March/April Spotlights

APRIL UPDATES!

     1.  The library has a subscription to The Atlantic.  Log in to the Newspaper Subscriptions page with vhstaff1914.

Click on the newspaper icon and log in with the posted credentials.

1.  2. The library purchased a new laminator as the old one was no longer working properly.

THANK YOU

     - To all staff who took the time to pose with a challenged/banned book and have a photo taken; the "Literature in Lock Up" display has been a popular one with students over the years.

- To Holly Iversen's class who created well-designed and informative posters explaining why specific books were challenged or banned in other schools across Canada and the U.S.  I noticed many students reading them!

You can view photos here.  If you'd like a copy of your mugshot poster, see Wendy.

STUDENT PASSWORD CHANGES

-     Please refer to Dani's email as to how to change student passwords or unlock accounts through GVSD Tools for  Schools. All staff are able to assist students in changing the sd61learn password and the  password for desktop access.

Please use the visuals that District IT created in the Technology for Learning link near the bottom of the page.  Students can manage Scenarios 1 & 2 themselves; staff are needed to help with scenarios 3 & 4.  I have cross-posted this link in the Library section of our 2025-26 Staff Hub

Note that students' district accounts are locked if they haven't reset with a strong password or have tried with the incorrect or old password several times.

After unlocking an account in Tools for Schools and resetting the student's password, let students know that they need to log in again for their personal devices with the new password to avoid being blocked. 

The library can support this process in a minor role, but not as the manager for most of the student body as has been happening. Thank you for your consideration.

FOCUS BLOCK

-    Please remind students that Focus in the library means needing the library as a resource for reading, research, or technology (desktop or chromebook if unavailable in the classroom) -- not simply requesting to work here --  which often means students meeting up with friends from other classes or the library filling beyond capacity.

Please clarify the purpose with a student before sending them to the library with a Focus Pass.  Sook and I have been sending students back to class who are clearly not here to use the space to focus on instructional activities or reading.

CANVA

-    It's great to see so many students using our school's Pro subscription for projects.  We have room for 150 more students to access the platform this year;  note that our school subscription is capped at 500.

MARCH/APRIL READING THEMES

      Weekly Reading Themes (wall display adjacent to antique oak bookshelf)

• March 9-13: Francophone authors
• March 30-April 3:  Awesome athletes!  (biographies and memoirs of sports stars/role models)
• April 6-10:  All creatures great and small (fiction and non-fiction about sea creatures, mammals, insects, etc.)
• April 13-17:  A massage for the mind (books that are cozy fiction, inspirational reads -- and generally relaxation-inducing)
• April 20-27: All things Shakespeare (in recognition of Shakespeare's birthday, believed to be April 23)

      Monthly Themes (main display across from circulation desk)

• March 9-April 10: Crime and Punishment:  True crime stories, murder mysteries,real-life prison horror, forensic files
• April 13-30:  Poetry -- it's National Poetry Month in Canada!

SPRING BREAK READING & AUDIOBOOKS

-    If you are traveling and don't want to lug a batch of books on your spring break vacation, try our school's audio books at Libro.fm and Audible at the following link:

https://vichighlibrary.sd61.bc.ca/staff-resources/audio-visual/

log in  to this page with vhstaff1914 then use the log in credentials provided.

You'll find our library's purchases in the library menu tab.

VIC HIGH READS 2026

-    There are 12 awesome titles on this year's list.  Stay tuned to find out which titles have been shortlisted by English classes and mark May 26 on your calendars.