Reaching minds. Touching hearts. - Rainbow District School Board

Provide sound leadership
Strategic board improvement plan
Work was completed on Towards Tomorrow Together, a strategic
board improvement plan for the 2005-2006 school year. The
plan sets out a vision for the future of Rainbow Schools, while
providing direction and focus for the Board as it accomplishes
its mission.
Quality Schools Where Character Counts
During the 2004-2005 school year, professional learning
focused on Quality Schools Where Character Counts.
Teachers play an important role as models for character in
Rainbow Schools.
Leadership Assessment Centre
A new selection process was introduced for candidates
aspiring to become school administrators. The selection
process is designed as a professional learning experience
for candidates. Candidates are assessed in relation to a set
of standards which focus on commitment to students and
student learning, professional knowledge, teaching practices,
leadership and community, and professional learning.
Professional learning for Principals
Principals
participated
in a series of
professional
learning sessions.
During a session
entitled “Reality
Bites”, participants
used authentic cases
to explore ethical
dilemmas. During a professional learning session on “Driven
by Data”, Principals gained new knowledge on accessing,
analyzing and applying data to inform classroom instruction
and enhance student achievement.
Other topics included building professional connections,
leadership for the Student Success Initiative, the business of
schools, instructional leadership in literacy and numeracy,
and human resource issues and legal implications. Special
leadership sessions were also offered for new school
administrators.
Future Leaders
The 2003-2005 group of Future Leaders completed a series
of professional learning sessions. Topics included emotional
intelligence, learning organizations, change, standards of
practice, effective communication, difficult conversations,
managing crisis, school councils, system thinking, supervision,
and creating balance/time management. The Future Leaders
program is an important component of the Board’s succession
planning, ensuring that
employees are well prepared
to assume senior leadership
positions within the Board.
A total of 21 employees
graduated from the program
in June 2005.
New collective
agreements
Rainbow District School Board and the union representing
its 400 secondary school teachers in Sudbury, Espanola
and Manitoulin negotiated a new collective agreement. The
agreement, in effect from September 1, 2004 to August 31, 2008,
was ratified by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’
Federation (OSSTF) District 3 Rainbow and approved by the
Board on May 16, 2005.
Rainbow District School Board and the Federation
representing its 600 elementary teachers in Sudbury, Espanola
and Manitoulin negotiated a new collective agreement. The
agreement, in effect from September 1, 2004 to August 31, 2008,
was approved by the Board on June 6, 2005 and ratified by the
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Rainbow
Teacher Local on June 8, 2005.
Special Education Funding
Rainbow District School Board supported the Ontario Public
School Boards’ Association’s (OPSBA) position paper on special
education funding. If implemented, recommendations in
the report would sustain and strengthen success in school for
students with special needs. Rainbow District School Board
Trustee Ron Burdenuk was a member of the provincial team
that developed the recommendations in the report.
Parent Voice in Education Project
Rainbow District School Board encouraged parents/guardians
to participate in a public consultation session on parental
involvement. The session, part of the Ministry of Education’s
Parent Voice in Education Project, gave parents/guardians
an opportunity to provide input into the creation of an
independent, province-wide voice for parents on education.
Meeting the
unique needs
of the North
Rainbow District School
Board was among 17 public
and separate school boards
in the North urging the
Province to ensure that the
unique needs of Northern Ontario students and school boards
are addressed in the new funding formula for education.
Reaching minds. Touching hearts. 13 www.rainbowschools.ca