Be sure to visit our publishers and vendors, who are kindly donating prizes to our scavenger hunt!

 Bard on the Beach is Western Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare Festival. Presented in Vancouver’s Sen̓ákw/Vanier Park against a spectacular backdrop of mountains, sea and sky, the Festival offers Shakespeare plays, related dramas and special events in two modern performance tents from June through September, with an average attendance of 100,000. The Festival is known for its signature blend of high-quality artistic programming and a welcoming, informal experience for local residents and visitors from around the world. Bard Education offers year-round opportunities to play and explore Shakespeare, through programs for youth, emerging theatre artists, and our general community.

Mary Hartman is Director of Education at Bard on the Beach and a theatre professional with an academic background. For 30+ years she has invited countless students and teachers to play, explore, and interpret Shakespeare in their own ways. Mary is presenting a Session B Workshop, Inclusive, Expansive Shakespeare, read through our workshop booklet to find out more.

Click this link for free teacher resources for students of all ages and visit their table to learn more.

The Coquitlam/Moody Ringette Association has been in existence since 1985, its purpose is to teach, promote, govern, and develop the sport of Ringette within the cities of Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore, and Belcarra. It provides a social environment whilst promoting the ideals of sportsmanship, loyalty, honesty, and respect for players, officials and spectators at all times. We promote excellence in personal development, teamwork and disciplines.

Membership is open to children aged 5 years and up as well as adults, with all skill levels encouraged to play. We aim to provide enough player development to support new players of any age. The sport of Ringette is not gender restricted, it is also an accessible sport. We welcome individuals with disabilities and are able to place them in a division suitable for their skills and abilities.

Visit with Steven Robb for more information.

 Founded in 1970, Douglas College is the largest degree-granting college in British Columbia, Canada, educating close to 25,000 students per year. The College has two major campuses in Metro Vancouver (New Westminster and Coquitlam) as well as several smaller training centres in Surrey, Burnaby and Maple Ridge. With both main campuses directly on SkyTrain lines, Douglas is one of the most accessible post-secondary institutions in Metro Vancouver, drawing students from across the region.

Douglas offers the most bachelor’s degrees and post-degree programs of any college in B.C., and is noted for combining the academic foundations of a university with the career-ready skills of a college. Each year, close to 17,000 students (including 4,210 international students from over 92 countries) take for-credit courses at Douglas. Because of the college’s strong academic base, the majority of these for-credit courses transfer to different research universities in B.C. and across Canada, providing students with flexible pathways to reach their academic goals.

Visit with Janice Penner on our PD Day for more information.

 Studiostone Creative has a vision that anyone ages 8 to 99 should be able to carve stone with the right tools and instructions.  It all began in Oliver’s sculpture studio when one day an elementary school teacher called, asking if he would come to teach the students stone carving. Until that point, he had taught only adults to carve with large blocks of stone and big tools in a 20-hour course.

After much trial and development, the 90 minute in-school stone carving program was introduced with great success. Currently, Studiostone Creative teaches students the thrill of transforming stone into a fully-finished sculpture. We teach 10,000 students every year in schools.  With the program up and running, parents began asking for something similar for home use. Thus the Soapstone carving Kit was born.

For more information about our School Programs, click this link or visit their table.

Victoria Eftimova and Jocelyne Dodier are presenting two workshops in Sessions A and B Soapstone Carving, read our booklet to find out more.

Situated on the shores of Lafarge Lake in Town Centre Park, Evergreen Cultural Centre exists on the unceded, traditional and ancestral core territory of the kʷikʷəƛ ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation, which lies within the shared territories of the səli̓lwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh), Stó:lō Téméxw, qiqéyt (Qayqayt) and sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬtəməxʷ (Katzie), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) nations in the region known today as the Tri-Cities.

Described by the City of Coquitlam as the “cultural jewel in Coquitlam’s Town Centre”, Evergreen Cultural Centre is the Tri-Cities premiere venue for live arts events, exhibitions, and experiences. Visit their table to learn more about opportunites and events for yourselves and your students.

For more information about our school workshops, click this link.

We have two workshops presented/sponsored by Evergreen Cultural Centre, both in Session A: Julie Epp’s Watercolour Wonder – Embracing Imperfection in Creativity and David Pavane’s Young Performers Acting/Improv, read our workshop booklet to find out more.

 Kinder Books has been providing a curated selection of children’s books for Metro Vancouver since 2011. Our mission is to enrich and expand young minds with curated, relevant literature and thoughtful community engagement that meaningfully contributes to a hopeful future. Our vision is a thriving community of young and old readers, empowered by a strong sense of self, a spiritual connection to the world, and a deep understanding of
their place in it.

Kinder Books facilitates learning and growth, building on children’s natural curiosity to develop their sense of self through a joyful and fun exploration of books. Founder and owner Anne Uebbing connects with the community and supports education by offering children’s literature that explores nuanced ideas on various topics. This is not a standard collection of cookie-cutter titles, it is a highly curated selection of unique stories, and Anne has personally read every one of them at least once. This commitment to curation is why Anne is much more than a book merchant; she is a literacy consultant.

For more information, visit Anne’s table or contact Anne Uebbing.

 The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is one of the most acclaimed creative centres in the world. In addition to being a public producer and distributor of Canadian content, a talent incubator and a showcase for the country’s filmmakers and artists, it is the caretaker of an accessible, living audiovisual heritage that belongs to all Canadians. The NFB is also a key driver of Canada’s audiovisual industry and creative economy. The organization produces or co-produces more than 50 works every year, from thought-provoking documentaries to outstanding animated films to groundbreaking interactive and immersive works. To date it has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,000 of which are available free of charge on nfb.ca. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including 12 Oscars.

Featuring over 6,500 productions, NFB.ca offers a variety of films that can be streamed free of charge or downloaded for your personal use for a small fee. We also offer educational works on a subscription basis to schools and institutions, and the possibility to showcase our work in a public screening context.Our online collection includes documentaries, animations, series, and interactive works. We showcase films that take a stand on issues of global importance that matter to Canadians—stories about the environment, human rights, residential schools, auteur animation and more.

Ross Johnstone, NFB’s Education Manager for Western Canada, is presenting a workshop in Session A The National Film Board Presents: The CTA Inclusive Short Film Festival. Read our workshop booklet to find out more and be sure to visit their table in-between workshops.

 Norwex products help reduce the use of single-use paper towels and napkins in the home. Every day, thousands of trees are cut down to feed the paper towel industry. Using microfiber also saves money spent on chemical cleaners. Removing harmful chemical cleaners in your home means less long-term impact to your health. It also means less chemicals that go into the ground, our waterways and the planet. It’s good for your and the planet. Recycled plastic is used to create our microfiber cloths and once done, our recycling program converts it into renewable energy to power homes. Our Forever products are created to reduce single-use plastics from our oceans.

The Norwex^® Foundation for a Brighter Future connects Norwex employees and Consultants from all over the globe and empowers them to make a positive impact right where they live. By coming together, we’re creating a brighter future for our communities, our environment and future generations through the efforts of the people and the organizations we support.

For more information, visit Garcie Wong’s table.

 Founded in 1984, Orca Book Publishers is an independently owned Canadian children’s book publisher of award-winning, bestselling books in a number of genres. With over 1,000 titles in print and more than 80 new titles a year, Orca prides itself on publishing Canadian authors and illustrators and bringing them to a wider market.

Orca publishes beautifully illustrated board books and picture books, middle-grade nonfiction for curious kids, and middle-grade and young-adult fiction for readers of all abilities. We strive to produce books that illuminate the experiences of people of all ethnicities, people with disabilities and people who identify as LGBTQ+. Our goal is to provide reading material that represents the diversity of human experience to readers of all ages. Orca aims to help young readers see themselves reflected in the books they read. We are mindful of this in our selection of books and have a particular interest in publishing books that celebrate the lives of Indigenous people. Providing young people with exposure to diversity through reading creates a more compassionate world.

Orca were unable to attend our event this year, but have kindly donated a prize to our Scavenger Hunt. Please take a look at their Educator Resources by using this link.

 The Preservice Professional Studies handles applications for SFU’s highly-regarded teacher education programs: Professional Development Program (PDP); Professional Linking Program (PLP); Familiarization Program;  HEART; and AHCOTE.

Established in 1965, the PDP has helped to develop more than 20,000 teachers in British Columbia making it one of the province’s oldest and most successful teacher education programs. The PLP is a four semester modified program for individuals who are already working as paraprofessionals in an educational context. The Familiarization Program is a non-credit online course serving as an introduction to the BC K-12 school system and Professional Standards for Educators. HEART (Helping Ease Access for Returning Teachers) is a one-semester, 12-credit program for teachers who need to recertify or who have been out of the classroom for a period of time. AHCOTE is a 16 month joint teacher education program offered by Simon Fraser University (SFU), Northern Lights College, School Districts 59, 60, 81, and local teacher associations.

Visit with Janet McCarron to find out more.

 Scholastic Canada is one of the country’s leading publishers and distributors of children’s books and educational materials in both official languages. For over 60 years Scholastic Canada has introduced young people to the joys of reading, and has enlarged their understanding of Canada and the world. Today we continue that mission with award-winning Canadian books and outstanding classroom materials, along with related educational software.

Scholastic Canada Ltd. serves children, parents and teachers through a variety of businesses including Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs, Scholastic Education, Classroom Magazines, Trade, and Les éditions Scholastic. Scholastic Canada is also highly regarded internationally for its Canadian publishing program, which includes many award-winning authors and illustrators dedicated to producing books that delight children and inspire them to become lifelong readers.

Visit Jolyn Mascarenhas to find out more about what Scholastic Canada can do for your students and classroom

 Scrapyarn is a small local business run by Jaime Dronsella, who is attending our PD Day for the first time this year. Jamie knits toques, balaclavas, and scarves, there will be an inventory at her table as well as the option to make personal orders. Some photos of their work are included below:

 SFU’s Faculty of Education is an inclusive, welcoming community of students, researchers, practitioners and staff committed to advancing the field of education through scholarly inquiry and community engagement. We help learners become leaders, so they can inspire others.

We educate and nurture future leaders, disruptors and change makers. We embrace inclusivity and equality, and pioneer new ways of thinking, teaching and learning. We build and nurture connections with diverse communities to improve the learning experience for students and understand the issues that drive research. When you study here you learn about learning and yourself. Discover where your education can take you.

Visit with Melissa Hudson to learn more.

Thu Pham has been a crafter for the past 16 years and is the business owner of TLC Cozy Bags based in her home Port Moody. Thu makes one-of-a-kind natural hot/cold therapeutic pads for body aches and pains. Her cozies are made with cotton fabrics and filled with natural grains (whole wheat or flax). Some are lightly scented with lavender blossoms. Thu also makes unique aprons with hand-made appliqués; beanie hats made from upcycled shirts and mini cozies made with fabric remnants and home grown catnip and lavender to keep material waste down to zero. Cats and kids love these cozies. Examples of her work are below: