Drum Roll Please!

Well, the Hastings Elementary Diversity Book Drive has come to an end and what a fantastic success it’s been!

The Hastings Elementary Diversity Book Drive!

The book suggestions came in fast and furious in the last week and a total of 211 incredible books were suggested!! The link to the list is below. Included on the list is the title, author, intended age level and a little about why it’s included on the list. If you suggested a book and it’s not on the list, don’t worry – it’s already in the library! We encourage you to take a look through and use it as a resource to find your next favorite books.

Check out the suggested titles here!

As for the donation side of things, not only did we meet our fundraising goal of $4000, we FAR exceeded it – a total of $5791.24 was raised!!!!

Here’s a breakdown of the donations:School Cash Online – $4325Iron Dog – $1266.24 ($548.38 in books purchased + $717.86 donated to the book drive account) Orca Publishing donation – $200

Our librarian, Erin, is already hard at work ordering books from the list and although there will be a new librarian at Hastings next year, they will start the year putting many of the suggested books on to the library shelves for the first time. We would like to thank Erin for all her enthusiastic and hard work on this project. We wish her all the best at her next school! Thank you, Erin!!

And a special thanks goes to our community bookstore partner, Iron Dog Books – whoot, whoot! They have been a fantastic resource and support for the book drive and we know that many people enjoyed purchasing books at the store that will go directly on to the Hastings library shelves. If you haven’t been to Iron Dog yet, GO and say hi to Hilary and her fantastic staff. They also have a rich selection of puzzles for all you puzzlers. Iron Dog Books – 2671 E. Hastings St

Good work, Hastings Elementary community! So many people were involved – from those setting up the online polls, making and hanging posters, making donations, making suggestions. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this a success!

Wishing you all a lovely and sunny long weekend!

PAC Meeting Tomorrow! Agenda Here

We will be joined by our Teacher Librarian Erin to recap the Diversity Book Drive, our Principal and Vice Principal, who will give reports on school happenings, and a presentation of an important initiative by the Hastings Anti-racism Committee (HARC)! 

All parents and guardians of Hastings School students are welcome and encouraged to attend. We very much hope you will join us.

REMINDER PAC VIRTUAL MEETING TUESDAY MAY 18TH, starts 7pm

The Hastings School Parent Advisory Council is having a general meeting on Tuesday, May 18th from 7-8:30pm, on Zoom.

Please find the meeting agenda HERE (179kb pdf)
Please find the minutes from the April meeting HERE (289kb pdf)

See you there!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83223607551?pwd=ZFR3VFQ2M3JJYTlUQ3g0S25jYVR4UT09

Meeting ID: 832 2360 7551
Passcode: 462770

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY of the Hastings Elementary Library Diversity Book Drive!!!

Ways to donate:
    1.    Visit Iron Dog Books at 2671 E Hastings St and purchase one of the librarian pre-selected books OR contribute to the in-store Hastings Book Drive account (no donation is too small!).
    2.    Contribute using the School Cash Online donation form (select Hastings PAC as the fund destination and note that it is for the book drive in the message section).
And keep those book suggestions coming, by using this form!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone that has participated and supported this meaningful and important initiative for our school!

And please join us for the next general PAC meeting where our Teacher Librarian Erin Rickbeil @crafty_librarian_teaches will give us the scoop on the challenges and successes of the Book Drive as well as the process of removing offensive and appropriated content from our library shelves…

Only 4 DAYS LEFT in the Hastings Elementary Library Diversity Book Drive

It’s been another great week for the book drive and we only have a few days left. So far, over 150 book suggestions have come in and over $1800 has been raised! Great work so far, Hastings – can we reach our goal of $4000 by the end of the week?!

We were in the news, again – this time with CBC Radio-Canada!
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1790603/hastings-elementary-diversite-livres-racise-collecte

And make sure to follow librarian Erin on Insta to see some of the new books being added to the library – @crafty_librarian_teaches.

May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with many fantastic events happening online and throughout the city. Here are a few of the book drive suggestions and recent additions to the library by Asian authors…..

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang – Amy loves to make bao with her family. But it takes skill to make the bao taste and look delicious. And her bao keep coming out all wrong. Then she has an idea that may give her a second chance…Will Amy ever make the perfect bao?

Ho’onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale – Based on a true story, Ho’onani: Hula Warrior is a celebration of Hawaiian culture and an empowering story of a girl who learns to lead and learns to accept who she really is–and in doing so, gains the respect of all those around her.

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim – One lie snowballs into a full-blown double life in this irresistible story about an aspiring stand-up comedian. On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her “Yu-MEAT” because she smells like her family’s Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. Her notebook is filled with mortifying memories that she’s reworked into comedy gold. All she needs is a stage and courage.

Last Night At the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo – America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father–despite his hard-won citizenship–Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

Ways to donate:
1. Visit Iron Dog Books at 2671 E Hastings St and purchase one of the librarian pre-selected books OR contribute to the in-store Hastings Book Drive account (no donation is too small!).
2. Contribute using the School Cash Online donation form (select Hastings PAC as the fund destination and note that it is for the book drive in the message section).
And keep those book suggestions coming, by using this form!

Ways to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month….

Speaking of our favorite local book store, they are the official bookstore for LiterAsian – a festival celebrating Asian writers.
https://literasian.com/

VIFF is streaming five movies by Asian Canadians filmmakers.
https://viff.org/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=2021-asian-heritage-month&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=

In the early to mid-20th century, the Powell Street corridor was the home of 8000 Japanese Canadians and over 400 businesses in Vancouver. Take a socially-distanced walking tour of historic Powell St and learn more!
https://youtu.be/Aiaj1L60_Bg

Don’t forget – the last day of the book drive is THIS FRIDAY!!! ❤?❤?

We’re In the News! Book Drive Update!

Well, it’s been an exciting week for the Hastings Diversity Book Drive – let’s get updated on all that’s happened….

https://www.citynews1130.com/2021/05/01/hastings-diversity-book-drive/

Orca Book Publishers heard about our book drive and has donated $200 for our librarian to use toward any of the books that they publish! https://www.orcabook.com/Home.aspx 

And local, young author Esabella Strickland, has donated a signed copy of her fantasy novel about a girl with a learning disability to our library! https://www.genzpublishing.org/product/orabella-the-oracle-1-then-and-there-here-and-where/ 

Our total funds raised so far is $1100(!!), including the donation from Orca Books. Our goal is $4000 by May 14th – that’s the end of next week! Let’s see if we can get there!
 

Ways to donate:
    1.    Visit Iron Dog Books at 2671 E Hastings St and purchase one of the librarian pre-selected books OR contribute to the in-store Hastings Book Drive account (no donation is too small!).
    2.    Contribute using the School Cash Online donation form (select Hastings PAC as the fund destination and note that it is for the book drive in the message section).
And keep those book suggestions coming, by using this form! Over 140 incredible books have been suggested so far. Wow – what a week! Let’s keep it up Hastings!

Hastings Library Book Drive Update!

The Hastings Elementary Diversity Book Drive

The Hastings Library Diversity Book Drive is going strong! Over $700 has been raised so far and 130 book suggestions have come in. The first batches of books are already on the library shelves! Great job Hastings Elementary community and let’s keep going!

As always, we are mindful that not everyone has the means to donate financially. For those who do, remember – our goal is to raise $4000 by May 14th! So, if you keep putting it off, thinking you’ll get to it later, do it now!

Ways to donate:
    1.    Visit Iron Dog Books at 2671 E Hastings St and purchase one of the librarian pre-selected books OR contribute to the in-store Hastings Book Drive account (no donation is too small!).
    2.    Contribute using the School Cash Online donation form (select Hastings PAC as the fund destination and note that it is for the book drive in the message section).
And keep those book suggestions coming, by using this form!
And a final note about some related work our librarian has been doing. Books with offensive content or appropriated stories – books written about BIPOC experiences by white authors and cultural stories told by settlers/colonizers – are being removed from the shelves and being replaced that with all the new, wonderful, diverse books coming into the library. Thank you for that important work, librarian Erin!

April is Autism Acceptance Month!

April is Autism Acceptance Month!

April is THE month to learn more about autism from those in the Autistic community. Here are a couple of websites/social media accounts to get you started:

The Autisticats
https://theautisticats.weebly.com/
https://www.instagram.com/the.autisticats/
https://twitter.com/autisticats

Neuroclastic
https://neuroclastic.com/
https://www.instagram.com/neuroclastic/

Lydia X. Z. Brown has some very thorough answers to frequently asked questions about Autism here:
https://www.autistichoya.com/p/introduction-to-autism-faqs-of-autism.html

Justin McElroy, a local CBC reporter, is a stellar resource with regards to all things COVID in B.C
(https://twitter.com/j_mcelroy). He also wrote an article for Autism Awareness Day about being Autistic:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/autism-awareness-day-mcelroy-finch-piece-2021-1.5971745

Here’s a wonderful explanation of the autism spectrum, written in comic strip format by Rebecca Burgess:
https://the-art-of-autism.com/understanding-the-spectrum-a-comic-strip-explanation/

Looking for ways to help your kids understand and accept their peers with autism? Here is a great list of children’s books compiled by Huffington Post:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/17-childrens-books-that-promote-understanding-of-autism_n_5ade4580e4b036e7aeb58a64

(P.S. Any of these books would be a welcome donation to the Hastings Elementary Diversity Book Drive!)

Hastings Library Book Drive Update!

The Hastings Elementary Diversity Book Drive!

Hi everyone!

We hope that you are all enjoying the sunshine and cherry blossoms. 

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The Hastings Book Drive has been such a success so far! We had over 100 fantastic book suggestions come to us – no two the same! Keep ’em coming! As we continue to gather suggestions, we also need to raise some money to get these books on our shelves.

We are mindful that not everyone has the means to donate and that Covid has made finances especially hard for some more than others. With that in mind, we ask those that are able to consider donating to this important project!

Our fundraising goal is $4000 by May 14th, with the intention of providing a fund that will be used to purchase many of the books on our list as well as important new releases to come. There are three ways that you can make a donation:
    1.    Visit Iron Dog Books on Hastings St and purchase one of the books already selected by our librarian, Erin. All of the books at Iron Dog that were previously selected have been purchased, so Erin has selected more and filled up the bin again!
    2.    Contribute to the Hastings Book Drive account at Iron Dog Books.
    3.    Contribute using the School Cash Online donation form (please ensure you select Hastings PAC as the fund destination and note that it is for the book drive in the message section).

Here are a few more of the fantastic suggestions that have been submitted so far….

A Boy and His Jaguar – by Alan Rabinowitz

The narrator explains his teachers must think he is “broken” when he is switched from his regular class due to his severe stuttering. But he can talk with his own small menagerie at home—in fact, he says, he can only speak fluently when he is singing or when he talks to animals. He promises the sad, caged jaguar at the Bronx Zoo that one day he will be a voice for the animals. In college, he finds ways to manage his stuttering; as an adult, he studies black bears and, later, jaguars. In a triumphant moment, he helps persuade Belize to set aside land as a jaguar preserve.

The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh – by Supriya Kelkar

Harpreet Singh has a different color for every mood and occasion, from pink for dancing to bhangra beats to red for courage. He especially takes care with his patka—his turban—smoothing it out and making sure it always matches his outfit. But when Harpreet’s mom finds a new job in a snowy city and they have to move, all he wants is to be invisible. Will he ever feel a happy sunny yellow again?

The Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii – by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson and Sara Florence Davidson

Embedded in Haida culture and drawn from ancient oral narratives are a number of Supernatural Beings, many of them female, who embody these connections to the land, the sea, and the sky. Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii features ten of these ancient figures and presents them to children as visually engaging, empowering, and meaningful examples of living in balance with nature. This book challenges stereotypes, helps advance reconciliation, and celebrates Indigenous identity and culture.

My Shot: Balancing It All and Standing Tall – by Elena Delle Donne

Elena Delle Donne has always forged her own path. During her first year of college, she walked away from a scholarship and chance to play at UConn—the most prestigious women’s college basketball program—so she could stay in her home state of Delaware and be close to her older sister, Lizzie, who has several disabilities and can only communicate through hand-over-hand signing. Elena Delle Donne delivers a powerful and motivational story of overcoming the challenges of competitive sports through balancing hard work and the support of a loving family.

A reminder of how to continue to send us your suggestions:
    1.    The suggestion box in the library – for students and teachers / staff.
    2.    The online poll in the Teams general channel – for students, teachers/staff and parents.
    3.    The online poll – for parents and students.

And although it is not a kids book, CONGRATULATIONS to Canada Reads winner Joshua Whitehead – the first Indigenous author to win! His debut novel(!!) Johnny Appleseed was defended by Devery Jacobs and tells the story of Johnny – an Indigiqueer youth trying to put his life back together after the death of his father. The power of a book….https://fb.watch/4QmodAw90n/.

Lastly, a note from our librarian, Erin, to those kids that are celebrating Ramadan over the coming month that you are welcome to spend recess and lunch time in the library! Ramadan Mubarak!!

We’ll send out an email each week to keep everyone updated on the progress of donations. In the meantime, happy reading! 

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