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March 19, 20 and 21, 2012 7:00 9:00 PM Slide 2 Opening Prayer Trustee: Called to righteousness and faith, we gather All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Trustee: Let us listen to these words from Psalm 145. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18) Please join me in our opening prayer. Slide 3 Opening Prayer - continued All: O God, you are rich in love and mercy and upon your grace and goodness we hope during the season of Lent. Transform our hearts and minds, uncovering and strengthening all that is good and right and true in our lives. Help us to respond to your love that we may live lives that are pleasing to you and be a sign to the world of what you do for your people that all may be reconciled with you. Be our guide and companion during this gathering and grant us your wisdom and vision. May this meeting and every moment of our lives be a reflection of your ways and bring glory to your name. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Slide 4 Trustee Update New Chief Superintendent Gary Strother Budget Provincial Elections Bill 2 Stress & Anxiety Experienced by Students from presentation to parents, teachers and Central Office staff by Dr. Paul Foxman Slide 5 Dr. Paul Foxman Dr. Paul Foxman facilitated four presentations related to stress and anxiety experienced by students: Junior high principals and counselors Calgary Catholic parents High school teachers and administrators High school counselors Slide 6 Alberta School Councils Association (ASCA) Slide 7 Board of Trustees Governance Model Governance model structure and function. On a regular schedule, Trustees review their policies which drive the district. The conversation about school council membership in the Alberta School Council Association is directly related to the work of the Board of Trustees and linked to GP-13, Board Linkages with Other Organizations Slide 8 School Council Responsibilities School Councils may advise and consult with their education partners at three levels: School level Advise the Principal respecting any matter relating to the school (excluding personnel issues). District level Advise the School Board respecting any matter relating to the school. Share information and ideas with other school councils. Provincial level Look beyond the needs of a particular school to share information and ideas with Alberta Education. Slide 9 Calgary Catholic Mandate in Supporting School Councils Parent involvement in their children's education very much valued by Calgary Catholic 1971 School Councils were included on Board Policy and since that time, every school has an active School Council or an Advisory Council Over the years, structures have been put into place to reflect the needs of School Councils and the evolution of structures reflect accommodation to changing times Slide 10 Calgary Catholic Mandate in Supporting School Councils Current structures and processes for school council and parent input have been exceptional in providing feedback to the Board of Trustees and in advising the Board Many positive results have been accomplished due to this constant and continued parent input Parent and Trustee Forums, the SC Chair and Trustee General Meeting in the Fall and invitations by School Councils to attend meetings and school functions and celebrations are all important forums for sharing of information, giving feedback and advising the Board Slide 11 Alberta Education Mandate for Parent Involvement (Background) Recognizes the importance of parent involvement in their childrens education Committed to help support effective School Councils and parental involvement by developing a provincial resource Provided resources for ASCA to develop a School Council Handbook Updated on a regular basis. Last update, 2007 Slide 12 Ministers 10-Point Plan Related to Parent Engagement in their Childrens Education Includes: Creating a stronger voice for parents in the education system Providing better information to increase the transparency, clarity and accountability of the education system Slide 13 Minister Lukaszuk said, Albertans want the best possible learning opportunities and experiences for our students. Government's commitment to revised legislation and this 10-point plan will make a real difference for students today and into the future. Slide 14 ASCA - Background Province-wide organization in support of School Councils Formed in 1929 as an affiliate of the Canadian Home and School Federation ASCA is the successor of this Federation and was initially established to address difficulties experienced by rural jurisdictions Mission - To engage and support parental involvement in public education Slide 15 ASCA Mandate in Supporting School Councils Bring parental perspective on education issues to government and others Provide resources and support Promote parent engagement in education Work with other education organizations and government to promote excellence in public education Provide well-researched and timely information on education Slide 16 The Benefits of Being a Member of ASCA Calgary Catholic is recognized provincially for their strong support system for school councils and processes for school council and parent input, feedback and advise. ASCA would build on what already has proven to work well and serve as an enhancement to what already exists. Communication can be enhanced to provide more direct contact with the Minister and Department of Education. This would provide additional connections and linkages to the Minister and education departments. In addition, membership would provide access to online resources, discussion boards, blogs, webcasts, and print materials, workshops, sessions and conferences. Slide 17 ASCA Represents Voice of Alberta Parents (with Government) Builds and sustains a mutually supportive relationship with the government ensuring parents voices are heard, understood and have meaning in transforming education Continuous support and communication with the Minister and legislative authorities Services provided by ASCA encourage parents and school councils to be effective change agents in the education system Aligned with Alberta Education goals Slide 18 Voice of Catholic Parents 56 of the 60 Schools Boards in Alberta are members of ASCA ASCA has the ear of the Minister of Education Important that the voice of Catholic parents be stronger and more adequately represented at the provincial level Currently, three Calgary Catholic Schools Councils have ASCA membership Slide 19 Table Talk Questions How will belonging to ASCA enhance your School Councils? How can Calgary Catholic School Councils ensure that a unified Catholic voice is going to the provincial government? Should the district take advantage of the free 1.5 year membership to see if there is any benefit to our district? Slide 20 Spelling Evolution Slide 21 Why are we re-imagining Spelling? Slide 22 Slide 23 Spelling and text messaging 14AA41 10Q 2MI Slide 24 Slide 25 Slide 26 Research Articles can be found at www.cssd.ab.ca Slide 27 Slide 28 Strategies Active Engaging Exploratory Simple Slide 29 Interactive Word Walls Not just a display of words. Slide 30 http://www.youtube.com/user/balancedliteracydiet#g/c/6EABCFADA379AB59 Slide 31 http://www.youtube.com/user/balancedliter acydiet#p/c/6EABCFADA379AB59/6/W9m WCLJAQ5o Slide 32 Playing with Words...Sample Circumference Syllables (Jaw drop, clap) Jaw Drops: 4 Cir cum fer ence Prefixes, Suffixes, Root Word and Word Origin cir? circ? circu? circum? Latin meaning around Connections to the Real World Words that Rhyme or Sound Similar Audience Coincidence Essence Circumstance Circular Circumvent Synonyms & Antonyms Edge Border Fringe Middle Corner Look, Say, Cover, Spell 1 2 3 4 How the word could be misspelled. Sircomefurens Circlecomference An imageAcronym related to learning C: carefully I: instruct R: real C: concrete U:understandin g M:meaning Your idea! Multisensory: Smooth Curved Whirling Car makers Race engineers - Use it to find out what size tire gives them the most performance Slide 33 http://www.spellingcity.com/ Slide 34 http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=readwr&ie=UTF- 8&rlz=1T4SKPB_enCA386CA390&q=readwritethink&gs_upl=0l0l0l3627lllllllllll0&aqi=g4s3&safe=active Slide 35 World Caf Slide 36 Feedback Sheets All questions are relevant and important. If your question was not answered in the course of this meeting, using the Feedback Sheet, please provide your name, school, and e-mail address with your question(s) and leave on the table when leaving or fax to Luba Diduch at 403-500-2431 or email your questions to luba.diduch@cssd.ab.ca. Slide 37 General Questions/Comments Slide 38 Closing Prayer Trustee: We pray as one, All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord God, as we go our separate ways and remain on our Lenten journey we ask for your continued grace that we may be transformed by your great love and live in your light. Call us to prayer and scripture that we may more deeply hear your voice and come to know you. Help us to give generously to those in need and to reach out to others, particularly those with which we are in need of reconciliation. Teach us to be humble servants, fulfilling the tasks set before us and serving others with open and generous hearts. Grant us wisdom that we may help our children learn to respect, forgive, welcome and love others. May they see themselves as your precious gifts, learn to put their hope in you and live in the world with justice and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.