Centre for Literacy kicks off 2018-2019 at the annual Learning Together conference
The Schulich School of Education and the Centre for Literacy, alongside many community agencies and the four local school boards, were proud sponsors of the 13th annual Learning Together! Apprenons ensemble! conference held on October 13, 2018 at Chippewa Secondary School.
More than 300 families and children joined in activities related to physical and emotional well-being, reading, singing, playing, and writing. Together, children and families painted, engaged in outdoor nature crafts, moved through dance, yoga, and marshal arts, touched many a truck, observed reptiles, explored healthy nutrition, and visited many other stations to enhance their understanding of the needs of the early learner.
Books for Brook, an initiative within the Centre for Literacy, once again offered an interactive book display where children were invited to browse and select a free book to take home and enjoy with their families. Organized by Dr. Tara-Lynn Scheffel and with the support of Jessecca Thompson, Jill Gear, and Megan Hives, Books for Brook shared more 300 books with local families and children including French and English titles and board books for young children.
A special thank you to all those who have donated to Books for Brook for helping make this event a wonderful success. At the event, new donations were received as part of a book drive that enabled families to bring in gently used books to share with other families. Book donations may be dropped off at the Schulich School of Education office at any time.
The Centre for Literacy would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to Karen Cobb, co-chair of the event and district manager of The Learning Partnership’s Welcome to Kindergarten program, who retires this year after more than thirteen years of organizing the event.
The Centre for Literacy was established in connection with The Elizabeth Thorn Chair in Literacy, created in 2002. As a founding member of the Nipissing University Faculty of Education, Dr. Elizabeth Thorn dedicated her life to the promotion of literacy and inspired educators around the world with her wisdom, passion and commitment to language education.
For more information on the Centre for Literacy, its goals, objectives and initiatives, please visit their website or contact Dr. Michelann Parr at michelap@nipissingu.ca.