VOTING!!! Silver Birch Club 2011 CELEBRATE!!! authors, books and US!! THE READERS!!!

Silver Birch Voting day came and went last Wednesday, April 13th at Chine Drive with great HOOPLA!! Cake, sushi, fresh fruit, cheese & crackers, nachos & dip... And VOTE THEY DID!!! Our Silver Birch Club readers put in their ballots for their favourite book of 2011. Our party was a great success, as was the reading, the books and the amazing Canadian authors & illustrators who were part of OLA's greatest reading program. View our pics and enjoy! http://j.mp/gKiSHJ Can't wait until we get to meet all the authors and celebrate with other readers, THURSDAY, MAY 12th at HARBOURFRONT!!! See you then! Mrs. D.

Hockey Artist-in-Residence @ Chine Drive P.S.

Liz Pead, artist, graduate of Ontario College of Art & Design, began the first of a month long visits @ Chine yesterday. Well versed in many media, she has recently specialized in the recycling of Hockey gear. She takes old equipment to be shredded, cut, or even full helmets, skates and are then applied onto large plywood canvases, creating the beautiful Canadian landscapes, as inspired by the famous turn-of-the-century Canadian artists, the Group of Seven.

On her first visit, she talked about her background, training, inspiration and experience in the world and in art. She showed the staff & students a series of slides depicting places she had visited that inspired her canvases. She also showed us many examples of her work, both large (4 metres square) and small (10 centimetres square). She also explores unusual mountings, such as a corner piece that wraps around from inside one wall to the next. She has created 3-D standing pieces of hockey stick Maple Trees, ironically decorated with every hockey player card imaginable, but NOT ONE single Toronto Maple Leaf player.

Visit her website to read and see more: www. lizpead.com

After the 1/2 hour presentation, we went out to the Chine Drive meadow over looking the breath-taking Scarborough Bluffs, and drew sketches, inspired by the view of nature around us. Liz has taken all the students' work and will go through the ideas to create a composite for our Gymnasium Mural. Stay tuned for more work reports with each of Liz's visits!!

Emerald Ash Borer - Destroying Ash Trees in our School Field

Yesterday, workmen and trucks came to Chine Drive P.S. to cut down the Ash trees in our field. There has been an infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer. Once they arrive, most Ash trees in the vicinity are prone to their devastating burrowing into the trunks and central sap system.The Mountain Ash, with orange berries seems to be safe from this infestation.

http://j.mp/g5SZ05

Recent similar bug infestations include, Asian Long-horned Beetle and Gypsy Moth. Check our Toronto City information site:

http:www.toronto.ca/trees/

There is an excellent children's book written by Jane Drake & Ann Love, illustrated by Mark Thurman
ALIEN INVADERS! SPECIES THAT THREATEN OUR WORLD

http://j.mp/dGl5j5

Teach Kids News!!! Excellent Canadian Website gets Global Accolades!!

http://teachkidsnews.com/

Reviewed in the Globe today and on the TDSB website! This site is developed by a Canadian journalist and 2 TDSB grade 3-4 teachers,Target audience Grade 2-6.

Curriculum tie-ins with each article.
Excellent font size, and so easy to navigate!
Fantastic for the upcoming elections!

Cheers! Guardian-Librarian

Teaching Kids the News (TKN) was created by educators Jonathan Ophek and Kathleen Tilly and freelance journalist Joyce Grant.

Jonathan Ophek is an elementary-school teacher with The Toronto District School Board. He has a B.A. in Philosophy from The University of King’s College and an MA in Child Study from The Institute of Child Study (OISE). Jonathan has been a speaker at conferences in Canada and the United States on the subjects of child development and psychology.

Joyce Grant is a veteran freelance journalist and editor. She has a strong background in marketing and advertising. She also produces the non-profit children’s literacy website Getting Kids Reading.

Kathleen Tilly is currently a teacher in the Toronto District School Board. She has a B.A. in Art History from Dalhousie University, teaching qualifications from the University of Edinburgh and a M.Ed from OISE, UofT. In addition to teaching, Kathleen has led education workshops and written curriculum for the TDSB.

Thank you for using TKN. Please bookmark this site and visit it frequently to help you get – and keep – your kids reading!