AAESQ Bulletin March 2011

Transcription

1 AAESQ Bulletin March 2011 May 26-28, 2011 AAESQ / QESBA / Western Quebec Hotel Hilton Lac Leamy, Gatineau Quebec Registration Now Open at Don t Delay! Volume XXXVII No.3

2 Message from Your President and Executive Director This edition of the bulletin contains some very important information aside from the items that are normally included in each edition. Please make sure to review the Financial Statements of June 30, 2010 which includes the balance sheet for and the statement of revenues and expenses as of June 30, The Association was able to achieve an overall surplus of $27,235 mainly due to a surplus of $10,804 for Spring Conference 2010 and investment income of $6,094. This has allowed us to propose a budget for which does not ask for an increase in fees and will also project a small surplus $3,000. This proposed budget will be brought to the AGM in May at Spring Conference 2011 in Gatineau for approval. We have also included your new Executive for most of whom have been acclaimed to the position, with 1 position not filled, i.e., President-Elect, where two candidates, Christine Denommée of English Montreal and Randy MacLEAN of Eastern Townships, have decided to vie for the position. A secret ballot will be held at the AGM in May at Spring Conference. Regardless of the outcome, both individuals will be on next year s Executive. We are pleased to announce that the Board of Directors at it s meeting in February 2011 approved a new policy regarding voting by proxy. Check out the details in the bulletin and also, the other by-laws that are up for review and possibly change. This discussion will take place at the next Board of Directors Meeting in May. Local presidents are being asked to bring these items to the attention of their local members for feedback to the Board of Directors. Stephen Pigeon President Ron Silverstone Executive Director

3 Executive Stephen Pigeon Central Quebec Past-President Mark Massarelli Lester B. Pearson President Christine Denommée English Montreal President-Elect Randy MacLEAN Eastern Townships President-Elect Joanne Simoneau-Polenz Lester B. Pearson Vice-President at Large Hélène Coupal Riverside. Vice-President at Large Gloria Keenan Lester B. Pearson Vice-President at Large Connie Primiano English Montreal Vice-President Board Level Chantal Martin English Montreal Vice-President School Level Leah Auclair English Montreal Vice-President at Large David McFall Western Quebec Vice-President at Large Katherine Snow English Montreal Vice-President at Large Jim Jordan Riverside Treasurer Chris Fuzessy Lester B. Pearson Secretary All positions except for President-Elect, are confirmed by acclamation. A secret ballot will be held at the AGM for the position of President-Elect. Award of Merit Confirmed Gilles Ribaux ETASA Bonnie Mitchell NFAA Deborah Angelus RAA Mike Helm NFAA Chantal Martin AMSA Christopher Fuzessy APBA Congratulations to all! The recipients for Distinguished Service Award, Outstanding Achievement Award and Honourary Life will be announced at Spring Conference. The awards ceremony will be held in the Fall Special congratulations goes out to Donna Manos, Principal at English Montreal who is this years recipient for the Province of Quebec for the CAP Outstanding Principal s Award.

4 Labour Relations Report The Regulation, Technical Committee and the Consultative Committees A request to meet with Mme Michelle Courchesne, Président du Conseil du trésor and Mme Line Beauchamp, Ministre de l Éducation, du sport et du loisir have been acknowledged. A meeting has taken place with Mme Michelle Courchesne but no dates have been suggested for Mme Line Beauchamp. You will recall that a petition has been forwarded to our members concerning the articles 7, 9 and 23 (following page) and as of we have received 111 replies. Thank you. All of the replies have responded in the affirmative. Thank you again for the support to your association. To those of you who may still wish to respond it is not too late. CERA Coalition de l encadrement en matière de retraite et d assurances You should know that the contribution rate effective was increased by 1% to 11.54%. The PPMP is scheduled for an in-depth review in 2011 and all associations of the CERA group will be involved and members will be kept up to date as developments arise. On another note it is important for you to realize that the investment portfolio of the PPMP has been recently reported to have achieved a 13.3% growth for 2010 as indicated in the following page. Some quotations Knowledge is power. Francis Bacon Either you run the day or the day runs you. Jim Rohn Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward. Victor Kiam Respectfully submitted by Michael Stirrup, Executive Assistant

5 Extracted from the Regulation: June 22, 2009 version as of Article 7 7. In special cases, in the case of administrators or senior staff of centres, following a notice of the selection committee set up by the school board specifying that none of the qualified candidates meets all the requirements prescribed by the latter for the position concerned and after consultation with the local representatives of the association, the school board may refer to the committee one or more candidates whose complementary or superior academic background to that prescribed compensates for a lesser number of years of experience than the minimum prescribed by the required minimum qualifications, or vice versa. In such a case, the school board may appoint a candidate from among those who, in the committee s opinion, have met all the requirements set by the school board. 4 After having validated the qualifications and consulted the local representatives of the association concerned, the school board may appoint a manager to a senior staff of services position whose position has been reclassified to a higher level and whose complementary or superior training to that prescribed compensates for a lesser number of years of experience than the required minimum qualifications, or vice versa. Article 9 9. In exceptional cases, in the case of senior staff in a school, following a notice of a selection committee set up by the school board specifying that none of the candidates meets the requirements prescribed by the latter for the position concerned, the school board may refer to the committee one or more candidates whose complementary or superior academic background to that prescribed compensates for a lesser number of years of experience than the minimum prescribed by the required minimum qualifications or vice versa in accordance with the agreement concluded with the local representatives of the association concerning compensatory criteria with regard to training and experience. In such a case, the school board may appoint a candidate from among those who, in the committee s opinion, have met all the requirements set by the school board. Failing agreement, the school board may carry out a temporary assignment for a period not exceeding one year, from among the candidates who, in the committee s opinion, have met all the requirements set by the school board. 4. Change in Range Article The range of positions shall be reviewed yearly. Any change in range resulting from the review shall take effect on 1 July of the current school year. Change of position to a higher range Where a position moves up to a higher range as a result of an increase in student population applicable to him, the incumbent's salary in the position corresponding to his new class shall be determined under paragraph 1 of section 31. Change of position to a lower range Where a position moves down to a lower range as a result of a decline in student population applicable to him, the incumbent s class and salary shall be maintained until the decline is 10% below the lower limit of the range that was applicable to the position. Where a decline in student population is 10% below the lower limit that was applicable to the position, the incumbent's salary in the position corresponding to his new class shall be determined under paragraph 2 of section 31.

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14 Proposed Budget ( ) to be discussed at AGM, May 27, 2011

15 Article 23 has been changed so that voting by proxy at the Annual General Meeting will come into effect with certain restrictions. This change was approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting February 18, Previously, voting by proxy was not permitted The change to the by-law would only apply for voting on the following: 1) a change to the fee structure of AAESQ 2) a change to the administrative structure of AAESQ and Each proxy vote from a local association counts for (1) one vote at the AGM. 1. Proxy votes at the local level must take place at a meeting convened by the local president. 2. Proxy votes must be on paper with the following information included on the ballot: signature of president of local, signature of member casting the vote, date and location of meeting, motion being voted upon, and indication of Yes-No-Abstain. 3. The President or VP of the local must be present at the AGM to deposit the proxy votes. 4. Proxy vote, name and vote will be read aloud at the AGM 5. Proxy votes do not count towards quorum at AGM

16 The following articles will be discussed at the local level and will be on the agenda for the May Meeting of the Board of Directors. 42.The Executive shall include the Executive Director, Executive Assistant Director and the immediate Past-President, who are members ex-officio, and the following officers of the: the President, the President-Elect, at least four (4) Vice-Presidents, one of which to be President- Elect, one (1) educational establishment-level Vice-President, and one (1) Board level Vice- President, one (1) Treasurer and one (1) Secretary. The change to the by-law would allow the Past-President to have voting rights. Presently Past-President is ex-officio member without voting rights. 26. The Board of Directors shall be composed of one representative from each Local Association having at least nine (9) Active members in good standing plus one additional representative from each Local Association for each additional twenty-five (25) Active members in good standing. Directors shall be appointed for a term of one (1) year, from July 1 to June 30, by each local association. The change to the by-law would allow for local associations to have a minimum of 5 active members instead of 9. This would allow the smaller school boards to have local associations at the school board level. 1. (f)"local Association" means an association of members of the Corporation which is territorially defined and which is mandated by its members to negotiate working conditions with their employers on their behalf. For the purpose of this By-law the Local Associations are the following: Central Quebec Administrators Association (50-01); Eastern Shores Administrators Association (50-02); Eastern Townships Administrators Association (50-03); New Frontiers Administrators Association (50-04); Sir Wilfrid Laurier Administrators Association (50-05); Educational Administrators Association of Western Quebec (50-06); Association of Montreal School Administrators and Association of English Montreal Board Administrators (50-07); Pearson Association of School Administrators and The Association of Pearson Board Administrators (50-08); and Riverside Administrators Association (50-09). It should be noted that according to our by-law 1. (7), local associations only exist as entities of the provincial association (AAESQ). This may indicate that an administrator cannot be a member of a local association, unless they are a member of AAESQ. Further clarification is needed. 53. The members of the Executive shall be elected for a term of one (1) year, from July 1 to June 30. Vacancies in the Executive occurring before the term of office has expired shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors from among the members of the Corporation. Change the practice of having the president serving only a one-year term. This would provide more continuity, as well as better representation at the local, provincial, and national levels. Familiarization with the role would increase the effectiveness of the role of President.

17 CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PRINCIPALS (CAP) REPORT SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS: Fall meetings held in Ottawa. Executive meeting, November 10 and 11, Board of Directors meeting, November 12 and 13, Following an annual tradition, a wreath was laid at the cenotaph on November 11 th on behalf of Canadian school administrators. As a cost cutting measure, winter meetings were not held in February. The board of directors held a conference call on Sunday, February 13 th. Spring Meetings to be held in Charlottetown to coincide with annual conference. Executive meeting, May 15, Board of Directors meeting May 16 and CANADA SCHOOL SPECIALITY: The fall issue of the CAP JOURNAL will be the final issue sponsored by Canada School Speciality. Friesens will assume the sponsorship of the journal beginning with two issues this year and three issues next year. CAP JOURNAL: The spring issue of the CAP Journal will have as its theme excellence in the classroom. Themes for next year s issues will be established in May. CAP WEB SITE: As reported in November, the CAP website has suffered from neglect and was clearly not up to date. The contract with the individual who was charged with these duties has not been renewed. Three proposals were considered for updating and maintenance of the CAP website. Brian Cameron was selected for the task the domain name has been renewed for five years and the work will begin immediately to update the site. CAP CONFERENCES: 2011 Charlottetown May 18 to 20 Waves of Change, Tides of Leadership Montreal 2013 Banff 2014 Halifax THE ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL: CAP s research undertaking to carry out a pan Canadian study of the role of the principal continues with Alberta researcher JC Couture continues as planned. Respectfully submitted by Jim Jordan

18 Canadian Association of School Administrators (CASA) Report A teleconference held on February 7 th to discuss the following items; 1. Sudden passing of president elect, Chris Gonnett last month. His contributions and participation in educational leadership will be missed. 2. Executive replacement Discussion was held on replacement for the President-Elect position. Decision will be made at the March 7 meeting. 3. CASA Website has been updated. 4. Leaders and Learners magazine: The June edition is in preparation. 5. Summer conference Will take place July 7-10 at the Crowne Plaza in Niagara Falls. The theme for the conference is 21st-Century Learning. Keynote speakers include: Roger Garriock -Director of Canada Operations for Destination ImagiNation as well as Ian Jukes. There is still a need for presenters and workshops. Keynotes and social events soon to be confirmed. 6. Next meeting is March 7 via teleconference. Respectfully submitted by Joanne Simoneau Polenz

19 Comité de perfectionnement des directeurs d établissement d enseignement (CPD) Report CPD members met November 9 th and 10 th at the offices of the FQDE to study, evaluate, and bestow judgement on the 66 projects prepared and submitted by the associations. Associations. All projects of were approved for a total of $. Given past history we expect to remain within our budget for this category of funding to the tune of The following projects from our associations have been accepted: NFAA (PCA 5) Developing Competencies through Distributed Leadership, Bonnie Mitchell, 2 400$ AAESQ (PCA 33) Voices Here and Far, Ron Silverstone, 14000$ AAESQ (PCA 42) Success Plans & Management Agreements, Ron Silverstone, 2 400$ AAESQ (PCA 43) How to be a better administrator, Ron Silverstone, 2 400$ AMSA (PCA 7) Leadership Training Celebrating Public Schools Team Building for Success, John Ryan, 8 280$ AMSA (PCA 8) Promoting your school in the community, John Ryan, 5 200$ RAA (PCA 19) Body Language, Nathalie McCarthy3 680$ RAA (PCA 65) Legal obligations of administrators, Nathalie McGarthy, 920$ RAA PCA 66) Financial matters as related to administrators, Nathalie McCarthy, 920$ ETASA (PCA 48) Appreciate Inquiry, Peggy McCourt, 4 000$ In order to help CPD best control the budget and offer members the best possible service we ask that Associations submit their payment request as soon as possible after the event. The following meeting was held December 8 th at which time the committee approved all requests for university courses related to the 30 credits program ( IF) and for courses leading to a Masters or a Doctorate Degree (PPCU). There were 20 projects that needed our study and approval. In this category our Associations submitted and received approval for the following projects. RAA (PP8) Post monitoring support network, Nathalie McCarthy, 3 000$ RAA (PP9) Monitoring Program, Nathalie McCarthy, 3 000$ AMSA (PP13) Improving professional practice, Christina Chilelli, 240$ AAESQ (PP19) Mission, Mark Massarelli and Chantal Martin, 1 100$ CPD is presently studying a project to have universities recognize work experience in the context of pursuing a Masters or Doctorate Degree. Discussions on the subject are taking place both at the CPD table and the CPD-University level. The issue first sparked by the FQDE and based on a survey conducted province wide has led to an Action Research project La Reconnaissance et la Validation des Aquis Expérientiels en gestion de l éducation, Bref état de la question The study is conducted by Lise Bessette Ph. D. And Pierre Toussaint Ph. D. The document will be owned by CPD and is expected to be completed in February of I would recommend that we meet with McGill on this question in the near future and begin talks to encourage administrators to pursue their professionalization path towards a Masters or Doctorate Degree. Respectfully submitted by Robert (Bob) Forget

20 May 26-28, 2011 Spring Conference 2011 AAESQ / QESBA / Western Quebec Hotel Hilton Lac Leamy, Gatineau Quebec Spring Conference registration is now open! Please go to: and register early to ensure you get into the forums you want. There is a very exciting lineup of keynote speakers, panellists, and moderators covering topics such as Creativity in the Curriculum, Information and Communication Technologies in the Classroom, Problem Solving in the 21st Century and Education Leadership. And please don t forget to book your hotel and any extra banquet tickets you require. We look forward to seeing you there! Conference rate will change from $395 to $450 on April 15, **************************************************************************** July 7-10, 2011 Canadian Association of School Administrators Annual Conference Theme: 21st Century Learning Niagara Falls, Ontario holmes3@telusplanet.net or visit the website at:

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22 May 24 26, 2012 Marriott Hotel, Chateau Champlain Montreal, Quebec CAP 2012 Spring Conference to be hosted by AAESQ Theme: Leadership Under Construction:Tools for the 21 st Century Keynotes Speakers Confirmed Roslyn Ann Howard Marnie McBean More details to come

23 Retirees Committee The following people are members of the committee: Gregor Campbell Wayne Cook Paul Doyle Keith Farquharson Al Fitzgerald Robert Forget Carol Gray Joe Jaroslawski Vida Lietuvninkas Heather Mizener Sharon Rasytinis Ron Silverstone Jean Suffield Walt Steeves, Chairman Helen Vertolli The first event was a special luncheon for our new retirees, held at the Casa Greque in La- Salle, on October 26, The second reunion was held at the Lachine Curling Club on November 29, The speaker was Gary Schroder, President of the Quebec Family History Society. The third event was a matinee performance of Billy Bishop Goes to War, held on March 2, 2011 at the Segal Centre. The presentation was great, and well received by those who attended. The fourth reunion will be a visit to the sugar shack at the Auberge des Gallant, on March 31, We hope to have great weather, and as many members as possible in attendance. Information and RSVP forms have been sent out. There will be no collection at the door. The fifth reunion will be ballroom dancing. Information has been sent out, and we are hopeful that we have enough members to make this venture a success. Your committee will be making plans for a luncheon meeting in May. Information on Golf in August will be sent out in the near future. We welcome your suggestions for speakers and activities. Walt Steeves, Chairman

24 The following article appeared in a recent edition of Education World. An I.D.E.A.L. Way To Include Autistic Kids Children with autism often find social situations stressful, making school and family outings difficult. A process developed by a special educator helps prepare children with autism for such outings, allowing them to go more smoothly. Often one of the most vexing and unpredictable problems confronting children with autism is difficulty socializing, which can make participation in family and school events stressful. The key to making those activities go more smoothly is preparing the child for what is to come, keeping in mind his or her particular strengths and weaknesses, according to Laurie LeComer, author of The Socially Included Child. LeComer, a special educator, inclusion facilitator, and child evaluator, developed a process she calls I.D.E.A.L. to help children with autism manage transitions. The letters in I.D.E.A.L. stand for the five steps LeComer considers necessary to prepare children with autism for social activities. The I stands for introduce the activity; D for determine the tasks involved; E for evaluate expectations; A for accommodate for success; and L for list the activity components visually. LeComer talked with Education World about her experiences working with autistic children and their families, and why she thinks I.D.E.A.L. can be effective. Education World:What prompted you to write this book? Laurie LeComer: I saw parents struggling with issues that really had to do with quality-of-life, and I wanted to help parents of children with autism give their children a real chance to become participants in recreation, activities, and celebrations in natural social environments -- which are different than the therapeutic environments in which social skills are commonly worked on. I also wanted parents to know that their children do not have to wait until they have reached a certain socialskills level to begin to take part in activities with family and others. Using the I.D.E.A.L. system, parents can learn to prepare and individualize their approach to social activities -- there is way they can think about this and do it that can have a positive result. EW: How can classroom teachers use this book? LeComer: Both at home and at school, children with autism often feel discomfort with changes in routine; they also often have communication and sensory issues that can set off anxiety and discomfort that can result in behaviors that are difficult to handle -- as well as safety issues from escape behaviors such as running, bolting, or aggression. This book helps guide parents and teachers by showing readers how to pre-plan, and how to really look at a situation so both child and adults can be prepared, and accommodations can be made to make the situations easier and more enjoyable for all. EW: What makes the I.D.E.A.L. system different from other approaches to teaching children with autism? LeComer: I.D.E.A.L. is a tool; it s different because it can be individualized to whatever level, need, behavior, or sensitivity a child brings to the table -- and every child with autism is unique and truly individual. Teachers do not have to wait until a child shows joint attention or until a child is no longer self-injurious. Teachers can start to use I.D.E.A.L. to begin a life-long process -- even if in small increments -- to begin to expose children to natural social environments, so they can begin to gain a familiarity in those environments, and can grow in their ability to participate.

25 EW: What are some simple ways teachers can incorporate I.D.E.A.L. into their classroom routine? LeComer: Teachers can introduce the activity in several ways. They can individualize their approach for a child; for example, there are different approaches for non-verbal children, low-language children, and higher-level spectrum children. Some teachers might find that using pictures or photos of the actual activity site the child will be going to works well -- that is called taking a photographic walk. Others might find that short priming stories or social stories work well as activity introductions. Step two -- to determine the tasks involved -- involves breaking up each activity into a list of sequential parts or tasks. This step is really important because teachers can determine by looking at each task which one the child will be able to do independently and which will need to be prompted or assisted. Teachers will see when to intervene, and can plan to intervene when the child needs extra help. Teachers also can individualize as they evaluate expectations. Sometimes an activity can go well for a period of time, but go downhill as the activity length extends beyond a child s stamina or self-regulation ability. The duration the child will spend at an activity needs to be looked at, as well as whether the social activity is a good match. For example, can the child use any of his or her strengths at the activity? Teachers need to determine what activities -- or pieces of activities -- the child can handle at that moment in time, or at that time of day. To accommodate for success, teachers can plan to make accommodations that will help the child participate successfully in those activities. Accommodations can be as simple as bringing a set of headphones for children who have sensitivity to sound; allowing the child to snack or chew gum; or arriving early or late to an activity to avoid commotion and/or over-stimulation. Listing the activity components visually also can help prepare children. Many -- but not all -- children with autism are highly visual, and seeing exactly what they will be doing before each step or task helps alleviate anxiety and confusion. When children are in novel situations and unable to process and/or respond as well as they do in familiar environments, or when they are unable to access some of their skills due to stress, having a visual crutch to rely on helps them immensely. Some children are more comfortable with pictures; other children like to look at a list of words or sentences. EW: Based on your experience, what is the hardest part of implementing I.D.E.A.L.? LeComer: Evaluating one s expectations can be difficult; sometimes the child s preferences, strengths, and weaknesses are not taken into account. Some also find it hard to ask others for help. For example, if an accommodation requires special permission from recreational staff or administration, some decline to ask for fear of being refused, so needed elements might be ignored or let go. EW: Do you think some teachers and parents set unrealistic goals for children with autism, based on benchmarks for a normal child s development? Why? LeComer: I absolutely think many parents and teachers set unrealistic goals for children with autism. Conversely, I also think that for many children with autism, expectations are sometimes set too low. Both parents and teachers are encouraged to look at the skills and performance of same-age peers -- and there are some good reasons for that. It s important for parents of children with autism to keep in touch with the things same-age peers are into, such as how they dress and what they talk about. Parents often are simply trying to be positive -- feeling they must assume intelligence -- because they often learn of instances of talent and intelligence that are hidden by the disability. Teachers are expected to keep an eye on grade-level expectations -- some even are instructed to write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) with objectives that are only modifications of regular education grade-level objectives. Many teachers end up frustrated as a result. Children with autism often don t develop skills in the consistent fashion demonstrated by typical peers.

26 Six retired Jewish Floridian fellows were playing poker in the condo clubhouse when Meyer loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest, and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen comrade, the other five continue playing, but standing up. At the end of the game, Finklestein looks around and asks, So, who s gonna tell his wife? They cut the cards. Goldberg picks the low card and has to carry the news. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don t make a bad situation any worse. Discreet? I m the most discreet person you ll ever meet. Discretion is my middle name. Leave it to me. Goldberg goes over to the Meyer s condo and knocks on the door. The wife answers through the door and asks what he wants? Goldberg declares: Your husband just lost $500 in a poker game and is afraid to come home. Tell him to drop dead! yells his wife. I ll go tell him. says Goldberg.