Creativity

There was an interesting story about Google on the Sunday CBS Morning show this past weekend. The correspondents interviewed the key graphic artists responsible for the artistic interpretations of their company logo.

If you haven't already noticed, Google's world recognized logo is constantly changed to reflect the importance of a day, person, place or thing. The leading web search engine company also holds world-wide contests in this regard.

A panel of artists changes the appearance of their company's logo to reflect the cultures of countries around the world. For example, the visual appearance of the Google logo would be different in Canada, Russia, China, Israel and so forth on a daily basis.

Changing the appearance of a company's logo is taboo in business circles. Your company logo should precisely represent what image and/or product or service the company is marketing. Manipulating the look of the logo would diminish its effectiveness in brand awareness.

Google has torn down this conventional wisdom and has only added tremendous value to its brand by piquing the interest of its customers around the world who look forward to seeing what image it will represent on a daily basis.

It is this type of ingenuity and thinking outside of the box that goes unheralded in our classrooms and co-curricular activities.

The 2010 Halton Youth Awards for Environmental Excellence were given to students in environmental clubs and programs that have raised awareness of environmental issues in their community on April 20th.

Club Green at CtK received an award recognizing its efforts in biodiversity. Led by Ms. Typer, one of our school's many outstanding educators, Club Green has been implementing creative environmentally friendly initiatives in our Catholic Learning Community for the last three years. These efforts have catapulted our school to two Certified Silver Ecoschool standings and our first Gold certification for 2009. CtK is the only Gold Certified secondary school in the Halton Catholic District School Board.

In addition, the 2010 Halton Environmental Scholarship Awards were given to five students, once of which was Emily Dimytosh, a recent graduate of CtK. She was recognized as the founder of Practically Green Solutions, a company that helps small-businesses make the switch to an environmentally friendly workplace.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments

Cold Souls

My wife and I rented the movie "Cold Souls" over the weekend. We found it in the "Critic's Picks" section of Blockbuster.

It involved actor Paul Giamatti...playing himself....disembodying his soul to a company that specializes in this process...."The Soul Storage Company." While the movie turned out to be very entertaining, it was the first conversation between Mr. Fintstein (CEO) and Mr. Giamatti that caught my attention.

In motivating Giamatti to go through with this procedure, Fintstein cited an anecdote regarding the training of baby elephants. He stated that they are put on a short leash that is tied to a wooden peg in the ground. It trains them to not stray far as the wooden peg would stop them in their tracks. This effect is so profound that when they reach adulthood and could easily yank the peg out of the ground, they have been conditioned to think that it is an impossible task and therefore never test it.

Fintstein offers that humans never question their self-imposed limitations and the soul can end up being the wooden peg.

As educators, we strive to motivate and encourage our students to "move" their own wooden pegs to opportunities and pathways that not only enrich their lives but the lives of others.

What are you doing to "move" your wooden peg?

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Cycling Club Exploits

I went cycling this Sunday with a Cycling Club for the first time this year. Prior to this, the bulk of my cycling over the years has been solitary or with a friend. Life is busy and as a novice triathlete I thought that in joining this club that it would motivate me to put more kilometres on my legs than in years past.

So off we went on what would have been a 120 km journey with some hard core cyclists. I met another new member to the club as we were rolling along at speeds between 36 and 40 km an hour. This gentleman was putting in a strong effort and I wondered if he would be able to maintain such a pace once we hit the long incline from south Burlington into Dundas and then up Sydenham Hill....not once but twice!!

Well it became apparent 30 km in that he could barely keep up on modest hill inclines and was dropping back rapidly. I was pushing hard keeping up and was near the back of the pack happy to still be with the peloton. I looked back and this gentleman was not even in sight. It was at this point that I made a decision using a simple cost/benefit analysis. I came ill prepared with one bottle of electrolytes while my peers had three or four. Also, I was pushing hard and last but not least I was concerned about the rider who was nowhere to be seen.

I stopped and waited as the peloton sped away.

The gentleman was grateful that I waited as I lead him up to the top of Snake Road while he got his bearings back. We ended up putting in about 76 km together and I was resolute in my decision to stay and help.

As I reflect, this is what we do as educators on a daily basis. We stay and help. We bring students along at their pace and in accordance with their needs.

In the end, we do this as a Catholic Learning Community to build resilient, caring and productive members of our society.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test

April 8th, 2010 is a very important day for Grade 10 students across the province of Ontario. They will write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) on this day.

This standardized test is one of two such assessments that students write during their tenure in secondary school. The other test is the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment. The difference between the two is that students must pass the OSSLT in order to graduate or achieve the literacy requirement by passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course in Grade 12 if they fail the test twice.

What is your opinion on standardized tests? Can we fairly and equitably compare literacy scores or math scores for that matter of our students across the province? Detractors would cite that there are too many variables at play like demographics and socio-economics that skew results.

The Halton Catholic District School Board has been either first or second overall in the province of Ontario on the OSSLT. That is quite an accomplishment. Detractors would allude to the fact that our board is also geographically situated in one of the most affluent areas in Ontario.

While this is a generalization, one can't deny the correlation. However, I happen to think that our outstanding results are mainly due to our board's commitment to literacy across the curriculum.

I would like to invite you to take a look at our school improvement plan on our website. It will become obvious that CtK has a very intensive literacy strategy that involves literacy checklists, literacy IEPs, graphic novels, assessments with embedded literacy prompts, a Grade 9 and 10 English program that is modelled after the OSSLT, after school literacy preparation, literacy computer modules, mock literacy tests and so on. It is important to note that our data on student achievement drives the creation of our instructional and assessment strategies. As with anything that we do at CtK, it revolves around meeting the needs of our students to the best of our abilities.

We are blessed with an excellent teaching staff that embraces change and leads by example in many instances. Their dedication to our Catholic Learning Community has yielded excellent results in all of our data indicators including the OSSLT especially over the last three years.

I pray and hope that this contingent of students will be successful this Thursday. It is a stressful time for them.

I have had many discussions with my colleagues over the dedication that all of our schools have with respect to literacy and numeracy. Are we dedicated because it is the right thing to do? Is it the pressure that arises from the province comparing schools and boards that drives us?

Looking forward to hearing your opinion. Thanks for reading.

Restorative Justice Practices

Over the next three days, Ms. MacDonald, Mr. Harris, Mrs. Halycz, Mrs. Agro-DeRosa (Vice-Principal at Bishop Reding), Ms. Stevenson (Religion Consultant) and yours truly will become internationally certified in Restorative Justice Practices by the International Institute for Restorative Practices.

Restorative Practices stem from the discontent among the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It reflects their tradition that the individual’s family and community should be directly involved in any response to wrongdoing and conflict, a practice typical of most aboriginal or indigenous people.

Restorative Practices has the potential to transform our Catholic Learning Community. This progressive discipline and safe schools strategy employs a talk-it-out approach to foster dialogue between aggrieved students rather than meting out punishments. Students are taught basic social skills to problem-solve and lower the tension in school. One premise of the strategy is that kids feel safe when there is cooperation instead of hostility; another is that kids who feel values and connected at school are less likely to act out. Several boards around the province are investing in restorative practices programs to build a healthy school climate in hopes of fending off violence and improving academic performance.

Restorative Practices places responsibility on the students themselves rather than relying on zero tolerance and authoritarian control. It uses a collaborative response to wrongdoing which is intended to be supportive, gospel values based and not demeaning.

How it works

When a discipline problem arises, all the parties assemble in a circle. They present their sides and work to resolve the issue and restore their relationships. The emphasis is on repairing the harm rather than punishing the offender—although accountability is part of the process.

The facilitator brings participants together and creates a safe and supportive environment. The process is focused and records the decisions of the group. The facilitator does not make or influence the decisions but simply guides the process.

The script is at the heart of the circle or a conference if the situation is at the end of the Restorative Practices Continuum. It is a simple, reliable tool which allows a facilitator to run a circle/conference successfully without extensive mediation or counseling training. The script prescribes a series of open ended questions which encourage people to respond “affectively” (re: how they were affected by the issue).

Participants exchange ideas, develop a plan to address the conflict or wrongdoing, and repair the harm that resulted. In the event of a conference, a contract will be drawn up by the facilitator with feedback from all participants. The contract will usually dictate how the parties will interact in the future and the consequences if these parameters are breached.

At the core of restorative practices is the belief that people will make positive changes when those in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them. Students accept decisions more readily if they have input.

While punishment may spur a temporary change, a more lasting solution is to help kids see how their actions impact others and how they can learn to control negative impulses. When students hear a person was frightened or hurt, they gain some empathy and they are more dramatically affected than by punishment.

Focus on Faith

Restorative Practices will dovetail into our Focus on Faith Theme (Hear the Word of the Lord, Learn to do Good, Seek Justice). Specifically, the collaboration and sharing of emotions and interests speaks to maintaining the dignity of the individual, image and likeness of God, and the sense of community as a support. In addition, Restorative Justice Practices speak to our Catholic Graduate Expectations which are part of our students daily curriculum.

Restorative Practices has students recognize that there is more grace in our world than sin and that hope is essential in facing all challenges. This is fostered by separating the deed from the doer, disapproving of inappropriate behaviour and acknowledges the intrinsic worth of the individual.

Restorative Practices makes students accountable for their own actions but allows them to seek and receive forgiveness.

Next Steps

Our team will prepare a training presentation for the Georgetown Family of Schools as a pilot. The goal is to train the Elementary Administrators and Department Heads who will in turn be authorized to train their staff in Restorative Practices.

Our team will train the entire board based on a strategic plan that will be endorsed by the trustees, and senior administration for the 2010-2011 school year.

Please feel free to comment on this or the preceeding blogs by clicking the word "comments" directly below each blog. Thanks for reading!

Nexus to the School in Bluefield, West Virginia

The umbrella for school behaviour includes matters which fall under the category of "nexus." Nexus means relevant. The student's behaviour off of school property and/or outside the school day may have a relevant and related impact on the safety and well-being of the school community.

The concept of "nexus to the school" is outlined in our school code of conduct, the HCDSB's code of conduct and in the Education Act.

There have been many instances at CtK where we have suspended students for conduct that is injurious to the moral tone of the school that took place off of school property. Possession or use of drugs, alcohol, physical altercations and general misbehaviour are common examples.

We have espoused at CtK that one of the highest expectations of our students is their conduct in the community as it will always be construed as a reflection of the school. Students need to know that our staff is held to the same expectations and do a wonderful job upholding such a standard.

Why am I blogging about nexus? Why am I focusing on our behaviour as a Catholic Learning Community off of school property? Why is it important?

I hope you had an enjoyable time with family and friends over the March Break? Our family went to Hilton Head, South Carolina.

We were on our way back home Saturday, March 20th and made one of our frequent stops with a van full of kids at a Wendy's Restaurant in Bluefield, West Virginia.

We were just settling down to eat a "nutritional" meal when a young man came up to me and said.."Hi Mr. DeSantis." I must have been startled as the young man went on to explain that he is a Grade 9 student at CtK. I could not believe the odds of bumping into one of my students in of all places Bluefield, West Virginia! It turned out that this young man and his family were coming back from Florida! I wished he and his family a safe trip home as they left the restaurant and we began to eat.

Hence....the onus of being a good citizen wherever you are came to mind as I was eating some sort of Grill Chicken wrap. You never know who you are going to meet, what people will perceive or what impression you make when others observe your behaviour whether you are in school or on vacation.

The best way to represent your family and our school is to try your best to simply be polite, respectful and considerate as a standard way of life. You never know who will be watching! Note to self...I do get around....ask the young man in Grade 9!

Please feel free to comment on this or the preceding blogs by clicking the word "comments" directly below each blog. Thanks for reading!

Dreams Versus Drugs

A trusted colleague of mine recently sent me this quote by John Holt:

Fish swim, birds fly; man thinks and learns. Therefore, we do not need to ‘motivate’ children into learning, by wheedling, bribing, or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom; give children as much help and guidance as they need and ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest.

As a parent, as a student, as a educator....do you agree with the above position?

We work hard to create the culture that we put in place at CtK. We strive to embrace student success and excellence. We aim to "…bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom."Yet I do struggle with "we can trust them to do the rest?"

We have suspended an inordinate number of students in the last few months for possession of marijuana and/or drug paraphernalia. This is of great concern to both the administration and our staff.

We try and do the right thing and ensure that the student continues a semblance of his/her studies at home or at the Suspended/Expelled Students Program. In addition, we arrange for drug counselling through ADAPT and ensure that there is contact with a social worker and/or child youth counselor during this process.

This is a major reason that I struggle with the "trust" issue for our students? What is happening to our students at school? What is happening to our students when they go for lunch? What is happening when they go home? Where do they go on the weekends? How are they getting access to these drugs? Most importantly, why are they doing drugs?

We all have logical responses to the above questions with varying degrees of veracity. Where does "trust" play a role in the equation of accountability and responsibility in our youth?

We had Keith Hawkins with us recently. He has been to our school several times now as a motivational speaker. His most recent topic was coined:

Dreams versus Drugs

He stated that every kid knows not to do drugs. “The message has to be something bigger than drugs…something that burns deep inside a young person’s heart…like a dream!” He cited that "When a young person is involved in activities or finds something they really like, it makes them happy, it gives them self-worth. When a student sees and feels that type of value, they’re not going to let drugs or alcohol get in their way.

"His focus on "The Power of the Dream" seemed to resonate with our student population. They were very attentive and participative throughout his presentation. Our students were very engaged.

We continue to allocate as many resources to our Catholic Learning Community to help our students reach their dreams.

I pray and hope that the partnership between home, school and church will support our students as we "trust them to do the rest."