MSLA MTS PD Day

Event is FULL - Currently not accepting registrations

FULL - Keynote - David Robertson

Why are books being challenged? What actions can be taken in schools, libraries, and communities? How can individuals respond when their freedom to read is under threat? Drawing on David's personal experiences, this discussion will delve into the problem of book bannings and challenges, who is impacted, the motivations behind these challenges, and the measures that can be taken when a book faces scrutiny.

Presenter: David A. Robertson

David A. Robertson, a celebrated author, social advocate, and member of Norway House Cree Nation, has received numerous accolades including two Governor General's Literary Awards, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, and the Writer's Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. His contributions span various genres and formats, including children's books, graphic novels, and podcasts, with several of his works being short-listed or winning prestigious awards such as the Manitoba Book Awards and the High Plains Book Awards.

FULL - C - Teacher-Librarians Supporting Outdoor Learning in the Early Years (and Beyond!)

In this session, we will explore different ways to support outdoor learning in your school. We will go through some activities anchored to picture books and loose parts, as well as some kits you can put together for your library. We will also share professional resources (books, risk assessments, etc.), potential community connections (such as Forest Schools), and some school-wide initiatives that will bring everyone outside, such as Story Walks and Take Me Outside challenges. The last 15-30 minutes will be spent outside trying out one of the picture book activities. Come dressed for rain or shine! It would also be helpful to bring a device with a QR code scanner so we can share some documents with you.

Presenters: Kim McGregor and Ella Munro

Ella Munro is a teacher-librarian in Pembina Trails School Division. She is currently working full-time at a bustling K-4 school. Before becoming a Teacher-Librarian, Ella taught French Immersion and spent several years at home with her two boys. Ella believes strongly in an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning, hands-on maker-centered learning, and the importance of choice in what students read and how they present their learning. She is also excited about taking learning outdoors. She has completed her Master of Education in Teacher-Librarianship at the University of Alberta.

Kim McGregor has spent the past 3 years as a Teacher-Librarian and Literacy Support specialist at Laidlaw School. Before working as a Teacher-Librarian she was a sixth-grade teacher at Oakenwald School and spent 10 years teaching grade 3/4 multi-age at Laidlaw. She has a post baccalaureate degree in Inclusive Special Education. Kim is passionate about literacy, STEM, and inquiry-based learning. She has been part of a professional learning team that delved into environmental inquiry and works in partnership with a forest school program. She is dedicated to inspiring students both inside and outside the classroom.

Suitable for: Grades K-5

FULL - D - Winnipeg's 1919 General Strike - Social History and Lasting Impact

Using her novel City on Strike, Harriet Zaidman will discuss the economic and social conditions that led to the Strike, how they affected immigrant families and especially young people, and how the strike's impact still resonates in Canadian society.

Presenter: Harriet Zaidman

Suitable for: Harriet Zaidman is a writer for young people and a former teacher-librarian in the Louis Riel School Division. Her y/a novel, Second Chances, set in Winnipeg in the polio epidemics of the 1950s, was awarded the prestigious Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People in 2022.

FULL - E - Lego and Literacy: The Right to Play, The Right to Read

Join Michelle Carlos and Lauren Friesen for an interactive workshop that combines play, curiosity, technology, and literacy. Practical classroom ideas that support critical thinking, creativity and communication will be shared. This session was held in 2022 and is back by popular demand! Please bring a Ziploc bag of LEGO and a device (phone, iPad or laptop) to use during the workshop.

Presenters: Michelle Carlos is the Library Learning Commons Consultant for Pembina Trails. Michelle aims to ‘think like a kid’ in her creative planning. She has taught for over twenty years in a variety of roles including the classroom, Reading Recovery, the library, literacy support, and educational technology. Lauren Friesen has been the Teacher Librarian at Royal School and Ralph Maybank School in Pembina Trails for many years. She is passionate about helping all children see themselves as readers and loves integrating technology into literacy and inquiry learning.

FULL - F - Day in the Life (of a Library Technician) at Seven Oaks School Division

Join Cassie to explore the essential role of library technicians in fostering literacy and supporting education. Real-world examples will illustrate best practices for creating engaging library spaces. The session will offer a Q&A, providing a chance to discuss challenges and innovative solutions.

Presenter: Cassandra Page and Mervin Koscienly

Cassie graduated from Red River College in 2013 and since then has worked in a variety of different library settings. Starting her career at the University of Manitoba as a library Assistant and working within the Elizabeth Dafoe library, Science and Technology library as well as the Health Sciences library. She started working at Seven Oaks School Division full time in 2016 and hasn't looked back. Cassie loves working with the students and teachers at Seven Oaks and when she isn't at work you can catch her at local music shows, out and about with her 2 kids and husband, and petting any dog or cat that crosses her path.

"Mervin Koscielny graduated from Red River College Polytechnic’s two-year Library Tech program, and for the last 11 years he has been working in his chosen field in the Seven Oaks School Division. He is currently enjoying his post at École Leila North Community School.
When he is not at work, he spends time with his family, cheers for the Winnipeg Jets, plays bass guitar (terribly, but making progress) and is preparing for the zombie apocalypse or the AI takeover (whichever comes first)."

FULL - A - Leading in a Good Way: a look at Mamahtawisiwin

In what ways can we honour and embed Indigenous histories, stories, culture, and pedagogy in our classrooms and schools? Back by popular demand join Kimberly Bryson, Kara Dueck, and Colleen Nelson for a breakdown of Mamàhtawisiwin, Manitoba's Indigenous Education Policy Framework, followed by an interactive gallery of readily available and curated digital resources, lessons, and reflections. Whether you are new to this session or a repeat attendee the living document being shared is updated regularly with insights and rich, relevant, resources as we continue to strive to learn and lead in a Good Way.

In order to take full advantage of the gallery walk please bring a well charged phone and/or handheld device and compatible headphones.

Presenters: Kimberly Bryson, Kara Dueck, Colleen Nelson

Kimberly Bryson is a Teacher-Librarian at Linden Meadows School in Pembina Trails School Division. She is passionate about designing and delivering engaging learning experiences that promote critical thinking, and nurture independence, through inquiry and exploration.

Kara Dueck is a K-5 music teacher at Linden Meadows School in Pembina Trails School. She has a passion for fostering critical thinking in the arts, and empowering young learners to elevate their creative potential through music.

Colleen Nelson is a middle years teacher at Linden Meadows School in Pembina Trails School Division. She is also the author of many middle grade novels. Colleen brings her experience as a writer into her teaching practice by modelling the things good writers do: lots of hair pulling and pressing delete on her laptop. She is a big fan of using inquiry-based projects to encourage curiosity in her students and collaborating with her amazing colleagues.

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - G - The Joy of MYRCA

Want to start a MYCRA (Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award) club in your school or class? Interested in revitalising your current club? This session focuses on how to set up a club and how to engage young readers through the MYCRA titles. Explore this year’s MYRCA titles with creative and fun activities you can use to hook your readers, challenge their reading, and inspire them to read the list! Please feel free to bring your ideas as well as there will be a little time for sharing. Help foster a love of reading with your students and have them participate in voting for the Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award!

Presenter: Michelle Barclay

Michelle Barclay is a Vice Principal and literacy enthusiast. Michelle is on the MYRCA committee which, as an avid reader, is the perfect volunteer position for her.

Suitable for: Grades 4-8

FULL - H - Reading for Global Students & Sustainability at School

Reading is a great way to explore our world from home or school! Our student book list has suggestions for books with global perspectives from Kindergarten to grade 12. Gaining a global perspective is an important step to becoming a global citizen. A global citizen is someone who sees and understands the ways that we are all connected and acts responsibly, knowing that everything we do can have an impact on our global community. Growing the next generation of global citizens will create students who are empathetic, can question fake news, understand themselves and others, make respectful choices, and more. MCIC also offers many classroom workshop resources that you may want to consider adding to your library on global issues such as poverty, climate change, access to clean water, forced migration, gender equality, child labour, and more!

Presenter: Amanda Benson, MCIC

Amanda Benson is the Education Specialist with the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation. Amanda began her career in education as a Heritage Guide at Riding Mountain National Park. She then joined the education programming team with Ducks Unlimited Canada at Oak Hammock Marsh for six years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Manitoba.

Amanda has always been focused on ecology and environmental conservation, but since joining MCIC in January 2023, she is excited to expand her expertise to include sustainability in all forms and deliver fun and impactful educational programming across Manitoba.

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - I - Books and Beyond: Winnipeg Public Libraries and You

Public libraries are an invaluable free resource, for both education and enjoyment. In this session we'll be looking at the many ways the Winnipeg Public Library can support you and your students, both in-person and online, with such invaluable services as curated book lists, homework help, reference databases and so much more!

Presenter: Lori Sweeting

Lori went to her first public library when she was five years old and she never really left. She has worked for Winnipeg Public Libraries for over thirty years, sharing her joy and passion for reading and literacy learning. When she’s not reading, she’s generally knitting, gardening or hiking. Her personal motto is: "Read everything and think about it.”

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - J - What’s in Your Library Assistant/Technician Toolkit?: 25 Things Every Library Assistant/Technician Should Know About Working in a School Library Learning Commons

Whether you are new to school librarianship, or already an experienced library assistant or technician working in a school library learning commons, this 1-hour session will inspire all library support personnel at any stage in their career to create a personalized toolkit of useful professional resources to become more successful in their role. Let’s explore 25 things every library assistant/technician should know about working in a school library learning commons.

Presenters: Krista Siemens and Kathleen Atkins

Kathleen Atkin Divisional Teacher-Librarian, LRSD & Krista Siemens Divisional Library Technician, LRSD.

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - M - Objects as Entryways: Using Artifacts to Enhance Learning

In this session, discover innovative ways to leverage objects and artifacts as powerful tools to enrich student learning across various subjects and grade levels. Through hands-on activities, examples, and resources, participants will explore how to transform their classrooms into dynamic learning environments where students interact with tangible materials to deepen their understanding of key concepts. From historical artifacts to everyday objects, attendees will learn how to integrate a diverse range of materials into their lesson plans to captivate students' imaginations and foster meaningful connections to curriculum content.

Presenter: Lindsay Stewart

Lindsay Stewart is a Teacher-Librarian in the Pembina Trails School Division. She is dedicated to enriching learning through diverse, hands-on experiences. She has a passion for history and a long time love of visiting museums.

Suitable for: Grades K-8

FULL - N - Sharing the Joy (and Programming) of I Love to Read Month

I Love to Read month presents an opportunity to bring communities together to promote literacy and celebrate the joys of reading within our schools. Whether you are an administrator, teacher-librarian, classroom teacher, or library technician we are all readers and as such we have the power to lead and inspire a new generation of readers on literary adventures. Planning for such an involved and lengthy school-wide event, however, can be daunting. Kimberly Bryson, former classroom teacher and current teacher-librarian, has sifted through the overwhelm to curate an engaging ILTR program. Join her as she shares her insight and resources from years of planning and leave with access to the program and supporting resources she has created.

Presenter: Kimberly Bryson

Kimberly Bryson is a Teacher-Librarian at Linden Meadows School in Pembina Trails School Division. She is passionate about designing and delivering engaging learning experiences that promote critical thinking and nurture independence through inquiry and exploration.

Suitable for: Grades K-8

FULL - O - Lose Yourself, Find Yourself

Through personal stories and gathered experiences, we'll explore the transformative and therapeutic power of both losing yourself and finding yourself in a book. We'll also share practical tools for building libraries filled with diverse representation and the vital information students seek, especially on topics like sex education and identity exploration, where a book can be a safer or more accessible place to turn to.

Presenter: Meghan Malcolm (They/She)

Meghan Malcolm is a writer, parent of two kids, and the founder of Willow, a bookstore and community space. They are certified and trained as a sex educator through Everyone Deserves Sex Ed and have a few creative writing courses through U of T under their belt. Meghan has created print + digital anthologies in collaboration with artists and photographers, a kid’s book, and a series of queer reimagined fairy tales and myths

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - K - Indigenous Beading & Code

How is Indigenous knowledge integrated with Science? Through learning how to do beadwork and the underlying knowledge of Math and Science is intertwined with every stitch. Using the Beads and Coding book created by Michelle Carriere at WISE Kid-Netic Energy, learn how math and binary code can be used in an interactive way with students starting at Grade 5 and up.

Presenter: Michelle Carriere

Michelle Carriere is Red River Métis and a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation. With a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, 11 years of beading experience, and 4 years of teaching other Indigenous peoples on how to start their beadwork journey (both online and in person). While working at WISE Kid-Netic Energy and the Engineering Access Program in the Price Faculty of Engineering as the Indigenous Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator, she has created several books integrating beadwork with STEM that have connections to the Manitoba Science curriculum.

Suitable for: Grades 5-12

FULL - L - Transdisciplinary Lessons with Picture Books

Discover how to get the most out of reading picture books with your students by identifying opportunities for cross-disciplinary connections, having deeper conversations and creating chances for creative expression.

Presenter: Shane Watson is an early years teacher in the Pembina Trails School Division.

Shane is an experienced educator with a passion for innovative teaching methods. With a Master’s degree in education and over 15 years of international experience, Shane has dedicated his career to enhancing early and middle years education. His unique background includes extensive work overseas and a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, providing a holistic approach to learning. In this workshop Shane will guide you through creative and integrative techniques to enrich your classroom experience and inspire your students.

Suitable for: Grades K-8

FULL - P - Global Issues

UNESCO's 17 Sustainable Development Goals were created to make the world a better place. By using literature from picture books to novels to documentaries, students will learn how to connect the SDGs to their lives and the world around them. Colleen will lead you through the lessons she learned to do a deep dive into the SDGs and share Padlets with lists of resources in this user-friendly approach to a book club.

Presenter: Colleen Nelson

Colleen Nelson is a middle years teacher at Linden Meadows School in Pembina Trails School Division. She is also the author of many middle grade novels, including her most recent title 'Mystery at The Biltmore'. Colleen brings her experience as a writer into her teaching practice by modelling the things good writers do: lots of hair pulling and pressing delete on her laptop. She is a big fan of using inquiry-based projects to encourage curiosity in her students and collaborating with her amazing colleagues.

Suitable for: Grades 3-12

FULL - Q - Manga for Kids!

Join Enzo and Lisa to dive into Manga for kids! Get to know the different genres of Manga, and how to select the best fits for your students. There will be book talks and a chance to flip through examples.

Presenters: Lisa Bova and Enzo Riegel

Lisa Bova is the Library Support Services Manager at Winnipeg School Division. She has recently begun reading Manga and has discovered an interest in it! She is looking forward to sharing some of her finds with fellow library people.

Enzo Riegel is a Library Clerk at George V School with Winnipeg School Division and is currently training to become a Library Tech. He enjoys reading manga in his free time, with his favourite being Attack on Titan. Enzo is excited to help bring manga into schools by teaching other library staff how to recognize which titles are good fits for their age groups.

Suitable for: Grades 3-8

FULL - R - Minecraft: Explore, Build, Learn

Take a tour of three Minecraft projects for K-12 students. Hear about the Level Up Winnipeg projects, find resources for Manito Ahbee Aki, make curriculum connections, and see student designs and challenges. Learn practical classroom tips and bring learning to life in Minecraft. Bring a laptop and a mouse or an iPad with Minecraft EDU downloaded.

Presenter: Michelle Carlos

Michelle Carlos has been teaching for 25 years in Pembina Trails School Division and in that time has filled many roles including classroom teacher, literacy support, Reading Recovery Specialist, Vice-principal, and Teacher-Librarian. Michelle is currently the Library Learning Commons Consultant for Pembina Trails and also works as a Digital Coach. She recently worked as a concept developer on the Minecraft Level Up Winnipeg project for Season 1 and 2. Michelle is a mom to three active teenagers and has a passion for gardening.

Suitable for: Grades K-12

FULL - S - Effective Readers’ Advisory Strategies: How Library Assistants/Technicians Foster Reading Communities Through the Library Learning Commons

Readers' Advisory (RA) is a core service provided by the library assistant or technician in the library learning commons. More important than ever, readers’ advisory has the potential to bring readers of all ages and books together in wonderful new ways. This 1-hour session will demonstrate a variety of effective strategies for delivering personalized readers’ advisory services for students, staff and school leaders. LRSD library assistants and technicians will share authentic exemplars of how they foster thriving reading communities of eager readers in their schools using readers’ advisory interviews, suggestions versus recommendations, book talks, displays and digital resources

Presenters: Krista Siemens and Kathleen Atkin

Krista Siemens (Divisional Library Technician, LRSD) & Kathleen Atkin (Divisional Teacher-Librarian, LRSD). Library Assistants and Library Technicians (TBD) from Louis Riel School Division bring a wealth of rich experience and shared expertise in librarianship to our community of K-12 schools.

Suitable for: Grades K-12