|
The Ministry of Education is funding student projects that promote student engagement through its SPEAK UP Student Voice initiative. Applications are being accepted until November 23, 2009.
Denise Lobo-Pryce of John Paul II Catholic Secondary School has written a song to encourage students to participate in the initiative. Arranged by Larry Folk and sung by Denise and student Benny Ezike, the song is available for all schools to use in promoting SPEAK UP. The song is available on our sharepoint site:
http://sharepoint01/SuccessForAll/default.aspx
School Year: 2009-2010
Focus: CCCC: K-6
SMART Goal:
Students will demonstrate engagement within our TCDSB school communities as measured by feedback from surveys and focus groups in selected schools in the spring of 2010. Data and feedback gathered this year will form baseline data upon which future years will build.
School Year: 2009-2010
Focus CCCC: 7-12
SMART Goal:
Goal: An increase of 3% from 54 % to 57 % in positive student engagement within our school communities as measured by responses to questions about school attitude in surveys such as “Transitions” in October, 2009 and “My School My Voice” in Winter, 2010.
Implementing Catholicity, Community, Culture and Caring in the TCDSB
Catholicity, Community, Culture and Caring is the foundational pillar that speaks to the education of the whole child, promoting healthy physical, psychological and spiritual development. To support this ideal, the CCCC Expert Panel aims to promote students’ healthy physical, psychological and spiritual development, and to support teachers, staff and parents in their role as compassionate caring adultsguided by our gospel traditions within their school communities. The focus is on preventative programs and strategies that will support physical and mental health, facilitate a sense of belonging, and contribute to the o overall success of the students within the TCDSB.
Loretto Steel Pan play at Christmas Concert
Main Goal: To build inclusive and engaging classrooms, schools and communities by supporting the physical, social-emotional and spiritual needs of our students.
Goals for the 2008-2009 School Year
- Support teachers, staff and parents in their role as caring adults within their school communities board-wide.
- Support student leadership programs board-wide
- Direct support to students through expanding the implementation of
· the FRIENDS anxiety prevention program
· nutrition/breakfast programs
- Support schools responding to the needs of their individual communities
Expert Panel: Established to advise the central Student Success Team on programs and supports required to build inclusive and engaging classrooms, schools,and communities. Panel members come from elementary and secondary schools, from the Psychology, Social Work, Religion, Chaplaincy,Guidance, Cooperative Education, Safe Schools, Research, Student Leadership, Health and Physical Education, and ELL Departments, and from the Apple and Continuous Intake Cooperative Education programs. Co-chairs are Dr. Maria Kokai and Carmela Giardini.
Background and Research: CCCC initiatives are based on Dr. Bruce Ferguson’s research on student engagement, as well as on TCDSB research addressing a number of areas, including student engagement, leadership, school attendance, transitioning, and school climate. The TCDSB Educational Research Department has been conducting board-wide surveys with students and teachers (Transition, My School, My Voice) to collect data on factors affecting student engagement and successful transitioning to secondary school. These data have been used to set our goals and guide our initiatives.
A variety of initiatives have been implemented since September 2006, such as:
Building inclusive/engaging classrooms:
- TCDSB Expulsion Program
- Religion Department Heads inservice on same-sex orientation
- Chaplaincy Team Leaders inservice on student suffering
- Implementing a whole-class anxiety prevention program to students
Building inclusive/engaging schools:
- Breakfast Program for at-risk students at several secondary schools
- School based inservices on social-emotional, behavioural and mental health needs of students for school staffs by the Psychology Department.
- Safe Schools Department inservice on establishing Safe School Teams in all schools
- Guidance and Cooperative Education teacher participation at the OSCA Conference
- Student Leadership program in several schools
- Extracurricular programs to facilitate student engagement for at-risk grade 9 students a several schools
Building inclusive/engaging communities:
- Student Leadership within Health Action Teams
- Voices that Challenge Student Leadership Conference
- Covey Leadership Training for students and teachers
- Smile Leadership Camp for students and teachers
- A Cappella community support for at-risk students
- Board-wide professional development inservices on social-emotional, behavioural and mental health needs of students for school Student Success Teams, grade 9 teachers and for EAs and CYWs by the Psychology Department
- Parent education on communication and engagement for parents of several secondary schools
- School Attendance Review Committees with the Social Work Department.
Evidence of Improvement:
- Increased student leadership and peer mentoring
- Increased student engagement and retention
- Increased awareness of teachers and support staff regarding the social-emotional needs of at-risk students
- Increased collection and application of data through TCDSB research on student attendance, student engagement, and student transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9
- More caring, inclusive, and engaging Catholic school communities
Presentations offered by the TCDSB Psychology Department
Requests for any of these or other presentations for your school can be made through the psychology staff assigned to your school or through the Chief Psychologist, Dr. Maria Kokai 416 222-8282 x 2626
1. Anxiety in Adolescence 
2. Child and Adolescent Depression
3. Consultation Skills for Teachers
4. Engaging & Managing Students
5. Helping Students Cope with Grief
6. Helping Students Deal with Trauma
7. Non-Compliance: Teens Who Can’t, Don’t, Won’t…. Marianne LoPresti
8. Resilience and Self-Care "Engaging for Success"
9. Secondary School Student Difficulties and Strategies
10. Social-Emotional Functioning and Special Needs
11. Students with Challenges in Self-Regulation and Disruptive Behaviour
12. Student Engagement and the Early School Leaver Research by B. Ferguson
13. Substance Use in Adolescence
Please note that this is not an inclusive list, requests for presentations on other topics can be considered.
Contact: 416-222-8282
Maria Kokai Co-Chair 2524
Carmela Giardini Co - Chair 2538
Lisa McGuckin 2734
Shelia Gilkinson 2780
Greg Rogers 2588
|
