Resiliency

Last week the Ministry of Education contacted our district to find out what we were doing to show a continued improvement in graduation rates.  When our superintendent called to find out what we thought, I told him that one of our staff's strengths was keeping our struggling students engaged by working through our School Based Team to implement a number of interventions designed to help our kids be successful.  I also indicated it was a reflection of continuing to offer a wide array of choices for students to help them find something and someone to connect them to their school.  For example, providing students with an opportunity for personalized fitness.  Although we received some criticism for moving our library and converting the space to a fitness facility, we are now able to provide students with an opportunity to engage in strength and conditioning activities throughout the day.  While some suggested this was a move that highlighted a focus on athletics, rather than academics, the impact has been to the contrary.  This was highlighted by a suspension meeting I attended last week. At the meeting, one of our students, who had previously struggled with attendance and had been out of school for periods of time, told the superintendent how this year, although he was living on his own, he was able to come to school on a regular basis and maintain good grades as he had one thing to look forward to every day: going to the school weight-room to work out.  In fact, numerous students using the facility are not participating on teams, but rather students that have previously lacked some engagement in school and have now found a common draw to be there on a daily basis.

Two weeks ago, after we attended a Board of Education meeting, we were asked by trustees to show more pictures of our fitness initiative so that people could see how the facility was being used.  To me, the true impact of what we have done is found in the stories such as the one above.

Really, in the end, our students who demonstrate resiliency are the ones who will make it, regardless of their personal struggles.  Our job is to continue to offer kids options and foster positive connections with people in the building, to provide opportunities to grow and develop and, ultimately, to graduate and become successful citizens.  Hopefully, in spite of challenges at school, students can make mistakes and learn to make better choices as they absorb some of life's real lessons.  After all, isn't the real definition of resiliency being able to get up after being knocked down?

If you want to witness a moving example of resiliency, watch the following clip:

Home on the Range

One of the more difficult things to do when faced with declining enrollment is to continue to offer students a wide range of choices, particularly in the elective areas.  This is an aspect that I feel our school has been successful with given our drop in numbers.  Changes to our Strength and Conditioning program have allowed students to progress at their own pace during scheduled and unscheduled times, which has enabled us to continue to offer options that would not have been accessible otherwise.

Students studying in library

New fitness room

Students working out after school

With the movement of the library books to a smaller room, we were able to organize the existing space into a new fitness facility where kids have access all through the day.  The library is now used more as a "Learning Commons" where students access courses through online delivery, complete paper-based coursework, and access books or use the site as a place to read/catch up on work during spare blocks.

Another success story would have to be our Outdoor Education class.  Initially, we looked at offering the course on Fridays where kids could go on expeditions or participate in activities for the entire day.  Unfortunately, due to restrictions on the workweek, we had to look at offering the class in the regular timetable Monday to Thursday.  While this put constraints on the activities we could do, it still enabled us to do extended activities during our double-block over the lunch period.  Our instructor, Mr. Deadmarsh has done a great job of organizing activities around this schedule.  Students have the opportunity to do hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, kayaking, and obstacle courses. Additionally they are working on components of their CORE course which allows them to gain a hunting license upon completion.
Just yesterday, I went with the class to help supervise on the shooting range.  Students were given the opportunity to shoot a variety of rifles in a controlled, safe setting.  With twenty two students in the program, we had three instructors working with the kids to ensure proper gun etiquette, safety procedures, and firing protocol.  The students were keen and, besides some cold temperatures, fun was had by all.  A special thanks to Peter from the Wildlife Hall who came out to help and the Gun Club for access to the range.

Taking aim on the firing range

Thanks goes out to Mrs. Grootjes and her drama and dance classes for organizing the Remembrance Day assembly.  Take a moment tomorrow to stop and remember those who have served their country. I know I will.  Have a good weekend.

Teaching Financial Literacy in Schools?

I was reading an article this morning in the Globe and Mail titled "To teach financial literacy, get 'em while their young" and was thinking about how much sense that makes.  Up until the past year or so with the introduction of Apprenticeship and Workplace Math, there has been limited attention paid to the value of teaching kids about money management.  Basically, these skills have been left to chance, and unless kids are learning it at home, they are moving out into the work world with a limited understanding related to credit, investing, saving, mortgages, etc.  Even with the inclusion of money matters within the AW Math curriculum, only a third of our students are getting exposure to the information.
Given the state of both our local, national and global economics, I believe it is essential that we equip students with a basic understanding of how to manage their own finances once they leave school.  With understanding some basic principles around money management, young adults can quickly create a sound financial plan whereby they can sustain themselves through times of highs and lows, and understand the perils of accessibility to increasing levels of personal debt.
Just this fall, at GFSS, we introduced a fourth component to our Grad Transitions package that outlines some key ideas around finacial literacy. 
In this section, students are expected to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of income to calculate gross and net pay
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to manage a personal budget including the purchase of large assets and managing credit
• Demonstrate an understanding of simple principles of money management

Although these criteria are not included as components in the Grad Transitions curriculum, we felt that it was a very important area for further work to create a greater understanding for our graduating students. 
For those parents who wish to know more about how they can support their child's understanding related to managing their own finances, check out
http://www.moneyexchange.net/library/money-lessons-for-children
for some helpful links.

I have also included a link to the article mentioned above if you wish to read more about the move to increase financial awareness in schools.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/education/learning/to-teach-financial-literacy-get-em-while-theyre-young/article1869269/?service=mobile#