Today we are introducing you to the third chapter in the Director’s Annual Report to the Community video – Accountable To All.

Here you will see how our Financial Assistants are supporting schools by monitoring purchases and other transactions to ensure accountability. You will see how our Purchasing Department supports our goal to achieve a 90% graduation rate. We feature North Grenville District High School, our newest school building, where we achieved significant cost savings and implemented architectural efficiencies.

Accountable to All from UCDSB on Vimeo.

Today we are introducing you to the second chapter in the Director’s Annual Report to the Community video – High Performance Schools. Here you will see how a school becomes a high performance school – it’s not just academic achievement, it’s building relationships. See the audits we conduct to measure that achievement. See the detailed framework we use to ensure continuous school and system success.

In this chapter you will meet the office administrator who has used social media to improve and expand communications with parents and the community, near and far.

And you’ll meet a custodian who loves his job, loves the students, and takes enormous pride in the look and feel of his school.

High Performance Schools from UCDSB on Vimeo.

Today we are introducing you to the Director’s Annual Report to the Community video.  For the next eight weeks, we will introduce one chapter at a time.  Today I’m introducing Rigorous Care For All.  In this chapter you will see what we mean when we say “All Means All?”  It’s not a collection of words – it’s an attitude; a goal to truly engage all of our students in a positive school experience.

Also featured is our latest special education review wherein we identified opportunities for improvement and what to continue doing well.

Next you will see our commitment to continuous school improvement – demonstrating that while achievements are to be celebrated, future success must be planned.

Also, our student work study is featured – learning is enhanced when students are able to talk about, represent, and explain their thinking in addition to responding to performing a particular task.

Rigorous Care for All from UCDSB on Vimeo.

Over the last four blog posts, we have dealt with leadership and cultivating your mind in four specific ways.

We talked about leadership as it pertains to beauty, which means that the leader has confidence, and focuses on positive affirmations, as well as looks for the best in oneself and the people that they lead. When it goes the way it should, it’s a beautiful sight.

We then talked about strength, and the fact that leaders have to have mental and emotional strength to choose accuracy, precision, and clarity in what they do. They have to have the strength to use truth appropriately, not as a sword to cut people down, but as a source of energy for knowing that they’re doing the right thing. Leaders who embrace openness are action-oriented and courageous.

We also talked about leadership and kindness. Kindness cannot be mistaken for weakness. When a leader embraces kindness, they are warm and inviting, and at the conclusion of any sort of challenge or difficult situation, followers feel that they can share in the ownership of the problem or positive outcome.

In our last post, we talked about leadership and generosity, which means that when a leader is involved in leading a group of people, they work hard at the relationships, recognizing that they intend to leave the campsite better than it was when they arrived. Time and resources are shared evenly. The best gift a leader can give to their followers is their time. Often, the face-time you have with a leader can put you in a very good place.

Today we are talking about leadership and courage. Leadership and courage have to go together hand-in-glove. However, according to many writers on leadership including Stephen Covey, the best friends in mature leadership are courage and consideration.

Mature leaders use discretion to understand that at any time they are involved in difficult situations, they choose the right balance of consideration and courage.

For example, in a busy school with many activities going on and a variety of emotions running though the culture of a school, some people would take a look at a student who has been chronically difficult to deal with and believe that the administrator should suspend or expel them to support the values and rules of the school.

A leader who looks into the mitigating circumstances of the student would never suspend or expel the child until they had shown consideration for that student’s plight or situation.

A student, who comes to school after sleeping on the streets, underneath a bridge, or on the floor of an apartment because their parents can’t afford a bed, may come to school in a state that others may view as unacceptable. Without consideration for their life circumstances, it would be very easy to suspend this student.

However, once you understand the history of the child, then you are able to understand the appropriate response. Obviously, suspending someone who already has little going for them just to satisfy some sort of stakeholder group within the staff does not serve the student well.

It’s through balancing courage and consideration that a great leader can tell the staff that the student needs support, guidance, and potentially discipline, but not suspension or expulsion.

Finally, courage is the ability to look down the road three to 10 years ahead, and to understand where a person, community, or problem is going. When you have the ability to see long-term, it makes the use of courage more precise and accurate, and it gives you the ability to do the right thing, for the right reasons, at the right time.

BCI and CPHS Link Crews and Dickie Go the Extra Mile

We have three awards to give out this week. I would like to recognize Link Crew teaching teams from Carleton Place High School (CPHS) and Brockville Collegiate Institute (BCI) as well as Carleton Place High School physical education teacher Brian Dickie.

The BCI and CPHS Link Crew teams are being recognized for creating an outstanding atmosphere of caring for Grade 9 students at their schools. The BCI teaching team is comprised of teachers Andrea Wright, Shannon McKinnon and Jackie Gardiner. The team at CPHS is comprised of teachers Tammy Hoytema and Geoff Winter, along with secondary learning resource teacher Monique Winter.

The teams offer programming at their schools that give Grade 9 students a sense of belonging. The program also connects Grade 9 students with Link Crew student leaders who act as mentors to help new students successfully navigate the transition to high school. Both programs are so successful that the Globe and Mail recently contacted the Board about the Link Crew initiative and Education Reporter Caroline Alphonso is preparing a national story on the program featuring both teams. The Globe will also produce a number of 2-minute video segments for the newspaper’s website along with a number of photo galleries featuring the Link Crew students.

Dickie is being cited because of the CrossFit program he runs at CPHS that was recently featured in Sweat RX Magazine. Over half of all CPHS students are participating in the program this school year, where they learn about strength training, fitness, and nutrition. The article in Sweat RX Magazine includes many success stories of students who have experienced gains not only in the gym, but in the classroom and outside of school as well.

For bringing a sense of belonging to our Grade 9 students, the Upper Canada District School Board is proud to induct the BCI and CPHS Link Crew teaching teams into the Director’s Extra Mile Club.

For teaching an appreciation for the value of fitness to students at Carleton Place High School, the Upper Canada District School Board is proud to induct Dickie into the Director’s Extra Mile Club.

Spotlight on Students

Today I would like to shine a spotlight on schools that do exceptionally well in promoting the value of healthy physical activity to their students.
I would like to commend Caldwell Street Public School, Thousand Islands Elementary School, Russell Public School and Eamer’s Corners Public School for an outstanding job with their Quality Daily Physical Education programs.

Caldwell is known for a wonderful program which ensures students get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. The program is delivered under the guidance of qualified physical education teacher Anne-Marie Dufort and other staff. The Carleton Place School Family also runs community fitness events each week, hosted at different schools each month. Classes range from yoga to dance. Everyone is welcome. Classes are free but a donation to the Champions for Kids Foundation is encouraged. Caldwell’s program was honoured last year with a 2012 Health Promoting School Champion Award.

Thousand Islands Elementary School is a past winner of the gold designation from the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation for quality wellness programming. Every student in the school starts the day with 40 minutes of physical activity. School staff members have also sought leadership from their Grades 4 and 5 students, who have developed their own routines based on QDPE guidelines and go into other classrooms to lead sessions. Lately the school has resumed intramural activities such as floor hockey and basketball and about 95 per cent of the students are participating. The school even has a Golden Shoe Award, presented monthly to the class whose students do the best job performing their daily exercises over a four-week period.

At Russell Public School, phys. ed. teachers Rejean Leblond and Leeanna Harris have organized some wonderful programs to keep children fit. Much of the school’s programming focuses on the 40-minute daily recess period. The school hosts a running club in which four groups of 15 children participate. Each group runs two kilometres, once per week, under the supervision of Harris and other teachers. Leblond hosts games such as floor hockey for other students in the gymnasium. Meanwhile PALS program volunteers work on the playground with younger students, providing a skipping session, broomball and other activities for students to enjoy.

At Eamer’s Corners Public School students participate in Spec Ops – a dynamic program that gives 125 Grades 3-6 students daily opportunities to be rigorously active while developing their character and leadership potential. Through this exciting branch of Froglogic (an active living/fitness and character-building program based on US Navy SEAL concepts) students have the daily opportunity to be a part of a number of units including the Rangers, JTF2, Bravo, Alpha and Delta divisions.

At the foundation of Spec Ops is the philosophy of striving for excellence within Self, Others and Community. Spec Ops students learn and practice body weight exercises at school and at home in order to develop the habit of active living and make gains in their physical fitness.

Everest Experience at Nav Centre

On April 8 and 9, I oversaw a two-day Everest Experience leadership session at the Nav Centre in Cornwall. Nine school teams participated – Athens District High School, South Branch Elementary School, Russell High School, Meadowview Public School, Morrisburg Public School, Oxford-on-Rideau Public School, Queen Elizabeth Elementary School, South Edwardsburg Public School and Benson Public School.

During the two days, we all spent time reflecting on our personal goals. We went over what leadership is, the role of leadership and school improvement, and we reflected on how each school was performing and using the tools available to them through the UCDSB Continuous School and System Success Framework.

Later, we took a broader look at our schools and their wider communities. We discussed the health and well-being of our neighbourhood, our province and the country. Later, we discussed each school’s mission, vision and values and the creation of a school song that could become the school credo. We then took a good hard look at what each school should be like in 18 months, two years and three years.

We examined school goals, system goals and we talked about alignment and the power of alignment to create genuinely authentic learning communities in our schools.
The teams have been given homework and will return in about six weeks for a third day to discuss school plans for improvement and how they align with system goals.

Pommier Inducted as Honourary Board Member for Champions

On April 10, I was proud to induct Cornwall-area businessman André Pommier as an honourary board member of the Champions for Kids Foundation. We welcomed him to the board during a fundraising breakfast in Cornwall at the Best Western Parkway Inn and Conference Centre. Pommier is well-known in the Cornwall community and we know he will be an asset to our foundation and a great ambassador for our cause. During the morning, we heard a variety of stories about how Champions had helped children in our communities.

André Pommier

Senior Team Reviews Budget

It’s time to sharpen the pencils and work on the budget. On April 11, members of the senior team spent much of the afternoon examining all budgets and deciding on financial priorities for the coming fiscal year.

Director Visits Palliser Regional School Board

On the recommendation of author Wayne Hulley, I led a team of UCDSB staff on a visit to Palliser Regional Schools in Lethbridge, Alberta. During the trip, from April 15-17, I was joined by Principal of Continuous School Improvement Brenda Beaudette, Planning and Research Officer Phil Dawes, and Accountability and Alignment Officer Terry Davies. We visited Palliser after Hulley challenged us to create a national professional learning community with a similar board on the other side of our nation. Hulley recommended Palliser because it has a rural-urban split similar to our Board. We visited with their director and senior team, learned about their board, and visited a number of schools. Generally it was a very positive experience.

United Way Fundraising Committee

On April 18, I attended an early morning fundraising committee meeting for the 2013 Leeds and Grenville United Way Campaign. Plans for an ambitious fundraising effort are underway.

Everest Session at Glen House Resort

On April 18 and 19, I led an Everest Experience session at the Glen House Resort. Nine schools participated – Brockville Collegiate Institute, Central Public School, Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School, Plantagenet Public School, Prince of Wales Public School, Rideau Centennial Public School, Rideau Vista Public School, South Crosby Public School, and Tagwi Secondary School. We reviewed each school’s strategic plan and how they related to the Board’s next strategic plan. We will meet about six weeks from now to discuss each school’s plan for the next 18 months, two years and three years.

At the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB), we have eight values that are known to be the foundation of our Character Always! program, and they are caring, fairness, empathy, responsibility, honesty, resilience, respect, and perseverance.

Our Character Always! program has proven to be responsible for some great gains in the performance of our students, and in the work and performance of our staff.

The reason I talk about our character education program as it applies to leadership is because we all understand that great leaders possess great quantities of these values.

Somehow, in the hundreds of values that we looked at to build our Character Always! program, I believe we made a mistake. Of the 5,000 or so people who voted on which values should be chosen, I believe that we should have chosen generosity as a key cornerstone of our character education program.

Now, that’s not a negative because I do truly believe that the UCDSB staff, students, and families who are part of our board are some of the most generous people you’ll find in the world. Generosity, as it relates to leadership, is a little bit different, and it should be looked at as part of the cornerstone of the leader’s toolbox.

When a leader chooses to be generous, they model for the people around them that they truly care about the outcomes of other people. To me, it’s very simple. It’s smart to give a new pair of shoes to a man who has no shoes. But, if you know a man who has 300 pairs of shoes, and you give him a new pair, that isn’t very generous.

The fact is that the leader understands that when they see inequities – and they lead through a genuine commitment to social justice – they have to correct them.

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.” – Augustine of Hippo

This is a great quote. But, sometimes the most important way to correct an injustice is to support it with a proper gift. Leaders note the injustices and find the right places to give and model them through their behaviours when everyone is watching, and when no one is watching.

Quite frankly, when you’re a remarkable leader, people are watching you at all times.

Leaders understand that although giving does make the world a better place, the really generous gifts of leaders are organized to make change and to build sustainability.

Leaders also recognize that generosity is the ability to share their own strengths and weaknesses whether it’s through mentoring or coaching the people they lead. They are both generous with good ideas, as well as generous with explaining where those good ideas came from.

Finally, leaders who are truly making a difference are generous in the way that they delegate. I believe what separates the great leaders from the outstanding leaders is the ability to recognize that anything they do can probably be delegated to someone else to work with.

If you choose to delegate and to openly and honestly share your power with those around you, then the final gift of the great leader is the gift of their time to the people they work with. The busier and more important the aspects of your leadership, the more time you should give to the people who directly report to you.

Some people like bonuses, some people like cars. But, many of the people who follow leaders say the greatest gift they have been given is when the leader has closed the door, listened to their concerns, and offered them good advice.

Kindness and leadership are often misunderstood. Some people believe that because of the paternal model of leadership, their leader should be a stern, direct, judicious, loving parent, when modern leadership isn’t always like that.

What people want from their leaders is a sense that if they follow this person, their journey, situation or reality will become better. There will be positive outcomes because they have chosen to work with and follow this person.

We’ve all heard of the great, stoic leader with the stiff upper lip and strong jaw line who treats everyone fairly, but who isn’t a nice person. That’s not leadership of the future, and it certainly doesn’t get us to the desired state that we need to get to in order to be an effective, high performance organization.

Educator and author Stephen Covey talks about how in mature leadership there is a balance between courage and consideration. This is where we must understand courage, because the main ingredient of both courage and consideration is kindness.

I’ll give you an example from the educational community. Young Johnny is driving the grade 10 division of the high school crazy. He’s got attitude and anger, and he appears to never be prepared for learning. He comes to class without a pen, pencil or books. Plus, when he comes to class, his body language would tell most people that he doesn’t want to be there.

But, Johnny has nearly perfect attendance at the school.

In the staff room, there is often a debate about whether Johnny should be suspended for being unprepared or for his insolent attitude. Many staff members charge the principal and the administrators with a lack of courage for not suspending him from the school.

But, great leadership understands that courage must have a real element of kindness in it to be effective. Having the courage to suspend Johnny is easy. But having the courage to stand up to the staff and choose kindness with Johnny is crucial.

Knowing and recognizing that Johnny is showing up to school every day most likely means that somewhere in his background he has decided that being at school and in class is important.

Somehow, this hasn’t transferred into his attitude or body language, but kindness has always needed warmth. Just think of the kindest people you have ever worked with. Their eyes, face, and entire body language – whether it’s a handshake or a slap on your shoulders – shows that they are all about kindness and caring.

A kind leader – in this case, the principal – has an ability to pull Johnny into a room separately and talk to him. A kind leader would say, “Johnny, I’m standing up for you. I had 10 teachers in my office who are frustrated with you, but I said I’m going up to bat for you because you show up every day. Now, you’ve got to help me out. You have to show that you care about yourself, and potentially the relationship you have with me, your advocate.”

Now, put yourself in Johnny’s spot. He may not understand how much his principal stood up for him. But, he knows a genuine act of kindness.

The staff may believe the principal does not have proper standards or vision for excellence for the school, but because the leader chose kindness, she is giving Johnny an opportunity to succeed.

People want to be around other people who are positive, generous, and warm, and those who attend to and make themselves available to the people they teach.

I continue to believe that one of the best ways to let people know that you’re kind, and that you care about them, is to be genuinely interested in their lives.

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” – Mark Twain

BLOG L2W The Last Two Weeks in the Life of the Director!

Ken Ditchburn, left, Scott Pickup and Carol Casselman have been honoured with an Extra Mile Award for their work helping stranded motorists following a March 15 accident on Highway 401 near Prescott.

Director’s Extra Mile Awards

Today I would like to announce three Extra Mile Club Awards because of all the wonderful things happening in our Board.

I wish to start by honouring an amazing team of facilities staff who went out of their way March 15 to help motorists trapped in a terrible pileup on Highway 401 near Prescott. Facilities Operations Manager Carol Casselman, Custodian Ken Ditchburn, and Building Specialist Scott Pickup sprang into action to help about 70 motorists stranded in a 24-vehicle pileup by giving them a place to regroup and spend the night. The accident shut down the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 between Highway 416 and Prescott.

Acting on a request from the Prescott Fire Department in the aftermath of the 4 p.m. emergency, Casselman and her staff opened South Grenville District High School to accident victims who waited more than 12 hours for the highway to reopen. The three organized an indoor game of soccer for adults and children in the gymnasium, set up a common area where people could relax in the main foyer, and established sleeping quarters in the library.

The trio purchased coffee and donuts, and later pizza and drinks, for their guests. They also helped to arrange taxi cabs for people whose cars were totalled so they could go to a hotel in Brockville and arrange for a rental car.

Interestingly, one of the people stranded was a young man on his way to a recital. Casselman arranged to have a keyboard brought in for the musician, who volunteered to perform for the night to keep people entertained.

The second award this week goes to Rideau District High School Senior Girls Basketball Coach Ron Stenzl. Stenzl, a businessman in the Elgin area, epitomizes what caring for students is all about. I always say that if you want something done, give it to someone who is already busy. Despite having a hectic schedule as co-owner of Leeds Transit – a school bus dealership with locations in Elgin, Woodstock and Montreal – Stenzl has found time to coach boys and girls basketball at Rideau since 1988. He began coaching senior boys his first year, and took the team to a silver at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) A Championship.

The 55-year-old began coaching girls teams at Rideau in 1996. Under his guidance, he and his senior girls teams have won eight medals at OFSAA over the past 12 years – two bronze, two antique bronze, three silver and one gold. He also helped found the Elgin Wildcats community basketball program and currently serves as club president.

Stenzl is married to wife Janice and the couple has two daughters: Stephanie, 24, and Melissa, 26.

The third winner this week is North Grenville District High School Principal Steve Sharp. Sharp is being cited for his amazing work organizing the Upper Canada Cup athletic series at North Grenville. In February and March, the high school hosted junior and senior boys basketball, and junior and senior girls volleyball tournaments, providing new athletic opportunities for our high school students.

For helping to make a terrible occasion bearable and making the Board dozens of new friends, the Upper Canada District School Board is proud to induct Casselman, Ditchburn and Pickup into the Director’s Extra Mile Club.

For making hoop dreams come true for students at Rideau District High School, the Upper Canada District School Board is proud to induct Stenzl into the Director’s Extra Mile Club.

For helping to bring new sporting opportunities to our students, the Upper Canada District School Board is proud to induct Sharp into the Director’s Extra Mile Club.

Spotlight on Students

Today’s spotlight focuses on four Almonte District High School (ADHS) students whose efforts helped attract a national celebrity for a visit. Colleen Stratford-Kurus, Margot Denis, Shelby Featherston, and Laura Barrass led a fundraising drive at the high school that generated more than $6,000 for the Spread the Net Student Challenge. The national contest encouraged schools across the country to raise money for Spread the Net, a charity which purchases insecticide-treated mosquito netting for children in Africa to protect them from the spread of malaria. The charity was co-founded by Canadian comedian Rick Mercer. For a donation of just $10, the charity can purchase a mosquito net that can protect up to five people in malaria endemic areas of Africa.

As a result of raising the most funds out of any secondary school in the contest, Mercer visited ADHS on March 20 to tape a segment for the show. He visited a physics lab, a construction technology class and even participated in a physics experiment by being launched down a hallway at the school on a children’s wagon.

The segment will run April 2 on the Rick Mercer Report.

Preparing for ReadE for Summer

On March 11, my staff and I along with officials from area Boys and Girls Clubs began planning for the 2013 ReadE for Summer program. The initiative provides a free educational summer camp experience to students in our Board. We discussed budgetary considerations as we hope to continue with at least 10 sites this year.

Also present at the meeting were: Tim Mills, executive director of the Upper Canada Leger Education Centre for Education and Training; Harold Parsons, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston; and Jacquie Richards, executive director, and Kristina Allard, coordinator, of the Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall and Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

1,000 by 3,000 Review

We are currently laying the groundwork for the third major review evaluating the effectiveness of our strategic planning process. I met on March 13 with Accountability and Alignment Officer Terry Davies, current Principal of Continuous School Improvement Brenda Beaudette, and her predecessors Principal Nancy Hanna and Principal Bill Loshaw, to gain their insight in order to enhance the effectiveness and value of the third review.

Partnership with CIHA

I met in Rockland on March 14 with Principal Randy Stevenson and other representatives of the Canadian International Hockey Academy. We discussed our partnership with the academy as well as the Board’s vision about moving forward with both the hockey academy and our international student program.

Service Excellence

I met with Sarah Crawford on March 19 to review her CREW Service Excellence Charter and her ongoing plans to implement the program. We also put the final touches on her implementation steering committee. Members of the committee so far include: Matt Robinson, vice principal of e-learning; Vicky Tait, office administrator; Derek Cole, vice principal; Jennifer McDonald, acting HR operations manager; David Coombs, superintendent; Carol Casselman, facilities operations manager; and Cindy Peters, communications community relationship liaison officer.

Director to Shepherd 2013 United Way Campaign

Those of you who know me personally realize how close the United Way is to my heart. As a result, Brockville businessman David Beatty and I are going to co-chair the 2013 United Way of Leeds and Grenville campaign. David is not only a United Way friend, but is also a personal friend of mine and he is a very generous donor to many charities across eastern Ontario. It will be both a pleasure and a privilege to serve with him.

Meeting with Trustee McRae

On March 21, I met with Trustee Anne McRae and the chair of her school council in Lanark to review the Director’s Annual Report and other community issues in Lanark.

Character Always! Review

Our Board is now reviewing our Character Always! initiative. I met on March 22 with select staff members to review our eight traits and see about potentially changing current traits or expanding the number that we use in our schools to keep the initiative relevant. Helping with this review are Principal of Continuous School Improvement Brenda Beaudette and teacher Stephanie Reddoch.

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” – Albert Einstein

This provocative quote reminds me of a similar quote by British statesman Edmund Burke: “Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.”

Both quotes address one of the most important qualities in leadership – strength.

Great leaders must have the strength to know when to be a part of the team, and the strength to know when they should step away from the team.

Leaders who understand strength, and who know they need to build their strength, understand that strength has several strands of tapestry. There are five weaves that are absolutely critical to ensure that the tapestry is strong.

#1: Commitment to the Truth

I remind people that there are three truths that you have to be sensitive to at all times:

1. Your own truth: What you believe in
2. Their truth: What other people believe in
3. THE truth: A combination of what you see and what your colleagues – or perhaps even your respected enemies – see

Focusing on THE truth helps you to be more precise, more accurate, and of course, allows you to have more clarity when resolving problems and conflict.

#2: Open and Transparent

When you choose to be open and transparent, you place your vulnerabilities out there for other people to see so they understand that you don’t see them as weaknesses. You know that other people on your team see your vulnerabilities and either support you with their own strengths or watch you as you transform your vulnerabilities into a new strength.

#3: Lifelong Learning

When I talk about being a lifelong learner, I’m not just saying that because it’s something that sounds like it should be written in a leadership blog post. What I mean when I say that you should embrace lifelong learning is that you should always be cognizant of going to the new. It’s important to always be aware that the enemy of good is better.

#4: Meekness

When you recognize that strength is multidimensional, then you truly understand the role that meekness plays in strength. If you have great strength, and you embrace meekness – the ability to be quiet, self-reflective, and in total control of your pride – then you become even stronger.

#5: Discretion

Discretion with strength is critical. Discretion gives the leader the ability to know what measure of strength to use in a situation. In many controversial, difficult, and sometimes public events, some people think strength must be portrayed as the loudest voice in the room. A leader who understands strength and timing will recognize that a quiet, thoughtful expression can be just as powerful as yelling from the back of the room.

So, when leaders understand that they have to work on their strength, they really have come to grips with realizing that the yolk of strength that pulls a group together is based upon a clear understanding of balanced, thoughtful, and reflective leadership.

BLOG L2W The Last Two Weeks in the Life of the Director!

 

Lynda Johnston

 

Lynda Johnston Goes the Extra Mile

This amazing mother of two has been recognized for leading the way in social media communications among office administrators in our schools.

Johnston is reinventing the role of the office administrator in the restructured environment at our schools. She understands that with the new financial assistant’s position in place, we have taken a great deal of the old banking responsibilities away from office administrators – a responsibility that many front-line staff found uncomfortable because of the high level of scrutiny it entailed.

The 55-year-old understands that with relief from that responsibility, there is time for office administrators to help improve school communications through social media. Instead of resisting this challenge, Johnston has moved toward it and has become an expert on Facebook and has dramatically improved the quality of the Caldwell Street Public School website. She has helped shape how Caldwell is seen in the community. Parents have a positive outlook on the school because they are given accurate, easily accessible information about school life through the online world they now use to interact with family, friends and neighbours.

The school’s Facebook site affords a chance for people dealing with the reality of today’s family and work life to keep up with their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews – even from other continents. There are 139 followers on the school Facebook site, many from countries such as the United States, the Philippines, Costa Rica and England. The reach for the school site last week alone was 1,051 users.

The veteran employee also maintains the school’s “Power of a Friend” photo wall, recently helped prepare a celebratory luncheon for office staff, serves as the non-teaching representative on school council, and is the member of Caldwell’s School Success Plan team in charge of communications.

She is also involved with the Upper Canada District School Board Champions for Kids Foundation. She volunteered at the recent Christmas concert in Carleton Place, and the 2012 Family Ski and Fun Day in Pakenham, and she is now helping with an upcoming fundraising concert this spring featuring local singer Jordan McIntosh.

For helping set an example for others about the positive power social media can have in our schools, the Upper Canada District School Board is proud to induct Johnston into the Director’s Extra Mile Club.

Spotlight on Students

Champions for Kids celebrated Family Day February 18 with the Champions for Kids Foundation Ski and Fun Day in Pakenham. The event, and associated fundraisers, generated about $1,100 for the Champions for Kids Foundation. The event was important because it allowed families to visit Mount Pakenham and enjoy skiing, tubing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, with a portion of the proceeds from the event being donated to the foundation. The day stressed the benefits of physical fitness and the importance of families spending time together.

The event was organized by Pakenham Public School Principal Paul LeRoy. Families enjoyed the wonderful winter weather and supported a great cause. Visitors started the day with a breakfast of pancakes, sausages and baked beans. The meal was free but guests were encouraged to make a donation to Champions. People who volunteered to help with the day included: Cath Clouthier, Laura Dazzle, Carole Dufort, Lea Doxey, Shelley Riddell, Trustee Anne McRae and her friend Bruce Monteith.

George Tindal Remembered

I would like to acknowledge the recent passing of George Tindal, former superintendent of business for the Leeds and Grenville County Board of Education.

Tindal prospered in a career devoted to public service. Before working with our predecessor board, he served as clerk-treasurer of Morrisburg during planning for the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project, and then became secretary-treasurer of the Ontario St. Lawrence Parks Commission as it developed a series of parks from Quebec to Adolphustown. He began his job with the Leeds and Grenville County Board of Education in 1969.

Tindal died February 25. He was a great friend of public education. He cared about students and their welfare. Our condolences go out to the family of this fine gentleman.

Director Visits Toniata PS and Lyn PS

On February 19, I visited Lyn Public School and Toniata Public School. I was particularly pleased with the schools’ music programs. I witnessed Grade 6 classes at both schools involved in instrumental music. Although I am no expert on music, I was particularly impressed with the level of engagement I saw among students in both classes.

Labour Relations Update

On February 20, I met with the chair and 1st vice chair of the Board, as well as principals, to bring them up-to-date on the status of our Ontario Labour Relations Board application. I shared with our principals advice on how to keep their schools focused on teaching for learning and advised them to spread the message that we value teachers who volunteer and the important role that teachers play in volunteering for extracurriculars in our schools. I stressed the importance of conveying to our teachers it is their decision to volunteer and we deeply respect that.

I also shared details on what is happening in our schools in an open and honest manner. As we all know, we have had a collective agreement imposed on us by the McGuinty government. Although we did not like the way it was imposed, we must respect the fact that it is a legal agreement and understand that we should be focused now in our schools on student engagement and student success.

Chair Greg Pietersma also thanked the principals for their exemplary leadership at this very difficult time and encouraged them to work collaboratively so that no one feels isolated at this challenging time.

Director Meets with Local OPC Executive

I met February 20 with the local executive of the Ontario Principals’ Council to discuss the impact of provincewide labour issues on our system. We discussed the impact of Bill 155 and the issues that the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation are creating in our schools.

We also discussed the role volunteer parent coaches and other volunteer coaches from outside our system are having in our schools and the parameters for their involvement going forward. We must encourage more of this volunteerism in athletics, music and drama so our students gain the most from their public school experience, provided the volunteers have the skills, aptitude and positive attitude to do so, and if they meet the terms of the police screening process.

We also discussed principals’ concerns over the Board’s StudentsFirstAlways! blog. Some principals felt that the red, yellow and green colour-coding system used to tell parents about the status of extracurriculars at our schools was putting undue pressure on principals to restart extracurriculars. I told them our intention was nothing of the sort, but that we simply wanted to be transparent, open and honest in the way that we accurately tell the community what is happening in our schools because the public is watching – particularly our parents. I assured principals they would not be judged in any manner if their school was listed as red, yellow or green.

We also wish to assure the public that we are in a good position, with staff members volunteering for extracurriculars in the vast majority of our schools.

National Canadian Safe Schools Conference

I was in Toronto on February 26 addressing the 2013 National Canadian Safe Schools Conference about character education, our Link Crew program and the connection between those initiatives and creating a safe, inclusive and accepting environment in our schools for all students. These supports will enable our staff and community at a very high level to identify students at risk with mental health issues and other personal crises because they have a network of caring people surrounding and supporting them. The conference featured more than 25 workshops throughout the day that covered a wealth of topics including cyber safety, sexual assault, legal issues, school climate, and the impact of gangs.

Report by Communications and Relationship Management Department

I was very pleased with the great deal of support trustees showed for the Communications and Relationship Management Department on February 27 following a report to the Committee of the Whole. The trustees praised the department for its refocused efforts on communications and relationship management. This focus recognizes it is our responsibility to not only push information out but that we also must become very responsive to the messaging being sent out on the Web by our many community stakeholders. It helps us to understand the priorities and wishes of the communities we serve.

We are very pleased with the initiatives the department has introduced and believe it will have a positive impact on our system – particularly the department’s use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and our blogs.

The second initiative that we are pleased with is UCTV. We have been able to live stream recent volleyball and basketball competitions among our intermediate and high school students. This means that relatives – no matter whether they are engineers working in Australia or grandparents sitting in nursing homes in Arnprior, can log on and enjoy live coverage of these games.

Boundary 2020 Report

During the Committee of the Whole session on February 27, Planning and Research Officer Phil Dawes made a very impressive presentation about the wrap-up of Boundary 2020 and the positive impact it has had on the whole system. It also led to a very reflective discussion that some schools in our system, by the very nature of their isolated locations, will always be considered essential.

Labour Update for Trustees

During the Committee of the Whole on February 27, trustees received an update from the human resources department on the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) application and whether the OLRB would come back with broad or specific recommendations. I think it was very important for the Board to understand that some school boards in Ontario are very worried about the relationship they have with their unions and they put those relationships ahead of the relationships they should have with the communities they serve, their parents and particularly their students. In our Board, there is a genuine commitment to students first.

Director Reviews Charters

On February 28, I spent the entire day going over CREW charters with the various leaders who head up the projects. Of particular note were the meetings that I had with leaders of the 2013 Small School Summit and the Physical and Nutritional Literacy Project. I met with 2013 Summit Co-Chairs Kelty Grant, Chris Boston, and Derek Cole to talk about next fall’s Summit, which will take place October 24 and 25 in Cornwall at the Nav Canada Training and Conference Centre. The theme of the event is Innovate Now! I also met with Project Leader Randy Ruttan to review improvements to our Physical and Nutritional Literacy Project.

March Breakdown

On March 1, my partner Nancy Hanna and I were pleased to attend the March Breakdown event for Champions for Kids at the Keystorm Pub in Brockville. Staff members from across the Board took to the stage – including members of the featured band The Crewzers – to play classic rock tunes ranging from The Beatles to Journey. The event raised $2,025 for the Champions for Kids Foundation. Special thanks go out to key organizers Ewen McIntosh and Carla Vanderhelm for bringing us a fantastic night.