srta newsletter december 2010

7/30/2019 SRTA Newsletter December 2010

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December 2010

Proud member of ..

Greetings of the season, everyone!

As we wind down 2010, it’s always a goodidea to tie up loose ends and then look backwith pride on a year well lived. With that inmind, I will update you on the latest with theSeine River Teachers’ Association.

Collective Bargaining:Without a doubt, this is the most asked-abouttopic at the moment—where are we innegotiations? When are we getting our backpay? What’s in the package?

Our bargaining team of Chair, Steve Muzyka,along with members Frances Gauthier,Georgina Dyck-Hacault, Jean-FrancoisGodbout, and I worked with MTS staff officer, Eldene Spencer to finalize our openingpackage. On November 30 we presented thepackage to the Seine River School Division’snegotiating team. We have scheduled three

more meetings for February and March tocontinue the negotiations process.

At present, there are 37/38 teacherassociations in Manitoba negotiating a newcollective agreement. Only the Louis Rielassociation has a settlement for the 2010-2011 year. One association is in arbitrationand another has asked for conciliation.There is a reluctance among many schooldivisions to settle their negotiations tooquickly, as a settlement could be used asprecedence for the remainder of theprovince’s divisions.

In order to negotiate in good faith, ourassociation does not discuss negotiationsdetails outside the process. Please beassured that we are working very closelyMTS and Eldene is our spokesperson at ttable. We will venture to keep you asinformed as we can, and we thank you foyour consideration in this matter.

As an aside — we in Manitoba have, by fthe best maternity/parental leave benefiany region in Canada, as reported by the

Canadian Teachers’ Federation.

Vision Care Vote: On November 29, all members of theassociation had the opportunity to vote ovision care option to be added to ourExtended Health Care package. At ourcouncil meeting in September, we had sestandard at 60% in favour before the opwould be added.

Of the 226 votes cast, 112 were in favouaccepting the option; 114 were against.Therefore, we will NOT be adding vision

to our benefits package at this time. Spethanks to Leslie Buffie of DTS who overthe counting of the ballots, and to herhelpers, Kelly Manveiler and Laird Lal

Seine River School Division ElectionsThe October elections changed the face oboard of trustees, as two new trustees jothe table — Jessie Cahill and Cindy FontaWe certainly extend a welcome from theSRTA. We also thank the two outgoingtrustees, Sharon Marshall and Lloyd Schu

(Continued on

President

Suzanne Moore

Vice-PresidentPat Liss

Treasurer

Valerie Hamilton

Secretary Frances Gauthier

Collective Bargaining Chair

Steve Muzyka

Employee Benefits Chair Allison Graham

Health & Wellness Chair

Colleen Kachur-Reico

Professional Development ChairGeorgina Dyck-Hacault

Workplace Safety & HealthKathy Dubesky

Equity & Social Justice Chair

Rebecca Sheffield

Education Finance ChairKristen Van de Laar

Resolutions Chair

Lindsay Hutchinson

Public Relations Chair Suzanne Moore

Council Meeting DatesFebruary 15, 2011

April 19, 2011

June 2, 2011

SRTA Elections:April 27, 2011

Suzanne’s

Message

Phone: 204-270-0215

[email protected]



many of you know, Sharon Marshalll ill shortly after the elections andexpectedly passed away. We extendedr deepest sympathies to the family,membering all the time and effortaron gave in representing hernstituents.

th permission, I am including asponse that Lloyd Schulz sent me whenontacted him after the election:

Thank you so much for this expression of

appreciation. I am grateful for theprivilege that was mine to serve our

community in this way for the last eight

years.

I note also that your taking the time and making the effort to acknowledgement a

former public servant speaks to the cultureof Seine River School Division.

I attended the CLC PAC meeting on

Tuesday to advise that as I am no longer their Trustee representative, and I was

thrilled by the principal's report. Student council activities are almost all for the

benefit of others (blood donation drive,fundraising for charities, etc) and the

principal gave credit to character education(now "Culture of Character) for the shift he

has seen during his time in the school. Asa result of the recent Rachael's Challenge

presentations, students are takingnitiatives to deliberately show appreciation

to teachers, bus drivers, etc. He wasexcited about the positive impact he

expected, and I confess that I was thrilled.As a board we did what we thought was

right in promoting a culture of character inour division. To see it becoming so deeply

engrained in our division is very deeply gratifying.

I am thankful that I personally had the

opportunity to serve the community as aschool trustee for the last eight years, and

particularly when I see results like thiswhich will positively affect our community

for years to come.

andardizing of Report Cards e Manitoba Teachers’ Society’sesident, Pat Isaak and vice president,en Olson have been working with thevernment-appointed committee to

dress the standardizing of report cards.hile consensus is always the goal, theimate decision regarding the reportrd rests with the Minister. Governments indicated that they are looking at aport card template that would be 60% -% standard and 30% - 40% local.

TS reiterated that our members’ firstority was that the provincial reportrd must represent a reduction inacher workload. Pat and Glen also

minded the committee that assessmentas an ongoing part of every teacher’s

ork, but that report cards were forrents.

Coordination of PD/AdministrationDaysThe announcement on the synchronizingof PD/Administration Days is not an issuein Seine River as these are standardthroughout the division.

The provincial government seems poisedto finally declare that SAG become aprovince-wide PD day. This would requiremany more workshops and sessions be

made available around the province, not just in Winnipeg. Stay tuned for moreinfo.

Late Assignments and PromotionsThe government released its documentProvincial Assessment Policy Kindergartento Grade 12: Academic Responsibility,Honesty and Promotion/Retention inNovember. A review of the documentreflects the input of the MTS in thedecision making. Pat Isaak reports that,

“The most important aspect of government’s policy is that there is

recognition throughout of the teacher’sprofessional judgment in assessing andevaluating their students. The policy alsorecognizes that promotion decisions mustinclude consultation with the child’steacher. While the principal remainsresponsible for the promotion of students,the teacher will have a voice in thatdiscussion.” To view the document, go towww.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/

publications.html

The announcement to raise the quittingage of student to 18 caught the MTS by

surprise, though we certainly support theinitiative and look forward to aiding in theimplementing of this initiative.

SRTA Constitutional AmendmentsTwo proposed amendments were broughtforward at our last council meeting to bevoted on in February. The first was tochange the length of term of office of SRTA executive from one to two years.The second was to have the WorkplaceSafety and Health chairperson act as theco-chair to the divisional WSH committee.Please discuss these proposals with your

reps, and let them know your views.

Budget Consultations On December 7, the Ed Financecommittee met with the SRSD trusteesand presented our suggestions for their2011-2012 proposed budget. Thanks tochair, Kristen Van de Laar, as well asPat Liss, Lindsay Hutchinson.

On November 29, I attended theprovincial budget consultation meeting atthe Lorette Jubinville Hall, with RosanneWowchuk and Ron Lemieux in

attendance. The meeting consisted of

focus groups whose task it was to prfeedback on the present budgetarysystem and to suggest improvementThe outcomes of the focus groups wthen presented to the ministers and copies were submitted for laterconsultation.

Separate PD Bank Account In an effort to keep track of the monused on Professional Development, aseparate bank account was set up. T

signing authorities remain the same,our treasurer, Val Hamilton will bekeeping a close account of all thetransactions.

Thanks go out to the PD committee their constant work in this area: ChaGeorgina Dyck-Hacault, and memPat Liss, Kelly Baker, MichelleHancock, Tina Lavack, Teresa Ye(and I).

Health & Wellness The Health and Wellness Committee

chair, Colleen Kachur-Reico, memLaura Nault, Sandra Turcotte (anmet in October. Slight revisions havbeen made to the Health & Wellnessapplication forms and the date forsubmissions from schools has beenextended to end of January, 2011Council also moved to increase theirbudget line to allow for involvement other activities later in the year.

Banner Contest Our Public Relations initiative this yethe design 4’ x 8’ banners to be hung

the Lorette and St. Norbert arenas thyear, and La Broquerie, Ste. Anne anAdolphe next year. Anyone interestdesigning the banner needs to be mithat it must contain the SRTA logo, aillustration and a catchy motto/slogamust also be submitted by Decemb

31,2010.

MTS Presidential Election, April 12011 Voting packages will be sent out to eschool. We will keepyou informed of the

candidates and theirplatforms.

On behalf of theexecutive and theschoolrepresentatives, weextend our heartfeltwishes for a restfulholiday.

With regards,

Suzanne :)

ontinued from page 1)



Apologies toFrances

Gauthier:

n the Meet the 2010-2011 SRTA Executive

rochure, Frances was erroneously credited

th teaching 3/4 time. Actually, Frances

eaches a combined grade 3/4 class.

When might my principalnot approve the

opportunity for me toattend a personally-

directed PD that is fundedthrough our PD fund?

ccording to the Seine River Principals’

ssociation, there are basically two reasons

hy a teacher may be denied the opportunity

attend a PD session:

Number of requests

-If the individual who is requesting the

D has already attended numerous PD

essions; the continuity of programs needs to

e maintained

) Availability of subs

- Lead time of 1 week

to 1 month is neededto find a sub,

depending on the

school; immersion

schools have a moredifficult time finding

subs

Must I evaluate principals/vice-principals? How will that happen?

Generally, teachers are not to be evaluating other colleagu

but because administrators are also "agents of the board",is legal for them to be evaluated by the teachers with who

they work.

This year, evaluations will be conducted in one of two ways:

1) The questions being posed to evaluate the principals wil

be forwarded to the teachers in advance of their next

staff meeting which will be attended by Mike, Elaine or

Simon. Or

2) The questionnaires will be brought to the staff meeting

After discussion, the teachers will have the option of

submitting the evaluations via courier. NO ANONYMOevaluations will be considered.

Things to keep in mind:

� There should not be anything on the evaluation that has

not been discussed with the principal/vice principal by tevaluator. That follows the Code of Conduct and is

imperative.

� As teachers, we need and want to be part of this

evaluation process. We need to feel that we have some

say in the running of our schools.



What can I do if I feel that I ambeing harassed by a

colleague or administrator?

Article 27.01 of our Collective Agreement lays out the gui

lines regarding Harassment and Discrimination in Seine Riv

School Division:

T he parties recognize the importance of establishing and ma

taining positive relationships at work and that all employees

the Seine River School Division including those employees co

ered by this agreement are entitled to a respectful working

environment that is free from discrimination, harassment an

other disruptive workplace conflict.

Seine River School Division is committed to providing a work

environment which is supportive of the fair treatment of all

employees and is conducive to relationships based on mutual

respect, cooperation and understanding.

Seine River School Division does not condone behaviour that

likely to undermine the dignity, self-esteem or productivity

any employee. It recognizes that it is every employee’s righ

be treated with dignity and respect and every employee’s re

sponsibility to treat others the same way.

Harassment and discrimination, in all their forms, violate the

victim’s human rights and are contrary to the Seine River

School Division’s fundamental values. The Division will act

promptly and efficiently to deal with such situations.

Seine River School Division will ensure that individuals who b

lieve that they have been subjected to harassment are able

register complaints without fear of retaliation or reprisal.

Seine River School Division will exercise care to protect and

respect the rights of both the complainant and the person

complained about (the respondent).

All complaints of harassment or discrimination must be made

within a reasonable time, usually within six months from thedate of the most recent alleged incident.

If you feel you are being harassed:

1) Document everything: time, date, details and wit-

nesses (if possible)

2) Contact your president, Suzanne (270-0215) for f

ther direction.

Why don’t we have anarticle in our collectiveagreement for a day in

lieu of extra-curricularhours volunteered?

Article 24.01 of our Collective Agreement

states:

Teacher participation in extra-curricular activities shall be voluntary.

This Means:

� No teacher can be intimidated, shamed,

coerced or forced into doing extra-

curricular activities; not by an

administrator, nor by a fellow colleague!

� Voluntary is voluntary and does ask for

recompense.

The Response:

The board recognized that many teachers

were putting in many hours on extra-

curricular activities. Their response during

the last round of negotiations was to grant

another personal leave day for every

teacher in the division.



Why does MTS advise that teachers not transport students

in their vehicles?

This is a complicated issue— one that required legal

advice. At the 2010 AGM, members voted in favour

of this Resolution 39 after referring to that legal

opinion and after being assured by president, PatIsaak that MTS would support any members who en-countered difficulties as a result of transporting stu-

dents in their vehicles. (See pg 6 for legal opinion)

How much prep time am Isupposed to be having?

Article 18.01 of our Collective Agreement

states:Commencing with the 1st day of the 2008/20

school year, over the course of a school’s

instructional cycle, every full time teacher shhave the equivalent of the minimum of 40 min

per day of preparation time, exclusive of rece

It shall not be allocated in blocks smaller tha

minutes.

How am I covered if I get injured on the job?

Article 6.06 of our Collective Agreement says

the following about On-the-Job-Injuries:

When a teacher suffers an on-the-job-injury and is

absent from work as a result of that injury, the Divi-

sion shall continue to pay that teacher’s salary during

such absence, limited to the extent of the accumu-

lated sick leave balance at the time of the injury.

The period of time absent from work as a conse-

quence of an on-the-job-injury shall be charged

against the accumulated sick leave balance and sub-

sequently returned upon return to work.

This means that you will use up your sick leave, but thedays will be returned to you once you go back to work.

Do I have to accept a studentwork right up to the last day

the schoolyear?

According to the

document, Provin-

cial Assessment

Policy Kindergarten

to Grade 12 —

Academic Responsi-

bility, Honesty, and Promotion/

Retention, teachers may establish, communicate a

apply consequences to late or missing assignments

In applying consequences to late or missing wo

teachers will consider the nature of the assign

ment, the individual circumstances of the stud

(especially struggling learners), and the potent

impact of the consequence on subsequent learn

and motivation. Whatever the consequence, stdents are ultimately responsible for the timely

completion of their assignments and for knowin

that there are consequences for failure to adh

to those parameters . (pg 9)

Do I lose my seniority when I amon Maternity/Parental leave?

No, under the provisions of the Employment Standards

Act, employees who are on maternity, parental and

ompassionate care leave will retain and accrue

eniority when absent from work.

Applying for PD?

Send your completed information to

[email protected]

Want to Ask MTS President Pa

Isaak a question? Go to:

http://www.mbteach.org/HDWForm2Mail

askthepresident.html



Welcome to

the newest

members of

the Seine River

Teachers’

Association

Lorraine

KlymkoRetirement is wonderful. It's doing nothing without worryi

about getting caught at it. — Gene Perret

I retired early for health reasons — my company was sick of

and I was sick of them. — Anonymous Wise person

Stephanie Beaudoin ESNI

Murray Carter SAE

Wendy Chase SAC

Jonathan Clark SAC

Shannon Corbett CLC

Gail Cormier CSNC

Lori Davis ESNI

Chantelle Edwards DTS

Mark Eismendi DTS

Daniele Emard-Ferre DTSMichelle Eyolfson PLSS

Errin Fast ESAS

Kerry Fox DTS

Steven Gauthier ARB

Jeffrey Gusdal EIDC

Esme Harrar DTS

Keri Huver SAE

Pamela Kinden CLC

Christian Leclerc ELI

Jillian Light SAE

Meghan Mawhinney SAC Mary Jane McCarron ESAS/ESNI

Natalie Moore LSS

Colleen Prystenski Stu Serv

Monique Ridley ARB/RCH

Courteney Robinson LSS/PLSS

Shawn Sadler SAC

Amy Scherbain CSNC

Andrea Szabo DTS

Chris Szun SAC

Donald Tougas D.O.

Alissa Vivian ARBVanessa Villing ELI

Elaine Wilson RCH

Trevor Zetaruk ARB

Equity and SocialJustice

Greetings from the Equity and Social JusticeCommittee! As the new committee chair, Iam still learning a great deal about my roleand look forward to continued growth andprofessional development to help me enhan

my knowledge base. Part of my role is tohelp address issues related to safe, respectfand inclusive teaching; promote equity in aareas of our association including age, racesexual orientation, mental and physicaldisability, gender and others, and finally topromote equity and social justice so all of omembers are treated equitably and perceivethemselves to be physically andpsychologically safe and secure.

As a social work clinician in the division I

have the privilege of getting to know adiverse group of teachers in different schooacross the division, however, without inputfrom ALL of you, it’s difficult to know how tosupport your needs. In the coming monthsour committee will be sending out a surveyvia email to address your equity and social justice concerns (it won’t be long – wepromise!) and we would appreciate yourfeedback. Your contribution is invaluable!Looking forward to hearing from all of you…

Wishing you a safe andhappy holiday,

Rebecca Sheffield



A school division has liabilityinsurance through the ManitobaSchools Insurance program of $40million. This is general liabilityinsurance and although we havebeen told it would defend a teacher

involved in a motor vehicle accident,we have not seen the policy. Theteacher’s own coverage under theManitoba Public Insurance programis the first payer. This means that,as is the case with any motorvehicle accident, the teacher, if atfault, would have to assume thefinancial penalty to their MPIpremium rates as well as asurcharge on their license shouldthere be an incident related to the

transportation of students.

Divisions do not pay the premiumsfor insuring teachers’ vehicles ashaving a car is not a condition of employment and teachers wouldassume any risk for the transportingof students for school-relatedactivities and their personalinsurance coverage becomes a firstpayer while conducting divisionalbusiness.

Teachers also put their welfare atrisk when transporting students asthe opportunity is greater forallegations of misconduct to bemade, especially in a one-on-onesituation.

Depending on the circumstances itis also possible for the employer toimpose discipline, possibly up totermination, if for example seriousinjury was the direct result of improper conduct on the part of the

teacher.

Can a teacher be

successfully sued for

negligence?

Depends.

� If an accident occurs in Manitoba

with Manitoba drivers, MPI has nofault insurance and the teachercannot be sued.

� If it involves an accident out of

province, then the teacher maybe sued in accordance with thelaw in the jurisdiction where theaccident occurred. All persons

injured due tonegligence of theteacher, includingstudent passengers,could sue the teacherin the jurisdictionwhere the accidentoccurred (provided itwas not a “no-fault” jurisdiction). MPIwould be required todefend the case on

behalf of the teacher upto the limits of liability under theMPI policy. Many US jurisdictionsaward damages in amountsexceeding that typically carriedby Manitobans and the teacherwould be personally responsiblefor any award exceeding theircoverage limit unless theManitoba Insurance Program$30M policy provided coverage.

� If the accident occurs in

Manitoba with an out of provincevehicle, there is a possibility thatthe teacher could be sued in thestate or province where theinjured party resides, inaccordance with the laws of that jurisdiction. Injured studentpassengers who are residents of Manitoba would not be able tosue.

� If a teacher is injured they would

have to use up sick days and/obe on disability depending on tamount of accumulated daysavailable to the teacher. Onlyhandful of associations haveShort Term Disability Plans tha

carry a teacher to DisabilityBenefits if they do not haveenough days to cover off thewaiting period. MPI benefitswould also be available to aninjured teacher.

� If the division was negligent in

some way the Society couldassist a member in bringing anaction against the Division fordamages. Some associations

also have an on the job injuryclause which could be accessedfor reclaiming sick days andmedical expenses.

�Some teacher collective

agreements have specificprovisions that speak to teachehaving to reimburse the divisiofor any money that they mayreceive from MPI as a result ofclaim for wage replacement.

As indicated above, ordinarily ateacher transporting students witManitoba would not be sued as thlaw does not permit it. In theevent that a teacher is transportistudents outside of Manitoba or iinvolved in an accident with an oof province driver who sues in thhome jurisdiction, MPI would defethe claim, subject to the teacherhaving valid insurance and subjecto the limits of liability on the

insurance. Student passengerswould only be able to suesuccessfully if the accidenthappened outside Manitoba, in a jurisdiction that was not no-faultall circumstances, teachers shoulensure that their insurancecoverage is adequate beforeagreeing to transport students, bcontacting Manitoba PublicInsurance.

Legal Opinion on Resolution B39TRANSPORTATION OF STUDENTS



It is hard to believe that we are inthe third year of running our own PDFund. It seems like it was justyesterday that we were negotiatingthis clause with the school board.

We are very pleased to announcethat the SRSD has agreed to fundthe PD Fund even though the letterof agreement (last collectiveagreement) expired at the end of June. A big thank you goes out tothe Board for their commitment toour members.

We have had an excellent start tothe PD year with a large number of people applying for PD opportunities(see the list below). We havecontinued to stream line ourapplication process and areprocessing the applications inbatches this year. Applications aresent to the PD Committee,depending on the number received,once or twice a week. For speedyapproval, it is very important thatyou fill out the application form withas much detail as possible andensure that it is e-mailed to me ateast five school days prior to your

PD event. Once I receive theapplication, it is then forwardedelectronically to the committee fortheir approval.

We are already acceptingapplications for PD, occurring fromJanuary to March, for in-provinceand out-of-province professionaldevelopment. December 15th is thenext date to remember as

applications will be accepted forcourse work (Jan-April) and any in-province and out-of-province PDwhich will occur during the April toJune period.

If you are looking for PDopportunities, you can check theMTS website at www.mbteach.org.Under the heading ProfessionalDevelopment there are threeoptions you can try. For PD offeredby MTS, please click on the tabentitled MTS workshops. Anotheroption is the tab entitled PD Bulletin.Once you have accessed thissection, you have the option of clicking on PD that is offered by

other organizations. The last option

is PD offered by SAG in ManitobaPlease click on the SAG tab and ton SAG and Contacts. You will neto access each of the SAGsseparately but some do offer PDthroughout the year.

Should you have any PD questionplease feel free to call me at 803-9354 or e-mail me [email protected]. I amlooking forward to hearing from y

As of December 3, 2010, thefollowing is a list of applicants whhave received approval:

NAME WORKSHOP NAME

Andrea Szabo Jump MathChristina Chan 2 Assessment: Grade 8 WritingMark Eismendi Jump MathKerry Fox Maximizing the Effectiveness of Balanced Literacy Melanie Bowles BER - Six Plus One Traits of WritingTerri Mowchun Healing and Treating Trauma - Vancouver Carole Hebert 1 Administration du personnel scolaireCarole Hebert 2 Problématiques actuelles en administration scolaireColleen Prystenki Social Skills

Carol Martens Listening Activities - WSORia Pirie Gender Identity, Trans and Gender AwarenessRebecca Sheffield Healing and Treating Trauma - Vancouver Laura Nault Healing and Treating Trauma - Vancouver Christian Leclerc Stepping up Literacy Lindsay Hutchinson Stepping up Literacy

Alana Klopick Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents Jonathan Waite Current Issues in Language and Literacy Jonathan Elcomb Smart Board Certification trainingChristina Chan 1 Stepping up Literacy

Ann Groening Stepping up Literacy Brandi Wait Teaching ESL Grammar Elizabeth Hammond Introduction to Inclusive Special Education

Amanda Schnell Inclusive Education for Deaf/Hard of Hearing StudenEric Lindquist Understanding by Design and DI - Webinar Kelly Baker Anxiety Disorders in Children and AdolescentsPat Liss The 3R's of a Successful Counseling ProgramWendy Chase Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Angela Marquart Organization and Delivery of Resource ProgramsGeorgina Dyck-Hacault Introduction to Educational ResearchTammy Harding Using Six Plus One Traits of Writing

Adrian Huntley Frank Grazier Football Clinic - MinneapolisCindy Mason Manitoba Association of Physics TeachersCorinne Kumka ASIST (Suicide Intervention Program)Mandy Jacobson MATC School-Age Autism Seminar

SRTA PD Fund Updateby Georgina Dyck-Hacault, STRA PD Chair



ver the summer I had thepportunity to take part in the Level

ne ORFF Certification offeredrough the University of Manitoba.hat is ORFF you may ask.

he ORFF approach to teaching musicas created by the German musicianarl ORFF during the 1920’s. TheRFF music approach is a philosophyat encourage children to experienceusic at their own level of nderstanding; to experience musicrough play rather then

emorization. Music concepts areught never with just music alone.hey are always connected withnce movement, and speech. Thestruments that are used within anRFF centred classroom are thoseu typically find in a music classom today including Xylophones,ums, percussion instruments,corders, and of course your ownice.

Imitation, exploration, improvisation,and literacy are the four basic

concepts used to teach music withthe ORFF process. Imitation involvesthe children learning throughmirroring your movements or echoingyour singing. Exploration lets thechildren discover which instrumentsor sounds would best fit with thesong or story we are learning about.Improvisation is where the studentscan create their own movements andeven their own songs on theinstruments. Then finally with literacy

we connect the musical concepts tothe written music.

This very intensive course wasoffered the first two weeks of July atSt John’s Raven’s Court. The LevelOne Certification was a seven hour aday program with instruction focusingon the basic concepts of ORFF.During that time we learned how totake a music concept like the quarternote or syncopation and develop a

song to go with that concept as was any background instruments w

might want to add to it. Also inclwas an hour each of instruction irecorder, movement, choraltechniques and a study/ensembletime. Each day was started brighand early with a warm up activitywhere we participated in testedclassroom lessons developed andfacilitated from teachers all acrosCanada.

All in all, the entire course was v

helpful as a new music teacher. Igave me the tools to teach any smusical concept or elementaryinstrument successfully. The greaaspect was that I left with manyalready tried and tested activitiesthat I could have used the next din my classroom.

Courtney RobinsonPLS/LSS

usic making,ancing, singing,aying,ughing...each valued individuallyr different reasons. Yet combinedgether they form ORFFs worldmous approach of engagement,arning and creative musicalxpression in the classroom.

his summer, I spent ten daysompleting my Level 2 ORFFertification through the University of anitoba. The course consisted of x different instructors, who eachught and worked with studentsnging from their first year of aching all the way to their thirtieth

ear or more. Focus was on thecorder with Jewel Casselman, choir th Carolyn Boyes, movement withanne Sjoberg, and instrumentation he basics of ORFF) with Joannklater, Marcelline Moody and Ruth

iwchar. Not only did I gain

insightful ideas from theseexperienced and incredibly talentedteachers, but I was also givencountless opportunities to peer teach,evaluate and receive constructivecriticism to better myself as a musicteacher. Level 2 ORFF was a hands-on, fully interactive approach thatallowed each person involved towatch, listen, teach, make mistakesin a safe environment, and grow on arange of different levels.

I learned new and creative ideas onhow to incorporate all students of different learning levels in activelearning. This means teaching moredifficult and challenging musical partsto students who are stronger andmore confident in music class, whilesimplifying other musical parts for

those students who struggle and

need extra help. ORFF is afantastic approach to reach levels of learning, and ensu

everyone is being challenged on own personal level. This alsoinvolves different types of musicalearning; some students learnvisually, some through listening,some through singing, and otherthrough repetition.

I feel that this course has taughta great deal on how to ‘reach’ allstudents levels of learning, and hto be confident in differentiatedinstruction. I look forward to shamy ideas and materials with othemusic teachers in the division, anmore importantly the opportunitycomplete my Level 3 Certificationthe future.

Laura JanzenEcole St. Norbert Immersion

Music/dance teacher

ORFF Level Two Certification



y: Michelle Mielniczek B.Mus,Ed

ometimes life gets so busy when,ddenly, several items pop up onur ‘To Do List’ at the same time.

ecisions must be made, prioritiesust be evaluated, and sometimesths must be chosen that perhapsay not always seem like the choiceat will make you the happiest.ometimes those tough decisionstually end up helping you to gorther in life. The latter is the storyat I would like to tell.

all began when I decided to switchreams in university from juniorgh/high school instrumental torly years’ music. I was just overlf way (entering my 4th year)rough the Integrated Bachelor of usic and Bachelor of Educationual-Degree Program at theniversity of Manitoba when I knewat I needed to change my focus toe early years’ stream so that Iuld further study the ORFF music

aching philosophy in a morencentrated manner. The ORFFhilosophy came about over 80ars ago when a man named Carl

RFF studied and advocated for artain method of learning and

xperiencing music. Singing,aying, moving, creatingmprovising and composing),ading, and writing are alltegrated throughout his teachinghilosophy with a great emphasis onovement and music.

here are three levels to completeefore being a certified ORFFacher and as a requirement formpleting the integrated degree, I

eeded to complete level I. Thereas only one summer left before Iaduated to complete level I (theseurses are only offered during themmer) and so I did just that,

owever, my goal was to accomplishthree levels at some point. So,

r the following summer I had

planned to complete level II (eventhough it would have been after Ihad graduated) but then the firstpriority evaluation came up: theopportunity for me to travel toPoland. The unfortunate timing wasthat the trip would have to occur atthe time of the course. I have manyfamily members there as my dadwas born in Poland and the last timeI was there, I was 4 years old – tooyoung to remember much about theexperience. So, instead, of takinglevel II, I made the decision totravel to Poland to see family

members that I have not seen for 20years. The plan, then, was to takelevel II the following summer.

Once I began my first job ascertified music teacher with SRSD, Iwas advised by many that I shouldnot plan too much in the summerfollowing my first year ever of teaching because the year willprobably be exhausting! So, at thebeginning of last school year, Idecided to re-evaluate my priorities

and push back taking the Level IIORFF Music course until thefollowing summer. Instead, Iplanned some time for family,friends and for myself.

Little did I know that the followingsummer (2010), I would be gettingmarried because on New Year’s EveI became engaged to be married!So, once again, I needed to re-evaluate my priorities and makesome tough decisions. Would I push

the course again until 2011? Whatother road blocks will occur to pushit back even father? Pushing thecourse was really starting to botherme because I felt it was time tofurther my studies in the ORFF MusicTeaching Philosophy. I always knewthat the course was offeredelsewhere than Winnipeg but neverconsidered not taking the course inWinnipeg an option because I didnot know the instructors and due to

travel and other costs, Winnipegthe most logical option.

At this point, however, I felt stroabout taking the course during tsummer of 2009 because I stillneeded to take Level III at somepoint as well in order to achievemy professional goals. On the aof a friend and the support of faand other friends, I made thedecision to take the course inVancouver between August 10th

21st, 2009. It is a two-week coubut it is really two weeks of inte

learning that could be spread ouover the course of a semester oeven two!

This was one decision that I thowould not necessarily make me happiest because then end of tcourse would bring me to the ensummer and even though I wasexcited to begin the new year I also enjoying my time to regenefrom my first year of teaching! I just telling myself that this is

something that I need to do nowand even though I may not enjoas much as I would like, I will bhappy once I have completed thcourse so that I can move on tonext level. So, off I went to thecourse.

It turns out that the decision I mto attend the course in Vancouv(despite all the troubles withworking out variousaccommodations and transporta

issues) has actually helped me tfurther in life. Not just because able to complete my level III ana fully certified ORFF teacher bubecause of the connections thatwere made between people andinformation during those two weI am so happy that I got the chato meet and learn from myinstructors, Joe Berrarducci andSusie Green. My goal for the couwas to acquire new methods an

(Continued on p

Everything HappensFor A Reason...



weak old methods of teachingrious musical concepts in anficient yet meaningful manner.eaningful to me means that theudents will learn the concepts in aay that has them feeling successfulhile at the same time experiencingtivities that touch them in someay. Perhaps the activity will be fun,

flect some aspect of their life, orven push them to want to learnore. Joe and Susie provided these

xperiences for me and I must thankem because they have inspired meinclude different methods in myaching practice that I would notve been exposed to withoutving had met them.

ready in the first few days of hool, I have witnessed a change ineative development in all my

asses since I have introduced the 8ban movement efforts. Rudolphban studied all movementveryday, sports, and dancelated) and categorized theovements into 8 efforts includingbbing, flicking, floating, gliding,essing, slashing, thrusting, and

wringing. Seeing the kids create,synthesize, manipulate, and analyzeall movement based upon these 8efforts has been an amazingexperience, especially since thesemovements have helped to connectthe students to their individual lives,whether it be sports (gliding on theice, dabbing the basketball, etc.),dance (wringing the body to create a

spin/twirl, floating the body to lyricalmusic, etc.) or everyday movements(pressing into ground with feet whilemoving forward to do a walkingmotion, gliding the pencil across thepage to write a story, etc.). Theseconnections have also helped withbehaviour issues as it has beenproven over time that behaviourissues become very minimal andsometimes obsolete with engagedstudents.

I am very excited to continueintroducing the new methods of teaching various musical concepts tomy students at École Ile des ChênesSchool and École Ste. AnneImmersion throughout this schoolyear! This opportunity, however,would not have been possible

without the support of Seine RivSchool Division and the Seine RTeacher’s Association and so I wto extend my gratitude for helpime to pursue my goal of complethe Level II ORFF Music TeachinCourse. I know that my newknowledge and new network of wonderful instructors and othermusic teachers in Vancouver an

surrounding area will definitely bpart of an important support systhroughout my teaching career.Sometimes life takes unexpecteturns but in the end, one will finthat everything happens for areason and that it is a person’sattitude that will help to ensure the reason is meaningful in apositive manner!

Michelle Mielniczek graduated from the UniverManitoba in 2008 from the Integrated BacheloMusic and Bachelor of Education Dual-Degree

Program. She began her first employment as certified Music Specialist with Seine River SchDivision in the fall of 2008. She is now beginn2nd year of her teaching career while continuinsimilar teaching assignments from last year omusic, band, art, and FL2 at two schools withdivision, École Ile des Chênes School and Écol Anne Immersion.

ontinued from page 10)

present I am completing mysearch component for my MastersEducation thesis entitled Tracinge Career Paths of Femaleuperintendents in Canada. In orderaddress the research questions, allirteen female superintendents werevited for interviews to obtain datalating to their career paths. Inoosing the thirteenperintendents, I consulted schoolvision websites and randomly chose

rticipants who represent each of e provinces and territories. Intacted potential participants by

mail to see if they are interested ineing interviewed, and upon theirotification of interest I sent them ansent form via email.

ter receiving the returned consentrm I contacted participants by

mail or telephone to set up phoneterviews. Each interview was

pproximately one hour long. It wasranged for a convenient time for

the interviewee. Participants were e-mailed the interview protocol beforethe interview so that they canprepare for the interview. Interviewswere audio taped and transcribed bythe researcher. All transcripts havebeen emailed to the participants formember checks, at which point theymay add, delete or change thetranscripts until they are comfortablewith the content. All participants willreceive a copy of the final report.

Research Instruments

Questions were asked of eachparticipant that prompted them todescribe their career paths,leadership styles, mentorshipexperiences, professional andpersonal supports and barriers. Thequalitative research will contribute tothe body of knowledge in helpingunderstand women’s experiences in

the Superintendency.

—Neil Postman, The EnEduca



pending time at Clear Lake duringhe summer is never a bad thing.aking one week during the summero spend it with current and futurerincipals is great as well. This year

was lucky enough, with assistancerom the SRSD PD Fund, to attendhe COSL Summer Institute onthical Leadership and be able to dooth at the same time.

his institute is offered each summero people who are entering, thinkingf entering or are currently employeds administrators. Being able to earnours for Administrator or Principalertificates is probably one of the

iggest draws but for me, the topicf Ethical Leadership was what drewme to the session.

andra Herbst, Assistantuperintendent of River Eastranscona School Division, kicked off he Sunday to Friday seminar. Sheid an excellent job of getting all of he participants to think about what

drives our own ethics and how wecan bring that to administration of aschool.

On Wednesday, Kevin Chief joined us

to look at Ethics and its link to theSeven Teachings. Kevin also sharedsome of the innovative inner cityprojects that he is involved with.

Bobbi Ethier from MTS walked usthrough numerous real life examplesof ethical decision-making as anadministrator. It was great todiscuss the scenarios with colleaguesand to hear how things were workedout in the real world. This exercise

really pointed out how we allapproach decision making in differentways and that it can be very hard tostay true to our beliefs whenpressured from a multitude of stakeholders.

Deputy Minister of Education GeraldFarthing shared information aboutSustainable Development, Ethical

Leadershipand theDepartment of Education. Linkinthese sometimes polar opposingviewpoints proved very interestin

The final day was a great windupthe week as the focus was on pewellness. We were brought full cas we revisited what our own ethbase is built on and how we needlook after ourselves if we want tocontinue to be able to bring ethicinto our work.

Overall this course was invigoratand provided me with many thin

think about over the remainingholidays. Working with colleagufrom every area of the province beyond was also a great experieIt just reinforced the fact that thare amazing things going on ineducation throughout our provin

he Institute was entitled Exercisingeadership For Our Times. Our task

was to describe the times we live in,xplore the implications thesehanges have on our students andhe type of leadership needed for ourchools to be successful.

We worked in teams of 10-15 people

nd chose four or five lenses in whicho view the world. We then had theask of writing a position paper toutline our views on the topic atand.

he experience was valuable in thathere was such a wide variety of eople at the conference and eacherson came with his/her ownersonal perspective of society andheir needs. For example the group

rom New Orleans dealing with

severe environmental issues had aunique perspective on the world andwhat impact it has on our students.The group from Texas where there isa large Latino population were morefocused on equity.

The institute was structured in such away that each morning we heard

from two speakers. Since eachtalked from his/her own perspectivethey provided us with a variety of sources from which to draw for ourposition paper.

Personally, what I took from theinstitute was a realization that manyfactors influence not only ourstudents – but also ourselves aseducators. As leaders we need tohelp our students and teachers to

investigate the world beyond their

immediate environment. We neerecognize that we all have differeperspectives. We need to be abcommunicate our ideas effectivea diverse audience and we need be able to take actions to movetoward success.

I feel very fortunate that I had t

opportunity to share this experiewith three of my colleagues. Hatime to de-brief after class and tdiscuss each of the speakersreinforced to me that as the worchanges so must we as educatorThe conversations we had were rand meaningful. I think that sinwe have had a common experienwe will keep each other motivatemore forward in an effective,progressive way.

Pam

COSL Summer Institute

Thirteenth Annual National Principals Leadership Institute

Saturday July 10th - Saturday July 17th, 2010 New York City



his professional developmentpportunity was my culminatingurse for my post baccalaureate inclusive education. It was theerfect course to end with as I nowave a much deeper understanding of ow to organize and deliver accessful and supportive resourceogram.

this course we identified obstaclesat can inhibit the use of llaborative school consultation,

acticed communication andoblem-solving skills to help us deal

with resistance and anger. Wediscussed and practiced how to beappropriately assertive, and how toresolve conflicts when they surface.We also addressed the need to becollaborative and facilitative beforeand during assessment, referral, andIEP development. We looked atsetting up and maintaining successfulco-teaching classrooms, includingestablishing positive relationships andresolving interpersonal and logisticaldifficulties.

Family partnerships were alsoemphasized, relationships witheducational assistants weredelineated, and professionaldevelopment activities were idenas primary tools for initial andongoing collaborative consultatioFinally, each person had tosynthesize what we learned andcreate an individual plan forimplementing/facilitatingcollaborative consultation. Overawas an extremely beneficial cour

Angela Marquart

he National Principals’ Leadershipstitute has been conductingstitutes’ for the past decade. Anstitute is an opportunity to studyth a group of people on a specificpic. It also means it is not a

orkshop or conference where youave a choice to speakers orssions. Over 200 people met in

ew York from July 10th to July 17th d we all studied and learned aboutxercising Leadership for ourmes.”

he topic of leadership was relevantr all the participants; we werehool leaders in various forms –achers, assistant principals,

incipals, directors orperintendents. Every morning weegan together as a large group andeard two or three thought provokingeakers. Each speaker hadmething to share about how theyw leadership making a difference.

ome speakers were from anucational background but many

ere not; however, they all saw themportance of children having leaders

d the impact leaders could have onung people.

Soledad O’Brian spoke about therental leadership and its impact on

er life and the need for thatadership for all children. Pedroeguero spoke on boys, race and theture of education and how

leadership is imperative for schools.

The city of Philadelphia’s mayor,Michael Nutter, and thesuperintendent of schools, ArleneAckerman, shared how they work

together to show leadership in theircity. Instead of a pointing fingeratmosphere, they look for ways towork together and model leadership.Speakers like Cornell West, RobertSafian (Fast Company), Maya Enista(Mobilize.org), Consuela Kickbuschchallenged us to look at ourselvesand how we can make a difference.The technology leader David Warlickhelped us to see the work in adifferent manner, through technology

eyes.

In the middle of the week,Wednesday, each of us had anopportunity to visit a different worksite, a non-education site, to see howleadership works in thoseorganizations. I attended the LongIsland North Shore Jewish Hospitalorganization. This organizationmanages 15 hospitals. They have aunique training process for allemployees, from custodians to chief

of staff, for all their hospitals. Theleadership of this organization hasdetermined it is in their best interestto have all staff receive a two-dayintroduction to their organization andthis one step is saving them costs inpatient care. A very unique situation!

All of the speakers built ourknowledge and each afternoon wworked in groups (teams) to devour own position paper on ‘ExercLeadership in our Times.’ The tediscussed what are the times we

in, how do we make school relevand what type of leadership do wneed for the world we live in. Thgroups grappled with the ‘lens’ eof us uses to see the world and t ‘lens’ that our students view theiworlds. As a result of all the speaeach team of people prepared aformal position paper on leadershchoosing 3 – 5 lenses. What shaour view of the world – technologThe arts? Budgets? Poverty? The

lenses prompted the teams to lootheir own prejudices and see howleadership needs to be developedwithin them.

This conference was eye-openingprovocative. This is not aprofessional development opportfor those who are looking for ageneralist approach; it is anopportunity to look at a topic in-depth and see how to make adifference. If you choose to spen

eight days in New York at theinstitute, be prepared to work, tolearn and to be changed.

Elaine Lochhead



Organization and Delivery of Resource Program and Support ServicesEDUA 5660



have recently (July 10-17, 2010)participated in a conference in NewYork city called the NationalPrincipals Leadership Institute. Heres a brief overview of what the

nstitute was all about:

Times have changed. Rapidly,dramatically, globally, how wework, communicate, learn, play,and relate are radically differentrom how we lived twenty yearsago, ten years ago, five yearsago – and even last year. Cuttingedge inventions and discover-es are made every day.Research findings point to

nnovative ways to treatdiseases, generate energy, plancommunities, and conductpolitical campaigns. “Green” ismore than a color; it has becomea philosophy, point of view, andpolitical position. Drasticallychanging demographics have re-shaped where we live and why.New fam-ily dynamics haveemerged. The world is simply nothe same.

The implications for schools areenormous. NPLI 2010 hasengaged participants from acrossNorth America in seriousdiscussions as we grapple withhree inter-related questions:

First, how can we describe theimes we live in? Second,

considering our description – theconditions and concerns we havetoday – what are the implicationsfor how students learn in ourschools? Third, what kind of

educational leadership do weneed? The goal of NPLI 2010 isfor participants to return homewith an understanding of currenttrends and predictions for thefuture. They will be able to applythat knowledge to their schoolsettings and identify what theyneed to do as leader.

Each day at the institute wouldbegin with 2 or 3 guest speakers

and these folks were fantasticand interesting. We had thepleasure of hearing such folks asPedro Noguera (Professor at NYuniversity), Robert Safian (FastCompany magazine), MichaelNutter (mayor of Philadelphia),Arlene Ackerman (EducationSuperintendant of Philadelphia),Cornel West (Prof at Princetonand author), Soledad O’Brien(CNN anchor), James Shelton(asst. deputy of secretary for US

education), Maya Enista (CEO of mobilize.org) and several otherspeakers. All speakers sharedtheir different experiences andstories with the ability to tie alltheir stories back to educationand leadership.

Each afternoon we would meet inour groups to help prepare ourposition paper, our defense of our paper and rehearse ourgroup presentation (magic

moment). This was interestingand rewarding because we hadto learn to work cohesively withpeople from all over NorthAmerica and all the differentpoints of view that they bring.In the end, two groupspresented their paper to a paneland answered questions from thepanel. The panel then providedfeedback and comments afterhearing the two presentations.

There was a lot to digest and takein during this institute but theguest speakers along with thegroup project were very helpful intrying to understand this difficulttime we live in. All participantswere asked to develop a grouppresentation, a paper about howwe see ourselves as leaders inthese times along with a shortgroup presentation on stage,referred to as the “magic momen

to help bring the week to a close.It was a very rewarding week inthat it helped expose me to somenew ideas on leadership as well amaking me examine my pastviews.

Regards, Yvan St Vincent





Student Voice was a collection of students across all grade levels chosenby their peers to voice the concerns and share the suggestions of theirfellow students. This was done in an effort to make Arborgate an evenbetter place to learn and grow. The goal of the Student Voice group wasto connect the students with staff in decision making which would have apositive impact on the school as a whole.

We met as a group of 15 students and four staff members to identifythree school-wide goals on a monthly basis. At our first few meetings wegenerated ideas and developed an action plan to affect change in ourschool. We created a bulletin board and posters to advertise andencourage the positive change that the students had helped to cultivate.At the end of the year the group planned and hosted a school-wide picnicto celebrate the unity of entire school working together.

A final meeting was held to sum up the year’s achievements and makeplans for the coming year. The group not only made suggestions toimprove the meetings next year (more meetings, longer meetings, more

posters, more positive feedback) but they also planned to keep some of this years’ initiatives (bulletin board communication, school-wide picnic,name tags). We have also decided to keep this years’ Student Voice onthe committee for next year, while adding one more representative fromeach class, doubling the group for next year.

This group of students has been dynamic, enthusiastic and a positiveforce among their peers. The forward momentum they have created is awonderful thing to see as we carry Student Voice into the coming schoolyear. The feedback and planning that took place on the final day as agroup was a positive experience for the students and staff. We are allexcited to take this initiative forward to the next level.

Many thanks to the school staff for supporting Student Voice, to thestudents for their energetic contributions and to the SRTA for funding ourspecial project.

Student Voice participants take part in a Three-Legged race for some funto wind up a years’ worth of hard work following our last planning

meeting.

Student Voice Comes to Arborgate



This course focuses at how allmembers of an educational teamcan support the diverse needs of allstudents in an inclusive classroomsetting. It is a course designed totrain” resource teachers, however

many of the topics discussed arebeneficial to classroom teachers aswell. This course is divided into 8major sections:

� The Role of the Resource

Teacher

� Coaching/Collaborating/

Consulting

� Working with teams,

families, and EA’s

� Co-teaching

� Teaching to Diversity

� Universal Design for Learning

� Social and Emotional

Learning

� Multiple Intelligences

� Conducting Assessments

� Level A, B & C

� The Brain and Learning

� Work of Mel Levine

�

Challenging Behaviour� Types

� Behaviour Plans

� Funding and IEP’s

� Teach Reading to Diverse

Learners

� Gifted Students

Each section was supported withvarious readings, demonstrations,class activities, and discussions.

This course is one of most usefulcourses I have taken so far. Beingnew to resource this course hashelped me develop an insight as towhat the different professional rolesin a school should look like. As well

as connect them to what I havebeen doing already and what I needto change in terms of being anadvocate for children, how topromote inclusion, and theimportance of meeting the needs of every child in the school.

One assignment had us workthrough a case file on a studentwho was experiencing internalizingor externalizing behaviors and asignificant academic learningproblem. For this case study we

had to go through the steps of hto develop a learning profile,conduct assessments, completefunctional behaviour analysis,create an IEP and behaviour planThis process was extremely usef

as it clearly laid out the steps of how to ‘investigate’ a strugglingstudent and how to meet theirneeds in the classroom.

Upon concluding the course, fivemain areas stood out for me. Thwere:

� The importance of teachers

implementing the UDL modeusing the RD program,incorporating MI into lessons

and co-teaching

� Looking at the classroom bef

looking at the individual stud

� Implementing the notion “Sa

task different goal”

� In order to be fair we need to

treat students differently

� Demystification

Overall, this course is a must totake, especially if the professor iJennifer. Her teaching style,knowledge, and strategies makeyou feel prepared to collaboratewith other team members and kyou engaged throughout thecourse.

Kristen van de Laar

Assessment and Instruction in Inclusive Special EducatioEDUA 5630: University of Manitoba

Dr. Jennifer Katz

“The only hope for curing the ills of the world is tha

young people may picture a better one and strive to real

it. To frame this picture and to cultivate this ambition

the greatest duty of the school.”—William McI



April, 2010 I completed a courselled “Management of Educationalstitutions” with Brian O’Leary ate University of Manitoba. Thisurse studied the basic patterns of ganization and the administrator’sle in educational institutions.eadings and discussions focused onecision making, communicating,anning and evaluating inucational institutions. As well wecused on topics related toeveloping a conscious appreciationthe understandings, influences,

ossibilities and constraints involvedmanaging schools and schoolvisions.

he first assignment was to write a

ort research paper on a topiclated to the management of hools. The group presentationsere an hour in length and coveredpics such as students with special

eeds and students that requireuidance with social skills. As well

as motivation of staff and students,21st century teaching, teaching EALlearners, retention in grade, abalanced school day and year longeducation.

The in class discussions werefollowed up with a question relatedto the topic that required a responseon the online blog. This was part of your overall mark. Blog entriesincluded topics such as reflectingupon the difference between amanager and a leader, whatmotivates teachers, specificdilemmas, codes of professionalpractice, the concept of educationalmalpractice, what is good teaching,how you would spend a million

dollars across your division and howyou would cut a million dollarsacross your division. My favouriteblog was to write a letter to a newteacher with all your advice for theirnew teaching career. The bloggingpresented an opportunity to gain

insight into other peoples’ perspectives and challenge yourthinking.

This course has presented manylearning opportunities through cdiscussions, readings and onlineblogging. Overall we were askereflect upon our experience worin schools and to apply what welearned to real problems anddilemmas. I would recommend course to anyone who is curiousabout some of the challenges ancurrent topics in educationaladministration. I enjoyed both course material and the professteaching/marking style. It is alwenjoyable to get together with o

educators and realize that the wwe think, the challenges we facethe successes we celebrate aremirrored by other professionals all parts of Winnipeg and Manito

Shayla Patterso—Special EducationResource Teacher

heories and Issues in Schoolounselling’ at the University of innipeg is a Post-Baccalaureateurse specifically designed for thoseho are considering entering into thele of a School Counsellor, as well asose who are looking to improve

pon their knowledge of thendamental theories of counsellingorder to better serve the studentstheir classrooms.

he specific theories that were

esented included: the Contexts of fective Treatment, Adlerianherapy, Psychodynamic Therapy,motion Focussed Treatmentystems, Person Centered Therapy,xistential and Gestalt Therapy,merging Counselling Approaches,ational Emotive Behaviouralherapy, Action Focused Therapy,eality, Narrative and Behaviouralherapy.

any counsellors believe that there is

ot one specific theory that should be

used by counsellors at all times, butrather counsellors should be armedwith a variety of methods that willserve various purposes. Having ageneral knowledge of all of thetheories will help counsellors andteachers to make an educateddecision about which method isappropriate for them to use at agiven time. Having a betterunderstanding of the psychologicaldynamics that are at work in the livesof students will allow us to deal withthe situation in a more productivemanner.

One of the key concepts that thiscourse brings forth is the importanceof the counselling relationship andthe process of attending, listening,responding and valuing. In order fora counselling relationship to besuccessful, the student needs to feelthat the counsellor is being genuineand authentic. This is the key to

helping students, and the first step inletting them know that as a

counsellor, you will haveunconditional positive regard forthem, so that they do not feel judged.

This course is a great introductiothe current issues and theories inSchool Counselling. By having ageneral idea of several differenttheories, we were able to researcmore in depth the ones that we fworked with our own personality terms of our own counselling

philosophy. Whether you decidetake this course for the purpose obecoming a School Counsellor, owould just like to have someknowledge of different strategiescan use with students, it providevery thorough overview of thecurrent theories, and the classdiscussion allows for students to the professor about how each caused with students, with specificexamples provided.

Jenilee Price

Management of Educational Institutions

Theories and Issues in School Counselling



Accommodations andProgramming

Classroom Accommodations arecritical and should be documented inthe student’s cumulative file. Thesestudents require accommodationsuntil their reading, spelling, andwriting are at grade level. Theyhave unusual patterns of strengths(which should be used) andweaknesses. They cannot decode

because they have a languageprocessing problem.

Accommodations are fair becausethey give the student the chance todo well and succeed if the studentuses them. The following are somesuggested accommodations for thesestudents.

1) Phonemic Awareness: Sincethis is an essential skill, it is

mperative that students withsymptoms of dyslexia be taken backto the basics of phonemicawareness. The program that SeineRiver School Division is using forSTARS is a good start. If you findany programs based on the OrtonGillingham method, they are provento work with these students. SallyShaywitz has outlined a program inher book Overcoming Dyslexia($20.00). The Barton reading andSpelling program is available at

www.BrightSolutions.US. However,although it is very prescriptive andcan be taught by anyone, it isextremely expensive. First 2 levelscost $250 US and levels 3 – 8 cost$300 US each.

2) Spelling accommodations:Drop the weekly spelling tests untilthe child has mastered the essentialsof phonemic awareness and is readyto apply the oral sound manipulation

to print. Level 3 of the Bartonsystem has detailed lessons forspelling rules to explain theabnormalities for English spelling.(Contact the author of this article forthe list.) When the student isworking on spelling interventions,use this time and word list for theirweekly spelling.

3) Home Reading: As much as

the author is reluctant to say this, 15minutes of home reading will nothelp a dyslexic child until he or shehas learned to unlock the mystery of reading (mid level 4 of Bartonprogram). That’s right – NO HOMEREADING until the child is ready!Instead, have the parents read anddiscuss books with the child – attheir intellectual level to developvocabulary and appreciation forbooks. Bear in mind that one of theparents is probably dyslexic too.

4) Reading: These studentscannot read and understand thetextbook. Provide audio versions(tape, CD, IPod, Kindle Reader) orbuddy with another student. Do notask these students to read aloud inclass. Only use one interventionprogram with the student, preferablyduring LA period. Ask the parents toread to the student to increasevocabulary. Break the habit of

guessing words by shape andcontext. During silent reading thave them listen to a book with copy in front of them. Everyoneclass can be given the opportuntry this to see if they like it. Mowill opt out..5) Writing: This is the weakesskill for these students. Do notdeduct marks for spelling. Havestudent underline words they thare wrong. Grade writing oncontent. Whenever possible, hathem dictate or record their worStudent Services has some newequipment to use with IPods.

6) Note taking: These studencannot copy well from the boardbook because of visual difficultieHave someone else take notes fothem and photocopy. Penmansis also very difficult for thesestudents, so use technology

whenever possible. Please note spell check will often not work fothem as their attempts are so fafrom the correct spelling. If youa SMARTBOARD for notes,apparently you can save the worand the student can have it readback to him at home. There is aPulse SMARTPEN that recordslectures while you take notes. Ibe played back on home computwww.livescribe.com

7) Auditory processing: Spemore slowly. Build in pauses: Asquestions, stop and ask forexamples, model, show somethiput notes on the board. Point wgiving directions.

8) Rapid naming and wordretrieval: This skill becomes modifficult when the student is nervGive choices rather than open-e

(Continued on p

Louise Hingley, resource teacher at ELI and ESAattended a course in Minneapolis about SusanBarton’s Reading and Spelling program for peopwith dyslexia. SRTA was pleased to be able to sponsor her on this course. The following isinformation for all teachers concerning studentswith dyslexia

Part II:.



questions.

9) Memorization of rote,random facts: The student cannotdo this well. Provide mathematicaltable charts, etc. for reference.Where possible, teach logicalreasoning for the facts so thestudent can learn them.

10) Tests: Tests will be an issue.Try to adapt their tests or give theopportunity to do them orally. If youuse Naturally Speaking, apparentlyyou can import the typed teachertest. www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/. The studenthighlights the question, the programreads it to him, he dictates theanswer, and the program reads itback, student saves and prints his

test.

11) Directionality: Use gesturesfor any directions as the student hasdifficulty with ANY directions: first/ast, yesterday/tomorrow, over/under, before/after.

12) Organization: Provide andnsist on the use of: a calendar,agenda, notebook, backpack. Thereare good organizational teachingmaterials available atcurriculumassociates.com (AnitaArcher).

13) Time: These students havedifficulty telling, planning, andmanaging time. Whenever you referto time for the whole class, try thesewords: “In 15 minutes, when thehands are on 10 and 4, at 10:20 wewill start again.”

Developing Strengths

People with dyslexia have a largerright brain hemisphere than nondyslexics. Their brain hemispheresare equal in size. The righthemisphere is where we develop ourgifted skills. People with dyslexiahave many strengths. It ismportant to find them and use themto develop self-esteem among thesestudents.

1) Outstanding people skills -they are very sensitive and workwell with others.

2) Art (Roch, Da Vinci, WaltDisney, Charles Shultz, AnselAdams)

3) Athletics – gifted athletes,Olympic stars (Michael Phelps)

4) Music – not printed music, eartraining (Harry Belafonte, Cher,John Lennon)

5) Highly Intuitive –

6) Mechanical skill, good logic –see, touch, hands-on,

7) Excellent 3D visualization –can manipulate 3D objects intheir head

8) Extremely curious and logical

– Ask why a lot. Understandlogic – teach reasons for them tolearn to read, spell, do mathformulas and sequences.(Scientists – Edison, Einstein,Jack Horner, Pete Conrad)

9) Creative, global thinkers –solve problems quickly

Careers for people with

dyslexia

ArchitectureInterior Design

LandscapingCarpentry Sculpture

Graphic designPhotography Hair dressingPerforming arts

AthleticsMusic Scientific researchPsychology TeachingMarketing &salesPoliticsCulinary artsProject manager EngineeringComputers

ElectronicsMechanicsEntrepreneursWriters

Other FamousDyslexics

Entrepreneurs: CharlesSchwab, Craig McCaw, BillHewler, John Chambers

Politicians: Churchill,Rockefeller, Woodrow WilsoGeorge W. Bush

Writers: Agatha Christie,Hans Christian Anderson,

Continued from page 18)

srta newsletter december 2010

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