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Featured School
Where in the world is...
St. Clement's School
St. Clement’s School (SCS) was founded in 1901 and initially housed in the Parish Hall of St. Clement’s Anglican Church. The School quickly became known for an innovative approach to education for girls resulting in exceptional academic achievement and an unparalleled spirit of community – a reputation that it proudly maintains today.
St. Clement’s School understands the importance of a balanced approach to education that reaches beyond the classroom. SCS develops women of character by encouraging academic excellence, self-confidence, leadership, and independent thinking in an enriching, supportive environment. Recently the School has doubled in physical size, but the enrolment and spirit remain the same. The expanded facility includes a performance and lecture hall, a dance/drama studio, a new gymnasium, new science laboratories, a new library, and more, all reflecting the varied activities of SCS students.
To read more visit: www.stclementsschool.ca
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CAIS Conference Information
Please visit the Conferences section of our website for a look at conference details and registration information.
Save the dates:
- October 16-19, 2008 - CAIS Heads and Board Chairs Conference is being hosted by Rothesay Netherwood School, New Brunswick, and held at The Delta Brunswick Hotel, Saint John, NB.
- January 28-30 - CAISAP Conference is being held at the Banff Centre, B.C. Registration is available on the CAIS and CAISAP websites.
- April 8-12, 2009 - CAIS Student Leadership Conference is being hosted by Hillfield Strathallan College, Hamilton, Ontario
- April 15-18, 2009 - CAIS CIJSHA Conference is being hosted by St. George's School in Vancouver, B.C.
- April 22-25, 2009 - CAIS Assistant Heads Conference is being hosted by Southridge School in Surrey, B.C. Registration will begin in 2009.
- May 2-6, 2009 - CAIS Business Manager's Conference is being hosted in Ottawa by Ashbury College and Elmwood School. Registration will begin in 2009.
CAIS Athletic Events
- October 17-19, 2008 -The CAIS Senior Boys and Girls Soccer Tournament is being hosted by: (Boys) Trinity College School, Port Hope, Ontario and (Girls) Rothesay Netherwood School, Rothesay, New Brunswick
- October 23-25, 2008 - The CAIS U-13 Boys Soccer Tournament is being hosted in Toronto, Ontario, by Crescent School and The Sterling Hall School
- April 17-19, 2009 - The CAIS Rugby Tournament is being hosted by St. Andrew's College and The Country Day School in Ontario
CAIS Boarding Fairs
- Thursday October 23, 2008 - Bermuda Boarding Fair is being held at the Hamilton Princess Hotel
- Tuesday January 20, 2009 - Mexico Boarding Fair is being held at Hotel Nikko
- Thursday February 5, 2009 - Bahamas Boarding Fair is being held at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel
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CAIS in Point
Perhaps no part of school life and operations has been more affected by changes in technology than that of communications. Internally, in many schools, e-mail has replaced memos, or even staff meetings; marks are entered on-line; reports are prepared electronically in a collaborative fashion; news and events are posted for sharing; and teachers often post lesson summaries or assignments for use by both students and colleagues.
Externally, the school website has emerged as the number one communications and marketing tool in virtually every school. Admissions, alumni communications, and fundraising all depend on a high quality and easily accessible school site. For the average parent, hours of travel and research can be replaced by a few minutes spent navigating a school’s website. It is not surprising that the school fairs, and even general open houses have dropped in attendance as more and more families are able to zero in on their primary choices through virtual tours and electronic presentations rather than physical ones.
In some respects, this new era in electronic communications has come at a price. Many schools report that the emergence of e-mail as the vehicle of choice for communication comes with a number of unexpected negative consequences. To begin with, there has been a notable drop in face-to-face communications, even in the smallest schools. Administrators and teachers will fire off an e-mail from their desks rather than walk across the hall to speak to a colleague and many staff complain of being inundated with “send all” e-mails that go to all staff rather than the few who are directly involved in a particular issue. This has been described as anything from a product of laziness and inconsideration, to an attempt at self-promotion so that everyone can see how busy the sender is! Whatever the reason, the result has been the relegation of much in-school communications to the status of junk mail, thereby burying important communications in a long list of unread messages. Secondly, e-mail can be notoriously inefficient for making plans or decisions. A decision (like when to meet) that might take fifteen seconds in a personal conversation, can often take five or six e-mails to pin down. In addition, e-mail assumes that the intended recipient is informed of an issue when they may or may not have even read your note.
However, the use of e-mail in schools has proven to be tremendously efficient and effective. More faculty and staff can be included in the communication loop by the simple use of the CC function. No longer do you have to jot down ideas and wait to bring them to a scheduled meeting; today’s ideas can be shared with a group asynchronously. By the time of the meeting, ideas have been hammered about and refined through e-communication; when meeting face-to-face, informed and thoughtful decisions are ready to be made. Some staff meetings have become great forums for professional development as well as idea sharing and debate as announcements and administrivia can be dealt with beforehand by e-mail. More communication occurs as it is very easy to include people, some of whom may not even be physically nearby, be it as a primary recipient or as a “CC’d” party. We are all familiar with the challenges involved in organizing a meeting for groups of teachers and administrators. With one e-mail sent to a large group, there is no longer a need to make photocopies of notes or to spend time distributing papers. E-mails also provide official copies of communication, more so than what may be recalled from a meeting.
Another major innovation in this age of electronic communications is the emergence of the electronic newsletter. Many school leaders have embraced the e-newsletter as an effective communications tool. Particularly effective in boarding schools, and an inexpensive alternative to publishing and delivering hard copies, the practice has had a “hidden cost”. To begin with, it assumes that all parents have easy access to e-mail, that they check it constantly, and that they read what they receive. For many people, an electronic newsletter is skimmed and then dumped. Any lasting impact or important dates to remember are often lost in the recycle bin. Another challenge is ensuring that all of your alumni have access to e-mail. Schools with a lengthy history may find that older alumni are not hooked in; consequently, all communications have to be sent both electronically and printed and mailed. The potential of e-mail to provide efficiency and cost-effectiveness is lost when newsletter have to be sent two ways.
An even greater negative effect of e-newsletters is that it has the potential to take the child/student out of the communications loop. Surveys in a number of schools have indicated a disengagement by students in the communication process. Sometimes the new e-newsletter can take students out of the equation. Rather than being a vehicle for community building among parent, school and student, it has often become a marketing tool to showcase programmes. It’s tough to have a dinner table conversation about things in a newsletter that your child has never seen. In an attempt to streamline communications, the middle-person (in fact the most important link in the home/school chain) is totally left out. It is unlikely that Mom will bring her laptop to the dinner table to review the week’s events with her child. (And, except for those few households with SMART boards built into their refrigerators, the odds of it being posted in the kitchen are slim.)
Once again, however, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. E-communication has huge potential to increase and enhance the important communication link between parents and schools. Faculty and administrators are adopting e-newsletters as a way of getting around the “crumpled memo in the backpack” syndrome that typifies many schools. Incredibly easy to produce and clearly cost-efficient, e-newsletters are also environmentally friendly since parents can choose to print any information that they deem to be relevant. Without adding cost, e-newsletters can be creative, colourful and full of photos. Another advantage is the ability for schools to personalize newsletters and send mail to targeted and specific groups. For example, information can be sent to potential families from like-minded parents as part of a targeted admissions process. With changing communication behaviours both within and between schools and home, the full potential of e-communication will continue to be discovered.
Because of this growth and expansion of e-communications, additional human resources are needed in this area. The latest addition to many school management teams is a communications specialist. Schools are looking for in-house professionals with expertise in web writing who can manage this additional profile. The Communications Director needs to be someone who is on the pulse of what is happening at the school in order to report on current events and priorities for the school. Negotiating how this additional staff member will be informed of all activities, assigning who will do the writing, posting and monitoring of information and deciding what is communicated and how are current issues facing administration teams. A clear line of communication within the school is needed to organize what communication leaves the school. Administrators who want to maintain a current website are finding that staying abreast of daily sports, co-curricular and bus schedules; staff and faculty updates; student achievements; student, parent and alumni activities is a full-time job that requires careful and timely management. Our schools are active and lively places so the challenge is to show accurate and current information in a clear and easy-to-navigate manner.
The issue of student safety and security in our schools is always a concern and even more so in this age of internet predators and cyber bullying. Many schools require parents and students to sign consent forms so that their child’s photo can appear in promotional materials. However, when it comes to the Internet, the real issue is not one of permission and liability, the issue is one of moral responsibility. Although schools would like to advertise their students’ achievements with photos and student names, it is irresponsible to post student photos with individual names for the general public to access. Schools should not knowingly put children at such risk. One way around this identification issue is for the school to create secure on-line areas that are accessible only through parent/student passwords. This password protected area is a good place to post student achievement so that no child is at risk. The other concern is that information within this parent protected space should be fire-walled so that personal information is not easily accessible.
The most effective schools are managing to maintain a balance between digital and personal and are the richer for it. In spite of some possible shortcomings, there are great things being done with electronic communications and it will continue to expand with the click of a mouse.
Jim
Dr. James Christopher, Executive Director
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CAIS Fall 2008 Leadership Institute
By popular demand CAIS is holding a Leadership Institute (LI) in November! Crofton House School in Vancouver, British Columbia will be hosting this professional development event from Saturday, November 29 - Sunday, November 30.
Dr. Jim Christopher will be running the Sustainable Leadership module. To read more about the CAIS LI visit: http://www.cais.ca/leadership_institute
To secure your spot please register at http://www.cais.ca/conferences2 by November 3, 2008.
Jane Goodall Institute Teacher Workshop 09
Would you like to be part of an incredible opportunity to help train primary school teachers in Uganda to deliver environmental education programs!
The Jane Goodall Institute is looking for several highly motivated teachers to deliver teacher training programs in Uganda. There will be two opportunities to be part of this program in 2009: March 16-28; and three weeks, dates to be determined, in July. The program will focus on the use of learner-centred teaching methods as well as the integration of Environmental Education into the Uganda Primary School Curriculum (UPSC).
These workshops are organized by the Jane Goodall Institute of Uganda, with support from the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada.
The Jane Goodall Institute is a global non-profit organization that supports wildlife research, conservation and education, with the primary goal of ensuring the survival of great ape populations through community-centred conservation activities in Africa. The Institute also promotes sustainable livelihoods and nurtures new generations of committed, active citizens around the world. The Institute has a well-established program in Uganda, running wildlife protection, conservation and environmental education programs from its head office in Entebbe. Workshops for teachers in rural districts are a key component of the environmental education program, and the Institute has already successfully delivered several workshops.
The Program in Uganda:
The first week (March 16th to March 20th) would be an orientation for the teachers to familiarize themselves with Uganda and The Jane Goodall Institute's educational programs at the JGI office in Entebbe. This will include classroom visits and meeting with some of the primary school teachers of Entebbe in order to give them a better understanding of the classroom setting in Uganda.
The workshops will be run on the second week in Bushenyi District and will run from Monday, March 23 to Thursday, March 27 with a field visit in between. Return to Entebbe on Friday, March 28. The workshops will be held in rural parts of Uganda, and will cover the material laid out in teacher's guides produced by JGI as well as the fundamentals of cooperative learning techniques.
The July program will follow a similar format.
Qualifications Required:
-A relevant Teaching Certificate and exposure to environmental education.
-Hands on experience with delivering workshops and/or training programs.
-A sound understanding of learner-centred teaching methods especially cooperative learning.
-Travel and/or work experience in developing countries is an asset, as is an understanding of social justice and environmental issues in a developing country context.
-A commitment to the goals and principles of the Jane Goodall Institute.
-Flexibility, strong constitution and sense of humour essential!
Expectations Upon Return:
-To meet with the JGI staff in Canada to debrief the experience.
-To be prepared to make at least one presentation at your home school as well as other local schools in your area.
-Work towards establishing a Roots & Shoots club at your school. -Assist with ongoing fundraising to assist with future workshops and environmental education programs in Africa.
Costs:
The cost of the workshop in itself is $5000 US. The team would be responsible for fundraising this cost.
Airfare: Each teacher will be responsible for his or her own airfare.
-Accommodation and Food: Approximately $1000
-Tour: Approximately $750 - $2000 (Depending on what the group would like to do)
-Visas: Approximately $50
-Vaccinations: Prices will vary depending on what you need. This may be covered by your school medical plans.
-Personal expenses
Applications are due by Friday, October 24, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
Please submit your cover letter and resume to Sophie Muset at sophie@janegoodall.ca. In your cover letter, please outline your motivation, relevant developing country experience and how you plan to use this experience upon your return in order to raise awareness of issues in Africa. Please also indicate whether you are interested in the March or July trip or both.
The selection and interview process will take place in November 2008 and the candidates that have been selected for the March trip will be informed by December at the latest. More information about the program will be provided upon this point.
For more information please call 416-978-3711 or visit: www.janegoodall.ca
Pan-Canadian Paralympic School Week
In anticipation of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games, VANOC, in partnership with the BC Ministry of Education and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, is inviting and encouraging schools across Canada to participate in a Paralympic School Week that will take place in fall 2008, and again in fall 2009 — though with two different themes.
November 3–7, 2008 (Paralympism in Canada)
November 2–6, 2009 (International Paralympic Movement)
Paralympic School Week is endorsed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
What is Paralympic School Week?
The week-long program adopts the ideals of the Paralympic Movement and showcases people with a disability who are making a difference. Paralympic School Week provides a focus for school-wide community building and subject-related instruction.
Why participate in Paralympic School Week?
The period leading up to Vancouver 2010 presents an unparalleled opportunity to engage students in an event that will be receiving worldwide attention. A compelling and multi-faceted experience, the 2010 Winter Games offer rich possibilities for student learning. For more information on how Paralympism-focused instruction can contribute to student learning, see the ‘Ideas for Classroom-Based Activities’ section of the Paralympic School Week Guide.
Does my school get anything for taking part in Paralympic School Week?
Commit to celebrating Paralympic School Week at your school and receive a limited edition Paralympic School Kit from Vancouver 2010. Schools that participate in Paralympic School Week are also eligible to win prizes if they submit content to the /EDU Project Showcase, capturing the Paralympic School Week experience in the form of photos, video or audio.
Paralympic Resources:
Canadian Paralympic Committee, It's The Real Deal
This site has a variety of education resources behind a free, secure login. It includes a teachers-only discussion board and extensive sets of printable lessons by age level and subject area.
Feel the Rush
An extension of the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) website, Feel the Rush offers detailed information about sport for persons with a disability and guides those who are interested to the sport/s that best suit their abilities/interests. Feel the Rush also identifies local and national sporting associations.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
The aim of this site is to educate about the ideals and values of the Paralympic Movement, create understanding and positive attitudes towards persons with a disability. The site targets youth between the ages of 6 and 19.
Paralympic Sport.TV
The goal of ParalympicSport.TV is to provide content from the Paralympic world including news, interviews, event reports and, of course, the Paralympic Games.
Beijing 2008
The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Paralympic sports are often hyperlinked to deeper levels of information underscoring the global change in attitude to Paralympic sports and quickly-the emerging interest in this area.
London 2012
This comprehensive website has a wide range of resources, including information and visual materials available for download by educators and students.
Chantal Petitclerc.com
Chantal Petitclerc is a wheelchair athlete, originally from Quebec. The site covers her sport, life, training, equipment and successes. The information is personal, sophisticated and motivational, covering sports triumphs, her achievements and her personal contributions to society.
For more information on how your school can become involved please visit: http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/culture-and-education/education/feature-programs/-/49846/33978/8n09rs/pan-canadian-paralympic-school.html
Coach Reflections On Beijing: Conquering The Wall
"High performance coaches are an integral part of our sport system; their wealth of knowledge and expertise can help shape an athlete’s development and put them on the podium. Without the outstanding effort of Canada's high performance coaches, many talented athletes would not have made it to where they are today."
On Sunday, October 26, 2008 come and listen to some of Canada's best Olympic Coaches as they share lessons learned from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Moderated by Sheilagh Croxon, Olympic Coach, Synchronized Swimming and Chair of the Coaches Association of Ontario, our list of riveting speakers include:
-Joel Filliol, Triathlon
-Pierre Lafontaine, Swimming
-Wendy Dobbin, Softball
-Mike Spracklen, Rowing
In partnership with the CN Tower, the event takes place from 9:00am-4:00pm at the Maple Leaf Theatre - CN Tower. Tickets are only $65 or $50 if you're a CAO Member, and include a light lunch, as well as an opportunity to ascend the CN tower at the end of the presentations.
Seats are limited, and registration is filling up quickly! To reserve your spot, visit https://www.karelo.com/enter_res.php?&BID=154#Ev6498
Submitted by: Jessica Taggio
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Coaches Association of Ontario
Suite 606-1185 Eglinton Ave East
Toronto, ON MC3 3C6
Tel: 416-426-7053 Fax: 416-426-7331
1-888-NCCP-ONT
ISOMA Math Conference 2008
Following upon last year's very well attended and successful conference at UTS, Branksome Hall is pleased to host ISOMA Math Conference 2008: LEAP from Junior, Middle to Senior School Learning: Enhancing & Advancing our Practice at Branksome Hall.
The theme for this year's conference is Learning: Enhancing & Advancing our Practice (LEAP) - leaping through the years from grades 1 to 12. The conference will provide opportunities for teachers of mathematics from all grade levels to share and learn from each other, return to school feeling inspired to try something new, and make math more fun and help students to be more successful.
Where: Branksome Hall, 10 Elm Avenue, Toronto (north of Bloor at Mount Pleasant; a short walk northwest of Sherbourne subway station; with parking on site)
When: Thursday, November 20, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Registration
4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Workshop I
5:35 - 6:35 p.m. Dinner
6:40 - 7:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: Professor Jeffrey S. Rosenthal (author of Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities, Professor of Probability at UT)
7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Workshop II
Cost: $35 OAME members or students, $45 Others
Please make cheque payable to ISOMA. You will also be able to join OAME on that day and receive the discount on the conference.
Conference programme and registration information will be announced soon. In the meantime, please:
1. Mark the date on your calendar and plan to LEAP with your friends and colleagues at Branksome. (This is a great opportunity to meet up with former colleagues or friends from university.)
2. Spread the word to all the math teachers at your school (Grade 1 to 12) and get them to LEAP together with you.
3. Send the ISOMA Organizing Committee names of possible presenters for LEAPING workshops or suggestions of topics you would like to take a LEAP at. (Perhaps you or a colleague at your school can share a successful method of teaching something, teach us how to use new software or hardware, provide some interesting problems or activities, or share assessment practices).
If you have any questions please contact the ISOMA Organizing Committee (listed below):
Edith Louie - elouie@branksome.on.ca
Diane Lang - dilang@utschools.ca
Bob Perrier - Bob.Perrier@sac.on.ca
Stephanie Stephens - sstephens@scs.on.ca
This information is also posted on the CAIS website at: http://www.cais.ca/miscellaneous
Good Sense of Math
An interesting article, How One’s “Numbers Sense” Helps With Mathematics, was recently posted at washingtonpost.com http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/07/AR2008090701899.html?sid=ST2008090701940&s_pos summarizing some research conducted on math aptitude and the positive effect of an innate sense of numbers.
We often speak of people possessing “good sense” and “common sense” and this can include the ability to efficiently summarize a situation and make a safe or beneficial decision. The research shared in the Post article indicates that kids with “math sense” end up achieving better math marks in school. While this may not be surprising to everyone, the knowledge could lead to some new styles of teaching that better suit the students with less astute math senses.
Math sense is not about being “smart”, it is, in part, the ability of some people to estimate how many things are needed, or are available, at first glance. The person who consistently gives first rate number-based “guesstimates” posses this quality. Or the person who scans the line at the supermarket, and by quickly surveying the contents of the carts, picks the shortest line, also posses this quality (unfortunately math sense can’t account for missing price codes, or other line hold ups!).
Possessing a good number sense seems to be independent of other measurable human attributes; there is no known connection to other human abilities. It has not been linked to IQ, memory, visual- spatial or verbal proficiencies. It appears to be a totally separate skill that we are born with. Research suggests that “number sense” is not just a human characteristic. Monkeys, pigeons and rats have all displayed the sense in one way or another. Very early in life, humans and these other live beings, display the “sense”, or not. For those who do not have a built in aptitude for numbers, if detected early, possible learning tactics could be applied to help them achieve better results in math studies, or help them learn what is innate to others. More research is needed in this area, but the scientific link to math achievement could open up a world of opportunities in the field of differentiating instruction.
Lindsay Ireland, CAIS
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Course_Details.pdf