Happy Thanksgiving!

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.

Find out more:

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.

“The Librarians”

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)

Find out more about the documentary film “The Librarians”

The fight against book bans by public school librarians shown in new documentary. Check out this story from PBS News.

October 5-11 is Banned Books Week
October is Canadian Library Month
October is International School Library Month

Banned Books Week

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.

Find out more about Banned Books Week.

World Teachers’ Day

From UNESCO:

“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.”

Happy World Teachers’ Day!

International School Library Month

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.

Yom Kippur

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.)

Find out more:

What is Yom Kippur? (Chabad.org)

My Jewish Learning

History.com

National Geographic

CBC Kids

Check out these books at YOUR School Library:

Orange Shirt Day

Wear an orange shirt to school on Friday, September 26

September 30th is Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada. Our school will be closed that day as the nation takes time to face the truth of our history and considers a path forward of reconciliation. As a school community, we continue to learn more about Truth and Reconciliation. At Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary, we encourage all students and staff to wear an orange shirt in school on Friday, September 26, as well as on September 30th.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established as the Canadian government’s formal recognition of the importance of Orange Shirt Day, observed on September 30 over most of the last decade, as part of the overall effort of raising awareness and provoking discussion about the impact of Residential Schools in Canada, and finding the path toward reconciliation.

Shanah Tovah!

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year feast and celebration. It is the first of the “High Holy Days” of Judaism, and is followed closely by Yom Kippur.

source: CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Jewish Calendar is a lunar calendar, therefor the dates of Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays will vary according to the Gregorian Calendar (the standard calendar used in most of the world for politics, business and daily life.)  In 2025 Rosh Hashanah begins at Sundown on September 22 and ends at nightfall of September 24. According to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5786.

Shanah Tovah!

Find out more:

Rosh Hashanah 101

Chabad.org

History.com

International Day of Peace

Peace Day is observed every September 21. The International Day of Peace is a celebration of those who have worked for peace in our, and who continue to seek a peaceful future. However, the day is also a stark reminder of how far we have fallen short of the quest for lasting peace for humanity. Our world continues to be ravaged by war, including, in our current day, some of the most horrific acts of inhumanity imaginable. Learn more about the International Day of Peace and join in the movement.

Learn more:

UN.org/Peaceday

Actions for a Peaceful World

Hear Us

Act Now for a Peaceful World

InternationalDayofPeace.org

School Libraries and Intellectual Freedom

School Libraries should be bastions of intellectual freedom. Tragically, the School Library has always been a battleground in the struggles between those that would protect our rights and freedoms and those that would impose their beliefs on others.

This has become all too evident in the U.S. in recent years, and sadly we in Canada are not immune. Provincial Ministries of Education, School Boards, and individual schools and school libraries have been sucked into the current climate of extreme political polarization. Attacks on the freedom to read are on the rise, and include recent decisions made by the government of Alberta. The following are quotes from the response of Canadian School Libraries:

“Individual parents have the right to decide on their child’s reading, but they do not have the right to impose it on everyone.

The selection and availability of school library and learning resource materials should be made by trained professionals, not politicians and bureaucrats.

Not every book in a school library is meant for every student. Schools need to have a wide range of age and developmentally appropriate resources that cover the needs of the student population.

School library collections, with a richness and diversity that allows students to see themselves and experience lives other than their own, are developed within the lens of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the rights and freedoms it affords to all Canadians, including children.”


Find out more about Canadian School Libraries