Latest blog posts


Syndicate content

Spul'u'kwuks Elementary: Creating Silver Linings as a Heart-Mind School
Posted by Jaden Gornall on 2021-06-10 13:22

Made possible by the Vancouver Foundation and the Edith Lando Foundation, our Heart-Mind in Schools Project is in the home stretch of its third and final year. Nine pilot schools have been given a 4-part Social Emotional Learning (SEL) workshop series along with support to implement their learnings, offering staff members evidence-informed, practical guidance on how to infuse SEL and Heart-Mind Well-Being into their school’s culture. more

Robert Ogilvie: The Story of a Northern Heart-Mind School
Posted by Jaden Gornall on 2021-05-04 14:43

Thanks to the generous support of the Vancouver Foundation and the Edith Lando Foundation, our Heart-Mind in Schools Project is in its third and final year. Throughout the Project, nine Heart-Mind schools in total have participated in four specialized Social Emotional Learning (SEL) workshops aimed at fostering system-wide SEL through the lens of the Heart-Mind Well-Being Framework, while receiving guidance and implementation support along the way.  more

Our Top 5 Heart-Mind Online Resources
Posted by Jaden Gornall on 2021-02-02 17:58

Our website Heart-Mind Online hosts a collection of evidence-informed resources to help you as an educator, parent, and/or caregiver raise the young people in your life to be kind, compassionate, and well-regulated in heart and mind. With practical strategies, activities, and lesson plans all backed by research on social and emotional learning, resources help you nurture the development of the five positive human qualities of the Heart-Mind Well-Being Framework in children from infancy to adolescence.Here is a list of 5 of our most popular Heart-Mind Online resources: more

Heart-Mind in Schools: Purpose Secondary's Journey
Posted by Jaden Gornall on 2020-12-21 17:10

Our Heart-Mind in Schools Project, generously funded by the Vancouver Foundation and another joint funder, is currently in its third year. The project provides staff at each of the nine school sites opportunities to attend 4 workshops focused on the implementation of system wide SEL (social and emotional learning). These workshops are guided by the Heart-Mind Well-Being Framework, and participating schools are provided with ongoing implementation support and resource materials. more

Stewarding a Community of Learners: On Strong Leadership
Posted by Jaden Gornall on 2020-08-24 14:33

The DLC recently interviewed Jillian Lewis, an educator with 30 years of tenure, about her experience in school leadership during the pandemic. Jillian had intended to make Spring 2020 her “farewell tour”, heading into retirement following 10 years as Principal of Brentwood Park Elementary School in Burnaby, BC, with her sights cast towards travelling the world with her partner, and embarking on a second career as “DJ Groove Heart". However, COVID-19 called her plans into question. more

Taking Steps Towards an Anti-Racist Future Through Heart-Mind Well-Being
Posted by Mikaela Hudson on 2020-06-24 15:29

Recent highly publicised police killings of black and Indigenous people, the response of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the resulting global protests against racism and police brutality are defining a moment in our collective history – this moment. more

Reading My Way to Heart-Mind Well-Being
Posted by Fiona Douglas-C... on 2020-06-14 09:17

Booklists are everywhere these days. It makes sense that many of us are soothing our anxieties and money worries, and replacing other leisure activities by escaping into books. But reading is so much more than an escape, or a lovely way to relax with a cup of tea.Reading educates our heartsSo many people I know in the business world either don’t read books at all, or they just stick to industry publications and work-related reading. Others only read Business, Leadership and Self-Development books–designed to help move them forward in their careers or keep on top of their game.Are we missing out on something special if we don’t read Fiction? I believe so. more

Camp Care-a-Lot: Kindness and Compassion in the Classroom
Posted by Mikaela Hudson on 2020-06-10 16:09

What would it look like to put caring and compassion at the top of our school agenda?For Jessica Cronck, a teacher at Peachland Elementary School in the Central Okanagan, it looks like inviting her Kindergarten/Grade 1 students to “Camp Care-a-Lot”, where learning takes place through outdoor education and a focus on well-being. Acknowledging the challenges and hardships students everywhere have experienced since schools closed earlier this year, Jessica has transformed her classroom into a “tent party” and adjusted her approach to prioritize social-emotional learning, joy, and connection more than ever before. more

How Parents Can Support Their Child’s Emotional Well-Being When Schools Re-open
Posted by Angela Low on 2020-06-05 14:10

The re-opening of schools can be a stressful time for many children and parents as they navigate yet another turn on this journey of parenting in a pandemic. With return to school being voluntary here in Canada, parents are asked to make an impossible decision during a very confusing time. There are no ideal options out there today. Information provided is incomplete, and guidelines lack clarity. The only thing we all agree on is that school life will be very different. more

Welcome Home to School: Recreating Classroom Community
Posted by Jaden Gornall on 2020-05-28 16:18

Looming on the horizon for many teachers and families is the partial return back to the classroom, while continuing to swiftly adapt to virtual learning.The DLC recently interviewed Derek Elliott, a grade 5 & 6 teacher in Powell River, BC about his teaching practice and vision for creating a culture of belonging to welcome students back to school. Instilling in students a sense of safety and community is pivotal to learning at this time–and the value of teachers cannot be understated, by virtue of their ability to create the conditions for meaningful learning to take place, starting at the social and emotional level.  more