April 14, 2008 | Vol. 20, No. 13

WHAT'S INSIDE?

OPSBA Calls for Nominations for Elected OPSBA Positions
20^th AGM & PROGRAM 2008
Ontario’s Urban Aboriginal Education Project
Ministry of Education UPDATE
BCSTA e-Digest, April 10
Billion Tree Campaign
Calendar of Events

OPSBA Calls for Nominations for Elected OPSBA Positions

The OPSBA 2008 elections will be held as part of the Annual General Meeting which takes place from June 12 to 15 at the Sheraton on the Falls Hotel in Niagara Falls. The school boards in Central West Region are hosting OPSBA’s 20th Anniversary Annual General Meeting and Program. DSB of Niagara, as the school board in the host city, has made special efforts to welcome delegates to the Niagara region and to enrich the conference program.

Executive Positions for Nomination and Election

Positions to be decided through the election process at the Annual General Meeting, and at the accompanying regional meetings include:

• President;
• Two Vice-Presidents; 
• Vice-President / Vice Chair of each of the five regions – Central East, Central West, Eastern, Northern and Western.

Please note the following important timelines if you are running for an elected OPSBA position.

Nominations for President, Vice Presidents, and Regional Vice Presidents

• The deadline for nominations is 30 days prior to the AGM where elections are held. This means nominations for President, Vice President and Regional Vice President must be received at the OPSBA office by May 14, 2008.
• If any candidate is interested in standing for more than one of the positions noted above, the candidate must declare his or her interest in each respective position by the deadline (May 14). This is very important, as there will not be an opportunity for "dropping down" (being considered for a different position if unsuccessful for the first) on the day that elections are held at the AGM.
• Nominations are only accepted from the floor of the AGM in situations where the number of advance nominations received is fewer than the number of positions to be filled.
• As well, nominations for Regional Vice President for each of the five regions must be submitted by the deadline date (May 14, 2008). Nominations will ONLY be accepted from the floor of each Regional Council election meeting where no nominations for that Region’s Vice President’s position have been received in advance.

Nominations for Regional Vice Chairs and Core Issue Work Groups

• The nomination and election process for the position of regional vice chair (Alternate to the Regional Vice President) or for representatives to the Work Teams (Education Program and Policy Development) permits nominations from the floor of the meeting. However, advance nominations that are received by May 14, 2008 will be included in the election handbook/materials distributed to voting delegates.
• There is a requirement that candidates for the position of Regional Vice Chair (alternate to the Regional Vice President) must be a confirmed member of the Board of Directors.  

Nominations, Nomination Forms and Biographies

• Nominations can be made by a trustee from a member board in good standing once they have confirmed the nominee is willing to stand for the elected position.

The 2008 Election Nomination Form, as well as the OPSBA Guide to Roles and Responsibilities are available online.

• Trustees running for election are asked to have the nomination forms, along with a brief biography to the OPSBA office no later than end of day Wednesday, May 14, 2008.
• It is suggested as a guideline that a biography be up to one page in length and include a photograph.
• This information will be printed in the AGM Handbook, which is distributed to member boards so they can review the slate of candidates and provide guidance to their voting delegates. 
• Information on the candidates running for election will also be posted on the OPSBA website after the May 14 deadline.

Confirmation of Appointments to Board of Directors and Elections to Core Issue Work Groups

Also, during the Annual General Meeting and Conference:

• Member boards confirm appointments (and alternates) to OPSBA's Board of Directors for the 2008-2009 term.
• School authorities elect two representatives to the Board of Directors.
• Confirmation is received regarding the treatment/school authorities' representative.
• The First Nations Caucus meets to elect a representative.
• During the Regional Meetings, each region holds elections to choose their members and alternate members to the Education Program and Policy Development Core Issues Work Groups for 2008-2009.

See
2008 Election Nomination Form
OPSBA Guide to Roles and Responsibilities

For more information: Florenda Tingle, Executive Coordinator, ext.108

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20^th AGM & PROGRAM 2008
Thursday, 12 — Sunday, 15 June, 2008

Sheraton on the Falls Hotel and Conference Centre
5875 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario

HOSTED BY OPSBA’S CENTRAL WEST REGION

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Dr. MICHAEL THOMPSON — Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
Psychologist, school consultant, an internationally renowned speaker and author or co-author of seven books.

DAVID WARLICK — Our Students • Our Worlds
This presentation, by 30+ year educator, author, and technologist, will explore some of the changes and challenges in education and arrange them as a set of converging conditions that will provide direction for retooling our classrooms for the 21st century.

THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF ONTARIO, HONOURABLE DAVID ONLEY

WORKSHOPS

• Safe Schools
• Energy
• Update on Current Legal Issues
• Suicide Intervention Program
• Research Gender Project
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities – What Schools Need to Know
• Videostreaming
• Visit to Niagara College – PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED (maximum 150 delegates)

FRIDAY NIGHT:  Dinner at Queenston Heights Restaurant (extra cost)
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED (see Registration Form for details)

GOLF:
For those delegates interested in playing golf, please contact Dennis Randall at drandall@niagaraparks.com.  Dennis is CPGA Professional-Golf Sales Manager at Legends on the Niagara & Whirlpool Golf Course, Niagara Parks Commission.  We thank Dennis for generously offering to act as liaison in arranging golf.

NETWORK whilst celebrating our 20th Anniversary!

At the AGM we will determine our priorities and directions for the coming year, elect our officers and plan for the future. This event also includes a comprehensive professional development program of stimulating, challenging, and inspiring speakers and in-depth workshops, as well as abundant networking opportunities for trustees.

Make plans now to attend!

Welcome reception:  Thursday, 12 June 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
Conference ends:  Sunday, 15 June 2008 at 11:30 a.m.

Watch OPSBA’s Fast Reports for regular updates and future announcements.

The Registration Form and the Preliminary Program are available online.

For more information: Gail Anderson, Executive Director, ext.109; Ernesta Graham, Events Coordinator, ext.115; or Susan Weinberg, Policy & Professional Development Coordinator, ext.128

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Ontario’s Urban Aboriginal Education Project

The Aboriginal Education Office of the Ministry of Education has initiated the development of pilot projects aimed at supporting success in school for urban-based Aboriginal students.  The projects will have focus on reaching out to Aboriginal families, communities and other service delivery organizations. This initiative aligns with a key commitment of the province’s First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework:

“In collaboration with school boards, First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities and organizations, develop innovative approaches to meet the needs of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students living in large urban centres.”

A Steering Committee with broad-ranging representation from First Nation and Métis organizations, from school boards and from post-secondary institutions will oversee the Urban Aboriginal Education Initiative. The Steering Committee is chaired by the Director of the Aboriginal Education Office with co-chair support provided by Sylvia Maracle, Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres, and Terry Ellwood, Director of Education, Lakehead DSB. The work of the Committee is guided by Elder Vernon Douglas and Senator Roland St. Germain.

Three school boards have been selected to undertake pilot projects.  They are Lakehead DSB, Simcoe County DSB and Toronto DSB.

An Evidence-Based Approach
The three pilot projects to be undertaken in this initiative will be based on successful practices that are proven to support the achievement of elementary and secondary Aboriginal students.  The pilots are expected to lead to the development of three urban Aboriginal education models for Ontario.

Phase one of the Urban Aboriginal Education Project will involve conducting a literature review and research related to effective urban models implemented in other jurisdictions that support Aboriginal student achievement: e.g., Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver, and potentially some international examples.  The research will also examine effective strategies targeted toward urban Aboriginal students that have been implemented in Ontario.  The focus of the research includes:

• Retention (ways to encourage students to stay in school)
• Transitions (early years to elementary, elementary to secondary, secondary to postsecondary/training/work)
• Academic achievement (e.g., literacy and numeracy skills, course completion and credit accumulation, high school completion, advancement to postsecondary education and training, etc.)
• Community and family outreach and engagement
• Challenges related to issues of high mobility
• Academic models
• Student support services

A second call for proposals for a literature review of the pertinent research is being issued with a submission deadline of September 30, 2008.

Local Sub-Committees
Each of the three school boards involved in the initiative has, at the direction of the Steering Committee, moved ahead with establishing a local sub-committee that will be responsible for the implementation and evaluation of their pilot project and development of an urban Aboriginal education model.  Representation on each subcommittee includes local Aboriginal organizations and community agencies, local college and university, as well as staff from both the public and Catholic school boards in the district. Lakehead DSB and Simcoe County DSB held their first sub-committee meeting in March. Toronto DSB’s sub-committee met on April 1st.

Next Steps
The Steering Committee has scheduled a full-day meeting on April 29, 2008 to work on vision-setting, to discuss the preliminary budget for the project and to consider progress reports from the local Sub-Committees.

For more information: Susan Cook, Policy & Communications Associate, ext.103

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Ministry of Education UPDATE

Memo Summary: April 2008

See
http://cal2.edu.gov.on.ca/apr08.html

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BCSTA e-Digest, April 10

Billion Tree Campaign

The Ontario government recognizes the value of trees as an important weapon in the fight against climate change. As part of the United Nations’ Billion Tree Campaign, the government is committed to plant 50 million trees by 2020 and has invested almost $4 million in a partnership with the Trees Ontario Foundation to plant two million more trees per year in southern Ontario than are currently being planted. These new trees will remove about 3.8 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2054.

As well, in support of the planting of 100,000 trees in Ontario cities, the government is also providing up $1 million over the next two years in a partnership with Evergreen, a national non-profit environmental organization that works with people to create and sustain healthy, natural outdoor spaces in cities. Evergreen grants funding to purchase trees native to Ontario and will facilitate tree planting, as well as education and outreach programs.

To find out how your school community can become involved and create naturalized areas on school grounds:

Trees Ontario Foundation; or contact Rob Keen, R.P.F., Program Manager, Trees Ontario, 200 Consumers Road, Suite 701, Toronto ON, M2J 4R4, 416.493.1193 or 1.877.646.1193, ext.230.

Evergreen; or contact Ms. Michèle Thomas, Common Grounds Grant Coordinator, Evergreen, 355 Adelaide Street West, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5V 1S2, 416.596.1495 or 1.888.426.3138, ext.285.

See
Trees Ontario Foundation
Billion Tree Campaign

Calendar of EVENTS