In the Loop - March 12, 2026

Spring Break

KEY RESOURCES IN LANGLEY

  • Guide to Key Websites and Resources: Here
  • Instructional Services Website: For all your district-vetted resources K-12!  Check it out!
  • Aboriginal Resources vetted by the District: Here
  • TCS Sites: Key resources are still being placed in these Teams. If you need access to one of these Teams, please email dzurbuchenjonker@sd35.bc.ca.
    • TCS SS-Grade 3
    • TCS Grade 4-8
    • TCS Secondary

DISTRICT LEARNING COMMONS

The DLC is your one stop shop for useful resources to enhance your teaching available to all school staff in the Langley School District. You don’t need to buy everything for all of your lessons yourself! We deliver and pick up all the items you request through district mail twice per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Links to all the info below:

  • View and book online through Insignia Library system | Here
  • Find instructions, an area to check out new resources, request new resources and report lost or damages kits | Here
  • Sign out instructions | Here

Featured DLC Resource:

Let's Do Science BC Grade 1: Light and Sound | More info
Let's Do Science is a 100% match to the B.C. curriculum and supports B.C. primary teachers by giving students opportunities to explore new ideas, develop science skills, and connect science concepts to their world. All units integrate First Peoples' perspectives and place-based learning.
Grade 1 units include:
• Double-sided large Science Cards
• Read Alouds to introduce and engage students with science concepts related to the unit
• A science library of fiction and non-fiction books that connect to the science concepts in the unit. The books span a range of reading levels and can be used in a variety of ways
• Teacher's Guide includes lesson plans, student self-assessment, teacher assessment, and rubrics
• Website that includes an anchor video, interactive whiteboard activities, and digital versions of the Science Cards
• Posters

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

*NEW!* Follow us on our UDL/Mentorship Instagram! @sd35mentorshipmoments

We post lots of events, teacher tips, UDL strategies, and more!

Interested in Becoming a Mentor? 

We are looking for Mentors in the following areas:

  1. Resource (Middle - LSS family of schools)
  2. Science/Chem 10 (REMSS family of schools)
  3. General secondary - Gr 9/10/12 (REMSS family of schools)
  4. Math/Science 9 (LSS family of schools)

Please email teachermentorship@sd35.bc.ca if you’re interested in becoming a Mentor in any of these areas or for other upcoming Mentees.  
 
New to the District or a New Role? 
If you’re a newer teacher looking for mentorship, please fill out the Mentee Information Sheet on the LTA website. Once completed, please email it to teachermentorship@sd35.bc.ca to join our program! 
 
Upcoming Events: 

Book Club: Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation.  

  1. April 14th: 4-5pm TEAMS 
  2. May 5th 4-6pm SBO HUB 

HONOURING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

Metis Nation BC Survey | Survey
Métis Nation BC is looking for the help of educators to provide feedback for the development of a Métis Food toolkit that will highlight land-based skills, traditional knowledge, and Métis recipes, while supporting schools in fostering community pride, cultural visibility, and belonging for Métis students and families. This survey is open to all educators — Métis, First Nations, and non-Indigenous. Feedback gathered will directly inform the ongoing development, design, and implementation of the toolkit to ensure it reflects the strengths, needs, and priorities of Métis learners and communities.
Learning First Peoples Spring Institute | March 16 & 17, 2026 | Register
Registration is now open for the Learning First Peoples Spring Institute taking place from March 16 to 17 in Richmond. Hosted by the First Nations Education Steering Committee and First Nations Schools Association, the institute is designed to support teachers to bring quality, authentic First Peoples teaching and learning into B.C. classrooms.
Workshops:
  • March 16, 2026 (9:00 am-3:00 pm):  BC First Peoples 12 and BC First Nations Land, Title and Governance Teacher Resource Guides
  • March 17, 2026 (9:00 am-3:00 pm):  First Nations Applied Design, Skills and Technologies (ADST) Teacher Resource Guide (K-12)

DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Career Spotlight: Health Services| On-Demand Learning Feature
Learn about the different careers in the Health Services Industry! Presenters from various backgrounds in this field will talk about their occupation/role as well as their career journeys.

Pro-D Opportunities: Workshops and Conferences

Basic First Aid for SD35 Staff | May 15, 2026 | Register Today!
The WorkSafeBC Basic First Aid course is an 8-hour program, including coffee and lunch breaks and is designed to provide life-saving first aid skills to workers in industry. Successful candidates must demonstrate competency in practical skills and achieve 72% or higher on a multiple-choice exam. Certification is valid for three years. 

What you will learn: 

  • Priority Action Approach
  • Primary Survey – Conscious patient / Unconscious patient 
  • Cervical spine control 
  • Airway and Breathing interventions 
  • Hemorrhage control 
  • One person CPR 
  • Minor injuries which require medical aid 
  • Management of soft tissue injuries 
  • Records and reports 

Save the Date! CUPE 1260 Spring Conference | May 15, 2026 | Registration to open in April

EXTERNAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Register for Nurturing Play and Beyond course for Early Childhood Educators | April 4-25, 2026 | More info
The School Aged Child Care Association of BC is offering Nurturing Play and Beyond: Middle Years Child Care Fundamentals, Principles & Practices, an online, hybrid  course created to address the gap in accessible, high-quality, holistic training for early childhood educators, early childhood educator assistants and school-age educators working with school-aged children. For questions about course offerings and bursary options, please contact Tyler Summers.
Course Details:
  • Four-weeks in length
  • Six hours of self-led course material per week
  • Two-hour facilitated session at the end of each week
  • Nine modules inspired by the B.C. Early Learning Framework, including trauma-informed practice, and guidance from subject matter experts in child care and education
  • Participants receive a certificate for 27 professional development hours
  • Cost: $270
  • Cohort 2: April 4-25, 2026

Canadian Assessment Centre - Spring Conference - April 9/10, 2026 | More info
On April 9–10, 2026, the Canadian Assessment Centre will host its inaugural Spring Conference in Vancouver, BC, a gathering dedicated to shaping the future of assessment in Canada. This event will bring together educators from across the country to celebrate what we know works, while boldly exploring what’s next in assessment and grading. Built by Canadians, for Canadians, the conference is designed to spark inspiration, deepen professional learning, and fuel the movement toward practices that truly honour student learning. The full agenda, breakout session titles, and detailed descriptions are now live, giving you a first look at the learning experience that awaits. The two-day program features keynote addresses by Tom Schimmer and Natalie Vardabasso, alongside breakout sessions led by Josh Ogilvie, Karley Alleyn, and Danielle Paloposki, each offering practical expertise, fresh perspectives, and actionable strategies for today’s classrooms. From big-picture vision to ready-to-use tools, every session is designed to help you reimagine what’s possible for Canadian schools. This is more than a conference; it’s a national conversation about transforming assessment with clarity, credibility, and care. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, school leader, or district administrator, you’ll leave Vancouver equipped with new strategies, renewed purpose, and a strengthened network of colleagues committed to doing assessment differently. Explore the agenda and start planning your experience today! Please note that registration closes on April 3!

Bring Financial Literacy to Your Classroom | Career Education Society of BC | More info
Want to teach financial literacy without extra prep? Join the Lunch and Learn Sessions to explore JA's high-impact, no-cost curriculum-aligned programs that make it easy to bring money skills to your students. With only a third of Canadian youth feeling confident managing money, bringing financial literacy into the classroom has never been more important. These are 30-minute virtual sessions for Educators.

  • April 15, 2026 | Dollars with Sense | Grades 7-9
  • April 29, 2026 | Business of Our Own | Grades 6-8
  • May 6, 2026 | Our Business World | Grades 5-6

AI: Important Things Teachers, Students and Leaders Need to Think About | Learning Forward BC | April 23, 2026 | More info
Cari Wilson, District Vice-Principal of Innovation and Technology, School District #45, will explore the power of AI and the impact it has on our institutions, asking us how we want to see AI evolve. What decisions and tensions do we need to consider to ensure that we put students and learning at the forefront, while making sure educators still feel relevant and included? The session will be held online and will take place from 4:00pm - 5:30pm.

A Journey Toward Truth and Reconciliation | Learning Forward BC | April 30, 2026 | More info
Join Denise Augustine, David Manuel, Brenda Point and Dustin Louie as they share insights gained from working with staff, district and provincial leaders on the work of truth and reconciliation. Participants will explore how academic research supports “relentless incremental” change. The session will be held online and will take place from 4:00pm - 5:30pm.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF/STUDENTS/CLASSES

Asian Heritage Month Learning Lab on Odyssey and Migration | Royal BC Museum | Book Now | Learning Portal
Celebrate Asian Heritage Month with your class by exploring Odysseys and Migration, developed by the Chinese Canadian Museum. Through artifacts, photographs, and interactive displays, students will follow the global migration journeys that have shaped Chinese Canadian experiences from the 18th century to today. In this Learning Lab students will visit the Odysseys and Migration exhibit and the Human History gallery. It's available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays until May 3, 2026. The cost is $200.
Students will:
  • Describe at least three key moments in Chinese Canadian history in British Columbia.
  • Obtain information from a selection of primary and secondary resources.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the Chinese diaspora in Canada and its impacts on Canadian society.

Can’t visit in person? Explore our Learning Portal (link above), filled with online resources, activities, and classroom materials that bring Asian Canadian stories and histories directly to your students—wherever you are.

Digital Field Trips: Amazing Adaptations | Royal BC Museum | Book Now
Guided by a museum educator, students will virtually visit the Forest Diorama habitat, practice close observation skills, and go behind the scenes to examine animal specimens, bones, furs, and models up close. This interactive experience connects students to local ecosystems while building curiosity about the natural world. These are available Wednesdays and Thursdays and are 30 minutes long. The cost is $75.
Students will:
  • Practice observation skills.
  • Be able to describe at least three examples of BC animal adaptations.
  • Demonstrate curiosity about the natural world.

Designed for grades K–3 science, this engaging digital program brings real museum learning directly to your students.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Investigating Electric Vehicles | Power Smart | See Unit
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are one of the biggest topics when talking about climate change and the future. They've become a practical, cost-saving alternative to gas-powered vehicles and play an important role in reducing emissions. Your students have likely seen, been in, or even driven an EV. But they may not have had a chance to explore the topic beyond the headlines and hype. The new Investigating Electric Vehicles unit includes four activities to get students engaged with the topic of EVs:

  • EV vs Gas Vehicle: Mystery Clue Game
  • Inside an EV: How energy becomes motion
  • Planning an EV Road Trip
  • Electrification and promoting EVs

Designed for Grades 6-12, this curriculum-connected unit is a chance for your class to become experts on EVs and what they mean for the community.

Sikh Heritage Week Outreach Kit | Designed for K-12 | Royal BC Museum | Request Kit
Celebrate Sikh Heritage Month with your class by exploring the history of Paldi, a once-thriving logging community located between Duncan and Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island, founded in 1917 by Mayo Singh Minhas. Through inquiry-based learning, students will explore South Asian Canadian history in British Columbia.
This resource was developed in partnership with the South Asian Canadian Legacy Project. 
Explore:

  • What or who influenced the start, growth and decline of Paldi
  • What influences the building of a community
  • What would have been the best and worst aspects of being a child in Paldi
Social Studies 10 - Curriculum Supports for Teaching Topics in BC Black Histories | More info | Curriculum
To support the addition of a new Learning Standard in Social Studies 10 that includes racial segregation and the destruction of Hogan’s Alley in B.C. Black Histories, the Ministry of Education and Child Care has collaborated with a group of teachers to develop resources aimed to support educators in implementing these new topics. 
A Teacher Guide and Virtual Walking Tour Video aim to provide teachers, who may not be familiar with the history of Hogan’s Alley, support in content understanding, suggested resources and activities, as well as larger classroom considerations. Teachers are encouraged to use these curriculum implementation supports as they see best for their students’ learning and instructional delivery. For any questions contact the Student Learning Programs Branch. 

 PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL READINGS

Assess That Podcast: Assessment Literacy is the Real Teacher Shortage | Podcast
Across education, we hear constant concern about teacher shortages. On the surface, it seems like recruitment pipelines, retention rates, burnout, and workload are the issues. But beneath those very real challenges lies a quieter, more systemic issue: many educators have never received deep, sustained support for developing assessment literacy. When teachers lack clarity around evidence, criteria, professional judgment, and grading accuracy, everything becomes heavier. Grading expands, decision fatigue sets in, parent conversations feel tense, and confidence erodes. In this episode, Tom & Natalie argue that strengthening assessment literacy isn’t just about improving grading practices, it’s about stabilizing the profession itself. When teachers understand what counts as evidence, how to separate behaviour from achievement, and how to make defensible judgments about learning, workload becomes more manageable, and confidence grows. Assessment literacy reduces friction, restores professional agency, and creates coherence across classrooms and schools. If we want teachers to stay (and thrive) this is foundational work we can’t afford to overlook.

The Kelly Corrigan Wonders Podcast - Deep Dive with Arianna Huffington on Thriving | Podcast
In this podcast, Arianna Huffington, describes her early years of blogging and building the Huffington Post and addresses her experiences and the number of setbacks that she encountered along the way.  Through  her story, she talks about the importance of thriving and persistence and how that helped her overcome those obstacles, lessons that are good for all of us, and especially for helping our students develop those key traits.

TECH TIPS

The Foundations of AI in Education Course | Logics Academy | Register
As AI rapidly evolves, schools are looking for clear, responsible, and scalable ways to bring it into classrooms. This course helps schools build capacity, reduce workload, strengthen digital fluency, and ensure responsible use across your system — all while aligning with K–12 priorities around equity, safety, and student success. It is a 3-module course that gives educators practical, ready-to-use AI skills they can apply immediately.

Microsoft Copilot Teach Module | Tutorial Video
Discover how the Copilot Teach Module can transform your planning, teaching, and assessment while giving you valuable time back. 
The Copilot Teach Module has tools designed to boost engagement, deepen insights into student learning, and streamline your workflow. With just a few prompts, Copilot can support you with: 
      • Lesson planning, including Minecraft Education–specific tools adaptable to any content area 
      • Rubrics and quizzes tailored to your learning goals 
      • Curricular alignment, ensuring materials match BC curriculum expectations 
      • Differentiation tools that adjust reading levels and modify content to provide access for all learners 
Whether you're refining an existing lesson or building something new, Copilot helps you work more efficiently while enhancing learning experiences for your students. 
Want to see it in action? Check out the tutorial video above and explore the Copilot Teach Module. 


Hands-On Session: Teach Module in Copilot (available for all educators) | Microsoft Community Hub