Session 5
System Leadership
Karen Shipka, Allan Beckingham, Mike Bowden, Claire Guy
First Steps in the Spirit of Leadership
This session will introduce the recently launched innovative “Spirit of Leadership” competencies for system leaders in BC. These competencies are in the first year of implementation and a panel of educational leaders will share early implementation strategies of how they are applying the constructs of “leading self, leading others and leading systems” to their unique contexts. The panel will also reflect upon lessons learned, plans going forward and how they are adapting their leadership to reflect the Indigenous perspectives that are embedded throughout the competencies.
Participants will have an opportunity to examine the new competencies and to discuss the unique features of the competencies and ask questions of the panel.
Session 6
Recruitment and Retention
Reg Klassen
Trials and Tribulations of Teacher Recruitment
The presentation will focus on our recent two-year journey as we have increased our efforts to recruit and retain teachers in Frontier School Division. In the 21/22 school year we were 7-10 teachers short all year and in 22/23 we have been 20 teachers short. I will share, from a system leader perspective, the numerous strategies we have invoked (some working better than others) to eliminate barriers that prevent teachers from choosing to work in northern and remote communities. Housing, internet, collective agreement, financial incentives, recruitment officer, etc. are a few of the many strategies.
Session 7
System Leadership
Maria Vasanelli, Kerry Desjardins, Rima Mounayer & Paul Tsekouras
System Leadership & Educators’ Perspectives on Relationships During Covid-19
The Superior North Catholic District School Board initiated research about the impact of "Educators’ perspectives on their relationships with students, colleagues, and their own professional development during the COVID-19 pandemic" with our research partners at Lakehead University. The research was published in March 2022.
Session 8
Antiracism
Peter Smith, Matthew martin, Therese Trofimencoff
Antiracism: One District’s Journey
Anglophone South School District, with its main office in Saint John, serves 23,000 students in urban, suburban, and rural settings in southern New Brunswick. The district has seen significant changes in demographics in recent years in terms of race, ethnicity, and culture. In 2020, district leadership made a decision to move beyond traditional diversity approaches and embrace an antiracism approach to supporting students in the district. Since that time, Anglophone South has been recognized as taking a leadership role in antiracism, and was identified as an exemplar for other school districts in the provincialSystemic Racism Commissioner’s Final Report in 2022. This workshop will share the challenges and successes of the district as it has started its antiracism journey, with perspectives from Peter T. Smith, the director responsible for the antiracism initiatives, Therese Trofimencoff, the district’s antiracism and equity coach, and Matthew Martin, district education council member and executive director of Black Lives Matter New Brunswick.
Session 9
Indigenous Education
Daniel Stargratt
The Answers Lie in the Community
In this session, participants will examine strategies to build relationships with the First Nation communities they serve. They will have an opportunity to see, hear and better understand the differences between the provincial school system and a community schools- which will highlight the importance of student voice, family/community involvement and most importantly language and cultural revitalization. I will also share some practices within Durham Catholic District School Board.
Session 10
Mental Health/Wellbeing
Heather Gerber
Get out of Judgement and Into Curiosity
A component of Mental Health and Wellbeing includes supporting student dysregulation in a way that maintains each individual’s dignity. This workshop will describe what developmental trauma is, how it might present in the classroom, what educators can do to support students who become dysregulated and how leaders in education can have an impact by bringing this important learning to their boards and schools. What we as leaders shine a light on grows and as we navigate our “new normal” this learning is more important than ever!
