“Celebrity” guest readers from across Burnaby converged on South Slope Elementary and the B.C. Provincial School for the Deaf last Wednesday to wrap up a week of fun-filled reading activities.
Each day of the school’s third annual literacy week featured a different reading-themed event, including book trivia, drop everything and read (DEAR) time, dress-up-as-your-favourite-book-character day and reader’s theatre.
To cap off the week, special guest readers and American Sign Language storytellers visited each classroom.
This year’s readers included School District No. 41 superintendent Kevin Kaardal, deputy superintendent Gina Niccoli-Moen, Burnaby Coun. Nick Volkow, Burnaby Edmonds MLA Raj Chouhan, district principals Heather Hart, Reg Leplante, Ben Pare, Patricia Finlay and Brandon Curr; and RCMP Const. Jary Koskelainen.
Local mathletes make their mark
Burnaby math students once again distinguished themselves at the 2014 University of Waterloo Canadian Intermediate and Senior Math Contests earlier this school year.
Moscrop Secondary juniors (grades 8 to 10) earned the third highest score out of 600 Canadian and international schools in the intermediate competition. Grade 10 student Edward Jiang placed in the top five of 8,114 junior competitors, earning a student champion plaque and $300.
Burnaby South, meanwhile, placed ninth in the junior contest.
Among seniors (grades 11 and 12) Moscrop placed 11th and Burnaby South 31st against 635 Canadian and international schools.
Many of the top schools that compete are private university prep schools, according to Moscrop math teacher Danny Young, adding extra relish to local public school students’ good showing.
“We’re fighting a pretty steep, uphill battle,” Young said.
The Moscrop math department head said his school tries to create a culture in which students can push themselves, including a Thursday after-school math club and lots of competitions.
Teachers' union essay contest spotlights child poverty
The Burnaby Teachers’ Association’s annual essay contest will focus on child poverty this year.
First Call, a coalition of B.C. advocacy groups, reported in November that B.C. has the fifth highest child poverty rate among Canadian provinces and that the number of kids living in poverty in the province in growing.
With those things in mind, the teachers’ union is asking local students to explore the question “How does child poverty impact students in the B.C. education system?”
“Students have a keen eye on issues impacting their education and future goals,” union second vice-president Leanne Sjodin said in a press release announcing this year’s competition. “The BTA contest is an opportunity for youth to share their observations and contribute to a larger discussion on how we might address what is needed for success.”
The competition is open to students in grades 8 to 12 attending public secondary schools in Burnaby.
The top two entries in grade 11 and 12 will win $500 each, while the top essays in the junior (8 to 10) category will earn gift certificates.
All winning entries will be published online.
Essays can be submitted until March 4 at 4 p.m.
Entry forms can be found online at www.burnabyteachers.com.
