Creation of Hope. . . Because Reading can do a World of Good - Top
Students at Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board will soon be able to make a difference for children locally and around the world through an exciting literacy initiative set for early March.
The Creation of Hope Project was first introduced by author Eric Walters after he visited a small rural community in Kenya called Kikima. He witnessed children and their families living in devastation and he knew he had to make a difference.
Walters inspired a team of people to create outreach programs that give support, care, shelter and education to the community. To date, The Creation of Hope has been able to secure land for The Hope Children’s Residence that will be built soon to rescue orphans.
“We need your help to turn hopelessness into hope,” said Walters who has used his influence to invite other authors passionate about literacy and social justice to participate in the events.
A passion for literacy, a focus on global education and an emphasis on making Hamilton a better place for those living in poverty will be highlighted messages shared at each event.
The Creation of Hope literacy events will take place on March 9 at Delta for Grades SK to 3, March 10 at Sir John A. Macdonald for Grades 4 to 8, and March 12 at Westdale for Grades 9 to 12. Registration information has been sent to every school Administrator. Tickets are $7.00 each and space is limited.
Dr. Chris Spence is pleased to support this initiative as he has made social justice education a critical learning piece for students this year in addition to his ongoing priority of improving student achievement.
Spence is certainly passionate about this issue. He explained, “In an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, educators must teach students to be global citizens committed to justice for all people.”
Read more at Creation of Hope and learn more about the project. Read about how the program started, the lives of the children who have been affected by the support of this campaign and how to get involved.
Celebrating Family Literacy Week - Top
Some students showed up to school in their pajamas, not because they wanted to sleep, but rather they wanted to “Snuggle up and Read” as part of Family Literacy Week, which took place from January 24 to 31, 2009. It was part of a number of activities that schools took part in to encourage families to read with their children.
From literacy nights that welcomed families in the schools, to poster contests that encouraged students to finish the sentence “Literacy is . . .,” to Letter Bingo, to Read-a-Louds, students were reading their hearts out improving their vocabulary development and their reading comprehension.
Gatestone, Guy Brown, Millgrove, Helen Detwiler, King George, Ancaster Meadow, Prince Philip, and Yorkview were some schools who held successful events that were full of activity, entertainment and enjoyment for all involved.
According to HWDSB’s Early Learning & Child Care Liaison’s Lisa Kiriakopolous, the week is about parents working with their child to improve literacy skills and should be practiced all year long.
“Getting parents to sit down and read a book with their child is one of the most important things we can ask a parent to do,” said Kiriakopolous.
In addition to school based events, HWDSB celebrated Family Literacy Week with Early Literacy Hamilton and Hamilton Best Start. Together, with the Hamilton Public Library and Image Honda, events were also held throughout the city to stress the importance of reading and learning as a family.
The Central Library played host to an ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation event where Canadians of all ages were asked to come together to break the Guinness World Record for the most children reading with an adult in multiple locations. The current record is set in the United States at 78,791 children reading during the day.
“Children and adults alike create a lasting bond when they read together,” said Kiriakopolous as she looked back on the many family literacy nights she held with her own son when he was younger.
Mentors are at the Heart of Project G.O. - Top
Since March of 2008, Project G.O. (Girls Only) has been successful in making a difference in the lives of young women. Similar to HWDSB’s Boys to Men initiative, Project G.O. was designed to provide mentorship and positive role models for at-risk female students in Grades 6 to 8.
Many of the young girls are in need of having a strong female model in their lives to assist in the challenges during their teenage years. Project G.O. pairs teachers and educational assistants with girls to act as their mentor and talk through issues of self-esteem and anti-bullying to name a few.
“The teachers and educational assistants are dedicated to making a positive difference within the lives of more than 160 at-risk youth who attend inner city schools,” said Janet Adler, Vice Principal of Program Effectiveness, Elementary Focus.
“The purpose of the program is to assist students in achieving their full potential socially, emotionally and academically, in a supportive, safe and encouraging environment.”
Mentors help the young ladies to apply themselves in planning and decision making that incorporates their own personal interests, strengths, abilities and accomplishments.
The girls are set to participate in the next Project G.O. on March 11 and will have a chance be a part of Rachel’s Challenge Program.
“I truly believe that the Student Mentoring EA team has the knowledge, compassion, strength and guidance to make a positive difference for our students,” continued Adler. “When you hear the stories of how this program has affected the young girls, it just fills our hearts with the promise that through mentorship we have the power to change lives.”
Exercise Balls Instead of Chairs in the Classroom? - Top
It’s true. SAGE students are on the ball, literally. Students in Grades 2 to 5 are sitting on exercise balls instead of chairs in their classroom.
Teacher Karen Must, with the support from the school and Principal Gary Poot, quickly turned this idea into a pilot initiative when SAGE (Scholastics, Arts and Global Education) at Strathcona Elementary consulted with a local physiotherapist to outlining the benefits of replacing chairs with exercise balls.
Why exercise balls? Karen identified that sitting on exercise balls strengthens the core of the body and helps the students settle and calm down. With the children moving and rolling, spinal fluid travels freely up and down the spine which replenishes the brain.
Of course there has to be an etiquette established when students use the balls and the following safety rules have been established:
- Two feet must be on the floor at all times in order to balance the balls.
- No bouncing while chewing food.
- Balls are chairs and not to be thrown.
- When lessons are taught rolling on the balls is allowed. During DPA (Daily Physical Activity) you can bounce and roll.
- Have fun sitting on balls!
Another benefit of the exercise balls is that Karen and the other SAGE teachers no longer have to worry about screeching chair sounds. Students are free to move around in an easy manner and this goes a long way to help the students who fidget the most.
Last year one exercise ball was lost due to an unfortunate pencil piercing incident, but no other accidents have been reported.
Visit SAGE and other HWDSB Programs of Choice website for more information.
Trustees Release Report Appraising Director’s Performance - Top
HWDSB students will be pleased to know that they aren’t the only ones to get report cards. Director of Education Dr. Chris Spence has received his in the form of a Director’s Performance Appraisal (DPA) and, among the recommendations for improvement, are a number of gold stars.
“We continue to be very pleased about the work of the Director. We’ve seen ESL results above the provincial average in many areas, improvements in special education, Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test results and academic and applied math results. Of course, we would like to see higher achievements in general in our schools,” said Judith Bishop, chair of the DPA governance committee.
Relying on the Director’s Performance Framework approved in March 2008, HWDSB trustees conducted their review of actual outcomes against intended expectations for the 2007-08 academic year.
The DPA measured the director against six distinct components:
- Student success
- Fiscal responsibility
- Human resources
- Director as secretary of the board
- Strategic plan
- Communications and community relations.
With a keen focus on student success, a number of recommendations are in place to inform future direction. Chair of the Board of Trustees Jessica Brennan says this document not only ensures accountability, but sets measurable benchmarks for the coming year.
“The DPA is part of a constant conversation about what we can do to improve. It’s not a dusty piece of paper that gets pulled out of some drawer and then evaluated in an abstract way,” said Chair of the Board, Jessica Brennan.
“Rather, it’s a very powerful process that takes stock of where we are and reaffirms those things that, as a Board, matter a great deal to us such as student achievement.”
To view the DPA, visit click here.
Students Butt Out for National Non-Smoking Week - Top
On January 21, 2009, Sherwood Secondary student reps of the anti-tobacco group S.T.A.T. (Students Together Against Tobacco) braved the cold weather on the corner of Upper Ottawa and Fennell to promote the worthy cause.
Banners and signs were displayed with messages that read, “Honk if you don’t smoke in your car” in support of National Non-Smoking Week and the new Ontario legislation passed that day which bans smoking in vehicles when accompanied by passengers under the age of 16 years old.
Sounds of horns were heard for blocks thanks to passing motorists who proudly showed their support to the message.
Section 9.2 of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act establishes that “no person shall smoke tobacco or have lighted tobacco products in a motor vehicle while another person who is less than 16 years old is present in the vehicle.”
“Parents in general seem to support this new legislation,” said Tania McKague, teacher advisor who is optimistic the new rule will be taken seriously.
GM Appointed to Head Up School Board Transportation Consortium - Top
We all know that the wheels on the bus go round and round. And now they’re going round together in Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and its co-terminus board Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
Last spring, the two boards formed a transportation consortium called Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation Services (HWSTS) and Kent Orr will lead the charge.
As of February 2, 2009 Orr assumed this important role as General Manager for HWSTS. Orr comes highly recommended from the same position in a consortium that was established several years ago. With his strong management skills, Kent will bring leadership to the important task of providing safe, effective and efficient student transportation.
Jessica Brennan, Chair of Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, is delighted that Kent Orr will be leading the Consortium operations.
“For many years, school bus transportation has been coordinated by each board resulting in the duplication of services,” says Brennan. “This new agreement is the type of collaboration with our co-terminus board that we appreciate and will continue to promote as we develop cost-effective strategies to further advance student achievement.”
Like all other co-terminus boards in the province, the boards formed the consortium in response to a Ministry of Education mandate that’s part of government reforms for student transportation. The reforms are designed to build capacity to deliver safe, effective and efficient student transportation services, achieve equity in funding allocations and reduce the administrative burden of delivering transportation.
As for Orr, he is eager to begin his new role, “I am very excited to be here with this new consortium and look forward to working as a team towards fulfilling its potential.”
Lieutenant Governor David Onley Stopped By Glenwood School - Top
You know you’re about to meet an important visitor when the OPP scope out the premises before he arrives.
That’s exactly what happened when Glenwood Elementary School welcomed the highest ranking official in the province, Lieutenant Governor David C. Onley and his wife Ruth-Ann recently.
Despite the pomp and circumstance, Principal Keith Muldoon says Onley was down-to-earth and seemed genuinely interested in the school’s classes that cater to their special needs students who range in age from 5 to 21.
“The visit was positive and pleasant. His Honour visited many of our classrooms and asked questions about our programs and the future of our students.”
Onley explained to Muldoon that the event was part of a commitment he and his wife made at the beginning of 2009 to make more visits to schools. Glenwood was one of three Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board schools that were identified as serving students with special needs and kids for whom accessibility is an issue. Accessibility is an issue close to the Lt.-Gov.’s own heart, as he uses a scooter after the effects of childhood polio limited his mobility.
For Principal Keith Muldoon, the visit was not only a welcome opportunity for staff and students to throw open their doors, it signified something deeper.
“I think it struck all of the staff that some of us have limitations sometimes but they don’t have to hold us back. We can go on to great things and, certainly in His Honour’s life and experience, he’s overcome a great deal and he’s reached heights that are inspiring for students and for the rest of us who are working to help these students become the best they can be.”
(Photo - Front row centre: The Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable David C. Onley and Her Honour Ruth Ann Onley. From left to right: Keith Muldoon, Principal of Glenwood, Vicki Corcoran, Superintendent of Student Services, Judy Colantino, Down Syndrome of Hamilton and Special Education Advisory Committee Chair, Elaine Renault, Glenwood School Council Member, Jessica Brennan, Board Chair for the HWDSB)
Virtual Views Featuring Superintendent Scott Sincerbox - Top
Today, a much broader range of program choices is sought for our schools. This is due to two dominant trends, higher expectations for excellence in schooling, and society’s growing diversity and complexity. This has fuelled a demand for schools which offer a specific approach for a particular client focus.
HWDSB is fast becoming a leader in developing and delivering programs in specialized areas that offer students and their parents' choices like never before.
Since the introduction of SAGE (Scholastic and Global Education), HWDSB has seen an increase in programs in focused areas ranging from athletics and languages to the arts and the trades. Not surprisingly over this period we have gained a heightened awareness of the important role programs of choice have in attracting students, keeping them in our schools and supporting them in being successful.
Along with SAGE, Sagequest, the Sports Academy at Riddell and the Sports Academy at Westmount are the other bona fide Programs of Choice, however a revised policy and significant interest from across the district will see this number quickly increase to as many as 30 by September 2009.
This growth capitalizes on the expertise, passion and leadership of staff to design, develop and deliver. However, this growth must be strategic and the placement of programs must align with what our communities want and what our buildings can best support.
Needless to say these programs are of the highest quality and part of what ensures this quality is partnerships. McMaster University, Hockey Canada and IB International are just a few of the organizations affiliated with our programs. These partnerships allow for students to be regularly exposed to state of the art training facilities, staff to be provided with world class professional development and HWDSB to expand the choices available to support students in reaching their full potential.
Recently, HWDSB produced a new publication titled the HWDSB Program iGuide that highlights the innovative programs in specific Secondary Schools across the Board. For your copy, click here.
Visit HWDSB Programs of Choice to learn more about the amazing programs offered.
