Literacy skills are foundational skills for all learning and our team at SCIDES ensures that early literacy skills in our elementary program (K-7) are developed and strong. One of the frameworks our teachers are trained in is Joyful Literacy. This framework includes games our primary teachers use with their students via Zoom, and also send to the student families so they can continue to play at home. Even before the pandemic, our team used Zoom to connect with learners across British Columbia, and we will continue to do so. It's a great technology that allows us to engage with students in a fun way.

May 9-12, 2022 was STEAM week at SCIDES and we hosted a total of 9 amazing workshops. Here is a recap of the week:

STEAM Day 1 Recap...did the egg break?

STEAM Week Day 1 has wrapped up. Thank you teachers for the great workshops! Thank you students for joining in and having fun!

On Day 1, students learned about the science of maple syrup and then made their own maple syrup candy with Mrs. Tilt, all while doing an experiment! There may be a few pots to scrub clean now, but there was also a lot of yummy maple candy made. Check out the picture for some of the samples that were taken at different points of the experiment.

Do you feel like you need inspiration and motivation to leave the second pandemic winter behind you? We feel the same way! It's time to play. We've put together a list of games, puzzles, and other resources to leave the dreariness of winter behind and have some fun.

September 30, 2021 was the first nationally recognized Day of Truth and Reconciliation; before that, Orange Shirt Day was established in 2013 to remember and honour the residential school survivors, and the children who never made it home. At SCIDES, we recognize that we learn, teach and work on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the NłeɁkepmx and Syilx people and we acknowledge our Metis communities and their contributions to the Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing in Canada.

The new school year is here and the days are getting shorter. After a hot and challenging summer, we're ready to settle back into a routine and make the best of it despite the next Covid wave. We're in this together and will move forward together, safely. The 2021/2022 school year can still be your best one yet! Here's what we suggest: