| December Prairie Update |
Thoughts from Gayle...
Brian Doornenbal UpdateWe rejoice with Brian Doornenbal as he moves through his journey with Multiple Myeloma and recently received a stem cell transplant. Check out his BLOG. Gayle's ThoughtsSome highlights from the last month that may be interesting and also to remind you of the services PCCE offers: Jeremy and I continued to lead all the teachers at Edmonton Christian Schools through a yearlong focus on developing
I attended CSI Board meetings and these meetings were particularly interesting and relevant as we spent a significant amount of time meeting with the Trustees from the Canadian Pension and Benefits board.
Once you are in Manitoba, you make the most of the trip, so I spent an evening dinner with the board from Calvin Christian as they are gearing up for PCCE to lead a School Review at the Collegiate campus. Then it was breakfast with the Calvin elementary staff followed by a morning with the Calvin admin team, John and Ray. I spent an evening on my “old stomping grounds” leading a Board Governance workshop at Covenant Christian School. Jeremy, Hugo, Chris Weening (PCCE Chair) and I met with representatives of our central Alberta independent schools for a time of frank discussion about the relationship between PCCE and our independent schools. The two words, “valued” and “respected” were themes that emerged. Jeremy and I did a Southern Alberta School Tour. Unfortunately the weather interfered and we missed Medicine Hat, but we did meet with board/Ed Committee members, leaders, and walked through schools in Taber, Monarch and Lethbridge. So good to meet together and learn more about the individual contexts of each community.
NEW TfT Resource!!checkin 2.PNG We just completed creating a “TfT Check-In/Self-Assessment Tool” designed for teachers to reflect on, learn about and celebrate where they are in the TfT journey. We hope this tool will provide a comprehensive self-assessment for teachers to reflect on their place in the journey compared to some of the best practices/criteria of the current TfT model. There are sections on “Deep Hope” and the 3 Core Practices (Storyline, Throughlines and FLEx), and included is a place for teachers to share their celebrations and articulate their “Next Steps” for future growth. The results will also assist school leaders in determining the PD needs of their staff. We’ve had a few TfT lead teachers test it out and they were really excited about this resource: “I LOVE this tool! Very reflective and thorough, with many reminders of what effective TfT integration (criteria) looks like. A very effective self assessment.” “I think the teacher check in form is great. I like that it is stated so positively and makes it easy to give honest and accurate feedback. It allows for teachers to report on progress regardless of where they are in the Tft process and makes it easy to see where support is required. Thanks for putting this together, it will be a great tool for schools!” Here is a small sample of the section on “Storyline”:
If you would like more information about this resource or would like to try it out, please contact us.
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CURRENT EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
It’s always good to keep up on current educational research. This article has the highlights from 2018. Some topics: greeting students, overly decorated classrooms, no support for learning styles, mindset, importance of mistakes, teacher stress and more!!!
Great Resources for the Classroom!Math teachers: a couple of neat resources: Using probability to help you win at Monopoly and just for fun: calculus via Bohemian Rhapsody. Social studies/economics teachers: so many applications of this animated graph showing the world’s top GDP’s since 1960. Art teachers: the Art Institute of Chicago recently posted 50 000 high res images from their collection online. Mental health resources: The Edmonton area branch of Alberta Health Services has a site with numerous short videos on a variety of mental health topics. For those of you near Edmonton, there are also lots of PD sessions available TfT 101TfT 101: Day 3 will be held on January 22 in Calgary and then repeated on January 23 in Edmonton. Use these links to register for a session: For those who like to plan ahead, our tentative Day 4 dates are April 30 in Edmonton and May 1 in Calgary. |
TfT SELF-REFLECTION TOOL
Make sure you read about the newly developed TFT Self Reflective Tool that you can use with your teachers. Among other things, it will give you a good understanding of where to go next in your staff TfT professional development. And PCCE staff is here to help plan and lead sessions!
Van Lunen Program ApplicationsVan Lunen Program: applications are being accepted until February 22. It’s a fantastic program that many PCCE leaders have participated in. Click here for more information. Global Christian School Leadership SummitGlobal Christian School Leadership Summit: Is being held in San Antonio from January 30-February 1. Looks like it will be a large conference with diverse voices. |
Board ResourcesOne of the key responsibilities of a school society board is to “inspect,” in order to determine that the school’s vision and mission is being accomplished. One way to do that is through a “School Review.” In an independent school, the review can cover all areas of operation. In an alternative program, the review can focus specifically on the Christian programming aspects. If your school would like more information, please contact our office. PCCE JOB WEBSITEJob Advertising: a reminder that the PCCE website hosts job ads from schools and as a member, you may post for free. We also encourage you to post openings with our sister organizations in British Columbia and Ontario. |
EveryoneSAFE AND CARING SCHOOLS POLICYFor an update on the ongoing challenge our independent schools are facing regarding their “Safe and Caring Schools Policy”, as well as a few other items connected to our independent schools, read Hugo’s REPORT. LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION PLANNINGLeadership succession planning is a vital part of ensuring schools continue to flourish. If you know of a potential Christian school leader, encourage him or her to apply to ELDI (Educational Leadership Development Institute). ALSO....The King's University has a number of open positions in their Education department. |
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NEW WEBSITE:
January 11PCCE Board Executive Meeting (Calgary) January 12
PCCE Board Meeting (Calgary)
January 22TFT 101 Day Three (Southern Alberta) January 23TFT 101 Day Three (Northern Alberta) April 13 PCCE AGM Calgary, AB April 25-26 Senior Leadership Enrichment Seminar May 9-10 PCCE Leadership Cohort Conference |
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