Student designers take over Kingsway Mall at Ready to Shine 3: Student Fashion Show

April 22, 2013

The Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, in partnership with Kingsway Mall, is introducing Edmonton to some of its brightest young designers. Ready to Shine 3: Student Fashion Show and Gala will highlight the creative design talents of Fashion Studies students from seven high schools including: amiskwaciy Academy, Harry Ainlay, Jasper Place, L.Y. Cairns, M.E. LaZerte, Ross Sheppard and W.P. Wagner. The students have worked for months to create a collection of three garments (a casual top, career skirt and black tie event dress) that will be modeled on the catwalk by students and local celebrities.

“The Ready to Shine design challenge is becoming a highlight of the Fashion Studies program for our students,” says Sandra Woitas, Director, Edmonton Public Schools Foundation. “The experience of creating artistic fashions based on the Kingsway Mall competition criteria is exciting, but fitting the designs for local media celebrity models certainly added to the fun.”

In addition to encouraging, mentoring and challenging students to put their design skills to the test, the third annual event is also raising funds to support full-day Kindergarten programs. Last year, $22,000 was raised through Ready to Shine and the Hang-A-Garment campaign. This year, the goal is to raise $100,000 through this event and others.

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Board votes against endorsing proposed agreement

March 20, 2013

At yesterday’s regularly scheduled board meeting, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to advise the  Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) not to endorse the proposed agreement between the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

“This deal is not good for the District or our students,” said Sarah Hoffman, Board Chair. “We are being asked to approve a deal we cannot afford.”

The Board is concerned it will not be able to provide the current level of service to students and that the cost of the agreement would likely result in staff reductions.

The Board is also concerned that two committees, the Exceptions Committee and the Teacher Development and Practice Committee, could potentially erode the decision making power of locally elected school boards.

“Our main priority will always be to act in the best interest of our students – to maximize the dollars we have and to minimize any impact on their education,” continued Chair Hoffman.

The ASBA asked individual school boards to give them direction on whether or not they should endorse the proposed agreement.

The full effect of the proposed agreement on district operations is still being considered. The Board is confident the ASBA will convey its concerns to the Government. Individual boards have been asked to ratify the proposed agreement by May 13. The Board of Trustees is hopeful its concerns will be addressed in the coming weeks, so it can revisit the agreement prior to the ratification vote.

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Rutherford School reaches finals of national competition

March 18, 2013

Rutherford School has made it to the finals of the Majesta Trees of Knowledge™ Competition and is in the running to win a $20,000 outdoor classroom. The school’s outdoor classroom project was selected as one of 10 finalists from across Canada. Rutherford is the only school in Edmonton, and is one of only two Alberta schools, chosen for the final round of competition.

Built over 100 years ago, Rutherford School is located in the established French community of Bonnie Doon. It serves the communities of Bonnie Doon, Strathearn, Idylwylde and Cloverdale. The school community is embarking on a revitalization project by creating an outdoor classroom complete with interlocking timbers for seating and climbing, new trees and shrubs, their very own “ranger station” with rain barrel, relief map of Alberta, and a chalk board. A new trail system will connect all of the natural elements of the school yard together. Students are looking forward to enjoying nature and learning in this unique setting. The classroom will be used to enrich learning experiences and foster an appreciation for the environment.

Vote daily at www.majesta.com from March 18 to April 26 to help to place Rutherford in the top spot. Voting is open to all Canadians who have reached the age of majority

Watch the school’s promotional video here. 

The Trees of Knowledge™ competition was launched in 2011 by Majesta, in partnership with Tree Canada and Focus on Forests, to help teachers and students experience the benefits of being outdoors. Each year through Trees of Knowledge™ one eco-conscious school is awarded a complete, customized outdoor classroom, valued at $20,000.

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Board expresses concerns over budget and proposed agreement with teachers

March 15, 2013

At a media availability on Friday afternoon, Sarah Hoffman, Board Chair of Edmonton Public Schools, communicated the Board’s perspective on the budget and the tentative agreement between the Government and the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Edmonton Public Schools will face a revenue shortfall of at least $3 million for the remainder of this year and $29 million for the 2013-2014 school year, based on the reductions to revenue and with no changes to enrolment.  On top of the revenue shortfall, the District will also be facing increased staff costs. For teachers, these costs will include annual increments and benefits, which are not funded as part of the proposed agreement. This revenue shortfall, when combined with increased fixed costs, will have a significant impact on the services the District is able to provide students.

“By all accounts, this shortfall is a conservative estimate, and could end up being far worse. We know this proposed agreement will only exacerbate the financial difficulties we face and we will not be able to sustain our current level of service,” continued Board Chair Hoffman. Unlike the December agreement proposed by the Minister, through which the Government would have funded all of the cost increases, school boards are now being asked to shoulder more of the costs.

“We certainly have some serious concerns about the proposed agreement,” said Board Chair Hoffman. “We have no guarantee that the Government’s commitment to fund staff cost increases will materialize.  Our Board does not find this very reassuring, so we need to be prepared to cover all of this cost ourselves.”

The Board also considers the agreement to have a long term negative impact on the ability of parents, community members and school boards to ensure decisions reflect local concerns. As well, the agreement brushes aside more than a century of local decision making and the role of school boards in reflecting the needs of local communities and students.

“Our Board is worried that we have been put in a position that we cannot possibly hope to fund or fulfill the agreement we have been asked to support.”

 

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Students share their story through Aboriginal art project

March 15, 2013

Twenty-two students from schools across Edmonton gathered at the Centre for Education this week to learn about traditional Aboriginal art methods from artist-in-residence Holly Yuzicapi – a Native Cultural Arts instructor from the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation in Southern Saskatchewan.

The goal of the workshop was for First Nation, Métis & Inuit (FNMI) students to have an enriching artistic experience guided by a recognized Aboriginal artist. Students used acrylic paint, mixed media and traditional arts to create panels that shared their story. Holly also integrated activities into the workshop that targeted self-esteem building, acceptance, honesty, respect, values and beliefs, traditional First Nations storytelling and humour.

The work created during this workshop will be shown at the Stanley A. Milner Art Gallery in June.

Check out the student’s amazing creations in the slideshow below.

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A sea of pink sweeps across Edmonton Public Schools today

February 27, 2013

Edmonton Public Schools is participating in Pink Shirt Day today – a day to help raise awareness around bullying. The national anti-bullying campaign started several years ago after a Nova Scotia high school student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The next day, many of his classmates showed up to school wearing pink shirts to take a stand against bullying. The grassroots movement has since spread across Canada and last year, 6.4 million Canadians took part in committing to a bully-free lifestyle.

Here are some of the activities taking place at Edmonton Public Schools on Pink Shirt Day:

• M.E. LaZerte: An assembly will take place from 11:15 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. with a keynote and student speakers. Students and staff will be wearing pink and taking a pledge against bullying. An aerial photo will be taken at 12:15 p.m. with more than 800 students wearing pink shirts.

• Winterburn: The entire school will be wearing pink.

• Lillian Osborne: Students will be wearing pink and student-made buttons. There will also be a movie night hosted by the Grad Council.

• McNally: The Grad Council is holding a pink bake sale and raffle from 11:48 a.m. to 12:33 p.m.

• W.P. Wagner: The Grad Council will be handing out pink candy and cards.

• Centre for Education: Staff will gather in the Atrium for a “pink dot” photo at 12:50 p.m.

For more information on Pink Shirt day, visit: www.pinkshirtday.ca.

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Queen Elizabeth School brings awareness to the plight of child soldiers

February 20, 2013

Worldwide there are more than 250,000 children who have been recruited to participate in armed conflicts. Queen Elizabeth School, in partnership with the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldier Initiative, recently hosted an international conference on Red Hand Day - a global initiative to bring awareness to the plight of child soldiers.  Through live video-conferencing, students were able to collaborate with more than 1,000 of their high school peers, from across North America. Students from Ross Sheppard, J. Percy Page, Vimy Ridge and Jasper Place schools also participated in the conference.

Terry Godwaldt, Director of the Centre for Global Education and a teacher at Queen Elizabeth School, said the video conference was about making real connections with what the students are learning in the classroom. “These are people whose lives have been impacted and our kids need to be aware of what’s going on the other side of the world is something that affects real people,” Godwaldt said.

Students skyped with Kadiatu Conteh, a former child soldier who was only 12 years old when she was taken by the Revolution United Front to fight in the Sierra Leone Civil War.  Students also heard from retired lieutenant-general and Child Soldier Initiative founder, Senator Roméo Dallaire. They also learned about the extensive use of children in combat throughout the world so that they can begin to examine both the causes, as well as the consequences, of the practice.

The ultimate focus of the rest of my life is to eradicate the use of child soldiers and to eliminate even the thought of the use of children as an instrument of war. – LGen Roméo Dallaire, Ret’d

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Victoria School of the Arts presents…Miracle on 34th Street!

November 25, 2012

Based on the 1947 movie of the same title, Victoria School student performers are excited to bring Miracle on 34th Street to life this holiday season from November 29 – December 1.

The story starts at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade where parade organizer Doris Walker finds herself in a pickle when Santa shows up intoxicated. Kris, a helpful patron who happens to look exactly like Santa Claus, offers to help. As time progresses, it becomes evident that Kris truly believes that he is the real deal.  Due to her skeptical behaviour and fear that her daughter Susan will buy into the “Santa notion,” Doris has Kris evaluated by the store vocational counselor, Sawyer, who deems him dangerous and delivers him to the Bellevue Mental Hospital.

Fred Gayley, a fresh faced lawyer and friend to Susan and Doris, comes to the rescue by becoming Kris’ lawyer. He has an ulterior motive – to get Susan and Doris to believe in the Christmas spirit. Judge Harper presides over the hearing and finds himself in a tricky situation; what with elections coming up – will he be the one to send Santa to the rubber room, or will the magic of the Christmas spirit set Santa free just in time?

A perennial Christmas favourite, Miracle on 34th Street is one of those sweet stories that must be revisited every year.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Victoria Box Office at 780-392-3534.

 

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Queen Elizabeth School student to represent Canada at COY8 in Qatar

November 23, 2012

Queen Elizabeth student Derek Wong and teacher Aaron Dublenko

Derek Wong, a Grade 12 student at Queen Elizabeth School, will be presenting a document on behalf of Canadian youth at the COY8 (8th Conference of Youth) in Doha, Qatar this weekend. The event, which precedes the UN’s Conference on Climate Change (COP18), will bring together hundreds of international youth to learn about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and work on climate justice issues worldwide. The conference, which runs from November 23 to 25, will also allow local and international youth to interact with organizations that are involved in global climate change activism.

Derek, who is being accompanied by teacher Aaron Dublenko, will be presenting the National Virtual Town Hall: COPU18 statement – a cross-Canada collaboration that outlines what Canadian youth believe should be the Canadian government’s position at COP18.

Over 300 young Canadians came together on November 14 to exchange ideas, debate alternatives and ultimately, to create the National Virtual Town Hall: COPU18 document. It is the culmination of over a month of online collaboration, 2,500 hours of student work, 200 hours of teacher facilitation, and a passion in Canada’s youth to engage in the international debate and have their voices heard.

For more information on COY8, visit: https://www.facebook.com/COY8Doha.

In addition, the National Virtual Town Hall: COPU18 document was shared with a Parliamentary Panel in Ottawa on November 21. Derek, and his teacher Aaron Dublenko, joined the Parliamentary Panel via Skype from the Edmonton International Airport.

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Global Dignity Day: Queen Elizabeth hosts video conference on bullying

October 17, 2012

Classrooms around the world will once again be participating in Global Dignity Day.  The goal of Global Dignity Day is to start students on their journey of enhancing the ability to empathize with others and to instill the recognition that every life has equal value. This year’s event will focus on a topical issue – bullying.

Last year, over 3,400 students in 22 schools across Canada joined together to honour the value of each individual. This year’s Global Dignity Day will see over 8,000 students from 41 schools participating in discussions centered around bullying.                       

As a special event, eight schools from B.C. to Nova Scotia, have organized school-wide events that include an inspirational speaker, facilitated learning activities within classrooms and a follow-up dialogue where students will come together to share their personal dignity stories.

These eight schools (over 1,000 students) will participate via live video conference hosted by Queen Elizabeth School. Justin Trudeau, Ryan Hreljac, the founder of Ryan’s Well and Curtis Konek, a youth role model in Arviat, Nunavut, will also participate in the discussion.

Established in 2005 by, among others, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Global Dignity Day aims to realize the universal right of every human being to lead a dignified life. For more information, visit: http://www.globaldignity.ca.

 

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