We wish you . . .

      . . .  A very Merry Christmas

      . . .  tidings of comfort & joy

      . . .  no lump of coal in your stocking

     . . .  and much prosperity in 2009!

      From  the Staff of LPM

Celebrate Family Literacy Day, 2009 at our LPM event with the Story Fairy. Join us at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre on Tuesday, January 27. Watch for more information! To learn more about the Story Fairy, visit www.cindyrobin.com/.

Family Literacy Day was created by ABC Canada Literacy Foundation and Honda Canada in 1999.  Every year on January 27, communities across Canada celebrate this special day by holding literacy-themed events. Thousands of individuals, businesses, and corporate and media partners have donated time and services to help ABC Canada promote this important commitment to literacy. For more information, visit http://www.abc-canada.org/en/family_literacy/family_literacy_day.

LPM elected a new Executive Committee 2008-2009:

President - Herman Hansen

Vice President - Bob Thompson

Treasurer - Holly Banner

Don Fournier - Learner Representative

Lorri Apps - Executive Director & Recording Secretary

LPM would like to thank its past board members, welcome new members and welcome back a few others.

The CMEC Literacy Action Plan commits the provinces and territories to work together
to increase the literacy levels of all Canadians and to help Canadians acquire the
highest level of literacy skills in the world.

Literacy is essential to the social and economic well-being of all Canadians. By taking
specific actions and establishing a pan-Canadian vision in these areas, CMEC will
provide leadership in improving literacy across the country.

Under the action plan, Ministers have committed to working on:

• the creation by each jurisdiction of formal policy frameworks on literacy
• the creation of literacy networks to allow provinces and territories to share
ideas about promising literacy practices
• the development of a pan-Canadian research and data strategy in the area
of literacy
• the development of a pan-Canadian literacy communications and
awareness-building strategy
• the identification and consultation with those pan-Canadian organizations
and institutions with an interest in literacy to explore possible collaboration
and build on existing accomplishments
Ministers will also engage with Canadians on the importance of literacy and the need
to ensure that people have the skills, knowledge, and abilities to compete and succeed
in the global economy and participate fully in civic life.

For more information, visit www.literacy.cmec.ca/.

We are accepting submissions from literacy practitioners and students for January 9 th, 2009 or earlier, if possible. Submissions should be no more than 150 words, though we are open to longer articles of a page or so. There is no theme for this edition. If you teach adult literacy, send us an article and/or the best of your students' recent writing.

Thank-you to those who have already submitted material!

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) released a list of its Top 20 Downloads.

Resources include: Get Set Learn - Everything You Need to Run a Family Literacy Program, Action Research in Workplace Education - A Handbook for Literacy Instructors, and 18 others.

For the entire Top 20, click: http://www.nald.ca/top20/2008/nov08.htm

A recent report from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy concludes that children from well to do homes tend to be healthier than those who live in poverty. The analysis of more than 80 factors that indicate children’s “healthiness” confirms what researchers have suspected.

Remarkably, this methodology was first applied and these same areas were first identified in Literacy and Health: A Manitoba Perspective, a study published by LPM in 1997.

The Winnipeg Free Press published an article about LPM on December 10th. The article highlighted the role of LPM in eradicating low literacy and promoting continuous learning.

We could not get an electronic copy of the article to include in this e-bulletin. We do, however, have a paper copy in our office if you would like to read it, drop by (after January 5th!).

With the year drawing to a close, here’s a reminder to renew your membership. For those of you who have non-profit memberships, this is your last chance to pay the lower price before it increases to $110 on January 1. Please go here. There you can print the appropriate form, complete it and mail in with your payment.

Trapped in the Arctic by Pierre Berton

This is the story of Robert McClure's persistent search for the Northwest Passage. His determination included imperilling him and his crew, on one occasion with their ship trapped in the ice. Then one of his crew spotted "something black" moving on the horizon.

Hockey by Linda Hall .

Meals are interrupted. Chores are put on hold. Only one event in Canada can do that--hockey. Whether they are watching or playing the game, Canadians love hockey. Read about the exploits of former stars and the franchises in western Canada.

Winter festivals by Mike Rosen

Read about colourful, exciting festivals celebrated by different countries around the world. Includes celebrations which occur in a particular season and explains the origins and legends.

Snow by Philip Steele

Explains where it snows and why and how snow affects the lives of humans and other animals. Read about the causes and effects of weather and climatic changes. Check out these items in our online catalogue.