It’s a wonderful time of celebration for many learning organizations as graduation and completion ceremonies are held across the province. I’ve been fortunate to be able to attend a few of these. What an accomplishment for these learners! They are great examples of the benefits of taking that important first step and improving their lives through literacy. I saw two of our scholarship and bursary winners cross the stage at the NSCC Truro Campus graduation with certificates from their respective programs.

Last evening, I presented to 100+ Women Who Care to let them know that literacy changes lives. I’ve also been to Ottawa to speak to Senator Elizabeth Hubley who began a national inquiry into literacy. We’ve encouraged our Nova Scotian senators to participate in this inquiry and have provided background information to them.

Our LNS team participated in the Blue Nose Charity Challenge again this year. Thank you to Sandi Beckwith, Elaine Frampton and Dylan Ormiston for your second year of support. We would also like to thank new members to the team Vicki Rutledge, Morgan Beckwith, Kaycee Hunter and Zayna Langille. This is always a great event.

We are heading off to Baddeck for this year’s NSPGI and will be celebrating 20 years of Gillis Truckways’ support. Thanks to Beth and Duncan Gillis for organizing the tournament, encouraging teams to register and building sponsorship to make this a great year! A highlight of the tournament is hearing from learners. Congratulations to our NSPGI award winners for their exceptional achievement! We are also very pleased to have pulled Sheree Fitch away from River John where she is getting ready to open her new Mabel Murple’s Book Shoppe & Dreamery to be our NSPGI 2017 Poet Laureate.

We have a new feature in our eNews, the 2-minute survey. This is a quick questionnaire that will provide us with timely feedback on our various programs and services. We’ll pick a different topic each month and the names of those who complete the survey will be entered into a draw for a prize. This month we’re asking about the Learning Beacon.

Another thing we would love to get your input on is the name of our new Resource Database. We’ve had some suggestions – please vote for your favorite or suggest a new one. Voting closes June 16th.

Don’t forget to let us know if you are interested in presenting at the PD Conference on November 16 & 17.

We’re pleased to announce LAE will be funding the PD Conference, Practitioner Training Program, PD Fund, Adult Learners’ Week program and the 2017 PGI Grants.

Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck is preparing to bring back the Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament for Literacy. About 200 golfers are expected to take part June 18 and 19, making the tournament one of the biggest events the course has hosted, said Eric Tobin, Bell Bay's general manager. Read more

The 2017 Adult Learner Recognition Awards presentation is on June 18 at the NSPGI Awards Gala at Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck. These awards are given to adult learners in Nova Scotia who have shown exceptional progress and achievement in learning and literacy. This year's winners are:

Krista Marryatt, Gary Mason Learner Achievement Award. This award recognizes an adult learner attending Levels 1, 2, or 3 of an Adult Learning Program and who plans to continue in the program.

Ryan Perrin, Nova Learning Inc. Nova Scotia Learner Award. The award recognizes an adult learner who has completed the Nova Scotia Adult High School Diploma or the GED and who plans to move on or has moved on to post secondary education.

Congratulations Krista and Ryan! See you at the NSPGI!

Modules will begin again in October with the addition of the new module, Supporting English as an Additional Language Adult Literacy Learners (EAL ALLs).
Check out the Practitioner Training webpage for more details on the program, modules, and tuition schedule.

“The Practitioner Training Program provides the knowledge base our tutors need to support adult learners.” ~ Tyler Colbourne

Read more about Tyler

We are grateful for the support of public relations marketing specialists Darrell Dorey and Melissa Lively from American Income Life (AIL). Their $2500 donation will help LNS support adult learners. Read more

LNS invites knowledgeable presenters with experience in adult education facilitation to submit proposals for ninety-minute conference workshop sessions. Workshop content and instruction will provide educational value that is appropriate for adult literacy practitioners and coordinators. Read more

Back to the Top

Friday June 9, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Room 335, Forrester Hall, NSCC Truro
AGENDA:

1. Approval of Agenda
2. Approval of AGM 2016 Minutes
3. Nominating Committee Report
4. Setting of Membership Fees
5. Financial Report
6. Auditor’s Report
7. Report of Chair
8. Adjournment

RSVP to literacyns@nscc.ca

June 18 - 19 at Bell Bay Golf Club, Baddeck NS
NSPGI returns to Baddeck, where it was held 20 years ago. Join us for a rollicking great time at NSPGI 2017! The NSPGI Awards Gala is on June 18th and golf day is the 19th. To register a golf team, visit the NSPGI website or call 902-897-2444. All proceeds will be used to help adult learners in Nova Scotia.

October 27 - 28, 2017 at StFX University, Antigonish NS
The 3rd Atlantic Regional Adult Education Conference provides an opportunity for professionals and researchers working in all areas of adult education to share and explore current research and issues in the field.
Call for Proposals: Papers, posters, round tables and symposia can be submitted to stfxcasae@gmail.com by June 9, 2017.

Job Junction in Halifax is offering workshops in June on WHMIS, comunications, transferrable skills and more. Read more

Back to the Top

For the next few months you can nominate the books that you believe have influenced our province’s ideas and attitudes, culture and environment. Suggest any book by a Nova Scotian author and/or about Nova Scotia that you feel define Nova Scotia for you. Read more

On July 3, children’s book author and literacy advocate Sheree Fitch will be opening a seasonal bookstore in River John. Mabel Murple’s Book Shoppe & Dreamery is named after the author’s 1995 children’s book Mabel Murple, a tongue-twisting poem about a girl living in a purple world. Read more

Over half (52 per cent) of Canadians are only $200 away from insolvency, and 31 per cent don’t make enough to cover their bills, according to a recent poll. 67 per cent aren’t confident about their ability to handle their finances, and 58 per cent wish they could go back and do things differently. Read more

Canadian students exceeded the OECD average in performing tasks associated with advanced levels of financial literacy. 87 percent of Canadian students performed tasks associated with at least the minimum level of financial literacy required to participate fully in modern society. Read more

Grass Roots Press is publishing a set of six workplace photostories for beginning readers in January 2018. Each photostory will focus on a specific soft skill; for example, active listening, patience, flexibility, etc. Please send suggestions for soft skills you would like to see covered in the sets to pat@grassrootsbooks.net.

Want to become a better person? Then you might want to consider picking up a book because according to a new study, reading regularly could make you kinder and more empathetic. After being quizzed on their preferences for books, TV and plays, participants were tested on whether they acted to help others. Read more.

Back to the Top

Google Classroom is a free app that allows you to create virtual classrooms where students can access discussions, both text and video (Google Hangouts), quizzes, tests, forms and more. Download     NEW 2017 features video

SkillsOnlineNS is a free elearning platform that gives every resident of Nova Scotia access to thousands of free online courses on the most important workplace topics to improve their skills and career prospects. Resource

Back to the Top

LNS Scholarship and Bursary Awards are available for adult learners. Application deadline is October 20, 2017.

Community-based learning organizations who are members of Literacy Nova Scotia can apply every year for free computer systems and laptops.

ABC Life Literacy Canada News - May 2017
AWENS - May 2017
Alphaplus - May 2017
As You Were Saying: Brigid Hayes Blog - May 2017
Canada Helps - May 2017
Canadian Society of Association Executives - May 2017
Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia, Central Region - May 2017
Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia, Highland Region - June 2017
Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick - May 2017
NWT Literacy Council - May 2017
Skills Online - May 2017
Tech Tips for Teachers - May 2017
Volunteer Canada News - May 2017
World Education / US - June 2017