System Learning Commons

Family Literacy Day: January 27^th (annual program)
Family Literacy Day takes place every January 27^th to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Since 1999, thousands of schools, libraries, literacy organizations and other community groups have taken part in the initiative. (ABC, 2024)

The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD Festival)
The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) is Canada’s first festival for diverse authors and storytellers, held both virtually and in person in historic downtown Brampton. The FOLD provides one-of-a-kind events for kids and adults to engage readers, inspire writers, and empower educators by highlighting important and underrepresented voices. (FOLD, 2023) HWDSB proudly supports this program annually. For more information on the FOLD Festival, please contact your school teacher librarian or email [email protected].

Forest of Reading
The Forest of Reading® is Canada’s largest recreational reading program, offering ten programs to encourage a love of reading in people of all ages, celebrating Canadian publishers, authors and illustrators. The program begins in October with the announcement of nominated titles and ends in April with province-wide voting and celebrations. For more information on the Forest of Reading, please contact your school teacher librarian or email [email protected].

Freedom to Read Week
February marks Freedom to Read in Canada, an annual event to raise awareness about censorship and access to diverse books and magazines in libraries. School libraries and Teacher Librarians play an important role in ensuring access to resources for all students that foster inclusion, diversity, and wellbeing. (Freedom To Read, 2024)

Hamilton Public Library
HWDSB is excited to partner with the Hamilton Public Library to promote a love of reading and lifelong learning. Hamilton Public Library cards are free to anyone who works and lives in Hamilton. For more information about an HPL library card, visit www.hpl.ca.

Sora Sweet Reads
Sora Sweet Reads is a summer program designed for schools to encourage students to keep reading all year long. Running May-August, Sora offers a collection of free juvenile and young adult eBooks, as well as select audiobooks. Every time a student checks out a Sweet Read, they add to their ‘reading badges and achievements’. To access Sora:

• Go to hwdsb.on.ca and click on the Hub
• Login to the Hub with your HWDSB Email and Password
• Find the HWDSB System Learning Commons Course
• Select Primary, Middle School, or Secondary School widgets and find Sora under “Read and Learn” or “Ebooks and Audiobooks”
• Find Sora Sweet Reads at the top of Sora from May-August.

TD Summer Reading Program
Ready. Set. Read! The TD Summer Reading Club is Canada’s biggest, bilingual summer reading program for kids of all ages, interests and abilities. This free Club is offered at more than 2,000 public libraries across Canada, as well as online. Hamilton Public Library (HPL) celebrates Summer Reading every year. For more information on their program, visit their website: https://hpl.ca/src

Telling Tales
The Telling Tales Festival is a 2-day annual event celebrating Canadian authors, illustrators, and storytellers representing the best in Canadian children’s literature and arts. HWDSB works with Telling Tales to promote the event and support school author visits. For more information, please visit their website: https://tellingtales.org/

Canadian Library Month
October is Canadian Library Month, sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA). All month long, libraries and library partners across Canada are raising awareness of the valuable role libraries play in Canadians’ lives. More than just a place to find books, libraries promote cultural awareness, engage in the community, provide educational programs, support freedom of expression and so much more.​​​​​​

Canadian School Library Day
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Canadian School Library Day, sponsored by Canadian School Libraries (CSL), celebrates the central role that school libraries play in the education and development of young people. CSL applauds the brilliant work that school libraries accomplish every single day across Canada. We invite everyone to shine a light on how learning in the Library Learning Commons is making a difference in their school, and share their accomplishments on Canadian School Library Day.