Teachers and their community based projects, pirates in Valleyfield, from Columbia to Canada and much more. CLC Wrap-up: News-notes (Feb. 2015).
Teachers cannot be stopped!
Twenty-one teachers from the New Frontiers School Board participated in the CBSL (Community Based Service Learning) conference which brought together 73 teachers from across the province of Quebec. Teachers’ networked and attended workshops on entrepreneurship, community gardens, authentic writing, music, digital literacy and Aboriginal awareness. With so many great ideas available, teachers drafted their own community based project which they were able to connect to their class curriculum. Our CLC technicians then helped our teachers to apply for grants and receive money in order to begin implementation of their projects. A few of the new initiatives that are now in the works focus on nutrition, science, English Language Arts, math, music and much more. There was no stopping the New Frontiers teachers!
Pirates of theValleyfield
Gault students had the opportunity to participate in a free fencing workshop put on by le Club d’escrime du Roussillon during school hours with their gym teacher Mr. Kent Erskine. The students loved their first experience to the sport and some suggested they felt as though they were part Pirates of the Caribbean!
Hip-Hop & Tennis
Hip Hop classes are back at Gault and are as popular as ever. More than 35 students have signed up and are split up into two groups (grades 1-2 and 3-6). They meet every Wednesday after school with Catherine from the ‘Académie de dance No Gravity’. And a brand new after-school partnership has sprouted up: TENNIS! L’Association Régionale de Tennis du Sud-Ouest (ARTSO) is offering this activity in the gym to 16 of our students.
Student success shown differently
More than 150 people were present at the latest edition of the – Community 5@7 – at Gault Institute. Both young and old came to visit the kiosks and enjoy a delicious spaghetti meal. More than 15 kiosks were present from different organisations, including the daycare supervised by Cegep-de-Valleyfield who entertained the children while parents went to look at the kiosks. Artist Marc Lacroix, coordinator of the project Alloooo.com along with the partnering groups had three murals on-site and invited young people with their parents to create artistic representations in support of “student success and perseverance”. During future community and school activities, more mural creation opportunities will arise and will culminate into the creation of one giant mural.
Check out the video link from Cogeco TV:
http://www.tvcogeco.com/salaberry-de-valleyfield/gallerie/emissions-2015/7280-autrement-vu-2015/96308-alloooocom
Afternoon Jam Session
The Huntingdon Adult Education & Community Centre (HAECC) SFIS class and Melissa Sunshine camp were happy to welcome in the local organization ‘Anchor and Wings’ for an afternoon of music, singing and dancing! Anchor and Wings are a local organisation in the Haut-Saint-Laurent which helps people from ages 18-65 who may experience mental health issues and work towards breaking social isolation. The group brought their guitars and we all enjoyed an afternoon of music.
Physical activity funds for Heritage
Students and staff of Heritage Elementary were very happy to accept a check from MNA Stéphane Billette for $20 950. The money is going to be put towards improving the gym facilities and give the playground a makeover by creating different sport zones and play areas to better optimize the space. Mr. Billette’s hope is to raise more awareness about physical activity & healthy eating while giving more students an opportunity to be active.
Sharing resources for students success
Heritage Elementary grade 3 class paired up with the Huntingdon Adult Education and Community Centre (HAECC) to share resources as Ms. Haché’s grade 3 students are working on a research project and needed some extra computers to complete their assignment. The group walked over to the centre twice a week to use the computers. The teacher was grateful for the opportunity to be able to teach the kids one on one, how to do proper research and find useful information on the internet.
Skiing is back at CVR!
Thanks to a community partnership between Jeunesse-Rurale-en-Forme and Chateauguay Valley Regional High School, students now have access to $5,000.00 worth of new ski equipment. Jeunesse-Rurale-en-Forme, funded through Quebec En Forme, works at supporting physical activity among youth. As part of their physical education classes, students now have an opportunity to learn to cross-country skiing, and for some for the very first time ever in their lives.
The Columbian Canadian Connection
CVR High School has received a group of 14 Colombian students along with their two chaperones for a short term stay of three weeks. These students have been integrated into some grade 7 classes and are being exposed to Canadian/Quebec culture. Numerous activities are taking place both inside the school and out such as overnight trips to Ottawa and Quebec City. So far the students are thoroughly enjoying their experience. Our long term international students (5 to 10 months) have been here since August 2014 and are continuing to develop and improve their language skills and their awareness of Canadian culture.
More students are scheduled to arrive during the month of February and there has been an ever increasing demand for the 2015-2016 school year for more potential international students. If you would like to help an international student experience Montérégie/Quebec/Canada and would like to learn more about becoming a homestay family please contact Chantal Bergevin at 450-829-2381, ext 277.
(photo “International students” top: Colombian Students enjoying a day at Arbraska Lafleche in Gatineau. Photo bottom: Long Term International students enjoying a visit to the Eco-Museum.)
Merci à l’école Gérin-Lajoie
École Gérin-Lajoie opened its doors for the first time ever to a Community Wednesday. “My budget, my finances, my family” was the theme of the night. Great student projects were on display, face painting was offered and two workshops were given free of charge about improving your finances and issues about the rights of those who rent their home. The school was filled with life as several staff members, parents and community members were at the school that night finding out about the local services. Don’t forget the Next Community Wednesday will be at école de la Rive on April 1st. Come join us!
Trading it forward
We have another winner in our Trade It Forward campaign, from our nfsb.me Facebook page, congrats to Ms. Jasmine Zitouni as she received the most facebook “like” votes (during the contest deadline for the table). Ms. Zitouni a technician at Howard S. Billings High School won a hand crafted hard wood coffee table (courtesy of La Vieille Planche) and she has decided to donate the table to her resource classroom also known as the “Chill Room”. For the past couple of years Ms. Zitouni has opened up a classroom during lunch time for students who have special needs and for those who just need a place to belong. She has also at times purchased food to give to those who did not have a lunch. Over 20 students now use the Chill Room. Ms. Zitouni also mentioned how much she appreciates the sponsors who have supplied the Chill Room and its students with food donations. With work from the schools’ governing board they were also able to purchase a couch in order to make the room even more comfortable and welcoming for the students. The addition of the coffee table will fit perfectly to their reading area added Ms. Zitouni. http://nfsb.me/the-winning-tif/
Partners working together
The Chateauguay partnership table had its third meeting since its inception and the group is getting bigger and bigger. Local community partners (such as: Chateauguay English Community Network (CECN), Civitan, local NFSB schools, Rencontre Chateauguoise, Re-Nou-Vie, Chateauguay Valley Literacy Council (CVLC), Assistance and Referral Centre (ARC) just to name a few are part of the table. The table’s goal is to share information, expertise and ideas in an effort to create better synergy and improved communication between organizations for the betterment of the citizens they serve. If you or you group would like to join, do not hesitate to contact CECN’s Ms. Pauline Wiedow email: cecn-racc@hotmail.com to find out how to get involved.
Previous CLC News & notes:
– December 2014 – CLC News Edition 3 – Heroes, skating rink and financial literacy and much more.
‘Community Learning Centres’ are partnerships that provide a range of services and activities, often beyond the school day, to help meet the needs of learners, their families, and the wider community. Their aim is to support the holistic development of citizens and communities.