PJ Blog
2023-2024 - Our school library...it's more than just books!
OCTOBER 2024
Save the Date
We are having a Book Fair Oct. 8-10, 2024!!
Students will be able to purchase books and boutique items during class time OR they can visit the Book Fair with their parents on the following days:
Tuesday Oct. 8 from 3-4pm
Wednesday Oct. 9 from 1-6pm
Thursday Oct. from 3-5pm
Remember, all books encourage your child to read and book bought at our Library Book Fair helps our school library.
See you at the Book Fair and thank you for your support!
SEPTEMBER 2024
Save the Date
We are having a Book Fair Oct. 8-10, 2024!!
Students will be able to purchase books and trinkets during class time OR they can visit the Book Fair with their parents on the following days:
Tuesday Oct. 8 from 3-4pm
Wednesday Oct. 9 from 1-6pm
Thursday Oct. from 3-5pm
Remember, all Book Fair sales encourages your child to read and also helps our school libary.
See you at the Book Fair and thank you for your support!
WELCOME BACK!!
Summer's over and it's time for a new school year!
That's right! Lots of exciting news happening at PJ. Stay tuned!
JUNE 2024
Summer Reading Challenge 2024
Yowzers!!! It's almost summer and summer means fun, sun and READING CLUBS!!!!
That's right! Reading Clubs for EVERYONE!!
While our school doors library doors will be closed our friendly neighbourhood library - The West Vancouver Memorial Library - is offering a Reading Club for Children, Teens and Adults! Yes, adults and you have a super fun BINGO card as well!!
New books, old reads, audio books, ebooks, draw prizes, medals, and a chance for our school to brag about how many books our students have read over the summer. And, just like in previous years there'll be a medal ceremony and a chance to bring home the SRC Trophy to our school.
Pretty cool, huh? We think so.
Our students will have an aoppportunity to find out first hand about the Summer Reading Clubs during their library time at school through a WVML representative. However, if you cannot wait click on the links below for more information or simply click HERE for Children & Teen registration.
French Reading Challenge 2024
Our French Reading Challenge has come and gone this year.
This year we opened up the challenge to both our Late French Immersion students as well as our Grade 3's (see our April blog post).
Students who successfully completed the FRC were invited to the library at lunch to celebrate with an assortment of treats. They also received their certificates and patiently waited for the big draw prizes - $25.00 gift certificates to KidsBooks courtesy of Canadian Parents for French. In total 8 gift cards were handed out.
Congratulations to all the students who participated. It was great seeing so many pages read by so many students!!
A big MERCI as well to the CPF, the WVML as well as the PJ staff involved in our 2nd annual FRC.
MAY 2024
Reading Link Challenge 2024
Since early November our Grade 4/5's have been busy reading this years RLC novels and gearing up for the school challenge that took place in late April. After a nail-biting finale with tie-breakers after tie-breakers between Team Orange and Team Blue the latter prevailled. Team Blue, later re-named PJ'AMAS, went on to represent Pauline Johnson at the West Vancouver Memorial Library for the School District 45 final.
Our students worked as a team and we couldn't have been more prouder as they effortessly discussed and answered the questions (there were three rounds with ten questions each). Although we didn't get the trophy our school champions tied for 6th. Overall, 66 teams across District 45 participated in this years 2024 RLC. An unprecedented amount! Congratulations to Ecole Cedardale for taking home the win.
APRIL 2024
French Reading Challenge 2024
Our second annual French Reading Challenge began April 21-May 30, 2024!
This year, our Grade 3's, 6LFI and 7LFI classes are taking the challenge to read 15 minutes in French daily for 30 days. The students must complete the 3 challenges (they can always do more if they wish) as indicated on the FRC card. Upon a successful completion of the FRC program the students will receive 'un certificat de reussite' as well as have their names entered in a draw for the chance to win a gift certificate.
The French Reading Challenge is made possible through Canadian Parents for French as well as through our friends at the West Vancouver Memorial Library.
Ask your child about the FRC and make sure they are recording their results on the card they were given. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Mme Gambin at our school library.
JANUARY 2024
PJ has eBooks!
PJ Library has many eBooks available through our library program 'Destiny Discover'. It's super easy to navigate and use the program to find a book for your childs' grade and reading level. We also have books available in French and English.
Follow along with the video below and find a book that is of interest to you and your child.
Snow Day Jan 17, 2024 8:01 AM.webmDecember 2023
Wishing our PJ Community a Beautiful Holiday Season!!
From our school to your family please enjoy the holidays!! Also, don't forget to relax and get some reading time with a good book!
November 2023
Celebrating Diwali - the Festival of Light - November 12, 2023
Thank to to Mrs. Ahuja (parent to one of our grade 5 students) for the recommendation of these two delightful picture albums for students of all ages. Read-Alouds and discussions during class and library time the week of Nov. 6-11 will allow students and staff members to learn more about this beautifully, and wonderful celebration.
Mrs. Ahuja also graciously decorated our library stage with personal items for our students to see and understand what Diwali represents.
Some of the traditions that are followed during Diwali are:
Lighting diyas and lamps to represennt the victory of light over darkness.
Rangoli Art - used to decorate homes and greet guests. Intricate patterns and designs are made on the floor using colourful powders, rice or flower petals.
Firecrackers - represent the triumph of light over darkness.
Exchange of gifts for family and friends.
Decorating homes - homes are cleaned and decorated as it is believed that the Goddess Lakhami will only visit clean homes.
Feasting - During the festive period, special Diwali sweets and savourt dishes are prepared and shared with friends and family.
'Lest we Forget'...Remembrance Day - November 11, 2023
In addition to Diwali our school will also be hosting a Remembrance Day ceremony and assembly the same week.
Originally called Armistrice Day students and staff will remember and honour those who fought for our freedom.
D.E.A.R. & PJ Day
We LOVE to read at PJ...especially while wearing pyjamas!
On Wednesday November 1 our school will participate in our annual DEAR (Drop Everthing and Read) and Wear-Your-Favourite-PJs-to-School-Day for a fun 20 minute reading marathon.
Building on last years success our students will begin reading right after morning announcements. Wear your favourite pyjamas and read your favourite book. Students are encouraged to read 20 minutes. For younger students who are just learning to read this could mean having one or two picture books at their disposal. Otherwsie, comic books, science-fiction books, magazines, chapter books, big books, small books, English books, French books, or books in any language are perfect.
Mme Gambin will make sure everyone will have a book to read or feel free to bring your own.
The Reading Link Challenge
The Reading Link Challenge Books (RLC) have been selected for this school year. Students in Grades 4/5 are invited, and encouraged, to read books between now and April.
The RLC is a partnership between The Ministry of Education, municipal libraries and school libraries. Each year, a panel of library staff from the Fraser Valley Regional Library choose 6 books and students enter a school level competition based on questions from the books. The winning team then goes on to compete at the school district level. Last year our PJ Team placed third among all the other West Vancouver Elementary schools.
Please click on the RLC image below for more information and let the Reading Games begin!!!
October 2023
Halloween at PJ
It's one of our favourite days of the year!
It's always fun dressing up and PJ Staff and Students were in full force wearing fun, bright, funny and scary costumes.
We also had a 106lb pumpkin donated to our school (see top photo) by a generous parent. Each class had time to see the giagantic pumpkin during their library time.
Q&A's
We have so many Questions & Answers at PJ and, and as teachers we LOVE how much our students want to learn about our community right through to our big wide world!
Thanks to our successful Scholastic book fair we ran last school year our Teacher-Librarian was able to purchase a new set of National Geographic 'Bizarre, mais vrai!' books to satisfy curious minds at all levels and grades.
Welcome to our October display that focuses on a Q&A theme.
September 2023
Nous sommes contents de vous revoir!
For all our new and returning students and parents...welcome to PJ!
As educators we are excited for an exceptional learning school year to help your child achieve success and build confidence moving forward.
At the Library...our goals are to encourage reading and discovering new genres across all grade levels. We also aspire to get the reluctant readers out of their shell and find reading materials that they are interested in. In addition, our students will learn how to navigate and search for information using proper research techniques, and learn the fundamentals of proper citation.
This blog is regularly updated so don't forget to check back often to see what is new and happening in and out of the school library.
MAY 2023
FRENCH READING CHALLENGE
In conjunction with our amazing local library we have created a French Reading Challenge for students throughout grades 2-5.
The objective? To read 15 minutes of French everyday for 30 days.
Students can read French magazines, graphic novels, chapter books, mystery's and even listen to audio books. There are 3 challenges.
Once a student has completed the required reading days and challenges they will receive a certificate and will be entered in draw for prizes.
The French Reading Challenge was created between a small group of dedicated teachers, Parents for French, and WVML staff.
Reading Link Challenge District Championships!!
Congratulations to Group 5 - Julia C., Julie A., Maya L., Matthew S., Vincent M. and, Yuvraj A. for a THIRD place finish!
On Wednesday May 3 the school RLC winners met at The West Vancouver Memorial Library to compete against each other for the School District Championships.
There were 3 rounds of 10 questions with each round becoming progressively harder. After the first round our team was tied for second place. However, the second round of questions proved a bit harder for our team as they slipped into 4th place but they were able to valiantly fight back in the 3rd round and finished third overall against 10 other elementary schools.
Caulfeild took top spot with a perfect 30 points, followed by a 2 point difference between 1st and 2nd. PJ was only 4 points behind Caulfeild and we couldn't be happier!!! Not only do our students read in French they also prove that they can read in English. Congratulations to the team! The entire school is very proud of this years RLC participants. Thank you also to all the teachers and parents for their continued support as well as for WVML for organizing this event. #PJProud
PJ Library Goes Tech
Watch out for future images of our new game that is bound to be a hit with our Kindergartens and grade 1's.
'Code & Go Robot Mouse' is a simple coding game where students have to learn to code a mouse to get to a piece of cheese. Students work in groups and together determine the fastest and most efficient route.
APRIL 2023
Reading Link Challenge School Champions!!
Congratulations to Group 5 - Julia C., Julie A., Maya L., Matthew S., Vincent M. and, Yuvraj A. for winning the school level Reading Link Challenge title.
All groups worked hard reading six different novels since November. We had 9 teams of 6 students competing April 18 to represent our school at the school district challenge that will be held Wednesday, May 3 at the West Vancouver Memorial Library where they will compete against the other winners of our elementary schools within our school district.
Group 5 had a commanding lead with 24 points followed by groups 1 and 3 with 20 points each. We are so proud of all the students who participated in The Reading Link Challenge!! It's a fun commitment where students learn to work together to understand the novels they read individually.
Read-a-Thon and PJ Day at PJ
Our first annual Read-a-Thon and Pyjama day at PJ was a success! Staff and students gathered in the hallways for a 20 minute read-a-thon used to promote reading. Students were buzzing with excitement and embraced the activity with genuine smiles. From our youngest kindergartens to our seasoned grade 7's, our school hallways were filled with keen readers bringing their favourite books from home or from our school ibrary. We spotted French, English and even a book in Gaelic. Reading 20 minutes a day helps promote mental health, critical thinking skills, increased vocabulary, lower stress and anxiety levels, helps promote sleep and more.
Intermediate Book Club
Our Intermediate Book Club gather in the library for some much R&R!! Our students eat in the library followed by activities of their choice. Mesdames Grunfeld and Gambin broke out the games for this session and students embraced it.
Our Intermediate Book Club meets every two weeks rain or shine. Offering a quiet place to read, play games and to relax our book club gives our students the chance to be themselves and to work collaboratively or on their own.
MARCH 2023
Primary Book Club
Our primary Book Club is too much fun!! Students can choose books, work on flexibility while reading, and work on arts & crafts. Book Club is held on Wednesdays after lunch and gives students a quiet place to go after lunch and is run by Mme Nicole Grunfeld - our school counsellor and Mme Gambin.
FEBRUARY 2023
Language & Culture: a look at the Inuit language
As part of our school wide Indigenous inquiry plan our library lessons over the past few weeks had a language and culture theme corresponding to the Language & Culture section of the Calls to Action (#13). We have been reading and exploring Indigenous books with a language theme.
Most recently, we looked at the Inuit language Inuktitut - an Indigenous language in North America, spoken in the Canadian Arctic. Our grade 3's and 6/7's discussed the books, the geography, the authors and, we even looked learned to 'spell' words found in the books using the new writing system (eg. kamik - boots; nanuq - polar bear). The language is unique because it is not an alphabet but uses syllabics (symbols) to convey sounds (vowels and consonants). The students also learned that many of the sounds that make up French or English do not exist in Inuktituk and that the creation of the syllabic is fairly new as Indigenous languages (like most languages) are oral by nature.
In the 2016 census, 36,015 identified speaking Inuktitut as their mother tongue and initiatives are underway to reviatlise or maintain the language after government and institutional policies sought to assimilate the language. (The Canadian Encyclopedi, 2019).
Compton, Richard . "Inuktitut". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 20 November 2019, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuktitut. Accessed 28 February 2023.
Melanie Watt
Our Booktopia talk in conjunction with West Vancouver Memorial Library was a huge hit!! Cedardale's very own Teacher-Librarian Lise Cazelais did a fantastic job moderating the discussion between the author, WVML and the students.
In class we worked on asking questions using Google Drive's Jamboard. And, we reviewed Watts books in all the grades with corresponding age appropriate activities. Many students were very familiar with the Scaredy Squirrel and Chester series and I could tell they were looking forward to the author event. Mrs. Watt is from Quebec .
Melanie Watt is both an author and an illustrator> Her main characters in the story take on a human persona in a whimsical and humoristic style. The author and the WVML generously gifted us autograph copies for our library that I know our students will continue to enjoy over the years to come.
JANUARY 2023
BOOK CLUB
Our Intermediate and Primary book clubs are back up and running!!
We meet in the library every Wednesday at lunch with each group alternating weeks. Participating students have a choice of activities that are self-run and guided by Mlle Grunfeld and myself, Mme Gambin.
Being in the club has its perks - an extra book at checkout, writing book reviews, creating book trailers and being the first to read and explore our new books are just a few of the fun activities planned.
We love books and we are book worms!!
Lunar New Year
On Friday January 20 our library was decorated with lanterns, pictures, and a beautiful vibrant deep reds to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit.
Parent volunteers were on hand to help our studetns discover the rich Chinese culture and history with a variety of activities and included paintings, costumes, paper cutting, dance movements and martial arts.
Thank you to the ALL the parents for a wonderful fun-filled day!
Martin Luther King Jr.
On Friday January 13 we observed MLK's day. We had books, read-alouds and discussions around MLK and Black Lives Matter.
This Kindergarten class followed up with a Rosa Parks colouring sheet.
WVML Field Trips
Our grades 4-7 grades are visiting our awesome local library for clinics on Skills and Research.
Thanks to Mme Lise Nielsen at the West Vancouver Memorial Library each division will be learning how to find relevant, and fact-checked information using age appropriate databases.
Thank you to the parent volunteers who are accompanying us on our walk over to the library on Marine Drive. We couldn't make this happen without you!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Wishing all our parents and students a wonderful year filled with lots of reading!
We can't wait to see everyone again Tuesday January 3, 2023 and we have lots of great books to read and discover as well as, learning all about digital citizenships, information literacy, bibliographies and more. It's going to be a busy year.
DECEMBER 2022
It's Almost Christmas!
The library is busy decorating and pulling out all the holiday season books from Christmas - Kwanzaa - Hannukah! It's a great time to be in school with lots of fun activities.
It was so busy that I forgot to take photos. My apologies. I can tell you though that the last week before the holidays we read and explored lots of fun books, and we even sang one of 'Le porc-epic dans un sapin' by Helaine Becker -- a perennial favorite of a classic book.
RLC Update
On December 7 Lise Nielsen from our local West Vancouver Memorial Library visited our grade 4/5 students in the library to talk about all the wonderful books chosen for this years Reading Link Challenge.
There are six books in total and each title is distinct in its own way. Personally I can't wait to read some of them!! Three copies of each book have been made available to the three grade 4/5 classes for your child to read. A few are even available online through the WVML's website.
NOVEMBER 2022
Scholastics Book Fair was a Success!!
Thank you!!!
Thank you to all parents, students and staff that participated in our Scholastics Book Fair. Students will have new books in the classroom, in the library and at home to read, reread and learn from.
OCTOBER 2022
Scholastics Book Fair November 21-25, 2022
Have you heard the news?
PJ is having a HYBRID Scholastics Book Fair November 21-25, 2022 and we are super excited about it!!
This is a unique format that incorporates the best of both worlds: an in-person Book Fair in the school library as well as an on-line presence. Students will be able to look at and purchase books Tuesday Nov. 22, Wednesday Nov. 23 and Friday Nov. 25 in the library during school hours while the on-line bookstore will be open Monday-Friday, 24 hours!
Watch for more information in the school's weekly eBulletin that is published Thursdays. Don't forget to preview some of the featured books and while you're at it grab some popcorn and watch a few trailers by clicking on this link.
Halloween Speed Dating Reading Books
Students enjoyed sitting around our decorated tables reading Halloween themed books. Our teacher-librarian curated a collection of age appropriate booktastic picture albums, magazines and novels for our young readers to explore.
Students were given 5 minutes to read and fill out a 'speed dating reading' form determining the genre, the author and commented on why they did or didn't like the book.
SEPTEMBER 2022
Bienvenue à PJ!
It's the start of a fresh new school year and our teacher-librarian is thrilled to meet our students.
We all know it's exciting to get new pencil crayons and backpacks for the year but, according to Mme Gambin, it's even more exciting to receive new books for our awesome library!
Our library classes will be starting the week of September 19. With an action-packed year you'll find school and library news and activities through this blog. So, don't forget to check in often!!
Bonjour! Je m'appelle Mme Gambin et je suis la bibliothecaire!
This school year marks my third year as PJ's teacher-librarian. The first two years were quite interesting as the library program changed and adapted to meet the needs of the COVID protocols. Hopefully, this is now in the past!
I'm looking forward to working with your child throughout the year as they progress through the library program. One of my goals for the 2022-2023 school year is to further introduce the students to a variety of authors and genres to help them discover a love for books:
I will also engage students in discussions and activities revolving around digital citizenship. We are all connected and it's important that our students today understand how to search safely for information via the internet.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Mme Cecile Gambin
JUNE 2022
Grade 3 Poetry Book is On-Line!
You have to check out the poems that our grade 3 students created during National Poetry Month. They are beautifully illustrated, written and presented and their homeroom teachers and myself couldn't be more proud of them!!
For confidientiality reasons I will not post the link here but it has been shared on the June 13-17 eBulletin that you receive via email every Thursday from our school. See the book, read and listen to the poetry and let your child know that you took the time to read their work of art. It would mean the world to them!
WHAAAAAT? June Already?
That's right folks...it's June and there's so much reading to do before the end of the school year and during the summer.
You already know about the Summer Reading Challenge for your teen and younger children (hint: go to the Home page).
This month at school our older students are exploring short novels, fables and picture books that encompass a wide variety of complex themes that are designed to make a person think, and comprehend. Think of the Fables of Aesop and The Fables of La Fontaine, and picture books from authors Chris Van Allsburg and Shaun Tan.
MAY 2022
Reading Link Challenge
Mme Jessica Hall's students represented our school at the elementary district finals! It was a virtual competition with 9 West Vancouver elementary schools participating. The group named themselves 'The Pomegranates' and, the girls worked hard and finished respectively. Congratulations to the team and to all RLC members this year.
Reading in Pairs
Our grade two's had a chance to explore non-fiction books during library time. After a short read-aloud from myself they were partnered up and given a selection of books about the 'life cycle' of plants and animals. If there was a word they didn't understand they were to ask their reading partner and if that failed then they asked their homeroom teacher or myself. It was amazing to watch them read quietly and help each other out when needed! Who doesn't love to read?!?
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
Our library temporarily turned into a sit-down restaurant for Teacher Appreciation Day. From the main course to the desserts it was all very yummy and very much appreciated. From salads to pasta dishes the main courses did not disappoint but I have to mention that whomever baked the cakes, pies and cookies we all left the library with big smiles and full tummy's. Merci! Thank you PAC for a beautiful lunch!!
APRIL 2022
JOURNÉE DE LA TERRE 2022 / EARTH DAY 2022
We know it's no longer April and Earth Day was a few weeks ago but it's always nice to find out what our grade 1 classes did for Earth Day during collab with Mme Dupuis and myself.
After a short story on gardening, flowers and growth our students cut little pieces of green and blue construction paper into small squares and put them in two large bowls filled with water. While we waited for the paper to decompose we watched a short animated movie on the environment that centered around pollution and lack of green space. Once the paper had reached a 'pulpy' state the children mixed in flower seeds (native to our ecosystem no less) and made 'earth bombs'.
A cool, fun way to spread seeds and smiles while being environmentally friendly!
Image © of Little Bins for Little Hands
Reading Link Challenge
Congratulations to all RLC competitors for a reading job well done!
Since November over 40 avid grade 4/5 readers have been busy reading and discussing 6 novels that were chosen by the RLC. On April 20, nine teams were put to the challenge to complete and answer 3 rounds of 12 questions each. This was a virtual challenge regulated by The West Vancouver Memorial Library. The challenge went right down to the wire with two teams duking it out in a tie-breaker.
The winning team that will represent our school May 25 are The Pomegranates from Mme Hall's class. They will be challenging the winners from the other elementary schools within our district.
GO POMEGRANATES GO!!!
Our Poet-Tree is getting 'leafier' every week.
April is National Poetry Month
Our students are busy reading and learning about all poetry during their library time. Together with their homeroom teacher and Mme Gambin we have been exploring different poetry formats and genres, reading classic poems, browsing one of our many French and English poetry books and trying our hand at creating a poem. Here's a snipit of what we've been working on:
Kindergarten: Poetry discovery through teacher led read-alouds
Grade 1 - Acrostic Poems
Grade 2 - Onomatopeia Poems
Grade 3 - Rhyming Poems
Grades 4/5 - Haiku Poems
Grades 6/7 - Blackout Poems
More photos and poet activities to come before the month is up!
March 2022
Maps & Spheros
Mme Gambin had our grade two's create a really BIG map of Canada showing the Physiographic regions that they were learning about in their own classes with their classsroom teachers. Once completed they learned how to use Spheros using basic controls to advance the robots moving from West to East across our country navigating the many mountains and, the Canadian Shield. Our grade 7 Leadership Club then completed the map using plasticine for mountains, and gravel for the Shield to create a 3D effect. The library was the perfect place to 'travel' as students used the space to learn to control the Sphero's before racing across Canada.
Science Fair
Our Outdoor Education teacher, Mme Dupuis, had her grade 6/7's show off their hardwork for the entire school to see in the library the last week before the Spring Break. Both informational and visual the students worked hard to create outstanding environmental based projects. Congratulations to all students for their research and presentations.
Happy Nowruz
Our amazing community of parents helped our students and staff celebrate and understand Nowruz through a full day of activities in and around our school library. Nowruz is a celebration based on spring and activities included growing grass from seeds which began in class a few weeks earlier in preparation for the weeks event. The book Seven Special Somethings was shared and read. Thank you parents for an enlightening day for both our students and staff!