Offering a vibrant and dynamic academic program must always be the top priority for a school. Nothing is more important. The majority of CAIS Heads were academic leaders before being promoted to Head of School. The Academic Administration module is designed to provide participants with an opportunity to explore the key components of leading an academic program. The module will present best practices and a variety of case studies that will allow participants to understand the complexities of operating an effective academic program. Practical strategies will be discussed and developed through this highly interactive module.

Learning Intentions:

• Expose delegates to a wide range of topics that are the responsibility of school academic leaders.
• Understand the complexity and importance of sustainable academic programs in CAIS schools.
• Appreciate the significance the school’s academic program has on the various stakeholder groups. (students, parents, faculty and staff, board members, alumni, community, etc.)
• Understand how a school’s academic program should be closely integrated to all aspects of an independent school program – admission, advancement, information technology, etc.
• Acquire “hands-on” experience in leading and managing a school’s academic program.
• Reflect upon one’s own leadership style in order to successfully manage the academic program.

Course Content:

• Introduction, Overview and Objectives
• The Importance of the Academic Program
• Building an Effective Resource Program at a CAIS School
• Performance Appraisal Protocol
• 5) Professional Development and the Professional Growth Portfolio
• Mentorship
• Managing Academic Leaders
• Academic Integrity
• Supporting the University Counseling Department
• Transition Between Schools Within School

Coming soon.

All aspects of a fully functioning Advancement Office will be reviewed during this module. There will be a combination of lecture, individual & group case assignments, Q&A, and in-depth discussions of topics that are of particular interest to the participants.

Learning Intentions:

• A review of best practices, and real examples – a working knowledge of Advancement
• Gain an appreciation of the many positive impacts that Advancement activities can have upon a school

Coming soon.

The Finance module is designed to provide participants with information and experience in receiving and interpreting financial data within the school environment. We will explore the ethics and law around financial decision making, benchmarking of independent schools, financial sustainability and governance, internal financial reporting and reviewing financial statements. A budget exercise that participants undertake in small groups is a tool used to understand the major drivers of a school's finances. The module is participatory and aimed at the non-financial manager.

Learning Intentions:

• Gain an awareness of the financial documents used by independent schools
• Develop an understanding of the major drivers of a school budget
• Examine issues of financial sustainability and risks associated with enrolment fluctuations
• Develop an understanding of the "business" of running a school - insurance, planning, revenues and expenses.

Coming soon.

About the Module:

Leaders are required to act and respond to many teams and stakeholders very day:  an increasingly complex role in increasingly complex organizations. The research is clear: awareness, mindset and engagement are key, often ‘unseen’ elements, that impact leaders’ success. How do we balance the ‘doing’ and the ‘being’ of leadership? How do we engage the strengths of our teams?

Coaching and coach-like conversations unlock and strengthen these key areas. Enjoy an experiential learning session of skills and strategies that will support your coach-like conversations as well as your leadership work with teams and stakeholders.

What you will Learn:

This module will consider coaching and coach-like conversations as a key pathway to help leaders to explore and build strategic, thoughtful interactions. Through the lens of awareness, mindset and engagement (AME), participants will learn both the compelling ‘why’ of this work, as well as skills and models to deepen their coach-like conversations.

Through experiential learning, participants will practice skills and apply the learning to their contexts and situations.

Heather is passionate about people development. She has worked in education from elementary school to college level, public and private schools, across Canada and in Australia. She believes deeply in the power of collaboration, and strong leadership. She has spoken to groups of 5 to 1500 and received strong positive reviews. Heather currently works with leaders and teams in the education (including several CAIS schools across the country), financial, ‘not-for -profit, and policing sectors. With degrees in education (BA, BEd) and leadership (MA), and accredited with International Coaching Federation, she understands how important it is to integrate current research and ideas. Her work includes 1:1 leadership coaching, 360 feedback processes, leadership and team development. Mostly, she finds it a privilege to work with people, helping them to bring their best selves to work.

Coming soon.

Coming soon.

About The Workshop/Module:

In the coming decade, our students and indeed all of us will face humanity’s most complex and significant challenge - mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis while creating a more healthy, equitable and just society for all. The voices of our children are all around us, asking us for help, demanding our action. As leaders in K-12 education, CAIS schools are grappling with how to set and achieve our own sustainability goals, and how to meet the needs of our students and school communities as we all endeavour to understand and digest what is being asked of us as individuals, community leaders and as citizens of the world.

This module will provide you with context as well as practical tools for leadership in environmental sustainability in 2020. We will also review the new CAIS Indicators of Effective Practice in environmental sustainability in our refreshed CAIS accreditation standards, and discuss specific strategies to help achieve them. We will use examples from K-12 schools, higher education, and examples beyond our sector to help inform and inspire our learning.

What You Will Learn:

We will review the various ways that we can create a hopeful, inspirational vision for the future, and galvanize our school communities around goals and action plans. We will examine some of the leading practices across programming, student life, operations, and capital projects. You will be encouraged to bring examples and questions from your own school to deepen our discussion and collaborate with fellow participants on solutions that can move us all forward. We will also review the many resources available to support schools in creating and implementing sustainability plans. 

Michèle Andrews has been leading the CAIS Green Schools Project since its inception in the 2018-19 school year. She has worked in independent schools since 2002 in a variety of roles in Senior Administration, as Head of School, and as Board Chair. She worked at the Toronto Waldorf School for 10 years as Head, where environmental sustainability was deeply embedded into the pedagogical program and the school culture. 

Michèle has a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University, and a Masters in Education from OISE/University of Toronto, with a focus on organizational change and adult learning. She had a successful career in strategy, leadership and organizational development in the private and not-for-profit sectors before stepping into the world of K-12 education.

She is currently involved in a number of sustainability initiatives, including a registered Living Building Challenge and Living Community Challenge project in Eastern Ontario. These challenges represent the highest standard of sustainable building design in the world. She is a volunteer ambassador and Living Future certified member of the International Living Future Institute. She is also a member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps. 

Michèle recently helped found a community climate action group in eastern Ontario. She is dedicating her professional and volunteer time to working with students and communities to transition to a healthy, sustainable, future. She and her husband recently moved to a 10 acre rural property where they are trying their hand at growing their own food and regenerating the land.