october 20, 2017 - school district 35 langley · connecting the pieces pre-k and kindergarten...

ThinkLangley.com

Connecting the PiecesPre-K and Kindergarten Conference

October 20, 2017Brookswood Secondary School

Register by Oct 13at THINKLANGLEY.COM

$50 - SD35 Staff$150 - Out-of-District

@thinklangley

New to Connecting the Pieces? Looking for a refresher on pre-registration? Our simple, step-by-step guide will pro-vide you with the knowledge you need to make the most of your pro-d day. If you have any questions or concerns, email [email protected] or call 604 534 7891 ext. 237.

1. Discover your perfect fit by consulting the convenient workshop timetable on pages 14-15 and browsing our more de-tailed descriptions throughout the booklet. Learn more about the content and the facilitators to decide on the workshops best suited to your learning goals. Workshops are listed according to the schedule, not topic, so you will have to do a little exploring to find the right sessions for you. We’ve made this easier by including subject icons at the bottom of each workshop description.

2. Note the workshops that interest you for each session. Use the session planning form on page 27 to keep track.

3. Register online at thinklangley.com. Not only is online registration more convenient, it also ensures that your regis-tration is processed instantly so that you make it into your preferred workshops. Registration includes a catered lunch and costs $50 for SD35 employees and $150 for other participants. If you work in the Langley School District, you can sign in using your employee number as username and your regular email password. If you are an out-of-district educator, you can create an account by following the “Sign up here” link.

Once you log in, find the Connecting the Pieces conference under the calendar or workshops tab. Click “Register” and follow the on-screen prompts to complete payment and select your workshop sessions.

Remember, the registration deadline is Friday, October 13 at 4:30 PM.

4. Connect with your fellow educators. Tweet about the conference using the hashtag #connect17 to share your experience and knowledge with other participants. You can also follow @thinklangley and tweet using the hashtag #think35 year-round for pro-d resources, news, and updates on additional professional learning opportunities in Langley.

Your learning journey starts here

2 Connecting The Pieces

Special Presentation

Diane Stang

A830-10 B1020-1150

Assessing Mathematics in Kindergarten: How Do We Know They Are Learning?

Integrating Math Throughout the New Kindergarten

Curriculum How do we know whether kindergarten students have con-ceptual understanding or misconceptions of the math after engaging in classroom activities? This workshop will delve into formative assessment and the importance of what stu-dents say and do in order to provide meaningful, person-alized, and timely feedback. Insight into the big ideas of math and how they develop in young children will form the basis for assessment. Practical and manageable assessment ideas—which align with the know-do-understand frame-work of the new curriculum—will be presented, including the art of questioning and observation. Ways to capture and document evidence of learning will also be explored.

Math is embedded in many of our everyday activities and is also evident across all subject areas in school. The ability to approach subjects in an integrated manner allows ed-ucators to more fully address related concepts and helps students see the connections across subjects and to their everyday lives. This practical workshop will investigate several activities and instructional approaches that effec-tively integrate math throughout the new kindergarten cur-riculum in subjects such as language arts, science, social studies, physical and health education, and the arts. Edu-cators will leave with a multitude of ideas to try in their classrooms.

Diane has been an educator for nearly 35 years, working in various roles in the public and private sector. She began her career as a class-room and special education teacher, and later, as a systems resource coach. Next, she became a student achievement officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education, supporting educators in all subject areas, espe-cially in mathematics. She has also been a provincial math facilitator for the ministry, with a special focus on supporting students with learn-ing disabilities in math. In conjunction with her ministry work, Diane has developed professional learning math video resources. Diane is now working as a math consultant for Ontario school boards and most re-cently, for Scholastic Canada. She also offers a variety of engaging pre-sentations and workshops on math, both online and at conferences.

Diane Stang has been an educator for nearly 35 years, working in various roles in the public and private sector. She began her career as a classroom and special education teacher, and later, as a systems resource coach. Next, she became a student achievement officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education, supporting educators in all subject areas, especially in mathematics. She has also been a provincial math facilitator for the ministry, with a special focus on supporting students with learning disabilities in math. In conjunction with her ministry work, Diane has developed professional learning math video resources. Diane is now working as a math consultant for Ontario school boards and most recently, for Scholastic Canada. She also offers a variety of engaging presentations and workshops on math, both online and at conferences.

Diane is available for full day in-school workshops across Canada, such as:

• The Role of Spatial Reasoning in Early Math Education (K–3)

• Spatial Reasoning Across the Math Strands (K–8, can be adapted to any division level)

• Moving Students from Additive to Multiplicative Thinking (3–8)

• Promoting Proportional Reasoning in Data Management and Probability (4–8)

And these sessions specific to Scholastic Education resources:

• The Importance of Spatial Reasoning in Zorbit’s Math Adventure

• Supporting Early Math Concepts with Zorbit’s Math Adventure

• Supporting and Extending Problem Solving with MathWise

Please contact your Scholastic Education Consultant for more information.

Find your consultant here: http://schol.ca/x/consultantsE-mail: [email protected]: 905-887-7323 ext. 4555

Professional Learning Opportunities with

Diane Stang

3October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

Special Presentation

Diane StangThe Role of Spatial Reasoning in Kindergarten

Research indicates that spatial reasoning is critical to mathematical thinking and is a better predictor of later math success than verbal or math skills. It is therefore crucial to emphasize spatial thinking in kindergarten. Spatial reasoning also helps students conceptually understand the math, acquire foundational skills, and de-velop positive attitudes towards the subject. This engaging, hands-on workshop will include: a fascinating overview of spatial reasoning, how to interpret BC’s new kindergarten math curriculum through a spatial reasoning lens, and an ex-ploration of a wide variety of spatial reasoning and visualization activities that can be easily integrated into existing kindergarten programs.

C1250-220

A8

30-1

0 Intervention Games & ActivitiesRandall Klein – Early Reading Mastery

Randall will demonstrate intervention games and activities that give beginning and struggling readers a concrete understanding of the alphabetic principle, launching them into strong alphabet knowledge, confident decoding, and proficient word identification.

Special emphasis will be given to the role phonemic awareness plays in letter recognition, word building, decoding and writing activities. Randall will also discuss the detection and remediation of dyslexic tendencies.

An early reading specialist and author from Bozeman, Montana, Randall is a coauthor of Learning to Read is Child’s Play for The Early Reading Company in Chicago.

Randall has successfully taught hundreds of children from ages three to eight how to read, and has used this experience to formulate the techniques and methods he now delivers to educators and parents in his presentations and workshops on developmentally appropriate early reading instruction.

It is his desire to create a heightened awareness of the need for systematic, explicit, and developmentally appropriate reading instruction and intervention for beginning and strug-gling readers.

A This session is also offered in B.


thinklangley.com

Connecting Children to Nature

Vanessa Lee Metro Vancouver Regional Parks

Find out how nature improves the physical, mental, and emotional health of kids. Use tools and resources that will focus and connect children to nature. Learn a few stories and songs along the way that will help you and your stu-dents remember fun facts about your local plants and ani-mals. Be prepared to go outside to experience activities that you will be able to use to engage your students in nature, place-based education, and critical inquiry in your own school yard.

Vanessa is passionately involved with anything green, watery, or mountainous! This love affair started with an Honours BSc in ecology and field work in radio-tracking snakes. It continued with environmental education as a certified BEd class-room teacher and interpretation as a Vancouver Aquarium interpreter and a Metro Vancouver Re-gional Parks interpretation specialist. Vanessa re-cently completed a Masters of Ecological Education to further the study of how to connect people to na-ture’s awe and wonder, and how to inspire care of place and wild things.

A

Having Fun With MathKathy Nelson

Langley School District, RetiredEnjoy going outdoors with your students? Are you wonder-ing how you can guide their curiosity for nature toward some of the big ideas in math? Participate in this workshop and discover how to bring math outside.

Kathy is a recently retired teacher. She has taught for 31 years in primary and spent the last four years as the district literacy teacher in Langley. She has always valued having kids active and using out-door activities to engage students. Over the past few years, outdoor learning has proven to be very bene-ficial for students and this is where her personal in-terests have turned. Kathy has presented to parents of preschool children and early educators about the benefits of taking kids outside.

A

How to Stay Fresh During the Grind

Ted Leavitt Langley Youth and Family Services;

Connectivity CounsellingParticipants in this workshop will learn about the impor-tance of healthy boundaries, the science of self-control, how to recognize anxiety in themselves or colleagues, and how to reduce burnout.

Ted is the program manager at Langley Youth and Family Services and also runs a private practice, Connectivity Counselling. He specializes in impulse control problems, including ADHD, aggressive be-haviour, and addictive behaviour, as well as anxi-ety. He is an experienced public speaker and men-tal health educator.

A

This session is also offered in B and C.

This session is also offered in B.

Literacy

Numeracy

Wellness

Computational Thinking

French

Art

Play Experiential Learning

Community


5October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

Inspire Your Kids with CodingSaju Abraham – Left

The world of coding and programming can seem scary and intimidating, and perhaps overly complex for early childhood and kindergarten programs. However, coding is one of the most popular learning trends, and young students are just as capable of learning as older students. Teaching coding in kindergarten can positively impact a child’s development and learning at an early age, as well as help them learn important creativity and problem-solving skills that will position them for success as they move through school.

This hands-on workshop will cover different techniques and fun programs for introducing your students to coding and you will get a chance to try them out yourself! You will find that you’ll have much fun learning about it—no coding or pro-gramming experience required!

Due to the hands-on nature of this workshop, please bring your own laptop.

A mobile enthusiast and a versatile player in tech, Saju loves being at the intersection of product design, market-ing, and engineering to build innovative products that drive positive change, and make a difference by improving the quality of life of people. He has found a good match with his current employer Left, a media and technology company located in Maple Ridge, BC.

With more than 17 years of experience in the web and mobile domains spanning product development, project management, and team management, Saju is really passionate about working with both technology and people, and has a natural ability to bring people together from various functions across the globe to collaborate and deliv-er complex products and solutions—from inception to launch to growth.

Saju is a strong communicator, and has delivered a number of talks and presentations to technical and non-tech-nical audiences alike. As an advocate for technology in the classroom, Saju has been heavily involved in Hour of Code as well as teaching coding workshops in elementary schools. His passion for computer science education is engaging for all ages.

AYoga & Mindfulness for Self-Regulation

Jennie Abbot – Harmony Kids YogaJoin us in this exciting workshop offering hands-on activities to easily integrate yoga and mindfulness into your classroom setting. Children’s yoga helps develop essential tools such as self-regulation and a stronger mind-body connection, and introduces skills that help children to find a sense of inner calm. These yoga and mindfulness tools are gifts that can trans-form the lives of the children that receive them. Each participant will receive the Harmony Kids Yoga Guide for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers, with exercises and applications for classroom use.

Jennie is the founder of Harmony Kids Yoga, bringing yoga to over 200 children a week between the ages of 12 months to 18 years old in Langley public and private schools, preschools and daycares, as well as weekly group classes, private classes for children with special needs, and teachers’ workshops. Jennie is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (CYA-CYT) with the Canadian Yoga Alliance. Jennie’s life passion is sharing yoga and mindfulness with children, offering the tools of mindfulness, self-regulation, stress reduction, and the ability to bring harmony to the body, mind, and heart so children can lead vibrant and fulfilling lives.

A


This session is also offered in B and C.


thinklangley.com

La litteratie et la maternelle

Janet BeattieAbbotsford School District

How can you get your French immersion kindergarten stu-dents speaking in French? How can you build their vocab-ularies while also teaching the curriculum? By connecting whole group oral language activities with literacy activities that can be revisited all year long! This workshop offers participants a month-by-month toolkit of activities that simultaneously build literacy skills and vocabularies. We will also discuss activities that span common themes in a kindergarten year. This session is well-suited to teachers new to teaching French immersion kindergarten or grade one, or those looking to add new activities to their teaching. Participants will receive copies of chart poems, songs, little books, and big book pages to take back to the classroom and use the next day!

Janet (BA, BEd, MEd) is currently a French im-mersion kindergarten teacher in Abbotsford. She has taught learning assistance, half-day kinder-garten, grade one and grade two in French immer-sion and loves integrating thematic units across the curriculum. She is known for being upbeat and organized and loves sharing ideas with other teachers so much that she was selected to attend the Teachers’ Institute in Ottawa in 2012.

A

LGBT2Q+ Education in Elementary

Brandon Yan – Out in Schools

Regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, all young people are exposed to ideas about relationships and gender. Through parents, peers, and the media, they are taught what is acceptable, expected, and also what is undesirable. This session will show you how to use a com-bination of art, education, and dialogue to delve into the complexities of sexuality and gender in your classrooms. In particular, Out in Schools uses film as a powerful, trans-formative tool for change. Film allows people to see them-selves reflected in ways that are complex and affirming and also gives those not represented on screen the opportunity to see the full spectrum of Two-Spirit, queer and trans lives in ways that are not bound by stereotypes, clichés, or cari-catures. We’ll speak to terms and concepts, scenarios with students and parents, and provide you with curriculum ex-amples and additional resources.

Brandon (he/him/his) is the education director for Out on Screen. As an energetic community ad-vocate, he has led the Out in Schools program since 2015. He has collaborated with the Ministry of Education, BC Teachers’ Federation, UBC Faculty of Education, and the ARC Foundation to address this immediate need to support LGBT2Q+ students through policies and practices that foster inclusive school environments.

ALiving the K Life: Make and Take

Lisa Jamieson – Surrey School DistrictKindergarten children love to play with letters, language, reading, and writing. They explore and engage in activities that activate their curiosity. Come along and explore the endless possibilities of engaging our youngest learners in a world filled with letters, language, and more. Not only will you make a variety of different games and engaging activities to take away, you’ll also receive a collection of other ideas to easily make on your own. All you will have to do is say “go” and watch as your students head off into the world of ABCs.

Lisa is a kindergarten specialist with extensive graduate work in early childhood and parent education. She has presented to many audiences including teachers, parents, and provincial PAC groups. Lisa has been a teacher for over 25 years and is currently a principal in the Surrey School District.

A



7October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

Loose Parts in Kindergarten

Josie ZahnRichmond School District

What are loose parts? How can you use them in a kinder-garten classroom? From story workshop to math, Josie will share her journey of adding loose parts into her kindergar-ten classroom. She will offer practical ideas that will inspire you to begin using loose parts or extend your current use.

Josie has been teaching kindergarten for 18 years in Richmond and is a mom to two boys. She en-joys learning new things from her young students, collaborating with amazing colleagues, and con-tinuing to grow as a professional. She has a back-ground in early childhood education, special edu-cation, and ELL.

A

Lovin’ the Light Table!

Lorie McDonald and Amanda SladeLangley School District

Explore the wide range of uses of the light table in the early years. Learn how to develop provocations and use materi-als to spur cross-curricular explorations, creative thinking, communication, and problem solving.

Lorie currently works as a Strong Start facilita-tor in the Langley School District. With her passion for early learning, she has successfully presented many workshops for teachers and early childhood educators in many districts throughout the prov-ince.

Amanda is Langley’s early learning district teach-er. Amanda is interested in finding unique ways to invite play and recognizing the learning opportu-nities children create every day. She believes in the power of collaboration and works with children and adults to develop powerful learning environ-ments.

A

Appetite to PlayJennifer Scarr and Karen Strange – Appetite to Play

The Appetite to Play interactive workshop for early childhood providers will enhance knowledge, skills, and confidence in creating early years settings (childcare centres, family based childcare, preschool, and parent participation programs) that support healthy eating, physical activity, and food and physical literacy to promote healthy child development. Early childhood (0-5) is a critical time for setting the stage for lifelong healthy behaviours. During this workshop, recommended practices, planning tools, tips and ideas, recipes, games, and activities will be shared.

A This session is also offered in B.

Literacy

Numeracy

Wellness


French

Art

Play

Experiential Learning

Community


Reconciliation and Indigenous Place

Kristin WebsterUBC Child Care Services

Learn how early childhood educators can introduce Indig-enous perspectives and place(s) to young children. Kristin Webster will share how she was motivated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to embed an emergent curricu-lum that introduces topics including residential schools for young children.

This is an opportunity for participants to discuss age-ap-propriate ways for children to learn about this dark part of Canada’s history, and how it can create empathy and open a new world to children who will better understand Indig-enous cultures.

Kristin is a senior supervisor of a multi-age group daycare for UBC Child Care Services. She has been working on reconciliation in the early years for more than three years. She was recently recog-nized with the award for Innovation in the 2016 BC Child Care Awards of Excellence. Not only is she an early childhood educator, but also a mother and a grandmother.

A

Room Makeover using Community

ResourcesKristi SchwandtCity of Surrey

Inspiring room makeovers don’t have to cost a fortune. With community connections and an understanding of the concept of loose parts, the possibilities are endless. Of course, if there is some funding available, there are many creative ways to make your dollar go further.

In this workshop we will discuss using community re-sources and loose parts, inexpensive room changes with big impacts, and inspirational ideas to make environments more open ended.

Kristi learned responsive curriculum inspired by teachers who participated in the first Canadian delegation to Reggio Emilia. She has been an ECE facilitator for the City of Surrey, providing training and support for preschool instructors, and is cur-rently creating more training modules for the City, as well as designing and remodeling City of Surrey preschool environments while inspiring instructors in the 100 languages. Before finding the profession of ECE, she studied fine arts and held a multitude of different careers.

A

Running Records 101Amanda Leach – Langley School District

Join us for an action-packed session on how to take and code a running record. You will learn the rationale about this for-mative assessment tool, how to use the standard codes so any colleague can understand your running record, and the begin-nings of MSV (Meaning, Structure and Visual information). This session is suitable for new teachers or any teacher wishing to know the standard way of taking a running record to support their classroom literacy.

Amanda is the Langley School District reading recovery teacher leader. She has been a K-3 teacher, resource teacher, and reading recovery teacher in the Langley School District for the past 20 years. She cares about all students having success and positive growth in early literacy.

A


9October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

Starting Small Changes

CommunitiesSarah McCarthy

ECE Connect

As early childhood educators we should remember that we need to connect with communities and give more. Human-ity starts small; children are loving, caring and extreme-ly empathetic. Communities are hurting and centres can help! Children need exposure to the realities that surround them; they too can learn to connect with the wider commu-nity and be kind.

The aim of this workshop is to facilitate a discussion on the importance of starting small and creating community in the classroom and connecting outside of your centre.

Sarah created ECE Connect in 2016 with the idea of connecting early childhood educators and offer-ing workshops that she feels are needed in the field.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in education and training, a diploma in early childhood education and Montessori (0-12 years), and a certificate for children with special needs. She’s been in the educa-tion field for over 15 years and has taught in Reggio preschools, play-based centres, Montessori schools, and was an early childhood coordinator and in-structor for Sprott Shaw College. She currently manages a preschool and is a board member of the ECEBC Vancouver office.

A

Wonder in the Kindergarten ClassroomCassaundra McGuinnessCoquitlam School District

This workshop will explore the British Columbia re-de-signed curriculum through a Reggio-inspired lens. Partici-pants will focus on how to foster learning through play and exploration in both kindergarten and kindergarten/grade one classrooms. Multiple entry points for learning in di-verse classrooms will be unpacked using the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach.

Cassie began teaching in the Coquitlam School District in 2011. She discovered a passion for Reg-gio-inspired learning two years into her teach-ing career. After pursuing a graduate diploma in Reggio-inspired practices, she began teaching at Meadowbrook Elementary, the Reggio-inspired school in Coquitlam, British Columbia. She contin-ues to develop her practice by presenting at various professional development days and participating in district-wide learning teams.

A This session is also offered in C.

Literacy

Numeracy

Wellness


French

Art


Community


thinklangley.com

B 1020-1150

Connecting Children to NatureVanessa Lee – Metro Vancouver Regional Parks

Find out how nature improves the physical, mental, and emotional health of kids. Use tools and resources that will focus and connect children to nature. Learn a few stories and songs along the way that will help you and your students remember fun facts about your local plants and animals. Be prepared to go outside to experience activities that you will be able to use to engage your students in nature, place-based education, and critical inquiry in your own school yard.

Vanessa is passionately involved with anything green, watery, or mountainous! This love affair started with an Honours BSc in ecology and field work in radio-tracking snakes. It continued with environmental education as a certified BEd classroom teacher and interpretation as a Vancouver Aquarium interpreter and a Metro Vancouver Regional Parks interpretation specialist. Vanessa recently completed a Masters of Ecological Education to further the study of how to connect people to nature’s awe and wonder, and how to inspire care of place and wild things.

BLes centres de litteratie

Janet BeattieAbbotsford School District

Learn to organize literacy centres in your full-day kinder-garten classroom that use your time efficiently while opti-mizing student learning. A variety of literacy centre ideas will be presented and blackline masters for some centres will be shared. A unique approach to organizing the centres and how to move your students through each centre in a simple, organized manner will be shared. Be ready to take lots of notes or bring a camera!

Janet (BA, BEd, MEd) is currently a French im-mersion kindergarten teacher in Abbotsford. She has taught learning assistance, half-day kinder-garten, grade one and grade two in French immer-sion and loves integrating thematic units across the curriculum. She is known for being upbeat and organized and loves sharing ideas with other teachers so much that she was selected to attend the Teachers’ Institute in Ottawa in 2012. B

Living the K Life: Make and Take

Lisa JamiesonSurrey School District

Kindergarten children love to play with letters, language, reading, and writing. They explore and engage in activities that activate their curiosity. Come along and explore the endless possibilities of engaging our youngest learners in a world filled with letters, language, and more. You will not only make a variety of different games and engaging activ-ities to take away with you but will receive a collection of other ideas to easily make on your own. All you will have to do is say “go” and watch as your students head off into the world of ABCs.

Lisa is a kindergarten specialist with extensive graduate work in early childhood and parent ed-ucation. She has presented to many audiences including teachers, parents, and provincial PAC groups. Lisa has been a teacher for over 25 years and is currently a principal in the Surrey School District.

BB

This session is also offered in A and C.

This session is also offered in A.

11October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

Eaglet Art with Brandon Gabriel

Brandon GabrielKwantlen First Nation

Renowned Kwantlen First Nation artist Brandon Gabriel will give a demonstration and tutorial on teaching young learners how to draw an eagle feather using paper, tracing paper, a pencil, masking tape, and crayons.

The method was first developed by Italian Renaissance artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, and later innovated by West Coast First Nations artists of British Columbia after coloni-zation. Prior to that, artists developed geometric tools that preceded contact with Pythagorean theorem to assist with symmetrical design. That bit of trivia is for the teachers and not the students, by the way. Those more advanced mathe-matical concepts aren’t explored with this age group—just hands-on fun!

Brandon will also give tips on set up and clean up pro-cedures, breaking up into groups or working individually, and how to supply and budget yourselves for paints, brush-es, and smocks.

Brandon – kweləxwəlstən is an internationally renowned visual artist from the Kwantlen First Nation. He was brought up in his community and educated at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Em-ily Carr University of Art and Design, and the Jus-tice Institute of British Columbia.

His work has been exhibited in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the US, and Canada. His work has also appeared in film and television, and has won awards and critical acclaim.

Brandon spends his time guest lecturing at pres-tigious universities, and in multiple school dis-tricts. He is also an avid canoeist and skipper of the Kwantlen Tireless Runners Canoe Club, as well as an activist for social justice, and environmental stewardship causes.

B

Effective Emergent Writing in K

Rapinder RaiAbbotsford School District

Teaching writing in kindergarten is a fun and rewarding ex-perience! Rapinder will show you writing in a fun, relaxed, play-based kindergarten classroom. Come and see practi-cal tips on scaffolding these early writers from September to June through photographs and video clips with lessons and examples of students’ work. She will also share ideas to support early writing for English Language Learners (ELL). Gradually building up to a daily habit of writing can help children learn to look out for—and to look forward to—op-portunities to draw and write from their daily experiences. See how wall-stories and parental support through Parents as Literacy Supporters (PALS) enhance kindergarten writ-ing!

Rapinder is a kindergarten and grade five Pun-jabi language teacher at Harry Sayers Elemen-tary School in Abbotsford. She has also taught grade 4/5, half-day kindergarten and ELL. She has run PALS sessions with her kindergarten fam-ilies since 2002. She has been a facilitator for Im-migrant PALS Punjabi since 2008, and developed The Punjabi Family Literacy Resource for PALS in Immigrant Communities with 2010 Legacies Now. Rapinder is the author of bilingual English and Punjabi children’s books published by Home-Roots Books. Her passions are family literacy and reaching out to families to support their children’s learning. She has translated and adapted LEAP BC resources into Punjabi for Decoda Lit Solututions.

B

This session is also offered in C.



Empowering Children with Outdoor Play

Katelynn Tekavc – Langley School DistrictLaureen Klassen – Langley Forest School

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be in an outdoor classroom fully immersed in nature? Join us as we dive deeper into child centered, place-space learning. “Risky” play, environmental stewardship, empowering language, problem solving, and early childhood development are just a few ideas we will discuss.

Be ready to go outside rain or shine and please be pre-pared for hands on exploration (rain coats and boots are a good idea).

Katelynn is an early childhood, infant/toddler/special needs educator, with a school age childcare certificate. She has worked in a variety or early learning fields and currently works for the Langley School District in early learning as well as for the Langley Forest School as a preschool teacher.

Laureen is an early childhood educator and for-est school practitioner. She is the co-founder of the Langley Forest School and has a wealth of knowl-edge in early childhood development. She inte-grates her passion with the outdoors to empower the minds and hearts of young children.

B

Fine Arts and the 100 Languages

Kristi Schwandt – City of Surrey

This is an informative workshop on breaking mediums down to the basics and then looking at extensions. We will cover a variety of mediums, how to present them to a young audience, ways to scaffold their learning and child develop-ment with an art focus.

Kristi learned responsive curriculum inspired by teachers who participated in the first Canadian delegation to Reggio Emilia. She has been an ECE facilitator for the City of Surrey, providing training and support for preschool instructors, and is cur-rently creating more training modules for the City, as well as designing and remodeling City of Surrey preschool environments while inspiring instructors in the 100 languages. Before find the profession of ECE, she studied fine arts and held a multitude of different careers.

BHaving Fun With Math

Kathy Nelson – Langley School District

Enjoy going outdoors with your students? Are you won-dering how you can guide their curiosity for nature toward some of the big ideas in math? Participate in this workshop and discover how to bring math outside.

Kathy is a recently retired teacher, having taught for 31 years in primary and the last 4 years as the district literacy teacher in Langley. She has always valued having kids active and using outdoor activ-ities to engage students. Over the past few years, outdoor learning has proven to be very beneficial for students and this is where her personal inter-ests have turned. Kathy has presented to parents of preschool children and early educators about the benefits of taking kids outside.

B



Literacy

Numeracy

Wellness


French

Art


Community

13October 20, 2017

A 830-10 BAssessing Math in Kindergarten

Loose Parts in Kindergarten



Lovin’ the Light Table! Eaglet Art with Brandon Gabriel

Diane Stang Josie Zahn Vanessa Lee

Vanessa LeeLorie McDonald& Amanda Slade Brandon Gabriel

Having Fun With Math

Kathy Nelson


Rapinder Rai


Ted Leavitt


Kristin Webster


Katelynn Tekavc& Laureen KlassenInspire Your Kids with

CodingSaju Abraham

Room Makeover Using Community Resources

Kristi Schwandt

Fine Arts and the 100 Languages

Kristi SchwandtIntervention Games & Activities

Randall Klein

Running Records 101Amanda Leach

Having Fun With MathKathy Nelson

La Litteratie et la Maternelle

Janet Beattie

Starting Small Changes Communities

Sarah McCarthy


Ted LeavittLGBT2Q+ Education in Elementary

Brandon Yan

Yoga & Mindfulnessfor Self Regulation

Jennie Abbot

Inspire Your Kids with Coding

Saju AbrahamLiving the K Life: Make and Take

Lisa Jamieson

Integrating Math Throughout the New Kindergarten Curriculum

Diane Stang

Wonder in the Kindergarten Classroom

Cassaundra McGuinness

Appetite to PlayJennifer Scarr &

Karen Strange


C1020-1150

Intervention Games & Activities

Computational Thinking In the Classroom

Ready, Set, Play, and Write!

Les Centres de Litteratie


Reflection and the “Teacher Self”

Randall Klein Angela Moino District OTs

Janet Beattie Vanessa Lee Allie Pasquier


Brandon Yan

Cranking Up the Core in K

Amanda Slade

Superhero PlaySarah McCarthy

Living the K Life: Make and Take

Lisa Jamieson


Brandon Gabriel

The Role of Spatial Reasoning in K

Diane Stang

Phonemic Awareness: Why? When? How?

Amanda Leach


Rapinder Rai

Wonder in the Kindergarten Classroom

Cassaundra McGuinness

Playful CommunitiesAllie Pasquier

Woodworking for Kids: I Can Build It

Don Thomson

K’s in the World of Math: Make and Take

Lisa Jamieson

Working with Indigenous Families

Melanie Nelson


District OTs

Making Sense of Anxiety in Children

Palvinder Manhas


Kristin Webster

Math Catchers: Hands-on Math

Veselin Jungic& Janelle Dobson-Kocsis

1250-220


Jennie Abbot


Jennie Abbot

Invigorating Your Kindergarten Math Program

Josie Zahn


Katelynn Tekavc& Laureen Klassen

Appetite to PlayJennifer Scarr &

Karen Strange

15October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

Inspire Your Kids with CodingSaju Abraham – Left

The world of coding and programming can seem scary and intimidating, and perhaps overly complex for early childhood and kindergarten programs. However, coding is one of the most popular learning trends, and young students are just as capable of learning as older students. Teaching coding in kindergarten can positively impact a child’s development and learning at an early age, as well as help them learn important creativity and problem-solving skills that will position them for success as they move through school.

This hands-on workshop will cover different techniques and fun programs for introducing your students to coding and you will get a chance to try them out yourself! You will find that you’ll have much fun learning about it—no coding or program-ming experience required!

Due to the hands-on nature of this workshop, please bring your own laptop.

A mobile enthusiast and a versatile player in tech, Saju loves being at the intersection of product design, market-ing, and engineering to build innovative products that drive positive change, and make a difference by improving the quality of life of people. He has found a good match with his current employer Left, a media and technology company located in Maple Ridge, BC.

With more than 17 years of experience in the web and mobile domains spanning product development, project management, and team management, Saju is really passionate about working with both technology and people, and has a natural ability to bring people together from various functions across the globe to collaborate and deliv-er complex products and solutions—from inception to launch to growth.

Saju is a strong communicator, and has delivered a number of talks and presentations to technical and non-tech-nical audiences alike. As an advocate for technology in the classroom, Saju has been heavily involved in Hour of Code as well as teaching coding workshops in elementary schools. His passion for computer science education is engaging for all ages.

B

Phonemic Awareness: Why? When? How?Amanda Leach – Langley School District

Are you new to teaching or want more information about how to support your students’ phonemic awareness skills? Join us and learn why phonemic awareness is so important to all our students’ literacy development. We will explore when to teach and how to teach it in your everyday activities.

Amanda is the Langley School District reading recovery teacher leader. She has been a K-3 teacher, resource teacher, and reading recovery teacher in the Langley School District for the past 20 years. She cares about all students having success and positive growth in early literacy.

B



thinklangley.com

Intervention Games & Activities

Randall KleinEarly Reading Mastery

Randall will demonstrate intervention games and activi-ties that give beginning and struggling readers a concrete understanding of the alphabetic principle, launching them into strong alphabet knowledge, confident decoding, and proficient word identification.

Special emphasis will be given to the role phonemic awareness plays in letter recognition, word building, de-coding and writing activities. Randall will also discuss the detection and remediation of dyslexic tendencies.

An early reading specialist and author from Boze-man, Montana, Randall is a coauthor of Learning to Read is Child’s Play for The Early Reading Com-pany in Chicago.

Randall has successfully taught hundreds of chil-dren from ages three to eight how to read, and has used this experience to formulate the techniques and methods he now delivers to educators and par-ents in his presentations and workshops on devel-opmentally appropriate early reading instruction.

It is his desire to create a heightened awareness of the need for systematic, explicit, and developmen-tally appropriate reading instruction and interven-tion for beginning and struggling readers.

B

B


Brandon YanOut in Schools

Regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, all young people are exposed to ideas about relationships and gender. Through parents, peers, and the media, they are taught what is acceptable, expected, and also what is undesirable. This session will show you how to use a com-bination of art, education, and dialogue to delve into the complexities of sexuality and gender in your classrooms. In particular, Out in Schools uses film as a powerful, trans-formative tool for change. Film allows people to see them-selves reflected in ways that are complex and affirming and also gives those not represented on screen the opportunity to see the full spectrum of Two-Spirit, queer and trans lives in ways that are not bound by stereotypes, clichés, or cari-catures. We’ll speak to terms and concepts, scenarios with students and parents, and provide you with curriculum ex-amples and additional resources.

Brandon (he/him/his) is the education director for Out on Screen. As an energetic community ad-vocate, he has led the Out in Schools program since 2015. He has collaborated with the Ministry of Education, BC Teachers’ Federation, UBC Faculty of Education, and the ARC Foundation to address this immediate need to support LGBT2Q+ students through policies and practices that foster inclusive school environments.

BThis session is also offered in A. This session is also offered in A.

Appetite to PlayJennifer Scarr and Karen Strange – Appetite to Play

The Appetite to Play interactive workshop for early childhood providers will enhance knowledge, skills, and confidence in creating early years settings (childcare centres, family based childcare, preschool, and parent participation programs) that support healthy eating, physical activity, and food and physical literacy to promote healthy child development. Early childhood (0-5) is a critical time for setting the stage for lifelong healthy behaviours. During this workshop, recommended practices, planning tools, tips and ideas, recipes, games, and activities will be shared.

B This session is also offered in A.

17October 20, 2017

Playful Communities

Allie PasquierPlay Lab / Bakers and Astronauts

We are members of multiple communities: cities, neigh-bourhoods, schools, classrooms, and more. How can we engage communities of all sizes with interactive experienc-es to communicate the power of play-based learning? This session is an opportunity to revisit the joy of true play, and take away ideas for engaging your community through play.

You will see vivid examples of hands-on, interactive play installations created for children and families, and explore materials and provocations. Engage in dialogue around translating these large-scale examples of open-ended com-munity play to other groups: for example, stations in a classroom, or a classroom or school event to engage fami-lies. Come prepared to play with interesting ideas and ma-terials!

Allie is an early childhood educator and founder of Play Lab (play-lab.org), where she creates high-ly interactive play installations and workshops for children, families, and educators. She is an advo-cate for process-based, open-ended exploration of materials and ideas. She writes about education at bakersandastronauts.com.

B

Yoga & Mindfulness for Self-Regulation

Jennie Abbot Harmony Kids Yoga

Join us in this exciting workshop offering hands-on ac-tivities to easily integrate yoga and mindfulness into your classroom setting. Children’s yoga helps develop essential tools such as self-regulation and a stronger mind-body connection, and introduces skills that help children to find a sense of inner calm. These yoga and mindfulness tools are gifts that can transform the lives of the children that receive them. Each participant will receive the Harmony Kids Yoga Guide for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers, with exercises and applications for classroom use.

Jennie is the founder of Harmony Kids Yoga, bring-ing yoga to over 200 children a week between the ages of 12 months to 18 years old in Langley public and private schools, preschools and daycares, as well as weekly group classes, private classes for children with special needs, and teachers’ workshops. Jennie is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (CYA-CYT) with the Canadi-an Yoga Alliance. Jennie’s life passion is sharing yoga and mindfulness with children, offering the tools of mindfulness, self-regulation, stress reduction, and the ability to bring harmony to the body, mind, and heart so children can lead vibrant and fulfilling lives.

BHow to Stay Fresh During the Grind

Ted Leavitt Langley Youth and Family Services; Connectivity Counselling

Participants in this workshop will learn about the importance of healthy boundaries, the science of self-control, how to recognize anxiety in themselves or colleagues, and how to reduce burnout.

Ted is the program manager at Langley Youth and Family Services and also runs a private practice, Connectivity Counselling. He specializes in impulse control problems, including ADHD, aggressive behaviour, and addictive behaviour, as well as anxiety. He is an experienced public speaker and mental health educator.

B

This session is also offered in A and C.




Langley School District OT and PTs

The OT and PT division of Learning Support Services is pleased to present an inservice to kindergarten and pre-school teachers on how to support your students’ acquisi-tion of gross motor and fine motor skills. From holding a pencil to kicking a ball, we will give you ideas and activities that enhance growth and development for Ks.

The Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy di-vision of Learning Support Services is comprised of four occupational therapists and two physiothera-pists: Megan Cliff, Rae Fong, Janice Mcleod, Kari Olesen, Tamara Robinson, and Ross Taylor. They provide consultative services for students in Lang-ley School District with fine motor, sensory motor, and gross motor challenges as well as equipment or external referral needs.

B


Kristin WebsterUBC Child Care Services

Learn how early childhood educators can introduce Indig-enous perspectives and place(s) to young children. Kristin Webster will share how she was motivated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to embed an emergent curricu-lum that introduces topics including residential schools for young children.

This is an opportunity for participants to discuss age-ap-propriate ways for children to learn about this dark part of Canada’s history, and how it can create empathy and open a new world to children who will better understand Indig-enous cultures.

Kristin is a senior supervisor of a multi-age group daycare for UBC Child Care Services. She has been working on reconciliation in the early years for more than three years. She was recently recog-nized with the award for Innovation in the 2016 BC Child Care Awards of Excellence. Not only is she an early childhood educator, but also a mother and a grandmother.

B



Do you have an idea worth spreading?We’re seeking innovative speakers to share their perspective on the power of community.

Apply to speak at our January 18, 2018 conference today!

Visit tedxlangleyed.com to learn more.

19October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

C 1250-220

Computational Thinking In the ClassroomAngela Moino – Langley School District

Have you ever wondered how to incorporate computational thinking into your classroom? Where do you even start? In this workshop, you will be introduced to computational thinking on paper. On paper, you ask? Yes, on paper! From there, anything is possible. We will then look at using digital technology to combine core competencies with curriculum-related computational thinking activities in your classroom, including creating projects on Scratch Jr. Please bring an iPad.

Angela, mother of three, is a life-long learner who strives to engage all of her students. She has taught pre-school-aged children for 18 years and has worked in the Langley School District for four years. Currently, Mrs. Moino teaches grade three at R.C. Garnett Demonstration Elementary.

CConnecting Children to Nature

Vanessa Lee – Metro Vancouver Regional ParksFind out how nature improves the physical, mental, and emotional health of kids. Use tools and resources that will focus and connect children to nature. Learn a few stories and songs along the way that will help you and your students remember fun facts about your local plants and animals. Be prepared to go outside to experience activities that you will be able to use to engage your students in nature, place-based education, and critical inquiry in your own school yard.

Vanessa is passionately involved with anything green, watery, or mountainous! This love affair started with an Honours BSc in ecology and field work in radio-tracking snakes. It continued with environmental education as a certified BEd classroom teacher and interpretation as a Vancouver Aquarium interpreter and a Metro Vancouver Regional Parks interpretation specialist. Vanessa recently completed a Masters of Ecological Education to further the study of how to connect people to nature’s awe and wonder, and how to inspire care of place and wild things.

C This session is also offered in A and B.

Literacy

Numeracy

Wellness


French

Art

Play


Community


thinklangley.com

Cranking Up the Core in K

Amanda SladeLangley School District

Learn ways to embed the core competencies throughout the kindergarten day. Explore provocations, literature, and classroom systems that help notice, name, and nurture spe-cific facets of the core competencies. Take away practical strategies to help your students increase their awareness of and their ability to self reflect on the core competencies for future growth.

Amanda is Langley’s early learning district teach-er. Amanda is interested in finding unique ways to invite play and recognizing the learning opportu-nities children create every day. She believes in the power of collaboration and works with children and adults to develop powerful learning environ-ments.

C


Brandon GabrielKwantlen First Nation

Renowned Kwantlen First Nation artist Brandon Gabriel will give a demonstration and tutorial on teaching young learners how to draw an eagle feather using paper, tracing paper, a pencil, masking tape, and crayons.

The method was first developed by Italian Renaissance artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, and later innovated by West Coast First Nations artists of British Columbia after coloni-zation. Prior to that, artists developed geometric tools that preceded contact with Pythagorean theorem to assist with symmetrical design. That bit of trivia is for the teachers and not the students, by the way. Those more advanced mathe-matical concepts aren’t explored with this age group—just hands-on fun!

Brandon will also give tips on set up and clean up pro-cedures, breaking up into groups or working individually, and how to supply and budget yourselves for paints, brush-es, and smocks.

Brandon – kweləxwəlstən is an internationally renowned visual artist from the Kwantlen First Nation. He was brought up in his community and educated at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Em-ily Carr University of Art and Design, and the Jus-tice Institute of British Columbia.

His work has been exhibited in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the US, and Canada. His work has also appeared in film and television, and has won awards and critical acclaim.

Brandon spends his time guest lecturing at pres-tigious universities, and in multiple school dis-tricts. He is also an avid canoeist and skipper of the Kwantlen Tireless Runners Canoe Club, as well as an activist for social justice, and environmental stewardship causes.

C

Woodworking for Kids: I Can Build It

Don ThomsonDonCol Nature Products

Come out and learn basic woodworking techniques, tool safety, project management strategies, and extension ideas. Each partic-ipant will build two kits. The workshop also feature samples of simple projects for all grade levels.

Don is a retired Langley teacher. He enjoys a wide range of activities: cycling, fishing, travel, land-scaping, woodworking, and playing with his four grandkids. The idea of woodworking kits for kids began in 1995. Since then, DonCol Nature Products has produced kits for schools, community groups, governments, environmental groups, and retail outlets.

C


21October 20, 2017

@thinklangley


Rapinder RaiAbbotsford School District

Teaching writing in kindergarten is a fun and rewarding ex-perience! Rapinder will show you writing in a fun, relaxed, play-based kindergarten classroom. Come and see practi-cal tips on scaffolding these early writers from September to June through photographs and video clips with lessons and examples of students’ work. She will also share ideas to support early writing for English Language Learners (ELL). Gradually building up to a daily habit of writing can help children learn to look out for—and to look forward to—op-portunities to draw and write from their daily experiences. See how wall-stories and parental support through Parents as Literacy Supporters (PALS) enhance kindergarten writ-ing!

Rapinder is a kindergarten and grade five Pun-jabi language teacher at Harry Sayers Elemen-tary School in Abbotsford. She has also taught grade 4/5, half-day kindergarten and ELL. She has run PALS sessions with her kindergarten fam-ilies since 2002. She has been a facilitator for Im-migrant PALS Punjabi since 2008, and developed The Punjabi Family Literacy Resource for PALS in Immigrant Communities with 2010 Legacies Now. Rapinder is the author of bilingual English and Punjabi children’s books published by Home-Roots Books. Her passions are family literacy and reaching out to families to support their children’s learning. She has translated and adapted LEAP BC resources into Punjabi for Decoda Lit Solututions.

C


Katelynn Tekavc – Langley School DistrictLaureen Klassen – Langley Forest School

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be in an outdoor classroom fully immersed in nature? Join us as we dive deeper into child centered, place-space learning. “Risky” play, environmental stewardship, empowering language, problem solving, and early childhood development are just a few ideas we will discuss.

Be ready to go outside rain or shine and please be pre-pared for hands on exploration (rain coats and boots are a good idea).

Katelynn is an early childhood, infant/toddler/special needs educator, with a school age childcare certificate. She has worked in a variety or early learning fields and currently works for the Langley School District in early learning as well as for the Langley Forest School as a preschool teacher.

Laureen is an early childhood educator and for-est school practitioner. She is the co-founder of the Langley Forest School and has a wealth of knowl-edge in early childhood development. She inte-grates her passion with the outdoors to empower the minds and hearts of young children.

CThis session is also offered in B.


Literacy

Numeracy

Wellness


French

Art

Play


Community


Invigorating Your Kindergarten Math

ProgramJosie Zahn

Richmond School District Josie’s kindergarten math program was in need of some changes to fit the new curriculum and re-inspire her joy in teaching math. Over the past few years she has added in math routines, provocations, nature, small/large groups, and guided math in order to strengthen her program and make it appropriate for learning in 2017 and beyond. She will share some of the changes she has made and tell you about what her math program looks like now. Josie hopes you will leave with ideas that you can implement imme-diately in your classroom and be ready to share the joy in teaching math.

Josie has been teaching kindergarten for 18 years in Richmond and is a mom to two boys. She en-joys learning new things from her young students, collaborating with amazing colleagues, and con-tinuing to grow as a professional. She has a back-ground in early childhood education, special edu-cation, and ELL.

C

Making Sense of Anxiety in Children

Palvinder ManhasLangley School District

This interactive workshop is designed for professionals who work with children in a non-counselling/therapeutic relationship. Participants will learn how to recognize anxi-ety in young children through identifying behaviours asso-ciated with anxiety. Gain an understanding of the types of anxiety experienced by young children such as separation anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder. Finally, you will learn about the various strategies and community supports for children and families.

Pal (MEd) is a registered clinical counsellor who brings more than nine years of counselling expe-rience spanning education, social services, family and individual counselling. She combines this with experience instructing in early childhood educa-tion. Her expertise encompasses prevention, in-tervention and post-vention to needs assessments, treatment planning, delivery, referrals, and com-munity outreach. Pal is currently working with the Langley School District as an elementary school counsellor.

C

K’s in the World of Math: Make and Take

Lisa Jamieson – Surrey School DistrictKindergarten children are natural explorers and love to engage in activities that activate their curiosity. Come along and explore the endless possibilities of engaging our youngest learners in a world filled with numbers, shapes and more. You will not only make a variety of different games and engaging activities to take away with you, but will receive a collection of other ideas to easily make on your own. All you will have to do is say “go” and watch as your students head off into the world of math.

Lisa is a kindergarten specialist with extensive graduate work in early childhood and parent education. She has presented to many audiences including teachers, parents, and provincial PAC groups. Lisa has been a teacher for over 25 years and is currently a principal in the Surrey School District.

C

23October 20, 2017

@thinklangley

Math Catchers: Hands-on Math

Veselin JungicSFU Department of Mathematics

Janelle Dobson-KocsisMath Catcher Program

The Math Catcher Outreach program aims to promote mathematics and scholarship in general by encouraging el-ementary and high school students to recognize how math is used in everyday life and how it forms the basis for many of our daily decisions and life-long choices. The storytell-ing, pictures, models, and hands-on activities encourage young people to enjoy math and help dispel myths that math is boring and abstract.

The program is based on the belief that it is crucial that we engage students in mathematics and science at the early age because without numeracy skills, too many study and career options will be closed to them.

The participants will build mathematical objects, solve puzzles, watch animated films with mathematical themes, and play with mathematical toys.

Veselin is a professor in the department of math-ematics at Simon Fraser University, and a 3M Na-tional Teaching Fellow. Over the last several years, Veselin has been coordinating the Math Catcher Outreach program.

Janelle is a member of the Teslin-Tlingit Nation and Kwanlin Dun Band. Janelle works as a nurse.

C

Superhero PlaySarah McCarthy

ECE Connect

Sarah has recently returned to working in a preschool and found superhero play is something educators are strug-gling with. A question she often hears is, “Should we allow it?” and she believes we should. All children have a right to play. This includes superhero play, sometimes weapon play, and shocking themes like shooting storm troopers!

The aim of this workshop is to facilitate a discussion on superhero play. She wants to connect and share with every-one her experience and hopes to open a forum to discuss and share all of our ideas. Knowledge is power, and after completing this workshop, you will have a clear idea of how to manage superhero play, and see all the benefits it can bring to your program.

This workshop will provide information and strategies for early childhood educators and caregivers about how to support young children with rough and tumble play, super-hero play, fighting, and weapon play.

Sarah created ECE Connect in 2016 with the idea of connecting early childhood educators and offer-ing workshops that she feels are needed in the field.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in education and training, a diploma in early childhood education and Montessori (0-12 years), and a certificate for children with special needs. She’s been in the educa-tion field for over 15 years and has taught in Reggio preschools, play-based centres, Montessori schools, and was an early childhood coordinator and in-structor for Sprott Shaw College. She currently manages a preschool and is a board member of the ECEBC Vancouver office.

CLiteracy

Numeracy

Wellness


French

Art


Community


Wonder in the Kindergarten ClassroomCassaundra McGuinness – Coquitlam School District

This workshop will explore the British Columbia re-designed curriculum through a Reggio-inspired lens. Participants will focus on how to foster learning through play and exploration in both kindergarten and kindergarten/grade one classrooms. Multiple entry points for learning in diverse classrooms will be unpacked using the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach.

Cassie began teaching in the Coquitlam School District in 2011. She discovered a passion for Reggio-inspired learning two years into her teaching career. After pursuing a graduate diploma in Reggio-inspired practices, she began teaching at Meadowbrook Elementary, the Reggio-inspired school in Coquitlam, British Columbia. She continues to develop her practice by presenting at various professional development days and participating in district-wide learning teams.

C

Working with Indigenous Families

Melanie NelsonUniversity of British Columbia

Considerations for working with Indigenous families will be explored, with a focus on the experience of caregivers who have an Indigenous child with special needs. Topics include the current context of Indigenous education in British Columbia, possible family supports prior to kinder-garten, parent experiences with the assessment process, and concerns with the assessment of Indigenous students. Finally, some considerations for the classroom setting, in-cluding books and resources that are inclusive of Indige-nous perspectives, will be explored.

Melanie is a PhD student in the school psycholo-gy program at the University of British Columbia. Melanie was a teacher in the Lower Mainland prior to her graduate studies, and has experience teach-ing in mainstream, adapted, modified, and alter-nate settings. She has taught K-12 and adult stu-dents, with the majority of her experience in special education and Indigenous education.

C

Yoga & Mindfulness for Self-Regulation

Jennie Abbot – Harmony Kids Yoga

Join us in this exciting workshop offering hands-on activities to easily integrate yoga and mindfulness into your classroom setting. Children’s yoga helps develop essential tools such as self-regulation and a stronger mind-body connection, and introduces skills that help children to find a sense of inner calm. These yoga and mindfulness tools are gifts that can transform the lives of the children that receive them. Each participant will receive the Harmony Kids Yoga Guide for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers, with exercises and appli-cations for classroom use.

Jennie is the founder of Harmony Kids Yoga, bringing yoga to over 200 children a week between the ages of 12 months to 18 years old in Langley public and private schools, preschools and daycar-es, as well as weekly group classes, private class-es for children with special needs, and teachers’ workshops. Jennie is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (CYA-CYT) with the Canadian Yoga Alliance. Jen-nie’s life passion is sharing yoga and mindfulness with children, offering the tools of mindfulness, self-regulation, stress reduction, and the ability to bring harmony to the body, mind, and heart so children can lead vibrant and fulfilling lives.

C


This session is also offered in A and B.

25October 20, 2017


Langley School District OT and PTs

The OT and PT division of Learning Support Services is pleased to present an inservice to kindergarten and pre-school teachers on how to support your students’ acquisi-tion of gross motor and fine motor skills. From holding a pencil to kicking a ball, we will give you ideas and activities that enhance growth and development for Ks.

The Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy di-vision of Learning Support Services is comprised of four occupational therapists and two physiothera-pists: Megan Cliff, Rae Fong, Janice Mcleod, Kari Olesen, Tamara Robinson, and Ross Taylor. They provide consultative services for students in Lang-ley School District with fine motor, sensory motor, and gross motor challenges as well as equipment or external referral needs.

C

Reflection and the “Teacher Self”

Allie PasquierPlay Lab / Bakers and Astronauts

As educators, we are always thinking about children. In this workshop, participants will explore the idea of the “teacher self” through play and writing. Participants will explore their own ideas, questions, biases, joys, and ideas about teaching practice. Why do we make the decisions we make? What are we drawn to, and what are we afraid of? This session is an opportunity to reflect and think, and to learn about structures and practices that can make reflec-tion a regular part of your teaching practice—it is simpler and more rewarding than you think!

Allie is an early childhood educator and founder of Play Lab (play-lab.org), where she creates high-ly interactive play installations and workshops for children, families, and educators. She is an advo-cate for process-based, open-ended exploration of materials and ideas. She writes about education at bakersandastronauts.com.

CThis session is also offered in B.

Ramada Langley/Surrey19225 Langley Bypass, Surrey, BC, V3S 8V9

Phone: 1 888 576 8388 Email: [email protected]

Please quote ‘Kindergarten Conference’ and book by September 8, 2017. Prices are subject to change after September 8. Cancellations or changes must be made 48 hours prior to arrival.

Two Queen Room - $89.00 based on double occupancy

All rooms have a mini-fridge as well as a microwave. Included is a complimentary hot buffet breakfast on each morning of your stay which includes a variety of hot and cold items such as eggs and breakfast meats, cold and hot cereals, fresh juices

and fruit, pastries, and yogurt. Service begins at 6:30 AM and continues until 10 AM daily.

Luggage storage will be available on Friday at Brookswood Secondary for those staying in hotels that must check out in the morning. Access to luggage storage will be limited to 7:30-8:30 AM and 2:15-3:00 PM on Friday.

Though luggage will be locked in a room, the Langley School District accepts no responsibility for lost or stolen items.

Accommodations


thinklangley.com

Session Planning SheetUse this page to track workshops while you browse the course catalog. Once you’ve decided on a couple of options, it’s time to visit thinklangley.com to pre-register for your sessions. Don’t forget: the registration deadline is Friday, October 13!

8:30 - 10 10:20 - 11:50 12:50 - 2:20A B C

Notes

27October 20, 2017

M I N D F U L A S S E S S M E N T

O C T O B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7LANGLEY EVENTS CENTRE

L E E W A T A N A B E C R O C K E T T

REGISTER AT THINKLANGLEY.COM | CALL 604 534 7891 EXT. 237 FOR ASSISTANCE

october 20, 2017 - school district 35 langley · connecting the pieces pre-k and kindergarten...

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