right to express their opinions about why they think certain materials are good or bad for children. Parents do not have the right to decide for other people’s children what they can or can’t read.

February 23 to March 1 is Freedom to Read Week in Canada

Freedom to Read Week

February 23 to March 1, 2025, is Freedom to Read Week in Canada

From freedomtoread.ca: “Freedom to Read Week provides an opportunity for Canadians to focus on issues of intellectual freedom as they affect your community, your province or territory, our country, and countries around the world. Whether you are a librarian, bookseller, educator, student, or member of the community, there are lots of ways you can help mark this annual event.”

Visit your school library in person, or online here at tweedsmuirlibrary.ca, all week long to find out more about Freedom to Read in Canada, how you can celebrate, and how you can join in the ongoing struggle to protect your rights and freedoms.

Black History in British Columbia

Learn more about the history of Black Canadians in our province. “The British Columbia Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS) celebrates the achievements of Black people in British Columbia by creating an awareness of the history of Blacks in B.C., stimulating interest in the contributions of persons of African ancestry to B.C. and Canada today, and celebrating historical and contemporary achievements in the arts, education, government, sports, science etc.” BC Black History Awareness Society.

Visit the virtual museum exhibit: British Columbia’s Black Pioneers: Their Industry and Character Influenced the Vision of Canada

Rosa Parks

One of the icons of the US Civil Rights movement looked an unlikely hero but proved to be someone whose strength of character belied her appearance. Rosa Parks was born on this day in 1934.  In the face of the overt racism of 1950’s America, Rosa famously refused to give up her seat on the bus, as black people were expected to do for white people. She was arrested, and the resulting Montgomery Bus Boycott proved to be one of foundational events of the Civil Rights Movement.

For more on Rosa Parks:

Come down to the School Library to check out our titles on Rosa Parks and other books for Black History Month: