News

MPSD 2017/2018 Professional Learning Series

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Exciting news for K-12 Educators:

We are once again offering Professional Development Learning Sessions for all staff in lieu of the May 18th, 2018 Professional Development Day.   Please see the four professional learning opportunities listed below (in chronological order) and sign up using the link at the bottom of the page.  Attendance at two (2.5 hour) sessions or four of the Set B.C. sessions is considered the equivalent of a full day.

  1. December 5th, 2017: “Stories of Truth” Curriculum exploration session featuring the film “Reconciliation in Mission”  (2.5 hours) (K-12) 

This session takes place from 3:30pm – 6:00pm on Tuesday, December 5, 2017, at Ecole Heritage Park Middle School.

This event will begin with a fully catered Salmon feast in the Cafetorium at 3:30pm and will contain exploratory sessions of Mission’s locally developed residential school curriculum and resource website. This session will also be the official release of “Reconciliation in Mission”, a learning resource documenting two elders’ journey towards reconciliation and the Mission school district’s residential school tour experience. The Elders / Survivors featured in the film will be present at this event and will speak to their experience in collaborating with the Mission school District in the making of these resources.

Agenda:

3:30 pm – Welcome song and Salmon Feast in Cafetorium

4:30 pm – Website Curriculum Walk through K-12

5:00 pm – “Reconciliation in Mission” release

5:40 pm – Response from Witnesses featured in the film.

6:00 pm – Honour song and Closing

2.  January – March:   SET BC Four Part Series: Riverside College    

∗ Each session is limited to 30 participants.

(Attendance at two sessions equals 1/2 day and four sessions equals a full day as in-lieu time for the May 18th Pro D Day)  Please note:  Not all sessions apply to all grade level educators. 

  1. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (K-12) January 15th 3:30pm – 4:15pm

2. UDL  Jan 29th 3:30pm – 4:15pm (K-12)

3. Digital Story Telling (K-7): Feb. 28th   3:30-4:45, 4:45-5:00 additional resources *Sorry, this session is full.*

4. Overview of Math Apps (K-9): March 14th 3:30-4:45, 4:45-5:00 additional resources *Sorry, this session is full.*

3. February 27, 2018: Critical Thinking and the Redesigned Curriculum with Stefan Stipp  (2.5 hours) (K-12)

(3:30 – 6:00, Heritage Park Middle School)

Stefan will share strategies and resources that connect critical thinking with the redesigned curriculum.

4. April 23rd and May 14th, 2018: Building Thinking Classrooms.  (Grade 7-12) Attendees must attend both sessions. (2.5 hours each)

Peter Liljedahl, Professor of Mathematics, Simon Fraser University, is offering two sessions for 7-12 Math and Science Educators.  Dr. Liljedahl is a former high school mathematics teacher who has kept his research interest and activities close to the classroom. His research interests are creativity, insight, and discovery in mathematics teaching and learning; the role of the affective domain on the teaching and learning of mathematics; the professional growth of mathematics teachers; mathematical problem solving; numeracy; and engaging student thinking. He consults regularly with schools, school districts, and ministries of education on issues of teaching and learning, assessment, and numeracy.

This session is targeted for Grade 7-12 math educators.  Space is limited to 30 participants.

 (3:30-6:00, Heritage Park Middle School)

Click here to register for sessions:

MPSD 2017/2018 Professional Learning Series

 

Oct. 23 Curriculum Implementation Day

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Please find agendas and information related to our upcoming District Curriculum Implementation day below.

Most sites will be providing early morning snacks and refreshments.  Staff are on their own for lunch.

K-6 Offerings/Agendas:

 

SNAP (Student Numeracy Assessment & Practice)

 

Presenters: Christine Blessin and Kathleen Mitchell (SD 33, Chilliwack)

Location: Heritage Park Cafetorium

Shape of the Day:

8:30-9:00 Snacks/Refreshments

9:00 – 11:30 SNAP for Primary Educators

11:30-12:30 Lunch

12:30-2:30 SNAP for Intermediate Educators

All About Me: Career Education Resource

Presenter:  Sierra Holtzheuser

Location: Clarke Theatre

Shape of the Day:

8:30-9:00 Snacks/Refreshments

9:00 – 11:30 All About Me for Intermediate Teachers

11:30-12:30 Lunch

12:30-2:30 All About Me for Primary Teachers

Additional Resources: British Columbia Teacher Resource Guides

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Additional lesson plans, video tutorials and webinars are available on the myBlueprint Support page.

Middle Schools, Fraserview and Mission Secondary School are on site working on curriculum related themes including assessment, student engagement and resources to support the redesigned curriculum.

Riverside College: November 23rd, 2017

September Learning: Follow-Up

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Thank you MPSD educators for a wonderful start to the year!

We have received positive feedback from those who attended our Professional Development sessions last Friday, including POPARD, JUMP Math and Trauma Informed Practice at Heritage Park Middle School as well as The Question Behind the Question at MSS and Assessment at Hatzic Middle School.

Kw’as Hoy to Johnny Williams for the welcome and Joe Heslip for sharing artist Trenton Pierre’s rationale behind the image below, which represents the Sacred Teaching of Love, through the Eagle.

Snapshots of our September 22nd Pro-d Day:

Planning for Inclusion for All Students (POPARD)

JUMP Math Feedback:

Early Learning Day Follow-Up:

The Early Learning Day for Kindergarten teachers and StrongStart facilitators was also a great success. Below are some snapshots of learning from our morning session “Math for Early Learners” with Rebekaah Stenner and Liz Barrett.

Based on Rebekaah’s recommendation, every K-6 school library has received a copy of Number Sense Routines.

 

 

Fall Curriculum Event Update

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September 22nd Agendas for presentations at Heritage Park Middle School:

JUMP Math (K-6) (All K-6 classroom teachers & Educational Assistants)

Paper Tigers (7-12) (Fraserview, Summit, Heritage Park Middle School)

September 22nd Agenda for Mission Secondary School:

Question Behind the Question

Upcoming Community Conferences/Events:

Click here for ACES Summit agenda & session information and on poster to register:

 

 

September Learning Resources

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(Source: CLA, 2014)

Welcome to another year of learning and working together.  We have drafted this post with the hope that some of these resources may useful to your planning for September and beyond.

Ministry of Education Curriculum Updates:
  • Please see the Documents and Assessment Strategies pages for Educator Updates regarding FSA’s and Graduation Years (including Gr. 10-12 Curriculum Comparison Guides for all subjects and the draft design of the Numeracy Assessment).
  • A series of videos and booklets on Assessment is being developed and we will post links as soon as they are available.
Learning Sessions and Teaching Resources:
  • Please see the Teacher Developed page for units developed by MPSD teachers, including ADST and Career Education. (Please ask your Teacher Librarian or Jen Lane (jennifer.lane@mpsd.ca) if you require the password to open this page.)
  • ERAC has curated and recommended a collection of K-12 websites that are aligned with the BC redesigned curriculum.  We have added these websites to the Subject Area pages in Resources (K-12).  For K-6 sites, you can also go to Databases and Subject Guides in the Elementary Virtual Learning Commons.
  • September blog posts are published in the Elementary Virtual Learning Commons and are full of teaching ideas and activities! This month we are connecting to growth mindset and the core competencies.  (Check back at the beginning of each month for new posts.)

Coming Soon…..

Please see our previous post for some of MPSD’s fall professional learning opportunities.

We also have a fabulous line-up of speakers and presenters for our 2017/2018 Professional Learning Series.  Details will be posted this fall.

 

Time to Celebrate!

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Thank you to our caring and dedicated educational community in Mission.  This has been a year of sharing and learning together and we look forward to our continued journey next year.

Please find some exciting highlights below that reflect some our of work together this year.

 

Siwal Si’wes Official Press Release:

June 21, 2017

 

Mission School District Unveils its Locally Developed Residential School Curriculum Website on National Aboriginal Day at Xa:ytem B.C.

Survivors, Elders, Educators, RCMP, Mission Mayor and Council, Local First Nation Council members, Community members and students celebrated Nation Aboriginal Day at Xa:ytem on June 21st.  All were there to honour and acknowledge the contributions that Residential School Survivors, Elders and Mission Public School staff made towards a locally developed Residential School Curriculum Website for students and teachers from Kindergarten through to grade 12.

This website entitled, “Stories of Truth”, is the result of a 2 year process of consultation and commitment by the groups mentioned above. The website holds several powerful locally developed video, audio and print resources produced by Siwal Si’wes and Bear Image Productions, and can be found at https://greatspirithand.com

The event began with a traditional feast, followed by an honouring ceremony, speeches and elementary students singing “Leave the World a Little bit Better”, while 3 eagles flew overhead at this Historic BC landmark.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada presented its 94 Calls to Action in December 2015. Call to Action #63 (i) included: Developing and Implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve Curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal Peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of Residential Schools.  This website is a direct result of this call to action.

The goal of this effort is to build student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy and mutual respect. Please visit https://greatspirithand.com and continue your journey towards Reconciliation Today!

Teacher Librarians: Please click on the image below to see a slideshow that demonstrates how each school library embraced elements of the redesigned curriculum this year, including Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives, Applied Design Skills and Technology, and more….

Mental Math Carousel Day at Deroche Elementary School:

We are pleased to announce that in September 2017, Rebekaah Stenner (Math educator and current Outreach Manager and Teacher Support for JUMP Math) will join our MPSD curriculum team as a K-12 Math Mentor Teacher.

She has been working this spring at Deroche Elementary School and helped them coordinate and “Mental Math Carousel Day” this June.

Highlights include:

  • The community coming together to share and learn math.
  • The students were enthusiastic and excited to participate.
  • Principal Mike Abercrombie’s homemade hundred’s chart and how much the students enjoyed interacting with it.
  • The families who volunteered! They were open to learning and leading the math stations.
  • Students who don’t normally engage were engaged.
  • The money game was a relevant to students and they practiced the names/values of coins.
  • This has created a culture of thinking about math as something fun and interesting!

See @SD75Curriculum for more success stories shared by schools and educators in our school district. Follow us for updates throughout the summer!

2017/2018 Learning Opportunities:  Save the Date!

Our curriculum team are already planning professional learning opportunities for the fall.  Here’s what is planned so far, stay tuned for more opportunities to be shared in the fall:

  • Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training:
    • Tuesday, August 29th (Principals and Management)
    • Wednesday, August 30th (All Staff Refresher, 8:00-1:00) (Click here for details.)
  •  Early Learning Day , Friday, September 8th at Fraserview Learning Centre: Kindergarten teachers and Strong Start facilitators, Literacy and Mental Math focus.
  • School Goals Day, Friday, September 22nd:
  • JUMP Math for K-6 (as well as Educational Assistants and interested middle school teachers)
  • Middle Schools: TBA
  • Mission Secondary School: QBQ Presentation

Computational Thinking and Coding Workshops:

  • Wednesday, October 4th, 3:30-5:00
  • Wednesday, November 15th, 3:30-5:00
  • Provincial Professional Development Day, Friday, October 20th:  Mission Public School District has partnered with local community groups to offer the Pulling Together one-day conference at Heritage Park Middle School.  Registration is now open with an early bird rate until September 22nd.

Click on the image below to register!

  • Mission Public School District Curriculum Day, Monday, October 23rd: TBA in September, but watch for math assessment learning opportunities, Innovative Career Education tools and more!

 

Spring Update: Curriculum Implementation

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Core Competencies:

We continue to add resources to the Competencies page to support learning around Self-Assessment of the Core Competencies.

Teachers have requested that a common introduction to the self-assessment be provided by the district. Please see your administrator for the introduction developed with feedback from educators that can be used on K-9 report cards to introduce the self-assessment.

Career Education K-12:

Resource Announcement: Mission Public School District has purchased the following two digital resources for the new K-12 Career Education curriculum.  Stay tuned for learning opportunities in the 2017/2018 school year.

All About Me: Career Education Kindergarten-Grade 6

myBlueprint: Career Education Grade 7-12

JUMP Math K-6:  

District-funded resources for all K-6 teachers and students have been ordered and are on the way!

 

Mark your calendar for training on September 22nd for all K-6 teachers.

Early Literacy:

Mission Public School District sent a team of six schools to the January 2017 Joyful Literacy conference in Victoria.  A shared learning session took place in April and we received positive feedback from educators who attended the conference.

 

Below are some of the responses from educators trying out the strategies and expressing their needs moving forward:

We would like to continue the conversation about about establishing common goals for reading expectations to support early literacy in our school district.

Calling all K-3 Educators: Please join us at our next Early Literacy meeting at the School Board Office on Tuesday, May 16th, 2:45-4:15. This is an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process to establish common, district-wide standards for reading levels K-Grade 3 which will be implemented September 2017.  Please bring sample resources, past standards/expectations or any other resources that might be useful to the conversation.

Literacy Professional Development Opportunity:

Congratulations to the MPSD educators who applied to attend the Joyful Writing Summit June 2-3 in Vancouver. Applications were due on May 5th to participate in this professional development opportunity.

 

 

Science/Math Superworkshop

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Sign Up begins on Friday, January 27th at 3:30.  There are 20 seats available.

You can register for one or both sessions.

Email: jennifer.lane@mpsd.ca at 3:30 to register

science_jumpmath

Details:

science_jumpmathdetails

science_jumpmathdetails1

science_jumpmathdetails2

Reminder:

nsearcy

Naryn Searcy Presentation January 31st, 3:30-6:00, Heritage Park Cafeteria

(Please note: this presentation is now full.)

 

 

shelley_moore

Shelley Moore Presentation February 7th, 3:30-6:00, Clarke Theatre

(There are still a few spaces remaining.)

Winter 2017 Learning Opportunities

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Welcome back to a snowy January in Mission! We are excited to continue the learning journey with you this term.

(*Tech Tip:  Any time you see text in a colour other than black in our posts, it means that it is an embedded link. Click on the coloured text to be taken directly to documents, posts, magazine articles, etc…*)

Roundtable on Assessment Announcement:

Rather than offer additional Roundtables on Assessment, we are targeting our efforts towards specific themes identified by teachers at the first session.  Please see the previous posts for details about what was identified by our colleagues at the First Roundtable on Assessment and the sessions being offered in our 2016/2017 Professional Learning Series.

In addition to the Professional Learning Series, the curriculum department would like to announce the following commitments:

Breaking News…

jumpmath

JUMP Math:

The school district will provide teacher resource guides and training to all K-6 teachers in September 2017. The district will also purchase JUMP Math classroom resources for all K-6 classrooms, starting in September 2017.

Local Workshop: Rebekah Stenner, JUMP Math Educational Consultant, will offer a half day workshop to introduce teachers who want an introduction to JUMP Math earlier than September and who may want to pilot the resource.  Every teacher who attends will be given  JUMP Math teaching resources at the session.

joyful-lit

Joyful Literacy Update:

  • Six schools applied and were approved to attend this Early Literacy Summit.
  • Teachers and administrators attended a pre-Summit meeting on Monday, January 9th
  • Every teacher was given a copy of Joyful Literacy Interventions Part One and Part Two as a resource.
  • Teachers will meet and collaborate to share what they have learned at the conference.

joyful-lit1 joyful-lit2

 

science-first-peoples-2016

Science First Peoples (FNESC):  Released in November, you can access this guide digitally for free.  In addition, our school district has purchased print copies for every school and they will be in libraries by spring!

Local Workshop:  Joe Heslip, District Principal of Aboriginal Education, is offering a workshop to introduce the resource and strategies for using this with students.  This highly adaptable guide can be used with students K-12.  Every teacher who attends this session will be given a copy of Science First Peoples.

Great Bear Sea: Every school library has a copy of the print and digital files of the Great Bear Sea Science resource for their school community.  The digital files include the full length feature film and are also available on the Great Bear Sea website.

Local Workshop: A workshop by the curriculum developers will be offered in conjunction with Joe Heslip’s Science First Peoples workshop.

corecompetenciesSelf-Assessment of Core Competencies:

Mission Public School District has sent a team of educators to two provincial Curriculum and Assessment Network meetings. The most recent meeting focused on the Core Competencies and how to design meaningful assessments that promote student ownership of the Core Competencies as a reflection of their learning.

Share-out and resources: Curriculum facilitators and administrators from each school will participate in a learning session this winter.  Resources will include presentation slides and sample prompts that could be used to design meaningful self-assessment templates.

canoe_vol2

 

5000 copies of the Canoe were distributed in December by Siwal Si’wes!

 

 

 

 

 

New In your School Library:

SWSWlogo

 

Siwal Si’wes Digital Library Catalogue is now accessible from all locations and devices!

 

 

The following schools have recently created Virtual Learning Commons of their own! Congratulations to the teacher librarians for their creative efforts and perseverance!  Visit the digital libraries at:

École Christine Morrison

Hillside Traditional Academy

Silverdale

Professional Learning Session:

Teacher Librarians had the opportunity to learn from Stefan Stipp, Prime Minister’s Award-winning teacher & consultant for The Critical Thinking Consortium, at a professional learning session in December. Talk to your teacher librarian about the TC2 resources available through our district partnership and how they connect with the curricular and core competencies.

s-stipp_tc2

Collaboration Days Reminder:

Thank you to Edwin S. Richards and West Height Community School for sharing their collaboration templates with us.  We have adapted and combined them to share here for examples of possible topics and prompts for teacher collaboration time.  

Sample Collaboration Day Prompts 

MPSD 2017 Professional Development

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As a result of teacher feedback we have organized some great professional development opportunities for Mission educators in the new year.  Based on roundtable discussions, plans for further sessions are currently being developed.  These include:

  • The re-designed curriculum and assessment
  • Infusing indigenous perspectives in the classroom
  • Inclusion and meeting the needs of all learners
  • Core Competencies
  • Early Literacy Programs
  • Jump Math
  • Coding
  • Common Assessments
  • Reporting
Coming Soon!
Joyful Literacy Summit – January 2017:

roapost

MPSD is sending Primary Literacy Teams from six elementary schools to the January 2017 Joyful Literacy Summit in Victoria.  We appreciate the amazing response from teachers in the district and are excited to announce that the district will support all schools that applied for this professional development opportunity.

Professional Learning Series – January/February 2017:

1. Three Crows Productions: Residential School Professional Development

3crows

Thursday, 19 January 2017, 3:30 – 6:00

Edwin S. Richards School, 33419 Cherry Avenue, Mission, BC

“With recent and growing recognition of the history surrounding the Indian residential school system in Canada, three unique First Nations storytellers have come together to raise public awareness of the residential school experience and the intergenerational impact these experiences have had on the personal lives and communities of Aboriginal people today.” Source: Three Crows Productions 

Note to teachers: There are limited spaces available. Please contact Melinda Dempster if you would like to attend this professional learning session.

2. Naryn Searcy:  Assessment Professional Development

nsearcy

Tuesday, 31 January 2017, 3:30 – 6:00

Clarke Foundation Theatre, 33700 Prentis Ave, Mission, BC

Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Naryn Searcy teaches English First Peoples 10 & 12 and is a district helping teacher in Aboriginal Education, Okanagan-Skaha. This professional learning opportunity is designed for K-12 teachers interested in learning more about formative assessment approaches that can be used effectively with the revised BC curriculum.

Read “Transformative Shift: Naryn Searcy reflects on the power of Aboriginal content and pedagogy“ in Learn Magazine’s Winter 2016 issue.

3. Shelley Moore:  Inclusion and BC’s Renewed Curriculum

shelley_moore                    one_without_

Tuesday, 7 February 2017, 3:30 – 6:00

Clarke Foundation Theatre, 33700 Prentis Ave, Mission, BC

From Portage and Main Press: “SHELLEY MOORE is an inclusive-education consultant supporting access to education for every learner. She presents at conferences both nationally and internationally, and has developed courses at Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia. Shelley has worked in both elementary and secondary schools supporting students with and without special needs. A PhD student at the University of British Columbia, her research focus is on the interactions of inclusive education, curriculum, and teacher professional development.”

This professional learning opportunity is intended for MPSD educators interested in adopting inclusive strategies that benefit all learners and fit within the framework of the redesigned curriculum.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

New sessions will be added to our Calendar as they are confirmed.

Roundtable on Assessment: Follow-Up

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roundtable

During the last week of November, we met with three groups of Kindergarten – Grade 9 educators to discuss the challenges and current positive assessment practices in Mission Public School District.

roundtable_tweet

Feedback was gathered from small groups of educators (teachers and administrators) at each Roundtable on Assessment.  They were asked to respond to two questions:

  1. What are the challenges for you in terms of classroom and school-based assessment and/or reporting?
  2. Are there things that are working for you in terms of classroom and school-based assessment that you would like to share?

Please click on the links below to read the collated reports from each grade grouping:

Kindergarten – Grade 3 Educator Feedback

Grade 4 – Grade 6 Educator Feedback

Middle School Educator Feedback

Some of the common themes identified at the Roundtables include:

  • The need for consistent and meaningful literacy and numeracy assessment practices;
  • Self-assessment teaching strategies and meaningful self-assessment practices;
  • Learning about different reporting options and how to engage the whole learning community in the process.

And the winners are…..

There was a draw for Professional Learning Resources at each sharing session. Congratulations to the teacher-winners! Your books have been ordered and we hope to deliver them to you before the winter holiday begins.

                      School                                                                                      Book Title/Link

West Heights Community School Joyful Literacy Interventions Part One
Dewdney Elementary Learning to Write and Loving It!
Hillside Traditional School Joyful Literacy Interventions Part One
Ecole Christine Morrison Science First Peoples (FNESC)
West Heights Community School Creating Cultures of Thinking
Edwin S. Richards Elementary K-10 Science & Ethnobotany
Ecole Heritage Park Middle School Righting Canada’s Wrongs – Residential School
Hatzic Middle School Teaching About Historical Thinking
Hatzic Middle School Powerful Readers – A. Gear
Hatzic Middle School Powerful Readers – A. Gear

Curriculum Day Highlights

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We would like to take this opportunity to thank all educators and guest presenters for your energy and active participation on the October 24th Curriculum Day.  There were many diverse learning events that took place in various locations across Mission Public School District.

Here are some highlights:

SWSWlogoSiwal Si’wes:

  • Peggy Janicki (SD34) presented an interactive Sto:lo government session to Grade 3 -12 educators.
  • Siwal Si’wes and Three Crows Productions offered two tours of St. Mary’s Residential School.  Read about the experience in a CBC article outlining the Residential School Tours.
  • Watch the CBC news coverage for Mission’s Orange Shirt Day and Residential School Tour.

 

curricday_2016

popard

 

POPARD Super-Worksop: Self Regulation Skills for School

 

  • This two-day learning session was offered to Educational Assistants, LST, ISP, High and Low incidence support Teachers.

Mission Secondary School:

  • Grade 10-12 teacher facilitators at MSS planned a comprehensive agenda for colleagues to begin exploring the redesigned curriculum.   Please read their agenda and presentation for a glimpse of the learning opportunities that were offered.

K-9 Highlights:

curricday2_2016

Teacher librarians in MPSD now have curriculum support time as part of their role in each school.   They have been sharing resources at staff meetings and on the October 24th curriculum day.

These included: ERAC resources, Siwal Si’wes Digital Library, SD 75 Elementary Virtual Learning Commons and Curriculum Connections.  They are also collaborating with classroom teachers to implement the redesigned curriculum.

curricday1_2016

Coming soon…..

Roundtable on Assessment:

As we implement the K-9 redesigned curriculum, we would like to offer some district-wide opportunities to share and learn from one another about assessment practices.  During the week of November 28th – December 1st we will be holding three roundtable-style learning sessions on the topic of assessment.

The goal of the first session is to get feedback from teachers about assessment/reporting concerns, gather ideas for support, and brainstorm future directions.

Please see the details for groups, dates, locations, and times below.  Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

We hope that you can join us for these learning sessions and look forward to listening to your ideas.

Details:

K-3 teachers:  Monday, November 28th, Riverside College, 3:00-4:30

4-6 teachers: Tuesday, November 29th, Riverside College, 3:00-4:30

7-9 teachers:  Thursday, December 1st, Hatzic Middle School, 3:30-5:00

We will hold a second round of learning sessions again in January/February 2017 with the aim of sharing assessment practices and drafting ideas for common assessments in MPSD.

 

 

 

October 24 District Curriculum Day

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Through discussion at our JEAC meeting and from feedback from various schools we are leaving the planning for each school’s October 24th Curriculum Implementation day up to each individual K-9 school.  Teachers in most schools seem ready and prepared to continue collaborating with colleagues and accessing their school resources, teacher librarians, and our curriculum websites, including Siwal Si’wes to further their learning.

In addition, Siwal Si’wes is offering several professional learning opportunities that some of your staff may want to take advantage of on that day.  (Please see below for details.)

Our structured plans this year focus more on the Grade 10-12 curriculum and we began working with the MSS planning team on September 27th.

October 24th Learning Opportunities:

SWSWlogoAttention: All CUPE members  

Non Instructional Day St. Mary’s Opt In form

After last year’s Residential School tour there was sufficient interest to organize a CUPE focused, guided tour of St. Mary’s Residential School.  This tour will commence at 12:00pm and will end at 2:00pm, October 24th  2016.

Click and print: CUPE Opt In form

 

SWSWlogoAttention: All Teachers  

Non Instructional Day St. Mary’s Opt In form

After last year’s Residential School tour there was sufficient interest to organize another guided tour of St. Mary’s Residential School.  This tour will commence at 1:00pm and will end at 3:00pm, October 24th  2016.

Click and print: Teachers Opt In form

 

SWSWlogoAttention: All Teachers 

Non Instructional Day Interactive Sto:lo Government Presentation

Siwal Si’wes is organizing an Interactive Sto:lo Government Presentation with Peggy Janicki from school district 34, on October 24th from 8:30 – 12:00 at Ecole Heritage Park Middle School Drama Room.

This interactive presentation is designed for teachers of Grades 3 through 12. Learning outcomes: Pre-Contact Sto:lo history, Consensus, Contact, Reservation Law, Indian Residential School, Civilization Act and Present day. This presentation will provide teachers with lesson plans (including handouts) and a greater understanding of the Sto:lo people.

Click and print: Sto:lo Government Presentation Opt In form

Welcome Back to Learning!

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Our team is looking forward to learning with you this year!  Here is a glimpse of what we accomplished together last year and some of the opportunities as we move forward with implementing the redesigned curriculum in 2016/2017.

2015/2016 Year in review:

  • Re-establishment of the JEAC planning committee;
  • Selection of 28 K-9 teacher planners who attended two planning days and coordinated two curriculum implementation days;
  • District supported two collaboration days for teachers to work with colleagues to explore the redesigned curriculum;
  • Aboriginal mentor teacher presentations at February 22nd NID, resources from the Siwal Si’wes Library highlighted;
  • Reconciliation tour of St. Mary’s Residential School on May 2nd with a waiting list for 2016/2017 school year;
  • Print and digital resources being shared on our district learning commons “Curriculum Connections” (10 000+ views, 200 Tweets sharing strategies/ resources/community events)Tweet4Tweet3Tweet2

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  • Educators from each school attended a tour of the Stave West area and Zajac Ranch where they shared ideas for using the space for Outdoor Education initiatives;
  • Print resource ‘Invent to Learn’ purchased for every school to help support the new K-12 Applied Design Skills and Technologies curriculum. In addition, some teacher librarians attended a four week Makerspace webinar series and are curating resources and ideas for maker-oriented activities;
  • Two after-school learning sessions offered by the Curriculum Department focused on technology integration and resource strategies;
  • District partnership with The Critical Thinking Consortium enables teachers to access high quality digital learning resources. Binders of “The Competency Toolkit” were purchased for each school with over 70 lessons focused on thinking and literacy skills embedded into content areas.

What’s New:

Launching Fall 2016:

  • CALM: A self-regulation curriculum developed by the Fraser Valley Child Development Centre.  Training will be provided to Kindergarten teachers and Strong Start Coordinators on September 9th.
  • Assessment Committee: We plan to establish an assessment committee in September. The goal of this committee will be to share assessment practices, gather resources and co-develop community goals for assessment tools that support the redesigned curriculum.
  • Curriculum Implementation Planning: JEAC and teacher facilitators will plan our October 24thNID for both K-9 and 10-12 groups.
  • Technology Committee: Will be established September 2016.

Purpose:

  1. Set broad educational goals and direction for students at all grade levels with the use of technology;
  2. Establish a vision of seamless integration of IT into instruction in a variety of course and subject areas;
  3. Ensure sustainability and stability of IT throughout the district; and
  4. Plan IT purchasing throughout the district in an organized and logical manner.

Stay connected:

  • Use our new Calendar tab on Curriculum Connections for curriculum related events and learning opportunities.
  • Follow us on Twitter @SD75Curriculum for links to resources, ideas and updates.

 

Resource Update

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Thank you to all the Mission Public School District educators who have been sharing resources with us!

We wanted to take this opportunity to provide a brief summary of what is new and where it is posted on the Curriculum Connections site. Please continue to share your ideas for resources and professional development opportunities as we learn and plan together. Click on each link below to go directly to the specific resource.

  • Graduation Program and Assessment Information (released May 26, 2016)
  • K-9 Applied Design Skills & Technology – Updated in Curriculum Starting Guide, Documents (see also Ministry of Education)
  • NEW! Critical Thinking Consortium Partnership (TC²):  Mission Public School District is now a partner group with the Critical Thinking Consortium.  Mission educators have access to free online resources and discounted print-based professional learning resources.  To learn about accessing these resources, go to the District ERAC & TC² page.
  • Siwal Si’wes PLC (New: Additional Community Resources posted)
  • Subject Area Resources (New: Career Education subject area.  Many new links have been posted for print and digital resources in all subject areas.)
  • Another way to access ERAC Digital Resources: Click on the ERAC logo at the bottom of the Welcome page and on the right side of every content page.  The access page contains all of the resources included in the British Columbia Digital Classroom (BCDC) Core Collection.  Each product is licensed for certain grade levels.  To see a list of what is licensed for your school – go to your PLC group and all the resources are posted with links to the products.

Agendas for May 2nd Host Sites

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SD75 Word CloudA planning session was held on Wednesday, April 15th at Riverside College. Teacher planners worked diligently to create flexible agendas that will support educators on the 2nd.

Each school was provided with a binder of planning templates and resources, as well as a sample list of lesson topics in the Siwal Si’wes Digital Library (see Section A: Aboriginal Education). In response to teacher requests, the district has also provided a memory stick to each school that contains the digital files of these resources.

Note: Siwal Si’wes is verifying copyright approval before making digital copies of the print resource binder “9000 years of the River People”.  If approved, we hope to make digital copies available  as soon as possible.

Below are details regarding the framework of the day at each of the sites for May 2nd. (Click on the green links to access the agendas/resources.) Unless otherwise indicated in your agenda, the morning will begin at 8:30am. Coffee and muffins will be provided for breakfast and lunch is on your own.

Albert McMahon: School-based Collaboration

Cherry Hill: School-based Collaboration

Deroche: School-based Collaboration: Online Resources for New Curriculum Planning

École Christine Morrison Elementary: School-based Collaboration

École Mission Central Agenda: School-based Collaboration (French Immersion at Christine Morrison)

Edwin S. Richards Agenda: School-based Collaboration

Fraserview/Summit/High, Low Incidence Teachers’ Agenda

Hatzic Middle Agenda

Heritage Park Agenda

Hillside K-3 Cohort Agenda

West Heights 4-6 Cohort Agenda:  Online Resources for New Curriculum Planning

Mission Secondary: School-based Collaboration

Elementary Teacher Librarian Agenda

Education Assistants, Youth Care Workers, Aboriginal Liaison Workers– Windebank

Elementary Clerical Staff: Ferndale

Supervision Assistants:  E.S.R. Library (12:00-1:00pm)

*Any staff at school-based sites that would like to join the cohort-based collaborators are welcome to join.*

**Participants in the St. Mary’s Residential School Tour:  Please check your district email or the News section of the website for important scaffolding information from Joseph Heslip.**

St. Mary’s Residential School Tour

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This post is intended for the 50 teachers who registered for the upcoming St. Mary’s tour, May 2nd, 2016.  There was so much interest that we have an alternate list for another tour next fall.

Please read through the “Pre St. Mary’s Tour Scaffolding” document.  This document will direct you to the necessary readings (“A Survivor’s Story” &  “This Benevolent Experiment – conclusion“), and will take you to some important web links related to Reconciliation in Canada.

Here is a “Shape of the Afternoon” document that will specify meeting places and relevant information for the day. You will also find a “Post St.Mary’s Tour” document outlining some of the ceremonies and after tour options available to you.

Please note, that a professional film crew will be documenting parts of the tour for educational purposes. This footage will be used to enhance our locally developed Residential School Curriculum.  If you have any concerns regarding your image possibly being used in this footage there will be an opportunity to indicate your wishes at the beginning of the tour.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

This will prove to be a powerful day of experiential learning.  I thank you for your interest and look forward to seeing you on the 2nd.

Ey cha o ta’ swayel (have a good day),

Best,

Joe

Joseph Heslip

Acting District Principal

Aboriginal Education

SWSWlogo

Indigenous Education Focus – UBC Summer Institutes

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Shared by Networks of Inquiry and Innovation (NOII) and Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network (AESN) 

INDIGENOUS EXISTENTIAL RESISTANCE: THE SUNDANCE PRACTICE

EDST 565B | EDUC 490V

Begins May 21 | UBC Vancouver & Kanai Reserve, Alberta

Apply by April 9

THEORIES AND DIMENSIONS OF PLACE-BASED LEARNING

EDCP 467A | EDCP 532 | Non-credit

Begins July 25 | Bamfield, B.C.

Apply by June 13

RECONCILIATION IN EARLY LEARNING AND CARE COMMUNITIES

Non-credit

Begins July 13 | UBC Vancouver

Apply by June 1

PLACE-CONSCIOUS LEARNING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

ECED 480B | ECED 565F | Non-credit

Begins July 4 | UBC Vancouver 

Apply by May 23

See the full list of summer learning programs.

In addition to these Indigenous Education programs, below are some non-credit events may be of interest for your professional learning this summer.

NON-CREDIT PROGRAMS

GOING PUBLIC: BUILDING CAPACITY FOR KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION IN MENTAL HEALTH

Begins May 2016 | UBC Vancouver (blended in-person & online)

Apply by April 18

CRITICAL DIGITAL LITERACY: ISSUES, CHALLENGES, DIRECTIONS

Begins July 2016 | UBC Vancouver

Apply by May 30

SRL INQUIRY HUB – Developing Self-Regulating Learners in Inclusive Classrooms

Begins July 2016 | UBC Vancouver

Apply by May 23

PRACTICAL INQUIRY AND INNOVATION FRAMEWORDS for School and District Teams

Begins July 2016 | UBC Vancouver

Apply by May 26

CREATING THE FUTURE: PARTNERSHIPS FOR INCLUSIVE LEARNING

Begins August 2016 | UBC Vancouver

Apply by July 11

SUPPORTING IMMIGRANT & REFUGEE STUDENTS IN SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS

Begins August 22 | UBC Vancouver

Apply by July 11

SUPPORTING IMMIGRANT & REFUGEE STUDENTS IN SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS

Begins August 22 | UBC Vancouver

Apply by July 11

FRENCH IMMERSION SUMMER INSTITUTES

July | UBC Vancouver & Robson Square

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, new BC coding curriculum

July 4-15 | UBC Vancouver

 

 

 

Summer Institute Opportunities

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Here are two Summer Institutes that connect with BC’s redesigned curriculum:

  1.  Summer Institute in Teacher Education:  Innovative Teaching Practices (UFV)

SITE_UFV

“The Teacher Education Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford is pleased to offer a Summer Institute in Teacher Education: Innovative Teaching Practices for 21st Century Students in July 2016. The SITE provides exciting opportunities for local, national and international educators to engage in powerful professional development and qualify for possible TQS (Teacher Qualification Service) upgrade. We envision recent Teacher Education Program graduates, TTOCs (Trained Teachers On Call), teachers in their early years of teaching and/or teachers in career transition as our target audience. The SITE 2016 theme is Enabling Innovation, with a specific focus of engaging with BC’s “New Curriculum”.

SITE is designed with K-12 teachers in mind. It is flexible, it provides a wide array of courses (1-, 2- and 3-credit) lasting one, two or three weeks in length, and it is scheduled during the month of July. We proudly offer coursework in subjects and topics that matter most to educators: 21st Century Teaching & Learning, Language & Literacy Education, Special Education, Technology Education, Numeracy & Mathematics Education, Historical Thinking, Indigenous Education, Physical Education, Science Education, FSL, Core French, and Working with English Language Learners just to name a very few.”

Resources:

Course Listings

Course Calendar 

Contact Information

Application Checklist (Apply by May 15, 2016)

2. Creating the Future:  Partnerships for Inclusive Learning (UBC)

Inclusive Learning Institute

“Creating the Future-Partnerships for Inclusive Learning is a summer conference designed to provide a robust learning environment. We’re facilitating strategic approaches to inclusion and belonging for all students in B.C.’s elementary and secondary schools. Participants will include administrators, teachers, parents, paraprofessionals, therapists and other members of a school based team.”

“It is clear, when we create inclusive schools, develop lessons and plans that will include all kids right from the start, and look deliberately at how we can transform school culture to have a place for everyone, inclusive environments will be created, and a sense of belonging can and will be experienced by all kids. This belonging transcends the school environment and ultimately positively impacts people’s lives in all areas including employment, relationships, post secondary education, self esteem, and participation.”

This year’s chosen topics of study are Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Positive Behaviour Supports (PBS), Literacy, Transition, and Self regulated Learning.”

Resources:

Training Strand Choices

Schedule

Registration (early bird price until April 15th, group discount available)

 

 

Plans of the Day for February 22nd Host Sites

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A second morning planning session was held on Wednesday, February 17th at Riverside College.  Teacher planners worked diligently to create agendas and detailed resource lists in order to have as much support as possible for educators on the 22nd.

Below you will find details regarding the framework for the day at each of the sites. (Click on the links to access the agendas.)

Each day will include a brief presentation by Aboriginal Mentor Teacher Presenters who will address three main areas:

  • Building Capacity
  • Sharing Resources
  • Integrating Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives into the curriculum.

Details:

Time Frame: 8:30-2:30 at each site

Groups and Locations:

Grade K-2: Hillside Elementary School

Grade 2-4: Edwin S. Richards School

Grade 4-6: Albert McMahon School

Grade 7-9 School-based Team: Hatzic Middle School

Grade 7-9 School-based Team: École Heritage Park Middle School

Elementary Teacher Librarians: Windebank Library

Educational Assistants Agenda: Windebank Gymnasium

Inclusive Support Teachers: Christine Morrison

Reminders:

  • Coffee and muffins are generously being provided by our district at each location.  Lunch is on your own.
  • Please remember to bring your own electronic device in order to explore the digital resources and websites.
  • Please complete the feedback survey (available on site) before you leave your session at the end of the day.