COMMUNITY REPORT - Pembina Trails School Division

SUMMER 2012
Pembina Trails School Division
Community Report
DEDICATED TO EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH CHALLENGING & ENRICHING EXPERIENCES FOR ALL, IN A SAFE & CARING COMMUNITY
PAGE
4
Giving
the Gift
of Hearing
PAGE
6
Beaverlodge
School Achieves
Earth III Status with SEEDS
Canada
PAGE
7
Vincent
Massey Student
Honoured with Community
Service Award
Marshall Carroll: Is the Vincent Massey Collegiate Teacher
Canada’s Smartest Person?
Dale Burgos - Communications Officer, Pembina Trails School Division
Einstein, Franklin, Bell, Newton, Gates, Jobs - all undisputed
geniuses in their own right. Our lives will forever be changed
because of their work and many others just like them. According to
Wikipedia, a genius is someone embodying exceptional intellectual
ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated
with the achievement of unprecedented insight. But how could
you measure genius? Is it determined by grades or can we look at
accomplishments? Or what if we let them compete on a television
show in front of an entire country?
A few months ago the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
announced that they were looking for the smartest person in
Canada, a television show that will pit four Canadians against each
other in a test of wits in six different categories: musical, physical,
social, logical, visual and linguistic. According to CBC, “It’s a whole
new way of looking at smarts”.
Dale Burgos: What do you like to do in your free time?
Marshall Carroll: In terms of hobbies, I like to write songs. I come
from a long line of parody songwriters; my mom, dad, brother, it’s a
really fun thing to do. I am a public relations person (who snuck in
a plug for his wife, Sharon Chisvin’s book “The girl who cannot eat
peanut butter”), I conduct Icebreakers in conferences, and I like to
spend time with my three children, Samara, Niri and Gil.
C
Article Continued on Page 2 . . . .
After receiving thousands of applications, the final four chosen
comprised of a CFL offensive guard who is MENSA certified; a
video-gamer who holds majors in physics and cellular and molecular
biology; a spoken word artist; and a high-school science teacher
who writes music and performs stand-up comedy. I should probably
add that said high-school teacher has called our very own Vincent
Massey Collegiate home for 20 years.
Dr. Marshall Carroll has completed a double major in Chemistry
and Physics at the University of Winnipeg and received his Ph.D
in Theoretical Quantum Chemistry at McMaster University in
Hamilton. His credentials would be more than adequate to be able
to teach at the high-school level.
I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Carroll about his experience
working in the Pembina Trails School Division and what is was like
to be tested in CBC’s television program Canada’s Smartest Person.
(L) Dr. Carroll with host Gerry Dee

Canada’s Smartest Person . . . continued
DB: How did the idea of you becoming a part of the show come
about?
MC: I was on the CBC website reading the news and I saw this
banner saying, “Are you Canada’s Smartest Person?” I mentioned
the show to my wife and daughter and they both thought it was a
good idea to apply. Low and behold, a week later I got a call and
set up a Skype interview where I had to perform different activities
involving things like math, spatial reasoning and even jumping
jacks. Some things I didn’t do so well on, but about a week later I
got another call and did an hour-long phone interview. They asked
me about my life and my experience as a teacher. Soon after that, I
got a third call where I had to fill out a skills inventory. There was a
fourth call, and that was to invite me to come be on the show.
DB: Tell me about the process of filming for the show.
MC: They [CBC] flew me out and put me up in a nice hotel and
filming was on February 25th. The show aired March 18th. I was
quite lucky, there were only a few weeks where I needed to keep
quiet and not tell anyone about the results of the show. There are
some shows where you would need to stay quiet for 6 months!
Everyone wanted the inside scoop; some friends and media kept
asking me. No, I wasn’t going to do that.
99% of the experience was fantastic. There was a portion of filming
where they asked me a question about the most powerful word in
the English language. I used the word ‘care’. I gave a great answer
and expressed myself very well, but sure enough, they cut it out.
According to my friends, out of the four contestants, I got a lot of air
time. The host, Gerry Dee and I got to joke around during filming,
he’s a funny guy!
_ _
Dr. Carroll almost didn’t agree to be on the show. But he quickly
realized that chances like this don’t come very often and did not
want to live with any regrets. From one public relations professional
to another, I would tell Dr. Carroll that his decision to do the show
was pure genius.
One day we had a photo shoot and that was fun. On the day of
filming it took 16 hours to complete. It was a physically grueling
day! There was makeup, hair and wardrobe people, technical crew
putting microphones in my shirt and people shining my shoes. There
were so many people around, including the audience – it was very
exciting. As for the challenges, we didn’t find out what they were
until 10 minutes before, so we had to think fast on our feet.
DB: As it turned out, you didn’t win the title of “Canada’s Smartest
Person”. What’s next?
MC: I would love a rematch. I even offered one of the producers to
be the host next time if Gerry Dee isn’t available. The gentleman
who won the show, Peter Dyakowski the Hamilton Tigercats player,
has offered me tickets next time he plays in Winnipeg.
DB: There must have been some buzz around Vincent Massey
Collegiate, when the show was being promoted.
MC: The school administrators were very supportive and excited
about the school being mentioned in the promotion. The students
were cheering me on, even students I don’t teach were congratulating
me. Colleagues from other schools were emailing me telling me that
I represented teachers and especially science teachers well.
2 Committed to Excellence

Superintendent’s Message
Lawrence Lussier - Superintendent of Education
I would first like to recognize the
achievements of all of our students
who are graduating from Grade
12. High School graduation is a
very special milestone for students
and their families. It is achieved
through an extended partnership
between parents and schools
in supporting student learning.
Congratulations and best wishes
to all our high school graduates
and their families.
Secondly, I would like to express
my gratitude to all students and
their families as well as all our
staff for the progress achieved
in learning during this school
year, including all efforts to
move toward the Board’s three
expectations for student learning,
and alignment with our belief statement on twenty-first century
learning. Thank you for your continued efforts!
In this edition of the Community Report, you will read about some
of our schools’ efforts toward valuing diversity and the gifts that
other cultures bring to our educational community: a Japan student
exchange involving General Byng and H. G. Izatt Schools; and a
Canadian citizenship court ceremony held at VMC.
You will also read about Marshall Carroll, teacher at Vincent
Massey Collegiate, who was a contestant on CBC’s “Canada’s
Smartest Person” TV show, as well as the achievements of students
and schools in the areas of the Arts and Sustainable Development.
Congratulations to all!
In closing, I observe that experts on education and creativity
such as Sir Ken Robinson have reminded us that we are living in
a time of educational revolution. During this time of change and
development, our divisional community of schools with staff and
students are aligning with the School Board Leadership initiative
that has been undertaken in naming three expectations for student
learning, and in adopting a belief statement on 21st century learning.
As a school division we are challenged to move forward into the
future, supporting student engagement, literacy, and numeracy so
that all will successfully graduate. This journey requires that we
have faith in one another to move confidently into a future that is
to a certain extent unknown.
Whenever I run out of faith, I am inspired by a quotation from
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross:
“When you come to the end of all the light
you know and are about to step into the
darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing
that one of two things will happen: there will
be something solid to stand on, or you’ll be
taught to fly”.
The Daily 5
Brenda Lawson – Principal, Royal School
The Daily 5 was developed by two sisters who are
teachers, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. They set
about designing a structure that would ensure all
children were working at their level of challenge
while taking responsibility for their learning and
behavior which would provide meaningful instruction
blocks for students. Based on literacy learning and
motivation research, The Daily 5 was practiced and
refined in the two sisters’ classrooms for 10 years and
shared with thousands of teachers. The Daily 5 is a
series of literacy tasks which students complete daily
while the teacher meets with small groups or confers
with individuals. The Daily 5 is a structure that helps
students develop the daily habits of reading, writing,
and working with peers that will lead to a lifetime of
literacy independence.
The Grade 1 to 4 teachers at Royal School and many
other schools across Pembina Trails School Division
have implemented The Daily 5 as a framework for
their English Language Arts (ELA) programming.
The philosophical underpinnings of The Daily
5 include: (a) trusting students; (b) providing
choice; (c) nurturing community; (d) creating
a sense of urgency for learning; (e) building
stamina for reading and writing; and (f) nurturing
student independence once routines have been
established.
There are five components in The Daily 5, they
are as follows:
• Read to Self
• Read to Someone
• Listen to Reading
• Work on Writing
• Word Work
Article Continued on Page 4 . . . .
Committed to Excellence
3

The Daily 5 . . . continued
An important facet of The Daily 5 is that children learn what a
‘good fit’ book is for them. Just like everyone has a different shoe
size, the same book does not necessarily ’fit’ everyone. The acronym
“IPICK” helps children find a good fit book:
I choose a book ...
Purpose - Why do I want to read it?
Interest - Does it interest me?
Comprehend - Do I understand what I am reading?
Know - Do I know most of the words?
The early years classrooms at Royal each have a CAFÉ Board, a
practice that aligns with The Daily 5. The four parts of the CAFÉ
‘menu’ are Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding
Vocabulary.
Why use The Daily 5 for ELA instruction? The answers are endless,
but a few good reasons are students are actively engaged in many
components of a balanced literacy program; students spend longer
amounts of time reading and writing; students have a reading target;
students monitor and reflect on their progress; and teachers have
more time to spend with more children.
What sets The Daily 5 apart from many other structures for EAL
instruction? Again, the answers are endless, but a few main points
are that teachers deliver whole group lessons every day; have the
opportunity to work with small groups of children every day; confer
with individual students each day; and hold all students accountable
for eyes-on-text. Students are engaged in the act of reading and
writing for extensive amounts of time; receive focused instruction
on building and maintaining independence; and receive tailored
instruction through whole group, small group and/or individual
conferring by their skilled classroom teacher each day.
A wonderful website to learn more about The Daily 5 is:
www.the2sisters.com.
Giving the Gift of Hearing . . .
referred to the WHRA audiologist. For Pembina Trails, they are referred
to the Deer Lodge Centre or Victoria General Hospital”, shares Maureen
Penko, a speech-language pathologist working in the Division.
Early identification of hearing loss is critical to a young developing
child. The earlier the identification of the loss the sooner the
appropriate intervention can be provided. Hearing is the most
important sense by which we hear sounds, develop understanding
of the meaning of sounds - and in turn develop speech and language
skills. Maureen adds, “Hearing and discriminating sounds is the
foundation to learning to read and in turn spell and write. There are two
types of hearing loss; sensori-neural which is permanent and conductive
which can also become permanent if not properly managed”.
There are four major ways in which hearing loss affects children:
(Above) École Van Walleghem School student Jezreel Mendoza
receiving his hearing aids.
The month of May was Speech and Hearing Awareness Month
in Canada. According to the Canadian Association of Speech-
Language Pathologists and Audiologists, it is the one month when
thousands of professionals in the treatment of speech, language,
hearing and swallowing disorders come together to participate in
the public awareness campaign.
In the Pembina Trails School Division, hearing screening is
conducted annually in the fall for all kindergarten and grade one
students as well as all new students to the school. The collaborative
program with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority screens
hundreds of children every year in the Division in their respective
schools. Those children who do not pass the hearing test conducted
by a trained school coordinator are rescreened by a speech-language
pathologist. “If the child does not pass the second screening, they are
1. It causes delay in the development of receptive and expressive
communication skills (speech and language).
2. The language deficit causes learning problems that result in
reduced academic achievement.
3. Communication difficulties often lead to social isolation and
poor self-concept.
4. It may have an impact on vocational choices.
For further information on hearing loss, check out these websites:
May is Speech and Hearing Month: www.msha.ca
Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and
Audiology: www.caslpa.ca or www.speechandhearing.ca
The Hearing Foundation of Canada: www.hearingfoundation.ca
4 Committed to Excellence

FRC Launches The Scribbler
On April 26th 2012, the
Fort Richmond Collegiate
Scribbler team launched
their second edition of
The Scribbler, a literacy
arts magazine compiled
of artwork, photography,
poetry and short stories
created by FRC students.
Students read their pieces
to the public showcasing
their talents. This creative
project was published
and is for sale at McNally
Robinson for $20.00. The
students chose to donate
$2.00 from every book sold
to a charity very close to
the FRC community, Free
the Children.
Pembina Trails School Division
Board of Trustees Three Expectations
for Student Learning:
1. All students in Pembina Trails
will be personally and intellectually
engaged in their learning at school.
2. By the end of grade 8, all students
in Pembina Trails will meet the
provincial curricular standards in
literacy and numeracy, allowing
them the greatest possibility for
success in high school.
3. All students in Pembina Trails
will graduate from high school.
Our Long Lasting Friendship with Setagaya, Japan
Judy Pirnie - Principal, General Byng School and Darren Oughton - Vice Principal, Henry G. Izatt Middle School
On September 17, 2011 the students and staffs of General Byng and
Henry G. Izatt Schools welcomed 16 exchange students and four
adults from Setagaya, Japan. The students and staff were welcomed
into our homes and experienced Canadian culture. Students
attended classes, took part in many activities like visiting the
Clearwater Hutterite Colony, Manitoba Legislature, City Hall, The
Forks and Lower Fort Garry. Another highlight that was enjoyed by
both our guests from Japan as well as our own students was when
they were given curling lessons by Canadian World Champion
Connie Laliberte. We had farewell assemblies and were treated to a
wonderful karate, song, and dance presentation from our Japanese
friends.
Our friends from Japan left on September 29, 2011 and that was
when the real work began as we all started the hard work of learning
the Japanese language and preparing for our presentation. Students
and staff spent hours of their own time learning speeches and a song
in Japanese along with a hockey skit and “I am Canadian” dance.
On March 3rd our 16 students and four staff members left for Japan.
After a 16 hour day of travel we landed in Tokyo and thus began
our two weeks of immersing ourselves into Japanese culture. The
first two days were spent in Kyoto getting ourselves acclimatized
and ready to meet our host families in Setagaya. We visited some
of Japan’s amazing Temples, including the famous Golden Temple.
When we reached Setagaya we were greeted at city hall by our
host families. We also visited Setagaya’s mayoral office and had the
wonderful experience of having the City Assembly sing to us.
amazing outdoor hot springs that were infused with the scents of
coffee, green tea, sake, and wine. On our way back to Setagaya we
visited Lake Asinoko, took the cable car up the mountain, saw the
volcanic sulfur gas vents and hot springs at Owakudani and ate
famous hot spring boiled black eggs that add 7 years to your life.
We got to spend two days in Hakone where we visited the Enoshima
Aquarium and stayed at Yunessun Inn where we got to experience
Article Continued on Page 6 . . . .
Committed to Excellence
5

Lasting Friendship . . . continued
We toured both Setagaya and Tokyo where we visited the
planetarium, museum, and the famous Setagaya Carrot and
Tokyo Towers. One of the highlights for students and staff was
when we visited a Japanese wind bell workshop and had the
opportunity to blow our own glass bell and then decorate it.
Along with all these amazing sightseeing tours our students had
the opportunity to spend time in the schools with their partners.
Each school greeted us with open arms and had special activities
and presentations that made our students feel welcomed.
We even had a special presentation from a local high school
Japanese Drumming Group. When their performance ended the
performers invited our students and staff to join them and learn
to play the drums.
The two weeks flew by and we were very sad when the time came
to say goodbye to our friends in Japan. We know the friendships
we made will last a lifetime and we hope to be able to see each
other again in the near future.
Beaverlodge Achieves Earth III Status with SEEDS Canada
Diana Juchnowski - Teacher, Beaverlodge School
One of Beaverlodge School’s priorities is education for sustainable
development. As part of that commitment we have become an
Earth school focusing on action projects to help and protect our
environment.
Beaverlodge is now one of two Earth III schools in all of Canada.
There are three schools that have achieved a higher level. Rosser
and Stony Mountain schools (Manitoba) along with a school in
British Columbia have Earth IV designation. Schools achieve Earth
status by completing 1000 earth friendly projects. So far, Beaverlodge
School has completed 3000 projects.
their school yard with and then express their learning through art.
There is a yearly bioblitz where the whole school participates in
an afternoon of place based learning. There is also the daily care
of our planet through rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle projects.
Environmental awareness is woven into the fabric of daily life at
Beaverlodge School.
The action projects fall into a number of categories such as waste
management, water action projects, energy conservation, food
production, increasing biodiversity, place based education and
promoting environmental awareness.
Projects in waste management include the purchase of a nature’s
mill composter which supplies compost to our food garden every
week, litterless lunches and reducing paper use. The water action
projects included Yellow Fish road which is a community based
program informing residents about the importance of rainwater
only in storm drains as water from these drains flow directly into
our watershed. We learned about our watershed and the importance
of protecting our water. Energy conservation involved cycling field
trips, public transit for field trips and classes sharing buses. There
is a food garden where students plant and harvest the vegetables.
They learn about chemical free gardening. We have increased the
biodiversity by planting trees, native plants and a butterfly garden
which are taken care of by the students. Place based education is a
concept where students learn about the community where they live.
At Beaverlodge, students participate in outdoor education classes
where they learn about the species of plants and animals they share
6 Committed to Excellence

Citizenship Court in Session at Vincent Massey Collegiate
Gus Watanabe - Guidance Cousellor and Iain Riffel - Principal, Vincent Massey Collegiate
On Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 l’Institut collégial Vincent
Massey Collegiate (VMC) hosted an Immigration Canada for
a Citizenship Ceremony. Presiding Officer Art Miki, Order of
Canada, administered the oath of citizenship to 50 new Canadians.
As a UNESCO school, VMC was delighted to welcome the world to
Canada as new citizens from Pakistan, India, England, Greece, The
Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Taiwan,
Ethiopia and Tajikistan. Staff and students were also honoured to
have as guests The Honourable Philip Lee, C.M., O.M. and Her
Honour Anita Lee, Joyce Bateman, M.P. (Winnipeg South Centre),
James Allum, M.L.A. (Fort Garry-Riverview), Jenny Gerbasi, City
Councillor (Fort Rouge- East Fort Garry), Dianne Zuk, Chair of
PTSD and Captain Robert Granholm, Canadian Forces.
Immigration Canada officials were impressed at the level of student
involvement in the day’s festivities. As one student who dressed
up for the occasion stated, “I figured I should make an effort on the
biggest day of their [new citizens’] lives”. Art students designed and
created commemorative gifts for each new citizen, the band played
Choral from Jupiter by Gustav Holst (arranged by James Currow),
the choir led the assembly in a bilingual O Canada, print media
students designed the official program, photography students took
family portraits, and student ambassadors and cadets welcomed
the new citizens and their families to Massey and escorted them to
their seats. After the ceremony, students were treated to a Cultural
Exhibition organized by graduating Massey students who themselves
are a part of our immigrant community.
Students witnessing the occasion were reminded of the value of
being a Canadian citizen as Mr. Miki asked the audience to re-affirm
their oath to Canada. The new citizens had tears in their eyes as
students stood and applauded each new Canadian as they exited
the court to attend a formal reception in their honour. All in all,
students witnessed a poignant event that allowed them to reflect on
what it means to be a member of Canada’s community and to give
thanks for the many opportunities that Canada offers the world.
(Above) Photo courtesy of Madeleine - VMC student
“Vincent Massey Collegiate is a diverse school that welcomes new students
from abroad”, says school Principal, Iain Riffel. He adds, “With over
fifty years of public education, generations of Vincent Massey staff and
students have shown their commitment to building our community and
international development”.
A number of years ago, under the leadership of then Principal
Gerald McLeod and Administrative Secretary Mrs. Alice Dunford,
VMC started what has now grown into the Pembina Trails School
Division’s International Student Program. In 2003, former Principal
Rick Martin oversaw the school’s achievement of the UNESCO
designation.
As a UNESCO school, VMC’s Learning Pillars are integrated into
curriculum as well as promoted in school events similar to the
Canadian Citizenship Court ceremony. The school is committed
to teaching and learning about: Peace and human rights;
Environmental sustainability; Intercultural learning and diversity
and World concerns and the role of the United Nations.
VMC Student Honoured with Community Service Award
Little did he know that volunteering one day a
week would transpire in him receiving an award
at the recent Long Term & Continuing Care
Association of Manitoba conference, but for
grade 11 student Jacek Garbowicz, who is now
volunteering three afternoons a week at Riverwood
Square, his work in the community was noticed
and now has been rewarded.
Jacek, a VMC student, has been on work
experience at the senior’s residence on Pembina
Highway since September 2011 and accepted the
Community Service Award for Excellence at the
annual provincial conference on May 15. CBC’s
Larry Updike presented the award to Jacek. In his
acceptance speech, Jacek shares his experience at
Riverwood Square, “My favourite place to work is
Riverwood Square Retirement Home. At the retirement
home, I learned how to become friends and how to be a
better listener. I am learning how to be patient, polite,
and gentle”.
The Award for Excellence in Community Service
is given to a person, team or volunteer who has
provided exceptional service to residents of the
community, i.e. adult day programs, respite care,
or to volunteers or employees who have provided
exceptional service to the residents/tenants/clients
in the long term care continuum by facilitating a
connection to the community.
Committed to Excellence
7

Profile: Cheryl Carpenter
AAL School Teacher and Her Lifelong Love of Sports
Profession: Teacher for 14 years at Arthur A. Leach School.
Experience as a teacher in Math, Science, French, Phys. Ed and
Pre-Calculus. As a student attended Pembina Trails Schools:
Dalhousie School, Acadia Jr. High and Fort Richmond Collegiate.
Attended University of Manitoba.
Career in sports: Competed at National levels in Hockey, Soccer
and Ringette. Has been playing soccer for 35 years. Played hockey
for the UofM Bisons and has been to seven national games. Ringette
is her most successful sport which she has been playing for 34 years
and currently plays on a Provincial team in the Manitoba Ringette
Association.
Some of her National accomplishments at a glance:
Soccer: Participated in National competition from 1991 - 1995
Hockey: Participated in National competition in 1992 and 1993
(all-star award).
Ringette: Participated in National competition in 1998, 1990, 1991
and 1993 (gold medal and all-star award), 1994, 1995 (gold medal and
all-star award), 1996, 1997 (all-star award) and 1998.
Participated in the World Qualifying Tournament in 1991, 1993
(silver medal) and 1995
Off The Cuff:
“The core of our Provincial Ringette team (The Moose) have been playing
together for over 20 years, some of us have been playing together since we
were eight years old. We range in age from 36 to 40 and compete in the
18+ category. But for us, we call it the 18 times two plus four category”.
“As an educator, I have always instilled in my students to strive for
excellence whether it be academic or in an area in which they excel.
We always make a point of acknowledging these accomplishments but
sometimes don’t realize that some staff members are experiencing great
accomplishments as well. The Pembina Trails School Division has been
gracious in giving me the time to participate in National events, like the
one this past March”.
Gerry
Melnyk
Phone:
895-8308
Sue
Clayton
Phone:
487-2863
Jacquie
Field
WARD 1 - Board of Trustees
Gail
Watson
Phone:
889-9024
WARD 2 - Board of Trustees
David
Johnson
Phone:
477-8814
WARD 3 - Board of Trustees
Laureen
Goodridge
Dianne
Zuk
Phone:
895-4539
Tim
Johnson
Phone:
452-1318
Julie
Fisher
The primary purpose of this PTSD Community
Report is to provide you with information on
some of the activities and projects taking place
in the Pembina Trails School Division.
Please contact us with information you would like
considered for future newsletters.
You may forward it through the interdivisional mail
or email to: communityreport@pembinatrails.ca
Please visit the Pembina Trails School Division
Website at: http://www.pembinatrails.ca for
more up-to-date information.
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Phone:
269-7822
Phone:
269-5291
Phone:
261-7963
PEMBINA TRAILS SCHOOL DIVISION
Administration Office: 181 Henlow Bay Winnipeg, Manitoba R3Y 1M7
Phone: 204.488.1757 - Fax: 204.488.2095 - www.pembinatrails.ca