St. Paul Regional HS to host 2011 reunion
St. Paul Regional High School, St. Paul, invites all teachers and support staff (1970–2011) to attend a school reunion on June 4, 2011. For information, call 1-780-645-4491 or e-mail
mr-g@telusplanet.net.
Calgary Public and Catholic teachers’ disability group to meet
The next meeting of the Calgary Public and Catholic teachers’ disability group will be held September 20, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. ATA executive will address issues of concern. A light lunch will be served. The meeting takes place at Montgomery School, 2116 Mackay Road NW, Calgary (last building to the west). For information, contact Robert Mittoo, Chairman, telephone:
403-280-8492; David French, public schools, telephone: 403-288-0626; or
Ann-Marie Kemp, Catholic schools, telephone: 403-252-7151.
Telling tall tales a tradition
Two PD storytelling workshops will be offered during the TALES 22nd Annual Storytelling Festival at Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton, on September 5 and 6. The workshops, offered by TALES (The Alberta League Encouraging Storytelling), are designed for library staff, teachers and school board staff. Participants can register by e-mail at
talesedmonton@hotmail.com. Since 1982, TALES has operated as a nonprofit organization promoting the tradition of oral storytelling.
Litter is disgusting
What do a set of false teeth, a disco ball and 367,010 cigarette butts have in common? Read on to find out. This year’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup takes place September 18–26. The national conservation program encourages Canadians to remove litter from local shorelines, thus protecting our oceans and waterways. The program, which began in 1994 with a handful of volunteers, now involves more than 700 registered cleanup sites across Canada, 70 of which are in Alberta. In 2009, nearly 161,000 kg of litter was removed from a cumulative distance of 2,500 km of shoreline, which is equivalent to the approximate distance between Vancouver and the Manitoba/Ontario border. In Alberta, more than 4,300 people removed 16,400 kg of litter. Some of the more unusual items were a bottle with a message in it that read: “Please don’t litter,” a set of false teeth, a living room set, a canoe made from duct tape, a wedding dress, a disco ball, a hotel safe, a toboggan, a mini trampoline and a clothesline complete with poles and pins. For more information or to register for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, visit
www.shorelinecleanup.ca.
Forgotten Voices conference to discuss Asian holocaust
“Forgotten Voices: An International Conference on the Asian Holocaust (1931–1945)” will be held at Lister Centre, U of A, Edmonton, Friday, September 24 (4:30–8:30 p.m.) and Saturday, September 25 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.). Speakers from China, Japan, Korea, Canada and the U.S. will be featured. Topics are the Nanking Massacre, forced labour, military sexual slavery, chemical and biological human experimentation, abandoned chemical weapons and current-day Japanese denial. A registration fee of $60 includes lunch and resource materials. For information, visit
http://edmontonalpha.org. The Edmonton Association for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (Edmonton ALPHA) was established in 2008. Through the dedication of volunteers and supporters, Edmonton ALPHA promotes the awareness of the history of WWII atrocities in Asia through various educational initiatives.
ACT NOW to activate your specialist council membership
Active members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association are entitled to a complimentary membership in the specialist council of their choice. Teachers must activate their membership each year. To activate your membership, log in to TNET by clicking on the login link in the blue bar at the top of the Association’s web page, then follow the Specialist Council Membership link under Your ATA Tools.
Bring the world to your classroom
BRIDGES: Student Speakers for Global Awareness is a free educational program operated by University of Alberta International. The BRIDGES program, now in its 18th year, links the valuable resource pool of UofA international students from around the world with grade schools to enhance the prescribed curriculum or to broaden students’ horizons. Schools and communities receive firsthand perspectives on countries and global issues. The volunteers, who have come from around the world to study at the university, share their experience and knowledge on life in other cultures and countries. The program is relevant to the Alberta Social Studies curriculum and is also an excellent resource for second language classes, food studies, religious studies and other programs. For information, contact BRIDGES by
e-mail:
Bridges@international.ualberta.ca.
Media literary course offered online
The Communications Studies Program at Athabasca University is offering a course entitled Understanding Media Literacy: Inside Plato’s Cave. Registration for individualized online study is now open and ongoing—sign up by the 10th of any month and start the following month. Participants have six months to complete the course (extensions are available). More information is available at
www.athabascau.ca/platoscave.
Ignite change now
A new teaching resource for Alberta high school social studies gives students opportunities to explore active citizenship and to take action. The resource
Ignite Change Now—Youth Action Toolkit is free to teachers through the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. The resource features a
10-lesson unit plan, a video and a toolkit for planning and implementing activities. The resource helps teachers and students move from ideas about citizenship to real engagement in such activities as volunteering, fund-raising, promoting issues and influencing positive change. For more information about this resource or programs offered by the Centre, contact the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 7723-85 Street, Edmonton, Alberta
T6C 3B4. Telephone: 780-453-2638; fax: 780-454-1519; e-mail:
info@jhcentre.org; Facebook: John Humphrey Centre; website:
www.johnhumphreycentre.org.
Workshops now only $100?
ATA workshop fees are only $100 per workshop. For information, visit the Alberta Teachers’ Association website (
www.teachers.ab.ca) and under the heading Professional Development, click on Workshops, Courses and Presentations to obtain information. Book a workshop by contacting Barnett House, in Edmonton. Telephone: 780-447-9417 (in Edmonton and area) or call toll-free in Alberta at 1-800-232-7208 or by e-mail at
pdworkshops@ata.ab.ca. Please book workshops six weeks in advance.
