VSB: After The Bell

It's the last month of the school year! Leading up to the summer break, we're sharing practical habits with technology that can support student well-being through the summer and beyond.
With technology being so much a part of daily life, it can be easy for screen time to creep up, especially when there is more downtime. That is why, for our final episode of season 4 of After the Bell, we are sharing a special live-session focused on building healthier tech habits. 
In this episode, we are joined by Matthew Johnson, director of education for MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital media literacy, and Christina Walker, VSB’s district digital literacy mentor. 
Together, Matthew and Christina explore practical ways families can support healthy, balanced and thoughtful technology use. These are skills that are important all year round, but especially during the summer months when children and youth may have more free time. 
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Part of our role at VSB is to help prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming part of everyday life, including how people learn, work and access information. 
As AI continues to evolve, it is important that students learn how to use these tools safely, responsibly and critically. This school year, VSB is introducing Microsoft Copilot 13+ in secondary schools to support digital literacy and help students better understand how AI can be used as a learning tool. 
We understand there are questions about what this means, and how this will shape learning in the classroom. To help guide this conversation, we asked families and students what they wanted to know. In this episode, we’re answering some of the frequently asked questions we heard directly from families and students. 
We’ll talk about what Copilot is, how it may be used in classrooms, what safeguards are in place and how students will be supported to use AI responsibly. 
Joining us to help answer these questions is Christina Walker, VSB’s Digital Literacy Mentor. We will also hear from two students from Tupper Secondary who will ask questions on behalf of their peers.
To learn more, visit govsb.ca/copilot
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April is Earth Month! Across VSB, students and staff help contribute to a more sustainable district every day! In honour of these efforts, we’re sharing stories of how of our VSB community has been doing exactly that, and how all our actions, both big and small, actively work toward our updated Environmental Sustainability Plan.  
Today, we’re hearing from teachers across the district who are passionate about supporting sustainability and inspiring students. We’ll also hear from two students from John Oliver Secondary, who will share how they’re putting what they learned in the classroom into action!
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Quick links:
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
⁠Merlin Bird ID app ⁠
⁠iNaturalist app⁠
Seek by iNaturalist app

Summer is right around the corner! If you’re thinking about Summer Learning, now is the time to start planning.
On this episode, we’re joined by Ryan Fullerton, District Principal for the Vancouver Learning Network. Ryan shares everything you need to know about Summer Learning, including when to register, what you'll need to access the registration site, course selection and more.
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Quick links:
Summer Learning registration site
Summer Learning information page

Today, we’re talking about financial literacy for students. In this epsiode, we're joined by Wendi Campbell, the CEO of Junior Achievement British Columbia, or JABC for short.
Wendi breaks down the basics of financial literacy for students of all ages, including what families can do at home to help prepare students for their financial futures.
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