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Page 6 EMSB Express Vol. 6 Nº 1 Fall 2004 www.emsb.qc.ca NOUVEAU BULLETIN DE NOTES Afin que les bulletins de notes se conforment au Programme de formation de l’école québécoise, la CSEM a mis sur pied un projet de mise à l’essai d’un an qui sera mis en œuvre dans certaines écoles primaires en 2004-2005. Le bulletin de notes s’étendra sur un cycle et sera présenté en format électronique afin de permettre aux enseignant(e)s d’avoir accès à tous les bulletins de notes par le biais de l’Internet. Le projet de mise à l’essai précise que le même bulletin de notes devra être utilisé pour chaque élève sur une période de deux ans, afin de respecter l'approche de cycle. Les écoles pourront individuellement faire leurs propres modifications et déterminer le nombre d’émissions de bulletins de notes dans le cadre de la politique en matière d’évaluation du ministère de l’Éducation. RESP SEMINARS First Canadian Financial Services (www.fcfs-inc.com)will return as the the official sponsor the EMSB’s 2005 Parent Volunteer Appreciation program, scheduled to be held on April 20 at the Oscar Peterson Hall in N.D.G. A community-minded company, First Canadian Financial Services specializes in the sale of: Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs); retirement, estate and tax planning; mutual funds; LOOK AT OUR GRADS NOW! EMSB Notebook life, disability and critical illness insurance; annuities; Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIF), savings plans and mortgages. First Canadian Financial Services President Joseph Afshar is a strong supporter of the English Montreal School Board. He has conducted a number of information seminars and meetings with parents to talk about RESPs and planning for a child’s post-secondary education. Parents who would like to reach him directly can call 484-1867 or log on to www.fcfs-inc.com. Mr. Afshar and his team are making arrangements to meet with some governing boards this fall. JUNIOR LEAGUE At the end of the last academic year, the Junior League Association of Montreal issued a cheque of $3,000 to Westmount High School Guidance Counsellor Karen Allen for career testing. As part of the school’s career mentoring project, the cheque will go towards the purchase of software and tests related to career development. For young women today, the array of occupations to choose from is often overwhelming and confusing. Students are expected to make choices either for individual courses, or course programs Television Actress Jeanne Bowser Joseph Afshar Jeanne Bowser (third from the left) is welcomed back to face by her former teacher Jim Daskalakis (far right), now the vice-principal at FACE and some present-day students. Jeanne Bowser recently visited her old high school, Fine Arts Core Education (FACE), to talk to students about her new tween television sitcom on YTV. Bowser, 22, is the daughter of George Bowser, half of the Bowser and Blue comedy team. She portrays the character of Pattie in Fries with That? which airs every Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. and, every Monday to Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Bowser graduated from FACE in 1998 and has appeared in nine theatre productions and one National Film Board presentation (The Neverendum Referendum). DON D’UNE BANQUE Un partenariat unique avec la Banque de Nouvelle Écosse située au centre d’achats Rockland de Ville Mont- Royal a permis à l’école primaire Sinclair Laird de Parc Extension d’obtenir un don de 1,754.$. Tom Apostolis, directeur de la succursale, a présenté officiellement le chèque à l’école. Les clients de la banque ont fait don de 872 $ et cette dernière a remis l’équivalent. Cet argent permettra à l’école d’acheter des livres pour son programme d’alphabétisation du Cycle I. En outre, la banque a délégué des employé(e)s qui ont fait la lecture, une fois par semaine, aux classes with little knowledge of the various career fields and often with little personal contact with individuals who work within them. “Our project seeks to alleviate this situation by offering Grade 9 girls at Westmount High an opportunity to hear speakers from various occupations-from design and communications, sales and incentives, health, not-for-profit and entrepreneurial endeavours- describe their training, duties and occupational interests,” says Ms. Allen. OUTREACH BOOKLET The EMSB’s Outreach school system is designed to provide an opportunity for students who have left school before graduation to return to a different educational setting. Nine schools offer a variety of programs accommodating both English and French students. An attractive guide, providing extensive details on the program and the network of schools, was published and can be accessed on the EMSB website (www.emsb.qc.ca). LEARN TO READ As EMSB primary teachers, Davis Givan (Coronation) and Carmen Atkinson (Nesbitt) are often asked by parents and caregivers how they can help their child learn to read. Recently, the husband and wife team created the Learnalong Village books to pass on their knowledge, and serve as a ‘LICE’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 According to the Canadian Pediatric Society, if your child is suspected of having head lice, follow these instructions: • Check your child’s hair for nits immediately, after one week, and then again after two weeks if another child has head lice. This can be done by parting the hair in small sections, going from one side of the head to the other, and looking close to the scalp. • All family members (both adults and children) must be checked if one member has head lice. Do not treat anyone with a head lice product unless lice or nits are located in their hair. • Get a treatment for head lice at your local pharmacy. • Follow the directions on the product. Do not leave the shampoo or Tom Apostolis, directeur de la succursale, a présenté officiellement le chèque à l’école. de 1re année. L’enseignante Judy Turowetz a aidé à lancer le projet et elle a exprimé sa reconnaissance aux parents et à leurs familles pour l’aide reçue dont la confection de 150 rubans bleus qui ont été remis aux donateurs. La directrice Viola Vathilakis a nommé la Banque de Nouvelle Écosse nouvelle partenaire de l’école. resource. If you want to help a child learn to read, it can be fun and easy. Their two books - the Learnalong Village Storybook and Picture book - are full of specially written stories, with each teaching one of the 43 sounds in the English language and focusing on a theme important to a child. The books also feature colourful character illustrations, clearly displayed letters (and sounds), sight words appropriate for beginning readers, mini-readings for children to practice, sound motions to perform for each story, discussion questions that relate to the themes in each story and an introduction that explains how to use the books. You can download 'sample book pages' at www.321read.com. NEW HOCKEY PROGRAM A unique program for students in Cycle III (Grades 5 and 6) that will offer a quality education and the opportunity for elite athletes to develop their skills in ice hockey is underway. It is based at Holy Cross Elementary School in St. Laurent. Tryouts were held last spring. Log on to www.wiha.ca for the online application form and/or program information. You can also call Zack Nutkevitch or John Keightley at 636-5624. This program is being offered to athletes recognized as having attained a certain skill level as determined by the West Island Hockey Academy and the Lac St. Louis West Island Lions hockey organization. rinse in hair longer than prescribed in the directions. Rinse hair well after the treatment. • After the treatment, remove nits from hair by running hair strands between your thumb and fingernail. Put the nits in a bag, tie it up and dispose of it. • If live lice or new nits are found at least seven (7) day after the first treatment, consult your doctor about repeating the treatment or taking other measures. • If your child has head lice, they must get treatment for it before they return to school or daycare. • Consider establishing a regular lice/nits head check routine with your children (this could be done, for example, when they are washing their hair).
www.emsb.qc.ca Fall 2004 EMSB Express Vol. 6 Nº 1 Page 7 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE It has now been just over six years since the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) was first established as part of the Quebec government’s transformation of public boards from religious to linguistic. Naturally, we experienced a lot of growing pains during our first term in office. The merger of four distinct school boards was no easy task. Complicating matters further were the numerous financial obstacles the EMSB was faced with. Have we turned the corner? I honestly believe so. One needs only to look at the 2004-2005 budget we adopted last June. It marked the first balanced budget since the EMSB’s inception. Indeed that is something to be proud about. The budget building process was one of inclusion and included the presence of the president of the Association of Montreal School Administrators (AMSA) around the table. I should add that we also managed to reduce our forecasted deficit of $3.1 million for 2003-2004. It is now expected that number will come in closer to $1.6 million. Nonetheless, we continue to struggle with significant underfunding for special needs students, building repairs, and energy costs. Since assuming the chairmanship of the EMSB, and prior to that as vice-chair, I have made an effort to go to as many schools as possible in our system. At the end of the last academic year I sat down with our regional directors and the director of adult education to map out a specific plan that will enable me to personally visit every one of our schools. I think it is important to have that type of contact with our staff, students and parents. We have now truly become “the EMSB” and no longer hear the acronyms of our predecessor boards being mentioned. I am constantly amazed at the wonderful things going on in our schools and centres. Despite what you might read in the annual Fraser Report, our students are performing extremely well academically. Last year, a Ministry of Education report showed our Board to have among the best results in the province – English or French – in success rates. That means more students are starting off in our secondary network and Dominic Spiridigliozzi A Balanced Budget completing their studies than anywhere else. Whether it is math competitions, Science Fair or a vocational education skills Olympic meet, our students are coming out on top. There is also an extraordinary spirit of generosity expressed by the students in our schools. I do not know of any other public school board that has as many successful fundraisers, be it Health and Heart Month, Jump Rope for Heart, National Denim Day, Brain Tumour Awareness Day or Leucan. Hats off to our school administrators as well for the initiative they took with their hugely successful Fashion Show for the Shriners Hospital last June. We are also fortunate to have some supportive corporate partners, none more so than the Norshield Development Foundation. Its highly successful Tomorrow's Schools Today project promotes the increased use of information and communications technology in the classroom at seven of our schools. To date, the Foundation has contributed more than $400,000 to the program. Last June, when we held our first ever EMSB Golf Tournament, Norshield stepped in again as a major sponsor. This year our Career Fair is getting a boost from Rogers Wireless and Service de Peinture Eric, while First Canadian Financial Services is back to support Parent Volunteer Appreciation Evening. I am optimistic that 2004-2005 will bring us more good news to report. BUS SAFETY S afety is our first and foremost consideration when it comes to transporting the EMSB's 8,500 students eligible for bussing under the Transport Québec guidelines. MESSAGE FROM Please log on to www.emsb.qc.ca DIRECTOR GENERAL When I was appointed Director General of the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) more than a year ago, we adopted the theme of “Together We Are Better.” I am proud to say it caught on nicely. Thanks to the dedicated leadership of our staff, students and parent bodies, we experienced a very successful 2003-2004. As we prepare for another academic year, we must continue to focus attention on our true purpose, education, and to ensure that all efforts and services are geared towards the support of the educational experiences of all of our students, both youth and adults. We must also continue to provide for the needs of our staff. Our entire management team must collaborate in developing and establishing a focused course of action that will allow the Board to continue to move forward. In preparation for meeting these challenges, the entire management team recently spent two days together engaging in professional development and planning. At the end of the process, Together We Are Better became more than just words, it became our guiding principle for the years ahead. This year, we have proposed some school closures. You will hear more about this in the months ahead as we proceed through a consultation process. Our Planning Office conducted an extensive overview of the entire school network. In fact, last spring we presented our findings to governing board chairs and their members at a special meeting. Documentation presented showed that there is a (see transportation in the services section) and read our Bus Safety Bulletin. Antonio Lacroce Together We Are Better steady decline of enrolment at the elementary level. In fact, population shifts are expected to occur in all the Montreal-island boards except Marguerite-Bourgeoys. Baragar Demographics, the custom planning software used by the EMSB and school boards across the country for enrolment projections, is forecasting a drop in student numbers at the elementary level in the next five years. The latter is being compounded by Bill 104, which excludes studies in the Quebec Private School System as grounds for student entry to the public system. While there will be a steady growth in the high schools until 2008, a steady decline is projected thereafter. The EMSB presently has 26,886 students in the youth sector. By 2008-2009, that number is expected to drop to 23,552. I am also pleased to report that the EMSB has adopted a strategic plan for 2004 to 2007. The Education Act, as amended by Bill 124, requires that school boards develop strategic plans that span over a number of years. Plans call for this strategic plan to be reviewed at different intervals and, if necessary, updated. The strategic plan represents the tool that will guide and assist the EMSB in ensuring that the necessary measures are taken so that students will receive the best possible learning experience and have available to them the required support structure to facilitate the attainment of success, both academically and socially. It focuses on six orientations, directly or indirectly related to the educational success of the students frequenting EMSB schools and centres: supporting schools and centres in the realization of their educational projects; supporting student educational success; providing safe and secure learning environments; fostering an environment of life-long learning; supporting management practices that ensure accountability and transparency; and fostering the involvement and collaboration of various partners in student learning. To all of our stakeholders, I express my hope for a another successful academic year.
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