WRITTEN BY SHANNON MORIN

​Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! I hope everyone has had a gentle start and is easing into what I hope to be an exciting year for literacy education in Manitoba.

Bringing home new ideas from the International Literacy Association conference has been a long-standing tradition within the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg. I have been reflecting on what it means to be a literacy leader after attending the annual ILA conference this summer, with colleagues from both around the world and close to home. 

I heard stories of principals who “pull out all the stops” to engage students in home reading programs and family literacy nights. I learned how to return to the same picture book for multiple teaching reasons. I heard teachers and principals from all over North America profess how much they love to read and how important it was to them to support literacy education. I heard a panel of authors express their desire to connect students with characters who experience difficult life circumstances so those students see they are not alone. I heard how powerful giving students the power to share their story can be. I even heard some innovative ideas on how to find a math lesson within common picture books.

Our contributions to literacy education in our communities have given us the opportunity to share, learn, and lead. By simply sharing our passion for education and literacy, we can engage students, parents, and colleagues effortlessly. It’s not any different than a good hook at the beginning of a story.

Please help us connect with literacy leaders by sharing our updates for this year’s RCGW MTS PD Day on social media. We look forward to hosting literacy expert Dr. Jeffrey Wilhelm for his day-long PD: Setting the Stage for Success: Strategies to Foster Inquiry - Based Learning & Engaging Ways to Reach Reluctant Readers and Writers (Grades 3-9). Register via MTS MemberLink at memberlink.mbteach.org.

I will leave you with this quote from Pernille Ripp, which she shared at the ILA Conference during a panel called “Using Middle Grade Fiction to Tackle Tough Topics.”

WRITTEN BY CAROL HRYNIUK-ADAMOV 

The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg mourns the sudden passing of Kevin Mowat, a distinguished Manitoba literacy leader who enriched the literacy landscape of our province for several decades.

Kevin was an outstanding teacher-librarian and library consultant who supported thousands of teachers with his remarkable expertise. During his long and distinguished career, Kevin was the quintessential teacher, librarian, and consultant in the Winnipeg School Division. He was always willing to help educators locate resources and develop innovative projects. He acknowledged and supported all our efforts to promote literacy and learning.  

Forever curious, looking for innovative ways to promote literacy and inquiry, Kevin served as a tremendous role model for new and seasoned educators. He was a dear friend of our reading councils, our provincial Manitoba Reading Association (MRA), and the International Literacy Association. He was always eager to promote our annual literacy events and often tweeted about the highlights of literacy programs, conferences, and resources.

Kevin emailed me, in the early morning of the first day of school, just hours before he passed away. He was trying to locate, post and distribute registration forms in order to promote this year’s upcoming council events for professional learning. He was also a great supporter of “I Love to Read” Events across school divisions and public libraries. He promoted and celebrated the four MRA Adolescent Literacy Summits. Kevin was also revered by his colleagues, who awarded him the Manitoba School Library Association Distinguished Service Award in 2016 for his remarkable service to school libraries in Manitoba. This was one of the highlights of his career. 

The Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg Board and Membership extend our condolences to his beloved wife Jennifer Mowat, a retired reading clinician, son Andrew, and his colleagues in the Winnipeg School Division and the Manitoba School Library Association. We will all miss his inspiring presence.

Kevin Mowat has left a tremendous legacy, urging us to carry on innovative approaches to promote literacy in Manitoba and work collaboratively with our colleagues across the province to ensure “Every Manitoban, a Literate Manitoban.”


About the Author - Carol Hryniuk-Adamov serves on the editorial committee of Reading Manitoba in her role as a member-at-large for the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg Board. She is a past-president of RCGW and MRA and the past co-president of the Manitoba Council of Reading Clinicians. She also served as the International Literacy Association provincial co-ordinator for many years. Carol works at a reading clinician in the Winnipeg School Division Clinical Support Services in the Carpathia district.