October 06, 1995 - Glebe Report

Glebe C.I.
BY CAROL PENNY
In June 1995 Glebe Collegiate
said good-bye and a big thank you
to several seasoned veterans on the
teaching staff. This created vacancies
at the Headship level. We are
now delighted to welcome several
new department heads whose collective
enthusiasm, creativity, and
commitment will be felt significantly
over their years at Glebe
Collegiate. With so many changes
within the Heads Council, the opportunity
is great for review of past
practice and the blending of exemplary
practice from other locations.
Last year our primary focus was
to ensure that our community realized
how many great things occurred
at Glebe and how responsible
and involved the vast majority
of students are. The message from
our community is that the image
has been restored and the traditions
of a great school continue.
We are in the second year of our
process of school climate analysis,
designed to ensure that we understand
our priorities, the expectations
of our publics, and that our
overall environment for learning is
of the highest quality. This year
we want to make sure we got it
right, pick up the threads missed
last year, and celebrate our excellence.
Our operational focus is
consistent with our motto "in alta
tende," "strive for the heights."
Anne Gillespie, the new head of
Business Studies, comes to us from
Lisgar. Her department's major focus
this year will be to ensure that
business courses are relevant to
what is happening in the business
community. Anne hopes to inspire
her students with the knowledge
that learning is exciting and challenging
and to instill in them a
pride in the achievements that flow
from hard, consistent work.
In moving from Ridgemount to
Glebe, Rod Deneau, has accepted the
challenge of increasing student interest
in Physical Education
courses. Higher enrolment will enable
the staff to offer a wider variety
of physical education options.
Rod will focus on enabling students
to set personal goals and to assume
leadership roles.
Sheila Meggs, head of English, is
adapting to a full year school program
after the semestered programs
of Canterbury. Her department's
focus will be on developing a team
approach to meeting curriculum
objectives. As is natural for an English
teacher, Sheila hopes to imbue
her students with a love of literature
and the ability to communicate
effectively.
The goal of Nancy Murdock, who
is returning to Glebe after stints at
other schools is to make the Guid-
the renewal continues
Back row: Sheila Meggs (English), Rod Deneau (Phys Ed), Nancy Murdock
(Guidance). Front row: Brian Williams (Languages), Anne Gillespie
(Business), Steve Snell (Math).
ance department most accessible to
students. Glebe students have always
enjoyed their relationship
with the guidance department and
it often seems there are not enough
hours in the day to respond to their
concerns. Nancy's first step has
been to enlarge the guidance reception
area to encourage students
to drop in, thus making the department
even more accessible.
Steve Snell, fresh from the
Woodroffe mathematics department
has set a department goal of increasing
the use of computer technology
in classrooms. His aim is to
help his own students develop the
techniques of posing the right
questions which will help them
analyze problems.
The head of Languages comes to
Immaculata
Immaculata's school year got off
to a great start with many activities
to welcome new students and staff.
The Students' Council and Student
Athletic Association jointly hosted
a barbecue for the entire student
body. Thanks to excellent planning,
perfect sunshine and the support
of everyone the event was a
great success.
Enrolment has increased this
September. As Immaculata becomes
known in the community, parents
and students are making inquiries
about programs, activities and resources.
210 new registrations
have brought the total student
population to 1192.
Opening assemblies were held by
the administrative team to
familiarize all students with the
year's activities, to outline
expectations and to introduce the
new principal, Mrs. Evelyn Kelly.
SCHOOLNEWS
Glebe from Nepean. Brian
Williams, a teacher with the Ottawa
Board for 30 years, sets his department's
target as accommodating
the principles of "Transitions"
while maintaining a solid level of
education. His students will get a
lot of practice in speaking and
writing enabling them to communicate
in French outside the classroom.
Brian brings to his teaching
a wealth of cultural and linguistic
experience gained from extensive
travel in Europe, Asia, and South
America. He noted that Glebe is a
microcosm of Canadian society, rich
in many cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
The new heads appreciated the
warm welcome they received from
a growing success
In her remarks to the students Mrs.
Kelly stressed the importance of
building a strong sense of
conununity within the school, and
of developing a sense of selfdiscipline
and responsibility.
According to Mrs. Kelly, the
school's code of conduct could be
summarized in one phrase: "Respect
for self; respect for others; respect
for the community and the environment."
Evelyn is no stranger to Immaculata
High School. Prior to her previous
position as principal of Notre
Dame High school (1989-1995) she
had served as teacher, department
head and acting principal of Immaculata.
Mrs. Kelly is very proud
of the school's reputation as a place
of excellence and encouraged students
to continue to build upon that
excellence personally, and as a
community.
staff and students and their willingness
to be helpful. Even department
heads can get lost in a
building of this size! Ms. Meggs
was surprised to see so many male
students. The population of Canterbury,
her last school, is 70% female.
Commenting on her first
weeks in guidance, Ms. Burdock was
impressed by the strength of Glebe
parent involvement in the life of
the school. All newcomers agreed
it was challenging to learn the large
number of student names and adjust
to life and routines in a school with
a population of 1325 students.
Joining the new arrivals on the
Heads Council is Linda Fournier.
After ten years in Glebe's Science
department, Linda has taken the
reins of the Co-operative Education
department. Ms. Fournier will
continue to encourage staff from all
departments to participate in co-op
education in order to provide diversity
and depth to the placement
offerings. Her particular goal, as
part of the Women in Science and
Engineering Co-op Project is to increase
the number of female students
taking science coop placements.
All in all the prospects for 1995-
96 at Glebe are excellent.
To emphasize their sense of
willingness to support activities in
the community at large many students
and staff participated as a
group for the first time in the
Terry Fox Run on September 17th.
They dedicated their participation
to the memory of friends and family
who have died from cancer in the
last few years and the walk was especially
in memory of them.
There is a sense of excitement
and energy at Immaculata this year.
The initial "settling in" period is
over and staff and students are
busy establishing goals and priorities
for the next five years. If
you have questions about the
school, please call the principal,
Evelyn Kelly or the vice-principals,
Brian MacDonald and Gilberte
McGrath, at 237-2001. They will
be happy to assist you.
October 6, 1995 Glebe Report-25