Author: markvanisland

November 28th, 2018

When I arrived at WKE in August the principal showed me 3 huge Tower Gardens and asked if I would like to use at least 1 in the Learning Commons. Of course, I said “sure” I would love to take on one–thinking it was a fancy soil garden. Well…After my husband inspected it and changed it around he explained it was actually hydroponics! Oh boy! Another new experience ahead! One staff member was good friends with the retired teacher who created this design, and she visited our school to hold workshops and involve the students in the initial planting using rock wool.

We watched videos, reviewed parts of plants, then all students were given the chance to plant their herb or vegetable. When the lights are turned on, and the pumps circulating water, the garden tower looks a bit like a science fiction creation. We need to check the ph regularly and the rest will be a surprise! Hopefully we will produce lots of healthy greens for students to eat at school in the near future.

November 24th

This weekend I decided to explore some of the winter recreation around Burns Lake. The closest down hill mountains are at Smithers (145 km to the west) and Fort St. James (175 km to the north east). However, there is a very active Cross Country Ski Club about 10 minutes from Burns Lake–Omineca Ski Club. So…I decided to check out their open house.  The club is small and friendly. They specialize in cross country skiing and biathalon training (cross country skiing and shooting at targets). I guess that makes sense with such a passionate group of hunters around this area. There were free snacks in the lodge and I met the main instructor for beginners (me). After soaking in lots of new information and getting acquainted with some of the club members I ended up buying two yearly memberships, added my name to the beginner adults lessons list, got measured for seasonal rentals, and even signed up to assist with the big club competition in early February! Hopefully by the end of the season (Early to Mid March) I’ll be able to stand up on those very skinny long skis and actual maneuver through the trails!

After joining the Omineca cross country club, I decided to go and watch ice hockey at the local arena. Several of the grade 6 and 7 boys and girls at my 2 schools play rep hockey and asked me to go and watch their tournament. So…I did! The Burns Lake Peewees were coached by Wendy (a fellow teacher from Decker) and played well. The end result was really close! I sat with some of the parents and entered all the fundraising draws. My throat was a bit sore from yelling loudly encouraging my students. After getting goals several of the boys skating past me giving me a thumbs up! It was very touching! I’m definitely coming back to watch more kids hockey games during my stay here.

Apparently there is an active curling rink also in the complex. I’ll check that out another day.

November 23rd, 2018

I woke up to another light snowfall. I have the plug ready for the car and the snow shovels are in the carport and on the front patio area…but so far I’m told it’s been an unusually mild winter here. People keep saying…just wait! The cross country club wants to open soon. But most people are happy to avoid shoveling the white stuff! The coldest temperature I’ve experienced so far here has been -13 degrees Celsius.

The mornings are dark later and later and the night comes sooner. I find I am driving to Decker (7 minutes away west towards Topley) at 7:55 a.m. often in foggy conditions with the sun just coming up. Thank goodness for remote start up on my Jetta! It takes about 10 minutes to warm the engine right now and the seats are toasy. I am on duty at 8:10 a.m. at Decker Elementary, but sometimes the first bus arrives before that so I usually arrive about 8:05. The children love to play in the forest area around the school. These photos were taken while I was on duty about 8:15 a.m.

It was Plaid Friday, so our staff and many students got into the theme.

The sunset photo was taken from the school parking lot as I left at 4:15 p.m. There were lots of prizes to be won and games to play around town during Plaid Friday but you really only could participate if you had the day off or got off work early. I walked downtown after dinner to discover everything ended by 7:00 p.m.

Darn. It looked like a fun event!

November 21st at WKE and November 22nd at Decker Elementary Schools.

I was really thrilled to collaborate with fellow staff at each school for working bees in the Library after school hours this week.

At WKE the District Literacy coordinator, a mentor teacher, a primary teacher from the English stream, and a French Immersion primary teacher joined me to level several hundred early readers into 4 main reading categories. (Pre-Primer to mid grade 1); (Mid grade 1–end of grade 1); (Grade 2); (Grade 3). Now I am busy adding information about these categories using the online Library system–Destiny, then I need to add 4 different colored stickers, and create level lists for each category.

At Decker, there hasn’t been a teacher-librarian or clerk at the school for many years and the Fiction section needed a major weeding! Most of the classroom teachers and 1 FN support worker stayed after school for over 2 hours. Following my criteria, we removed about 800 soiled, unused, old, damaged novels from the shelves.

I now have the tedious task of checking history of questionable novels, removing books  from the Destiny automated library system, stamping discarded, wiping out the barcodes, creating signs and putting the books on display as FREE to a new home (for teachers, or students).  Both Library Collections are getting rejuvenated and more user friendly for teachers and students. 🙂  Great team work staffs!

November 2018

Although he is also renovating our home in Nanaimo during my 6 month position in sd91, when my husband travels the 1,084 km each way for visits he never just ‘chills’ and relaxes. No… We explore the area on weekends and after school. He cuts up wood and kindling for me. He creates a lovely fire in the wood stove so the house is warm. He assists me at school and helps me with any tech issues. He shops and cooks really healthy meals. He even filled the freezer with soups and stew so that I eat healthy whenever he is absent. (I’m gluten intolerant). He encourages and always supports me. I am so thankful that I have Mark as my partner and husband.

This blog post is for you hon! You truly are amazing and I love you!

November 17th, 2018

The much anticipated annual Christmas bazaar at LDSS (Lakes District Secondary School) in Burns Lake did not disappoint! All participants had to offer hand created items for sale. The doors opened for seniors from 9:00–9:30 then the entire community was invited to attend. It was packed! As you entered the school you were greeted by welcoming smiles, carolers, and east coast type fiddle music. It was so delightful to see the variety of cultures and religions represented and respected in this area of B.C. There was everything from cast iron to hand made christening gowns, from painting/stained glass to specialty foods, from innovative fold-able tables and bird feeders to jewelry. Fun times for all the family!

Even the Plaid Friday mascot made an appearance! I highly recommend attending this event if you are in Burns Lake mid November next year.

Mid November 2018

Dividing my time as Teacher Librarian/Learning Commons Specialist between two schools at Burns Lake and Decker lake is somewhat challenging and exhausting, yet so fulfilling.  I teach collaboratively with 16 different classroom teachers, plus have challenge groups and reading groups to plan for each week. In addition to collaborating with staff, supporting Learning Commons Leaders, introducing STEM and Inquiry, regular Library Administration duties, and 4 early morning duty shifts… I’m also busy evolving both Libraries into Learning Commons. Mastering all the names of both staffs is slowly coming; however, all the students’ names are not cemented yet! The staffs are wonderful and it is very fulfilling and touching when students make a point of hugging me and introducing me to their parents during community events after school hours!

Here are a few photos of some of the events we’ve shared at my two schools during mid November time period. There was a really cool marionette performance–a bit tough to see from the back but really neat props!

I open the Library/Learning Commons most mornings at each school. It is really popular, but I have to limit the numbers to 35 as it gets so busy. I expect as the temperatures drop…It will become even more popular. My Learning Commons Leaders are working on decorating for the upcoming Book Fair and they assist in the mornings. During  Intermediate lessons we have been learning about location of fiction series, authentic websites vs. hoax websites, how to cite text and online sources, and best search engines for science fair research.

The primary classes are learning about fairy tales–traditional vs. fractured and exploring STEM challenges to create structures (house for the 3 pigs, bed for Goldilocks, etc.).

We are having a wonderful time!

November 10th, 2018

Wanting to learn more about all the communities in the school district I am presently working in, sd91 (Nechako lakes), it was time to explore Fort St. James. Our Superintendent and Director of Instruction both live in Fort St. James but I haven’t seen either in Burns Lake yet.  We set off from Burns Lake on a beautiful morning heading mostly east towards Prince George passing through Fraser Lake, and Fort Fraser. Just prior to Vanderhoof you leave highway 16 and head north on highway 27. The trip is nearly 2 hours and 175 km. There are signs to discover the Fort St. James National Historic Site and learn about the history of Canada’s fur trade. However, this historic site is only open in the tourist (summer) season.

Fort St. James is located adjacent to beautiful lakes and mountains. It is a very interesting location because, as a newcomer to the town, the contradiction between colonial  and First People’s histories is pretty clearly exemplified. As listed in hellobc information online “Fort St. James was established by explorer Simon Fraser in 1806 for the North West Company, the site was dubbed “the Siberia of the Fur Trade” because of its harsh winters. Today, Fort St. James national Historic Site is reconstructed to the year 1896, and it includes a re-created Hudson’s Bay trading post.”

As we approached Fort St. James (approximately 4,500 including rural areas and First Nations reserves) we noticed physical changes– the temperature was dropping, the mountains (tall hills to Rocky mountain folks)  were increasing in size, ( there was increasing frost and snow on the ground, a loaded logging truck was sitting sideways in the ditch, yet the sun was shining and the beauty of the area was quite stunning. We stopped to walk in the snow near a bridge and listened to swans trumpet as they flew overhead. I noticed interesting animal hoof marks in the snow which I was told later were probably elk hoof marks.

We drove around the community and the enormous lake that actual looked like the ocean as the waves lapped on the shore! Right next to one of the reserves was the Fort St. James historical site. You drive through the reserve to access the parking lot! Ironic! Usually it is closed, but the gates were open as somebody was doing repairs. So Mark and I got to walk around the site. There was snow on the ground and the wind from the lake was bitter cold. I can only imagine what it would feel like during -30 degree weather here.

According to weatherbase.cm the lowest recorded temperature in Fort St. James was -49.4C! OMG!  But…It sure is gorgeous 🙂 There is a ski hill here and lots of outdoor (especially winter) recreational activities.

Watch out for slippery roads and large wild animals! And bring your camera!

November 4th, 2018

Today we explored Southside, Grassy Plains and even Ootsa Lake! The summer fires ravished these areas and there have been several fundraisers and thank you events for the firefighters and people who assisted these communities during the devastating fires. I wanted to show Mark the pink trees (covered in fire retardant) and meet the friendly owners of the Taksie Resort.

The area was still fascinating, but the gorgeous color from the autumn trees during my last visit no longer existed as the deciduous trees have now lost their leaves waiting for the snow.

Still…If you crave a peaceful retreat in the country, this is a wonderful area to explore.

November 3rd, 2018

My husband, Mark, and I decided to explore a new town today. Travelling northwest on highway 16, it takes about 1 1/2 hours to drive the 143 km to Smithers.  We drove past Topley, Houston, and Telkwa before arriving at Smithers (urban population 5,351 in 2016…but when you add the rural surrounding population Smithers has closer to 10,600 people).

We stopped at Topley to check out the famous Grizzly Jim’s General Store. There is a variety of items in there from food, to jewelry, pottery, and bear theme items. After Topley we did a quick tour through Houston. The giant solar panels and fishing rod were especially prominent. Then it was off to Smithers.

Smithers is a pretty tourist attractive town which has a European look and influence. It is popular for its “world class skiing” at Hudson Bay Mountain and fishing (especially steelhead). It also supports multiple extreme sports, such as, –quadding, snowmobiling, paragliding, mountain biking.

Mark was excited to locate the sausage and specialty meats stores we heard about in Burns Lake. I was really curious to explore the town. Unfortunately, although rain has been rare up here for months, we hit rain today! But coming from Vancouver Island, we have no problem exploring beautiful landscapes in the rain. Actually the fog, mist, and colors offer a new perspective in wet weather.