Adminfo - and Vice Principals

More documents

Recommendations

Info

In praise of the endless weekend by Vince Devries Vince Devries is retired after many years as a pension and financial consultant with the BCPVPA. He still prepares, for a fee, retirement financial plans for BCPVPA members. Vince can be contacted by email at vincedevries@shaw.ca or by phone at 250-245-0907. Saturdays are a mixed pleasure when you are working. You are free to do as you please but there are also the must-do jobs such as coaching a team or painting the living room. While it takes a while to get used to, after eight years of retirement, any day is a Saturday for us. That does not mean that Corine and I don’t have the pressure of a never ending list of mustdo’s. This pressure however is much reduced by our surplus of Saturdays. When you postpone painting of the living room, it weighs on you for seven days and possibly more. I can relax in the thought that I will do it tomorrow. Today it is an actual Saturday. After reading the paper, a leisurely breakfast and a few calls, I am at my desk at 11 (sharp). I like the sharp as it makes it look “planned.” I am faced with writing this article, hauling stuff to the dump, returning an embarrassing number of wine bottles to our depot, the first draft of my club’s monthly newsletter, finish our 2008 budget, review our investments and maybe drive to Nanaimo for shopping and a movie. There is also the leaking shower stall and the repainting of the bathroom and hallway. But it is not a nice day to be about and when I finish this article, I will likely set up a clever job planning schedule that will see everything done at some point. By that time the sun should be over the yardarm. Talking about budgets, this is a good time to take a look at your finances. A little bit of planning goes a long way to ward off financial anxieties. Take a look at your portfolio (RRSP or other). Had you invested everything in a low cost, low risk Exchange Traded Fund like the TSX 60 (invested in the 60 largest companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange), you would have netted 11.8% for 2007. What did your investments average If you have more than one debt, consider a line of credit, secured by a mortgage on your home at prime or less (Beware: A line of credit only requires payment of interest, which can spell a financial disaster for those who lack the discipline to repay in a timely fashion). Now that you can split your pensions with your spouse when retired (new for 2007), should you continue to make contributions to a spousal RRSP The answer is yes, because RRSP withdrawals can’t be split between spouses until they are both 65 and you will likely retire sooner. If your parents or grandparents are ready to assist your children with a Registered Education Savings Plan, look at the new rules which allow one to gain the government subsidies over a shorter period of years or pre-fund the whole Plan gaining more tax-sheltered income than the subsidies forfeited. If you didn’t do your own tax returns last year using QuickTax or a similar program, now is the time to do it. Borrow last year’s software from a friend (each year’s current tax package costs about $30) and redo your 2006 return as a learning exercise. Even if your tax experience is limited to the gathering of your tax papers and turning them over to a professional, you can use it! We are not talking about saving accounting fees but about becoming tax smart in the process. If you want some help with your annual financial review, consider my Retirement Financial Plan. The Plan is designed as an audit of your current finances as well as a projection of your retirement income at two different retirement dates. This income is measured in today’s dollars, using today’s income tax rates and compared to your current income. The further retirement is away, the more you can profit from such a Plan. That is how we see it, here in Ladysmith. A little planning goes a long way to ward off financial anxieties February 08 • Adminfo • 18
Enhancing every child’s life chances Educator and proud grandpa, the BCPVPA’s executive director, Ted Whiteland, on the research about early childhood development. In this edition of Adminfo, an article by Leslie Dyson entitled Preparing Early caused me to reflect to the December 2007 issue of Adminfo where I stated that one must understand the underlying research of early child development (ECD) to appreciate both where we are versus where we could be with implementation initiatives. I must also confess that as a grandfather to 14-month old Keanna, I marvel at the developmental milestones that she is able to meet. I also admire the work that our daughter, the mommy, does to better understand Keanna’s needs in every dimension of her growth. It would be easy to believe that research and programs related to effective ECD reside solely in Canada. In fact, there are many models of such effective interventions throughout the world, many of which have been in the mainstream for decades. There is much to be learned from these initiatives and the American Head Start program is but one example. As noted in the October 2007 ASCD issue of Educational Leadership, Dr. Edward Zigler has, since 1970, championed the Head Start program where he held the position of the first director of the Office of Child Development, which administered the fledging Head Start program. In a far ranging interview, Dr. Zigler identified the frustration of competing goals for Head Start. The desire to identify a quick fix literacyskills program based on cognitive development competed with the “whole child approach” which viewed the brain as an integrated instrument and therefore capable of mediating emotional and social development along with increased intelligence. Dr. Zigler also identified two great achievements of the design of the Head Start program. Foremost, the program emphasized social and emotional development with an emphasis on the provision of health, social and comprehensive services to families. To this was added parental participation. Research has identified that parental behavior is the most important single determinant of a child’s growth. Succinctly put, the research identifies the positive correlation between involved parents in the education of their children and the child’s education and BCPVPA performance. When asked what is the best age at which to provide support for preschool children, Dr. Zigler is clear: conception, not birth, is when development starts and that when mothers are pregnant they’re extremely interested in both information and instruction. It is within this context that I found Leslie Dyson’s description of Strong- Start programs in the Nechako Lakes school district so inspirational. Integrating what has been learned from research with local resources and coupling these with expanding partnerships has established a dynamic which makes everything possible for enhancing a child’s life chances. And isn’t this what it is all about Ted Whiteland Executive Director twhiteland@bcpvpa.bc.ca Sharon Cutcliffe Legal and Contractual Services, Student Leadership sharon@bcpvpa.bc.ca Gaila Erickson Professional Programs gaila@bcpvpa.bc.ca Ian Kennedy Legal and Contractual Services ian@bcpvpa.bc.ca Carol Powell Finance carol@bcpvpa.bc.ca Richard Williams Communications rwlliams@bcpvpa.bc.ca February 08 • Adminfo • 19
Page 1 and 2: Adminfo February 2008 Volume 20 •
Page 3 and 4: We run the risk of having a particu
Page 5 and 6: scoff at any mention that it would
Page 7 and 8: VCR, but then, who needs it. I can
Page 9 and 10: Learning/The unending process Utili
Page 11 and 12: Good news/early childhood research
Page 13 and 14: will become bored because they’ll
Page 15 and 16: hilaration again, the same dedicate
Page 17: have begun to place real value on t

Adminfo - and Vice Principals

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?