CAIS in Point

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” This is a tale of two panels, in two cities, that were held this past week. Last Tuesday, I had the privilege of moderating a panel, organized by CESI at Upper Canada College (UCC) in Toronto, made up of five of our best and brightest colleagues from across the country. Their topic: Meeting the Needs of students: How far should schools go? Two days later I sat on a panel at Lower Canada College (LCC) in Montreal. Organized by a committee of Heads from the “Downtown” Montreal schools, its focus was:  “Downtown Schools: Our future together”. Two panels highlighting the ironic (and frustrating) position in which our schools currently find themselves right across the country. At UCC, the “love-in” as Richard Life from Lakefield described it, saw a panel of the “preachers” of differentiated instruction addressing a packed house of the “converted” – Heads, curriculum leaders and classroom teachers – reflecting on how far our schools have come over the past five to ten years in restructuring the teaching and learning process to maximize the experience for all students. There is no question that our schools are doing more for students than ever before. This thoughtful programming and attention to individual needs have meant that families in our schools are really getting the value-added experience that they are paying for. It should be a “golden age” for independent schools. How ironic it is then that at the other end of the Macdonald-Cartier freeway an equally committed and thoughtful group, of Heads, Chairs and Board members, was looking at how our schools can continue to be sustainable in a shrinking and increasingly highly competitive market. The challenge that they were addressing was the extent to which individual schools can continue on this path of continually trying to be all things to all people, of providing high quality services, differentiated learning experiences, a wide array of extra-curricular and co-curricular opportunities, and, of course, fostering a commitment to excellence and curricular innovation. As I have noted here before, we are in a demographic trough. This problem continues to be compounded by our escalating fees (in part a product of our own increased level of service) and, for our boarding schools, the remarkable strength of the Canadian dollar which has seen the cost in US dollars of attending school in Canada double over the past five years. To some extent, we have been paralyzed over the last few years in the face of rapid change. The trends are clear, the challenges are clearly recognizable, but as of yet we haven’t really come to grips with some of the possible future realities that our schools face. The discussion at LCC was an excellent first step. Here was a group of schools – in a highly competitive market – making a public statement that survival of the fittest – a sort of scholastic Darwinism – was not a palatable option. Instead, they made the first few tentative steps towards developing a collective solution. What are some of the options? The most interesting possibility is increased collaboration among schools. So far we have seen some tentative steps: joint programmes, shared services, consortium admissions travel; etc. In addition, conversations are beginning around such possibilities as shared administrative structures; programme consolidation and specialization; school partnering; and even school consolidation with the closure and liquidation of the assets of one partner school which can then provide the nucleus of an endowment for the new entity. Many schools are examining the process of strategic downsizing. Identifying the pool of mission appropriate students in their community and structuring the school to serve that market. We also see the positive trend among our schools of improving facilities and services without increasing their size. This commitment to improvement rather than growth clearly has tremendous positive benefit for our students. In fact, a number of schools are starting to believe that the “mega-projects” of the past are no longer the way of the future. There is a far greater focus on qualitative improvements in programme and existing infrastructure. As one person said to me: “Our emphasis is on education, not edifice!” So where does that leave us? Both panels reflect complementary aspects of our new realities. Our programme leaders continue to focus on improving the quality of the teaching and learning experience and our Heads and Boards are working tirelessly to ensure that the great things being done for kids continue to be sustainable well into the future. Is this going on everywhere? No yet, there are still some schools that are focused on the present. They subscribe to the view of Louis XV of France… “Après moi, le déluge.”

Panel Discussion: Meeting the Needs of Students. How Far Should Schools Go?

On the evening of Thursday November 13, 2007, The Canadian Education Standards Institute (CESI) organized the Panel Discussion: "Meeting the needs of students. How far should schools go?"

Upper Canada College hosted this engaging and informative event. To read more and view photos please visit: http://www.ourkids.net/dialogue/cesi.php?i=1

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Calling all CAIS Leadership Institute Graduates!

As mentioned in the October CAIS e-newsletter, we are developing a page on the website that is accesible to all CAIS School Heads, that profiles the students that have successfully completed the CAIS LI program. We need your help in developing your profile. We have been able to contact some LI grads but if you have not been contacted, and would like to be profiled, please e-mail the CAIS office at support@cais.ca.

It is our goal to profile all our CAIS Leadership Institute Grads. Thank you in advance for assisting us in celebrating you, our Leadership Institute alumni.

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Best Practices Conference 2008

CAIS          ISA          FISA        CESI

present
Best Practices Conference 2008

May 2, 2008
St. George’s School, Vancouver

The 2008 Best Practices Conference Committee is looking for outstanding workshop presenters. Do you have a staff member or colleague who exemplifies the idea of Best Practice? Is there someone outside your school community who you think would be a perfect fit? Let us know!

The Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the Independent School Association of British Columbia (ISA), the Federation of Independent School Associations (FISA), and the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI), are planning a one day conference for independent school teachers and administrators on Friday, May 2, 2008 at St. George’s School in Vancouver. The key note speaker for this conference is Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson, internationally acclaimed researcher, consultant and author. Dr. Tomlinson is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the Curry School of Education, the University of Virginia. The theme of the conference is “Differentiating Instruction``

Last year’s conference was rolled out nationally, providing a unique opportunity for classroom teachers and school leaders to network with their colleagues in the independent school sector from all over Canada. Due to the success of last year, the same format will be followed in 2008.

The 2008 “Best Practices” Conference Committee is calling for workshop presenter proposals. Individual workshops are scheduled to be of one-hour duration and include up to 50 participants. Please visit the CAIS website at http://www.cais.ca/best_practices_conference for details. The deadline for submission is December 10, 2007.

For further proposal information, please contact Jim Christopher via email at: director@cais.ca

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Understanding by Design - Summer Institute 2008

Havergal College, Toronto, Ontario
Wednesday, July 2 – Saturday, July 5, 2008

Join us at Toronto’s Havergal College where acclaimed presenters Jay McTighe and Seonaid Davis will provide an in-depth four-day workshop that focuses on developing aligned curriculum using the Understanding by Design model. During the workshop, participants will:
• Work individually or in a team to design or refine an Understanding by Design unit and course syllabus;
• Align units and courses with standards and learn how to unpack the standards;
• Draft overarching Essential Questions and Understandings to connect units;
• Engage in peer review and revision of unit, course, and program designs.

PRESENTERS
Jay McTighe - An experienced educator and noted author, Jay McTighe provides consulting services to schools, districts, regional service agencies and state departments of education.
Seonaid Davis - An experienced presenter on Understanding by Design, Seonaid Davis is a consultant with Grant Wiggins’ Authentic Education and is a regular contributor to his online
journal “Big Ideas.”

REGISTRATION
To register, visit www.havergal.on.ca, scroll to News & Events and click on Understanding By Design Summer Institute 2008. Cost is $850 per person, $800 per person if registering a team of three or more participants. Conference tuition includes workshop materials, breakfast, lunch and refreshments. Wireless internet access is also provided. Information about conveniently located hotels is available on the registration site.

To print these details please download the attached flyer.

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4176_HAV_UBD_V3.1_F.pdf

Be Published in Dialogue Magazine

Parents and Private Schools… how far should schools go?
Share your insights and viewpoints, experiences, study papers and research with colleagues.  Be published in DIALOGUE!
 
If you have students, you’ve got parents. How significant is the parent–school relationship in the world of private and independent education? What impact does/will it have on your school’s policies and operations (for good or ill); on the roles of heads, administrators, teachers and staff; on students?
 
Parents are your partners … patrons … customers … employers? Which describes the view held at your school? By the head? By teachers? By students? What does an ideal parent–private school relationship look like? Are parents and schools equals in the relationship? Should they be? In your experience, what’s been the best way to build and maintain good relationships with parents? Accountability, boundaries, communication, diplomacy…?
 
DIALOGUE is a specialized magazine developed for the Canadian independent education and teacher community. It engages, informs and inspires with practical resources, thought-provoking articles and the latest in education research, all focused on a particular theme.
 
Our Kids Publications Ltd. is now accepting submission proposals for the Spring 2009 issue focused on Parents and Private Schools. Proposals to be submitted to editor@ourkids.net by April 30, 2008 for consideration.
 
Visit www.ourkids.net/dialogue to read articles from previous issues and for more information on having an article published in DIALOGUE.

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Our Kids Private School Supplement
Delivered to 200,000 subscribers of The Globe and Mail

Reach new students in January 2008!
The Private School Supplement will be distributed in January to more than 200,000 families, home subscribers of The Globe and Mail — a targeted audience of parents with kids. All listing schools in Our Kids Go To School magazine are automatically included in the private school index and receive a 50% discount on display ad space.

For more information about the January 2008 issue, distribution details and a list of booked schools, please click here.

Please note that ONLY four spaces remain, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Space booking deadline: November 20, 2007.

NEW for 2008, all display ads will be positioned online in an e-magazine on www.ourkids.net, with direct links to your school's website. With more than 10 million hits on www.ourkids.net and more than 200,000 magazine readers, Our Kids offers schools a targeted print and online marketing package.

 

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Anxiety: When to Worry about Worrying

With the school year now approaching the holiday season, we tend to see an increase in anxiety around the household.  Assignments are due, exams are lurking, and it seems like everyone is a little more nervous. Is this a bad thing?  What exactly is anxiety, and when do we need to worry about it?

Anxiety is a negative mood state characterized by symptoms of physical tension and apprehension about the future.  It is a normal reaction to a stressful situation that you feel is beyond your control.  Typically a person may feel symptoms such as trembling, muscle tension, sweating, and increased heart rate.  Surprisingly, anxiety, in moderate amounts, is good for us.  Almost everyone experiences some level of anxiety on a regular basis.  In fact, anxiety serves as an important survival function.  When someone is faced with a threatening situation, anxiety triggers the fight-flight response that propels physical changes in our body, which provide the necessary fuel to deal with the threatening situation.  Do you have an assignment due soon that you have barely worked on?  Do you have a date this weekend with someone new? Are you preparing for a job interview?  All of these situations will normally create some level of anxiety.  The anxiety we feel can motivate us to study harder for a test, complete a task more efficiently, or perform better in sports. 

However, anxiety can also be overwhelming for some people, and it can become maladaptive.  It is important for parents to be aware of their children’s levels of anxiety, and to understand how much it is impacting their daily activities. It is also important to monitor our own displays of anxiety and be aware that children are very sensitive to their surrounding environment. As noted in the Merck Manual, the effects of anxiety on performance are sometimes displayed or described on an “anxiety curve” (see attachment below).  As the level of anxiety increases, so does the level of efficiency up to the optimal level.  However, as anxiety increase further, performance efficiency decreases, and the level of anxiety begins to impair functioning.

Anxiety is problematic when it becomes irrational, persistent, long lasting, and interferes with a person's daily functioning.  Someone with unhealthy levels of anxiety may perceive molehills as mountains. For example, while it is not uncommon for some children to feel mildly anxious and take the long way home if there is a big scary dog along the short route, it becomes problematic if a child constantly worries about all dogs, and avoids walking home altogether.  If the worries and fears persist and grow, and the child cannot be reassured despite efforts by parents and the children themselves to decrease the anxiety, more investigation into the significance of the anxiety is warranted.  At this point, it is prudent to consult a doctor or mental health professional to determine if an anxiety disorder exists.

Signs to watch for when anxiety concerns exist in your child include; a change in sleeping habits, irritability, restlessness, persistent talk about a stressor, avoiding daily activities such as school, sports, etc..., and withdrawal or nervous behavior. 

Fortunately, there are very effective treatment options for anxiety, such as cognitive behaviour therapy.  At home, parents can offer help by being sensitive to their child’s challenges and offer nonjudgmental support.  Often, we can offer some comfort by demystifying anxiety and explaining that many children and teens worry, some more than others, but that this obstacle can be overcome.  As with many child/adolescent worries, open communication can be very beneficial. It is important to remember and recognize that sometimes a persistent anxiety, or an anxiety disorder may need more than just parental reassurance, professional assistance may be required to alleviate the distress being experienced by the child. Don’t feel defeated if your well intentioned love and support does not produce the “cure” for your child’s affliction, use the resources that are all around us to get the help that is required.

Karen Williams, B.Ed, M.A., Psychotherapist
For further information please contact Karen at 416-618-7563 or williams_karen@rogers.com

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Merck_Manual_Anxiey_Curve.doc