srta newsletter march 2011

7/30/2019 SRTA Newsletter March 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/srta-newsletter-march-2011 1/16

Proud member of ..

Greetings, all! As I made my way aroundthe division in the past few months, itwas my distinct pleasure to be able tosee and talk with a large number of members of the Seine River Teachers’ Association. Your warm welcome andobvious pride in your work and your

school bodes well for your students andthe community. As well, your comments,concerns and questions helped formmuch of the information found inside thisnewsletter.

Collective Bargaining Updates The SRSD board and the SRTA collectivebargaining committee has met twice tobegin the bargaining process. InNovember, the SRTA presented itspackage to the board; in February, theboard presented its response to thepackage. Further deliberations willcontinue shortly.

In the meantime, other school divisionsacross the province have reachedimpasses:

River East reached impasse onSeptember 21st, 2010 and theAssociation applied for arbitration.Hearing dates have been set forSeptember 23rd, October 6th, 7th, 17th,

28th

, November 7th

and 8th

.

Winnipeg reached impasse on Januar28th, 2011 and the Association iscurrently pursuing arbitration.Portage la Prairie reached impasse aconciliation on February 7th, 2011 anthe Association is currently pursuingarbitration.

Seven Oaks reached impasse onFebruary 9th, 2011 and the Associatiocurrently pursuing arbitration.

Garden Valley reached impasse on M7th, 2011 and the Association is currepursuing arbitration.

Safe Schools Update On January 12 Kristen Van de Laar,Georgina Dyck-Hacault, Carole HebeElaine Lochhead and I met to updateSafe Schools Communities Policy andRegulations of the Seine River SchooDivision. The main change to the powas the inclusion of psychologicalharassment as per the new ManitobaWorkplace Safety and Health regulat

Meet and Greet with Board On February 7, the executive of theSeine River Teachers’ Association mewith members of the SRSD Board of Trustees for an informal gathering of

(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 & Health

Kathy Dubesky

Equity & Social Justice Chair

Rebecca Sheffield

Education Finance ChairKristen Van de Laar

Resolutions Chair

Lindsay Hutchinson

Public Relations Chair Suzanne Moore

Council Meeting

Dates

April 19, 2011June 2, 2011

SRTA Elections:April 27, 2011

Phone: 204-270-0215

[email protected]



od and fun. It was a learningpportunity for both parties, and ahance for us to meet our two newustees.

ivisional PD Wine and Cheese big thank you to SRSD

dministration who granted us timen our last PD day to mingle overome wine and cheese. Thanks also

the Health & Wellness committeeColleen Kachur-Reico, Laura Nault

nd Sandy Turcotte for setting it up.his activity brought back memoriesyears past for many of the

easoned teachers in the division. Ithoped that newer teachers mayso one day have fond memories of etting together as SRTA members.

ivisional Volleyball Tournament

he divisional volleyball tournament

ad to be rescheduled to February 25ue to inclement weather. Thanks toike Slobodian at CSNC foroordinating and organizing this functivity. Congratulations to Ecoleorette Immersion for winning theverall tournament, and to Richerchool for showing the most spirit.or pictures, see pages 3 & 4.

TS Hockey Tournamentood luck to Jon Waite and the SRSDockey team that will be

presenting us at the MTS hockeyurnament April 16-17 in Portage la

rairie. Don’t forget to have a goodme, team, and bring us back somectures!

orrection: Glen/Paul Olson

the last newsletter, I erroneouslyrinted the MTS Vice-President asen Olson. His name is Paul Olson!

My apologies if Iconfused anyone.

MTS President

I had better gethis name correctfrom here on in,because PaulOlson has beenacclaimed as the

resident for the Manitoba Teachers’ ociety for the next two years.ongratulations were forwarded toaul on behalf of the SRTA.

Remarriage:Under previous Group Benefits planprovisions, members could increaseinsurance without medical evidenceof insurability within 90 days of gaining their first dependent throughmarriage or common lawrelationship. This has beenextended to include each successivemarriage or common lawrelationship, effective Jan 1st 2011.

SRTA Elections: April 27, 2011

(See pg 16) Want to make a difference in yourprofession? Why not considerbecoming part of the SRTAexecutive? According to ouramended constitution, positions onthe executive will become two-yearterms, to allow for more time tobecome familiar with the chosenposition. This year (odd year), one

group will be elected and serve twoyears. The other group will serveone year, with positions coming upfor re-election next year (evenyears). From then on, there will berotating elections, according to theyear, and all will be two-year terms.

2011 – 2012 School Calendar

The first day of school — Tuesday,September 6th

Christmas break may again not beconsistent across the province.

Metro divisions will begin theirChristmas break on Thursday,December 22nd.

Spring Break begins on March 26th,2012

The last day of school — Friday, June29th

Arena Signs The Public Relations initiative takon by the SRTA this year is theplacing of advertising signs in thehockey arenas located in the schdivision. (See the layout below)With help from a grant from MTSare paying for three years’ spacerental for the signs. Due to someprice breaks, we were also able tpurchase a 3’ x 6’ portable bannebe used at SRTA events.

Valerie Hamilton, Treasurer Special wishes go out to ValerieHamilton, our treasurer, who isrecuperating following a skatingaccident. We look forward to seeher once she has finished healing

Bed Bugs If you have concerns about bed b

in the school, contact the SRSDworkplace and safety officer, RosGroll, or the SRTA president. If yare concerned about the possiblespread of bugs to your home fromschool, there are measures you ctake to minimize the risks. Clothiworn in the school can be placed the dryer at high heat to kill possbugs. Items brought back fromschool should be inspected in agarage or outdoor place beforebringing it into the house.

Remember, I can be reached at:

[email protected]

and/or 270-0215

Suzanne

ontinued from page 1)



What are the new SRTAconstitutional changes?

All executive positions on

the SRTA will now be two- year positions, withelections occurring every year for half of theexecutive positions(alternating ) All positionsare open for election this year; next year,Vice-President, Treasurer, CollectiveBargaining, Equity and Social Justice,Health & Wellness and Resolutions willcome up for election

The Workplace Safety and Healthchairperson will become the co-chair ofthe divisional WSH committee

Is it possible for the SeineRiver Principals to form

their own collectivebargaining unit?

� All MTS members arecovered under the MTS

constitution

These groups include not only teachers andprincipals, but also resource teachers,guidance counsellors, student servicespersonnel, clinicians, vice-principal-teachers, etc

All these members mustadhere to theProfessional Code ofConduct

No member should ever seek to excludeanother member based on position, colour,creed, belief, etc.

Any changes to the MTS constitution needlegislation change and would have to bemade through the provincial government

What about storm days?

According to the Seine River School Division Policy Manual:Cancellation of classes doesnot result in an automatic

holiday for staff. All personnelare expected to check withtheir immediate supervisor for advice and direction. Theyshould report for work unlessthere is a clear understandingthat such action would involveundue personal risk.

Further, the Seine River School Division Regulations state:

EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND PAYMENT:

i) Unless it is announced that schools are closed, employees expected to report to work during periods of inclementweather.

ii. If in an employee’s personal judgment he/she is unable toreport to work or believes it is unsafe for them to attemto do so, they must contact their immediate supervisor. Ia result of that contact the employee does not report towork he/she can choose one of the following options to cotheir absence:

o Loss of days salary (per diem)o Use of banked time

o Arrangements to make up the timeo Holiday (for non-teaching)o Personal leave day at minimum cost of substitute(teachers only)o Deduct day from bank of sick days

iii. If schools and the division office are “closed,” no one isexpected to report to work, other than the individual (s)tasked with opening the school for safety reasons, and thwill be no deductions of any type.

CLASSES CONTINUE – EMPLOYEE DOES NOT REPORT WORK:Employees who do not report for work on a day when theschools are open will have their wages deducted attheir per diem rate. As it is a provision in their collectiveagreement, teaching staff may apply retroactively for apersonal leave day. In that case, they would be deducted thcost of a substitute.

Employees who will experience a loss of pay may request to vacation or banked time if it has been accrued and mutuallyagreed to .



What do we need to know about thnew legislation regarding

psychological harassment?

What is harassment?Two main types of harassment are covered under theregulation:

1. The first type is defined as any inappropriate conductcomment, display, action or gesture by a person that ismade on the basis of:

• race, creed, religion, colour• sex, sexual orientation, gender-determined

characteristics• marital status, family status, source of income• political belief, political association, political activit• disability, physical size or weight, age, nationality,

ancestry or place of origin

2. The second type relates towhat is sometimes referred to a“bullying”. This may involve:• severe, repeated conduct thatadversely affects a worker’s psychological or physical well-being it could reasonably cause a workto be humiliated or intimidated• a single occurrence, if it is shoto have a lasting, harmful effecton a worker

Forms of harassment:• verbal or written abuse or threats• insulting, derogatory (mean, critical, embarrassing)

comments, jokes or gestures• personal ridicule (put-downs, teasing) or malicious

(mean) gossip• malicious or uncalled-for interference with another

work• refusal to work or co-operate with others• interfering with or vandalising (damaging) personal

property

The harassment prevention policy designed by the employemust explain how to make a formal complaint aboutharassment, how the complaint will be investigated, and hothe complainant and person accused of harassment will beinformed of the results of the investigation. Employers mupost a copy of the harassment prevention policy in a placewhere everyone in the workplace can see it easily.

For more information, go to http://safemanitoba.com/upload

harassment%20prevention%20pamphlet_Oct%2027%202010.pd

My substitute did not follow the instructions Ileft and my classroom EA

said that things werechaotic. What should I

do?

� Substitute teachers are members of theSeine River Teachers’ Association

� Substitute teachers, like you, mustadhere to the Code of ProfessionalConduct

� If you feel the need to address this, your duty is to contact the substituteand discuss the issue with him/her first

� If still unsatisfied, you are to informhim/her that you will be bringing this tothe attention of the principal

�

It is also your duty to ensure that anyother adults working in your class aremaintaining confidentiality

� It is the administration’s responsibilityto evaluate a substitute; a teacher mustnot evaluate another teacher/substituteteacher



Do we have any coverage toprovide for hearing aids?

� Under your group benefits plan,hearing aid coverage has beenincreased to $1000/3 years

� effective January 2012.

cost is:Active Members: $.10 single; $.20 familyRetired Members: $.45 single; $.90 family

I heard that anyone can bemade a teacher, even if he/sh

has no degree. Is this true?

For various reasons, such as isolation, emergenciesunavailability of qualified personnel, the governmmay grant a Limited Teaching Permit. As per the

Education Act:

The minister may grant to any person a limited teachpermit, in which the minister shall name the subject osubjects and the grade or grades or the level or leveand the school to which the permit applies and state period during which the permit is valid. What can I do if my principal

wants the staff to go out of town for a PD event or ateam-building retreat?

It is the opinion of SRTA that members shouldnever be expected to incur personal cost, or give uppersonal time, to attend out of school PD

The SRTA supports its members in their decision

to not attend out of town PD days sponsored bytheir individual schools.

Our school has cancelledrecesses for grades 5 & 6 th

year. Can they do that?

According to the Manitoba EducationAdministration Act Regulations 101/95:

� 5(4) Pupils in grades Kindergarten through IVmust be given a recess of at least 10 and not mthan 15 minutes each morning and afternoon.

� 5(5) Pupils in grades other than Kindergartenthrough IV may, at the discretion of the schooboard, be given a recess of at least 10 and notmore than 15 minutes each morning and aftern

When do my duties begin on aschool day?

According to the Education Administration ActRegulation 468/88, Article 40:

A teacher must be on duty in

the school at least 10 minutes

before the morning session

begins and at least five minutes before the afternoon

session begins, unless

prevented from doing so by

exceptional circumstances.

Send your completed information to

[email protected]

Go to:

http://www.mbteach.org/HDWForm2Mail

askthepresident.html



I have worked part-time ona term (Limited General)

contract for two years. CanI be hired on a term

contract again next year?

According to our Collective Agreement:

� A teacher who has been employed full-time

or part-time in the Division under a Limited

General contract for two successive years,

shall on employment for the third consecu-

tive school year, be signed to a Teacher-

General contract and,

� be entitled retroactively, to seniority and

sick leave for the previous successive en-

tire school years of employment.

� An entire school year means employment

for 180 or more school days in the contract

year, pro-rated for part-time teachers.

My principal wants me to helpsupervise at noon hours

sometimes. Is this Okay?

Yes, it is. According to our Collective Agreement:

Except in cases of emergency, or unforeseencircumstances, every full time teacher shall be entitled an uninterrupted meal period between 11:00 a.m. and2:00 p.m. each school day:

a) This lunch period shall be equal to the middayintermission given to the students of the school inwhich the teacher is employed to a maximum of fif

five (55) minutes.

b) One member of the teaching staff per school shall

be on call during this meal period.

I teach part-time. Do I haveto attend an in-service onmy day off? Do I get paid

extra if I do attend?

Part-time teachers shall participate in school

activities during the regular school day when

requested by the employer. Part-time teachers

shall receive 1/200 or portion thereof for time

spent over and above their regularly scheduled

teaching time during the school day. At the

Superintendent's discretion, time in lieu of

compensation may be given.

The school activities, when occurring during

the regular school day, eligible for payment

under this article are:

a) Staff meetingsb) Parent-teacher interviews

c) In-service components

d) Field trips, band trips, music

festivals and any other school

related business

If I travel to aschool to

substitute and

am told theydon’t need mafter all, do Istill get paid?

� A substitute who is called in for a half day

assignment who reports and who finds that his/h

services are not required, shall be paid a half-dapay for reporting for duty.

� If the substitute teacher has been called in for

full day assignment who reports and who finds th

his/her services are not required, shall be paid a

full day’s pay for reporting for duty.

� In the event of an emergency closure of a schoo

early dismissal for emergency reasons, substitut

teachers will be paid accordingly based on their

half-day or full-day assignment.



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



Wellness Regulations inSRSD

All SRSD school sites have developed over the yeara number of activities and programs to promotewellness amongst their staff. These activitiesshould have the following characteristics:

1. Activities are open to all SRSD employees

except when financial support is acquired fromSRTA (teachers only).

2. Activities promote staff cohesion, health habits,good nutrition and fitness.

3. Activities are inclusive in nature, are on-goingand do not interrupt student learning.

4. Activities can promote wellness knowledge andunderstanding that can be use by the teachers

and school staff to model and to teach theirstudents.

5. SRSD recognizes the importance of wellnessactivities for our staff. Any wellness activitythat would exceed 90 minutes of the regularinstructional day must be approved by theAssistant-Superintendent.

Manitoba Education Act Teachers’ General

Responsibilities

A teacher is responsible for

(a) teaching the curriculum prescribed or approby the minister;

(b) providing an effective classroom learningenvironment;

(c) maintaining order and discipline among pupiattending or participating in activities that asponsored or approved by the school, whethinside or outside the school;

(d) advising pupils as to what is expected of thein school, reviewing their assessments withthem, and evaluating their progress andreporting on that progress to parents;

(e) administering and marking any assessment pupil performance that the minister may direin the manner that the minister directs;

(f) ongoing professional development.

EDUA 5041: ADMINISTRATION DU PERSONNEL

L’administration du personnel scolaire demeure une activité essentielle à la réussite des écold’aujourd’hui. Les défis à relever par rapport aux principales activités de l’école, soit l’enseignement l’apprentissage, demeurent nombreux et les attentes imposées se multiplient de toute part. Ce cours nouspermis de vivre un parcours axé sur des notions théoriques ancrées dans la pratique.

Dans un premier temps, nous avons exploré les relations interpersonnelles : qui sont les principaux acteurQuels sont leurs rôles et responsabilités? Comment gérer le conflit, cette dimension naturelle qui se retrouà l’intérieur de toute organisation? Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons étudié le leadership : quels soles différents styles de leadership et comment ont-ils évolué à l’intérieur des grands courants théoriques? troisième lieu, nous avons abordé une dimension qui occupe une grande partie de la vie de la directiod’école : la prise de décision. Quels sont les différents types de décisions? Comment analyser le processudécisionnel? Ces questions demeurent critiques, car diriger une école et administrer le personnel se résumessentiellement à savoir prendre des décisions. Le quatrième et dernier volet on a regardé le de la gestiodu personnel en considérant quelques aspects précis : la planification et l'embauche du personnel, lconventions collectives, la rétention et le développement du personnel et la formation continue dmembres de la direction d’école. — Carole Hébert, ELI

Discussing Grades A high-school student came home from school seeming rather depressed. "What's the matter, asked his mother. "Aw, gee," said the boy, "It's my marks. They're all wet." "What do you mea`all wet?'" "I mean," he replied, "below C-level."



When I received the brochuredescribing the upcomingconference “Healing and TreatingTrauma and Addictions and RelatedDisorders, I was excited to attend

since addictions affect so many of our students and their families.One of the key points I walkedaway with is that there is a verystrong connection between earlychildhood trauma and itseffects later in life,whether mental healthissues, addiction, evenfamily separation anddivorce.

The information and

insights I gained at theconference will help me inmany ways in my workwith children and theirfamilies. I know that I willbe able to better identifystudents’ needs; I willlisten more skillfully, withgreater understanding towhat they are telling me,and I will be more able to identifythe traumas in their lives and willhave a more informed appreciation

as to how they have affected theirwell being.

The conference covered manytopics of interest: treating Anxiety,understanding multiple addictions,Childhood Trauma and SubstanceAbuse, Sex Money and Power. Italso included a session on Self Regulation - how to control one’sthoughts, emotions and actions.

My favorite sessions were on day 2

during which I spent the entire daylistening to Gabor Mate talk aboutstress and how it affects ourphysical and emotional well being,and how addictions are a diseaseof the brain. He said that in orderto understand addictions, we needto look at the environment. Thepsychological need of all addicts isto sooth the emotional pain. Why isit that some people can engage indrug behavior occasionally yetothers become addicted? He

further states the addictive minddevelops from early childhoodexperiences.

Many people have difficultyregulating emotions and need asubstance to bring them back andprovide some balance. Ascounsellors and therapists, hestressed we should show weunderstand our kids, not preach to

them; we should be accepting andunderstanding and validate theirfeelings. The key to recovery he

said is finding oneself, findingsomething that has been there allalong, but of which we wereunaware.

In his presentation on stress, Whenthe Body Says, “No,” he spokeabout how the suppression of ournegative emotions can affect ourimmune system. He stressed howimportant it is to be able to say, “NO,” rather than our body sayingno. Being unable to do this leads to

major illnesses. People cannot helptheir patterns and these often leadto illnesses. We need tounderstand that the brain is anemotional organ. Peoples’ greatestneed is for attachments, and, sincethe immune system is regulated bythe attachment to others, thosethat live in isolation are more likelyto become ill. Kids for examplecan’t handle an attachment void.Kids will attach to other kids when

parents aren’t around. Many areoften introduced to drugs and thpattern begins.

Suppressed emotions lead to asuppressed immune system. If wdo not talk about the trauma in lives, we can become physicallydevelop depression, and perhapturn to drugs in order to numb tpain. If we suppress our anger i

will turn against us, anwe will end up with anauto-immune disease.What I learned is thatchronic stress narrows blood vessels, increaseour blood pressure, and

we end up not being abto sleep. In the long teit could lead to heartdisease.

The most important thiI learned is how stress,not controlled, is so vedamaging to our physicand emotional well bein

If we are traumatized in life, it cdefinitely affect our stress level,with an outcome of depression,

drug use and other negativebehaviours.

In closing, the conferencedefinitely enhanced my clinicalskills and knowledge. Working wmental health and drug issues, cbe exhausting and daunting. I alearned to start paying attentionmy own stressors, as it will makme a better counsellor whenworking with my students and tfamilies. The breadth and depth

this conference was exceptionaland definitely enhanced my owndevelopment.

I would like to express a sincerethank you to the SRTA ProfessioDevelopment fund for giving methe opportunity to attend thisexceptional learning opportunity

Terri Mowhcun

School Counsellor, CSNC

Healing and Treating Trauma and Addictions and

Related Disorders



Teaching ESL/EAL GrammarEDUB 1650

This course was very challenging and intellectually exhausting. The class as awhole went through some huge ups and downs in learning and understanding.Personally, I was quite nervous when this course began because I felt I did nothave enough background knowledge in the course content. I went throughschool never learning what a noun or verb was; or any part of grammar for thamatter. I remember experiencing panic in middle school after receiving a mad

gab and not being able to fill it in. Walking into this classroom was a terrifyingexperience for me. Now that the course is over I feel confident saying a learned a lot, but I definitely have nlearned as much as I feel I need to about English grammar.

Assignments for this course consisted of written reflections about personal grammar experiences, two peerteaching sessions, leading a class discussion about a chapter from the text book, and class participation invarious activities. Peer teaching was the most difficult assignment because we were required to write lessonplans for our grammar point using the BSLIM model (Bilash’s Success-Guided Language Instructional Model)The model does help you focus on language teaching but I found it very difficult to use. It is very detailed anhard to follow while actually teaching. Bilash however does have many resources and useful tools and I woulrecommend EAL teachers browse her site Best of Bilash – Improving Second Language Education at http://www2.education.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.bilash/Best%20of%20Bilash/bslim%20overview.html

The thing this course lacked the most was instruction in English grammar. Grammar was briefly touched oneach class but not explained or taught. I feel like I did not get everything out of the course that I could haveI understand the reasoning behind teaching grammar and the different ways of going about it but not enoughabout grammar itself. If you are looking for a class to improve your grammar understanding this is not it. Thcourse focused more on support for grammar teaching and the various ways grammar can be taught. As anindividual course it will leave you frustrated but taken as part of the requirements for a Teaching English as aSecond Language Certificate it makes more sense and is more useful. — Brandi Wait, IDC

Introduction to Educational ResearchEDAU - 5800

Introduction to Educational Research is a required course for the M.Ed. program. I chose to take this courseat the beginning of my program so that I could begin to focus on a topic for my thesis, as well as, what typeof study would be most effective in obtaining my research goals. I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction toeducational research and I was fortunate to be part of a small class of seven highly motivated students. Thecourse offered our group the opportunity to become familiar with the breadth of research models withineducation and the opportunity each week to critique and debate study examples. Lengthy weekly readingassignments and weekly tests allowed us to cover a vast amount of material in the span of just three shortmonths. The course was rounded out with two papers and twoexams.

Both quantitative and qualitative research (action research,ethnography) were explored in this course. While quantitative

research can be used in education, qualitative research appears to bemost preferred within the realm of social sciences. This is primarilybecause educators can, with an open mind, study their own setting(classroom, school division, educational political structures), examinethe effectiveness of educational practices, and then use thisinformation to make changes within their own practice or proposepolicies which can impact their colleagues provincially or nationally.

This course led us through the attributes of good research design. It focussed on literature reviews,appropriate research questions, methods for sample selection, which statistical methods to use for dataverification, and how results may or may not be generalized to the public based on the type of study done.Using current articles as study items, our class became more skeptical of published studies and learned tolook beyond the printed word and determine whether the study was valid or reliable. All in all, it was a

wonderful introduction to the world of educational research! — Georgina Dyck-Hacault, LBC



Over the span of four months in the fall, I attended a Saturday morningcourse at the University of Manitoba based on exploring some of the mosrecent research in literacy. The course was taught by Allyson Matczuk wwas assisted by Warren Nickerson, both of whom work at ManitobaEducation. There were many topics covered on a week-to-week basis, aeach week’s focus required us to read articles from academic research journals and other texts. Then, the professors would facilitate an often

lively discussion on the topic of the week. Students taking the class rangfrom early years to secondary teachers, as well as teachers still looking fpermanent employment.

Of the many topics we explored, each focused on a particular aspect of literacy. We began by exploring emergteracy, followed by a look at prevention, intervention and remediation. The topic of the third week, English additional Language, was an important one for me, as we have many EAL students at Arborgate School. The

main point of that week’s discussion was that we, as teachers, need to embrace the culture and language that AL student brings with them to our class, rather than force students to leave their first languages at the doorpon entering. I found this particular topic started an excellent class discussion.

nother topic I found to be very interesting and important was on reciprocal teaching. As defined, reciprocaleaching is a strategy where texts are examined and then summarized and clarified, during which time readers

orm questions and make predictions about the text. It is a very useful strategy for dense texts, such as sciennd social studies textbooks, but also for novels and articles as well. I found that our approach to the articles ead in this class followed this teaching model, as each week we summarized our weekly reading in a responseournal, clarified aspects of the reading during and after class discussion, formed questions about the topic befnd during class discussion, and made predictions on how the topic affected our teaching practices. It was easo see how this strategy could develop into a useful skill within each student we teach

ll in all, it was an enjoyable four months at the U of M. I felt that not only did I learn a great deal about aariety of current issues, but also that I was already using many of the strategies discussed in my own dailyeaching practices. As any good professional development activity should do, it reinforced some of my own ben best practices while also opening my eyes to other methods and strategies I can be using with my students

— Jon Waite, ARB

Current Issues in Language and Literacy



When my colleagues Laura, Terriand I first signed up for the “Healing and Treating Trauma andAddictions” conference inRichmond, BC, we joked that itwas going to be a week of ‘psychotherapy on steroids’! After

attending the final day I believethat statement actually rang true.Attending the conference was apositive and motivatingexperience. With speakers knownaround the world for theirability to support, counseland heal and theirknowledge of many of theissues and crises we dealwith on a daily basis inschools I felt fortunate tobe in attendance.

Despite being captivatedby many of the keynotes:Gabor Mate – whodiscussed at length theimpact of stress andtrauma in early childhood,specifically as it relates toaddictions, Pat Love – whomade us laugh and cry yettaught us so much aboutgender differences and

how they impact ourrelationships and Pat Carnes – whogave us insight into the negativeimpact of early internet usage andexplicit imagery, it was day onethat hit home for me and impactedthe work that I do with families,students and sometimes even staff members.

The keynote speaker at the pre-conference was Dr. David Burns,who is well-known for his work indealing with depression andanxiety. Though I was anticipatingyet another workshop onstrategies to deal with theseissues, new medications, supportgroups, etc, what actually tookplace has changed the way Ioperate as a clinician. As a social

worker and many times as acounsellor, my role is primarilyseen as ‘helper’. When I’m firstintroduced to a family or student Iimmediately jump in and say “howcan I help?” and/or “what can Ido?” In Dr. Burns’ discussion on

Paradoxical Agenda Setting, aterm he coined, he actuallyinstructs the ‘helper’ to slow down,to step back and to first ask – “doyou want help?” With

approximately 400 people inattendance at the conference onthe first day, many of whom wereprivate therapists, social workers,nurse practitioners, psychologistsand psychiatrists, during role playsthroughout the day we all found itextremely difficult not to jump inand decide for our clients what itwas they needed! It wasfascinating! Along with thisrealization he also gave us genuinetools to use in setting meaningfulgoals and agendas with the peoplewe help on a daily basis. It washowever, emphasized over andover that none of this is possibleuntil it is clearly defined that aperson is seeking help andsupport.

In addition, we were given cost/benefit analysis exercises andspent time on case studieslearning how to apply ourknowledge and then put it intopractice. The rest of day one

consisted of advanced empathytraining which just like in theagenda setting portion of the dawe all failed miserably! Whenwitnessing the brave volunteers

the stage attempting toempathize with and findcompassion for their ‘clientswas so easy to find fault andinsincerities in their supportbut acting it out myself didncome easy either. Dr. Burntechniques have inspired meto continue to practice, andcontinue to recognize thatsometimes a client can seethrew us and that they reallneed more. In spite of mymisguided attempts andsometimes all out failures, tinformation provided me witgoals for myself as a helperand advocate in the schoolsetting. The informationattained that day was

somewhat overwhelming asimplied that much of what I do aa professional needed to betweaked if not changedcompletely, but I feel privileged have been given the opportunitylearn.

I would like to convey my thankto the SRTA ProfessionalDevelopment Committee for thesupport and funds without whichwould not have been able toattend this incredible learningopportunity. For readers interestin any of the topics discussed atthe conference please don’thesitate to contact me [email protected]. — RebeccSheffield, Social Work Clinician

Healing and Treating Trauma and Addictions



PLEASE PRINT

I _________________________________ (full name)

do hereby nominate

__________________________________ (full name)

for the position of

_______________________________

on the executive of the Seine River Teachers’ Association, dated this

_________ day of __________, 2011.

My contact number is 204-_____________

_________________________________(signature of nominator)

__________________________________(signature of candidate)

Following submission of these nomination papers, all candidates may submit a biography or poster to GwePolak by April 20, 2011 to be included with the elections material.

To nominate a member of the SRTA to a position on the executive for the school year 2011-2012, please fill the form below, and send it by April 19, 2011 to: Gwen Polak @ Ecole Lorette Immersion

POSITIONS AVAILABLE:

Two-year term:

� President

� Secretary

� Public Relations

� Workplace Safety & Health

� Employee Benefits

� Education Finance

� Professional Development

One year term:

� Vice-President

� Treasurer

� Collective Bargaining

� Equity and Social Justice

� Health & Wellness

� Resolutions

srta newsletter march 2011

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