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In the sixth form (years 12 & 13 in new money) that I went to there was a general studies [GS] programme with an exam at the end. This was run by the Northern Universities Joint Matriculation Board (JMB) – now long subsumed within AQA. I got a middle of the road pass. In truth I cannot recall – some 60 years on – very much about it, but do remember an art & design teacher arguing that the most important part of a chisel was its handle. I thought that this was obvious nonsense at the time, but now (with experience of chisels) recognise the fundamental truth of the statement. I can't remember doing much about current affairs in the programme or exploring the great issues of the day: Profumo, the Cuban missile crisis, the first Labour government (promising the white heat of technology) for 13 years, satire, mods and rockers, Jackie, Top of the Pops, the great train robbery, Radio Caroline, Seven up!, TWTWTW, A Hard day's Night, death penalty abolished, the Krays arrested, Pennine Way opens, etc, etc ... . In trust, apart from that chisel, I can't recall much about it at all, except that it provided a rare space in which those studying science like me met up with those focused on humanities in what was a very segregated year group. What I do know is that if I now taught in a school or college that catered for 16 to 19 year olds, I'd (re)introduce GS but without the carrot or stick of an exam. I'd use it as a vehicle for exploring the issues of the day that mattered to students. xxx xxx xxx

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Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) ECEAP and Head Start provide an intensive combination of education, health and nutrition screening and assistance, parent involvement and family support. Three- and four-year-olds attend high-quality pre-school classes, are screened and immunize for possible health problems that could hinder learning. Family needs are assessed so that families can be referred to community resources, and adults are provided with training to improve their parenting, leadership, and self-sufficiency skills. Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP 345 118th Ave SE, Suite 110 , Bellevue, WA 98005

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This is the second in the series of mini self introductions to practice writing and presenting. These are designed to prepare the students for the final big presentation at the end of the year. "My name is.... I like/don't like... I can/can't... I have...."

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Search results for: Well being Page 1/2 14 items Displaced academics: intended and unintended consequences of the changing landscape of teacher education Given the intense politicisation of education, many teacher educators are caught in the cross-hairs of government’s reform agendas, university expectations and student teacher needs. This paper reports on a study of 28 literacy teacher educators in four countries (Canada, US, Australia and England). This paper reports on the broad question: How is politics affecting literacy teacher educators? Three specific aspects are considered: their pedagogies, identity and well-being. It describes how their pedagogy (goals and teaching strategies) has narrowed because of mandated curriculum and exit exams. It shows how their identity as academics is being complicated because they often do not have time for their research. And their well-being is compromised because of excessive external inspections and as their community in the university splinters. Updated: Jul. 11, 2022 Compared to their more experienced colleagues, novice teachers are more likely to experience burn-out and leave the profession. They are also more likely to be assigned out-of-field. This paper shines a light on the emotional and cognitive nature of what is involved for these teachers as they learn to teach out-of-field. Fortune lines technique was used by four novice secondary teachers to reflect on how their perceived capacity and enjoyment changed in their out-of-field and in-field teaching practice, and the influences that caused those changes. Analysis showed that teachers experienced more growth in capacity and enjoyment in their out-of-field contexts compared to in-field, but that their experience of learning was more disrupted. Twelve interconnected categories of influence were identified, but teachers’ unique experiences show that tailored support should be informed by an understanding of what factors corrode and enhance each teacher’s perceived capacity and enjoyment. Updated: May. 23, 2022 Being a student, becoming a teacher: The wellbeing of pre-service language teachers in Austria and the UK This paper reports on a study designed to investigate the wellbeing of 14 pre-service language teachers from Austria and the UK. Data were generated through in-depth semi-structured interviews which were analysed following principles of Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006). The data were compared across the two settings and the analysis revealed a number of individual but also systemic ecological factors that play a role in the pre-service teachers’ wellbeing. These factors include time management, work-life balance, relationships, finding purpose and meaning, the structure of study programs, as well as the status of teaching and the specific language in each respective society. Updated: Feb. 08, 2022 Preservice Teacher Burnout: Secondary Trauma and Self-Care Issues in Teacher Education Provided to Pre-Service Teachers This study examines preservice teacher coursework and interview data related to encountering student trauma, secondary trauma, and the role of self-care during clinical placement experiences. A thematic analysis of the data led to the identification of four main themes: the power of student stories, recognition of the many forms of trauma, preservice teacher burnout, and barriers to integrating self-care. Additionally, the authors’ analysis revealed the ways in which preservice teachers experienced secondary trauma as a consequence of forming relationships with students and listening to their stories. Some of the effects of this secondary trauma were mitigated by engaging in self-care, but those preservice teachers who felt they failed at supporting their personal wellness experienced burnout. More troubling, only one preservice teacher recognized self-care’s connection to trauma-informed teaching. The authors’ findings reveal the importance of infusing content on trauma, secondary trauma, and self-care in teacher education coursework and the need to provide professional development on trauma-informed teaching for clinical placement school sites. Updated: Nov. 07, 2021 Four reasons for becoming a teacher educator: A large-scale study on teacher educators’ motives and well-being The authors developed a new survey instrument to investigate teacher educators’ motives for entering the profession and examined the associations between motives and job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion in both teachers and teacher educators. Using data from 145 teacher educators instructing in-service teachers, they identified four motives: career aspirations, social contribution, escaping routines, and coincidence. While escaping routines represents a ‘push’ factor associated with emotional exhaustion in teachers, career aspirations represent a ‘pull’ factor associated with job satisfaction in teacher educators. The instrument can be used as a self-assessment tool for the recruitment of teacher educators. Updated: Oct. 20, 2021 Identifying primary and secondary stressors, buffers, and supports that impact ECE teacher wellbeing: implications for teacher education Stress has been shown to negatively impact early childhood teachers’ abilities to provide high quality, responsive environments for young children. Previous studies of early childhood teacher stress have focused on the tasks and responsibilities inherent in the job as well as on structural conditions within the field of early childhood education. The present study explored inter- and intra-personal dimensions of early childhood teacher stress and applied the Stress Process model to teachers’ experience of work-related stress. Results from this qualitative study suggest that teachers experience primary stressors associated with the work itself and interactions with others within the workplace. They also experience secondary stressors when their work interferes with other domains of their lives. Despite these stressors, teachers have developed a variety of coping strategies and created networks of social support to buffer the impact of stressors on their practice. These findings use teachers’ own experiences to inform the types of pre-service training, professional development, and policy interventions that have the greatest potential to reduce ECE teacher stress and enable them to provide the highest quality early care and education for all children. Updated: Sep. 24, 2021 The significance of mentor–mentee relationship quality for student teachers' well-being and flourishing during practical field experiences: a longitudinal analysis To support student teachers' well-being and ensure that they flourish during teacher education, it is necessary to examine the relationship between student teachers and their mentors during field experiences. Previous research has identified a connection between the quality of the mentor–mentee relationship and facets of student teachers' well-being. However, to date, this link has been insufficiently corroborated using longitudinal empirical data. This study aims to investigate the impact of mentor–mentee relationship quality on the well-being and flourishing of student teachers. A cross-lagged panel design with two intervals (six weeks apart) was applied during a 15-week field experience with a sample of 125 German student teachers. Well-being and flourishing were captured using the positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement (PERMA) framework. Relationship quality was assessed by adapting a questionnaire from the field of mentoring in medicine. The study found that relationship quality at the outset significantly predicted all five PERMA dimensions at the end of the assessment period. The impact of relationship quality was especially strong on the dimensions of relationships (R) and meaning (M). Conversely, the PERMA dimensions (except achievement) did not significantly impact relationship quality. Updated: Jul. 14, 2021 Educate – mentor – nurture: improving the transition from initial teacher education to qualified teacher status and beyond This study investigated the wellbeing of early career teachers in England and Australia to examine how best to provide early career support as a foundation for professional growth and longer-term retention. Survey responses from 67 newly qualified teachers in England and Australia, and five semi-structured interviews, provided rich insights into new teachers’ experiences, highlighting the overwhelming nature of the transition experience as new teachers struggled to adjust as they moved from the relative safety of the initial teacher education context to the reality of work in schools, in particular managing considerable workload which continued beyond the initial transition phase. Vital to successful transition were ongoing linkages between initial teacher education providers and employing schools, a supportive community of practice and bespoke mentoring. This has important policy implications, emphasising the need for personalised approaches to transition with high-quality mentoring during the first few years in the profession. An ‘educate – mentor – nurture’ model is proposed, to enable smoother and more supportive transitions, leading to professional growth and wellbeing. Updated: May. 20, 2021 This study aimed at understanding teacher emotions through interviewing 25 and surveying 1,492 primary teachers in China using a mixed method. Content analysis was employed to analyse the data using the five nested ecological systems – microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macro-system, and chronosystem. Statistical techniques such as mean score, Multivariate analysis of variance, Univariate analysis, and effect size were used to deal with the quantitative data. Qualitative results show that 25 teachers described 65 emotions including 33 positive and 32 negative emotions. The number of emotions that teachers reported decreased as the distance from the teachers increased. The quantitative survey comprised 14 positive and 17 negative emotion items. Given the powerful role that emotions and relationships play in education, the discussion was made with regard to classroom management, emotional display rules, and teacher vulnerability. The implications for teacher development and well-being were provided accordingly. Updated: May. 11, 2021 Promoting Well-being and Preventing Burnout in Teacher Education: A Pilot Study of a Mindfulness-Based Programme for Pre-service Teachers in Hong Kong The aim of this study was to examine the possible effects of a six-week mindfulness programme for student teachers, and the feasibility of implementing the programme in a local community. The results indicate that most students experienced poor well-being and mild anxiety. However, the six-week mindfulness programme significantly increased the mindfulness and well-being of the intervention group. Furthermore, the depression, anxiety and stress scores of the intervention group dropped while those of the control group increased after the six-week mindfulness programme, suggesting that the changes may have been a result of mindfulness training. Updated: May. 24, 2017

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Why Peer Coaches?Peer coaches make supportive connections happen! Photo credit: Yan Krukov – Pexels Why Peer Coaches? Peer coaches are accessible and available in and out of school, every day of the week. They cost little to train and they serve for free. Study data suggest that adolescent peers can be as effective, or even more effective than adults in shaping peers’ thinking and behavior about issues related to health and wellness. Three key factors help explain why peer education and coaching works to influence adolescents. Adolescents are capable of positively influencing peer’s behavior through formal interventions. A meta‐analysis of studies comparing peer-led to adult-led interventions to reduce risky or unhealthy behavior provide evidence that adolescents participating in peer-led interventions engaged in fewer risky behaviors than interventions led by adults. Peer-led interventions can help youth improve social competencies. Peer-led educational interventions can boost adolescents’ social and cognitive skills, problem-solving, decision-making, coping, and increase their self-control and self-esteem. Adolescents in peer-led groups report that they feel greater satisfaction and enjoyment, and perceive greater practical value in the programs due to social influences. Adolescents may be more receptive to non-cognitive learning when that learning is directed by peers. Adolescents may discount adult-led programs on health and wellness as lectures because they perceive the programming as just more adults lecturing and telling them what to do. In studies that taught adolescents to manage chronic diseases, peer leaders were perceived as more accepting, credible, and warm. Participants considered peer-led interventions as more fun and engaging. Effects of Peer-led interventions: ↓ Reduced adolescent use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. 1 ↑ May be more effective and result in greater positive changes in health behavior than adult-led interventions, particularly when the intervention addresses social factors. 2 ↑ Provide greater satisfaction, enjoyment, and perception that the program is useful than adult-led programs. 3 ↑ Yield reciprocal benefits because both students and peer coaches report a benefit from participating in coaching activities. 4 1Addiction. 2016; 111(3):391-407. 2Health Educ Res. 2000 Oct; 15(5):533-45. 3Respiratory care. 2012;57(12): 2082-2089. 4IWE, unpublished data. 2017.

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When Mukund Karwe, distinguished professor and dean of international programs first arrived on the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus as a graduate student in 1981, he was struck by how sparsely populated the campus and the surrounding areas were and was even more shocked when his international student adviser said that New Jersey was one of the most densely populated states. “Looking back,” reflected Karwe, “that should not have been surprising for someone like me coming from Mumbai, where if someone steps on your toes in a crowded train packed with people like sardines in a can, you should not be expecting an apology; you just have to move on.” Mike Green, director of SEBS Office of Communications & Marketing, had quite the opposite experience when he arrived for graduate studies at Rutgers-Newark in 1989 from Adelaide, South Australia, “Like most international students,” said Green, “there was a substantial culture shock especially in relation to the density of housing and in general just the sheer volume of people.” Whether it’s culture shock at the surroundings, how laid back and informal American culture is, the embarrassing but ultimately funny moments of language faux pas, or the anxiety of encountering cars driving on the “wrong” side of the road, the experience of landing in a new country is universal—and at the same time unique—to those who study and work abroad. International Education Week (IEW) 2020 is being celebrated November 16 – 20. It is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, which provides an opportunity to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences. This celebration highlights the benefits of international education through the stories and experiences of alumni and institutions who participated in international exchange programs. In recognition of IEW, the SEBS Office of International Programs (OIP) is sharing stories of faculty and staff members when they first arrived in the U.S. “Although these stories are about coming to the U.S. for the first time, I am sure we all have similar experiences that we can relate to, whether that is studying abroad, starting a new job, moving to New Jersey to attend Rutgers, or something else,” said Hyunjin Yeo, program coordinator, OIP. Yeo–whose first visit to the U.S. was in 2004 when she participated in the International Children’s Festival at Wolf Trap National Park in Virginia as a performer from South Korea—made the commitment to come back and live in the U.S. one day. She returned in 2008 for a year of study at Baldwin-Wallace University in Ohio, and after returning to Korea to finish her undergraduate degree, she again returned to pursue her graduate studies in ethnomusicology, receiving her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. “The experience I had at Wolf Trap and the eight years I spent in the U.S. as an international student are why I firmly believe in the importance of international education,” said Yeo. “It can be overwhelming and even scary at the beginning, but after all it presents us an eye-opening experience and broadens our perspectives.” Yeo’s favorite quote by Saint Augustine is ‘the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.’ “It does not mean that you have to travel internationally. Look around, you might find something unexpected in your backyard,” said Yeo. Megan Francis, assistant dean of international programs, OIP, commented, “International Education Week is an opportunity for us to come together as a university and celebrate our global engagement. During these unprecedented times, with borders closed and tensions running high, it is more important than ever to remember our Jersey Roots and Global Reach. New Jersey is inherently a global community, a fact that is all the more evident at Rutgers. We celebrate the diversity of thought and innovation that is a natural outcome of internationalization.” The theme for IEW 2020 is “engage, resilient, and global,” which reflects the challenges due to the COVID-19 health pandemic we’re experiencing as a global community. “Today we focus on resiliency while celebrating the stories of our Rutgers global community,” said Francis. “Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. It is easy to associate this concept with the current global pandemic – if we are not resilient, then what are we? And yet, resiliency is a daily ritual for any international traveler. Leaving home is never easy but leaving home to travel to a new country and engage in a new culture takes a different kind of grit. It is with this in mind that we share stories from our staff and faculty. Their stories are part of what makes Rutgers and SEBS an engaged, resilient, and global community.” “Although COVID-19 completely reshaped what I envisioned for this year’s IEW, what has not changed is our commitment to promoting international education on our campus,” added Yeo. “As this year’s theme goes, we will stay engaged and resilient!” Some additional resources and information can be found at Rutgers Global. International Education Week has been celebrated for one week in November since the year 2000. The week usually coincides with the release of the IIE Open Doors report, which is a national survey of university international engagement through student mobility. This survey covers international student data (where students are from, what they study, how much money they bring into the US) and study abroad data (where students are going, what they are studying, etc.).

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Accrington and Rossendale College leading the way – with liquid nitrogen! Accrington and Rossendale College are leading the way in the North West. On Tuesday 24th April, BSc Sports Science and Coaching students visited the first and only cryotherapy clinic in the UK – Cryo Express. Now in their second year, the students visited the company to gain knowledge and understanding about the futuristic technology of cryotherapy: the use of sub-zero liquid nitrogen for sports, cosmetic and health reasons. The students were accompanied by Programme Leader of Sports Science and Coaching, Gareth Henry. He said: “It was really important for us to get the students in to a place like this. Even if you take away the educational side of the visit, it enriches them. It puts them in good stead. They are the first students in the North West, likely the UK actually, to get up close and personal with this form of therapy and the equipment. There are many unique opportunities presented to students by the college.” Accrington and Rossendale College organised the trip in the hopes some of the students would choose to focus on cryotherapy in their upcoming research projects. “Cryotherapy being the subject matter in research projects this year would be great,” Gareth added, “not only will it be something a little different to those done in previous years, but with the calibre of the company it’s likely students would be working with elite athletes – giving them an amazing insight in to what they could be doing upon completing their degree.” Nargis Malik and Debs Masson, joint partners and directors of Cryo Express, were enthused to have students at the company for the afternoon. “The end goal really is to have a module about cryotherapy embedded in the programme taught at Accrington and Rossendale College. It was absolutely fantastic to have them in today, both Nargis and I really enjoyed it! We look forward to hopefully having them come back.” Four of the students were able to experience a three minute session in the cryotherapy capsule. For the duration of the session they were treated with liquid nitrogen at a chilly -160°c. Student, Declan West, said about his experience: “I was quite nervous before going in but it wasn’t too bad once in the machine. It wasn’t uncomfortable or painful, just really cold! I really enjoyed visiting Cryo Express and learning about this therapy. Accrington and Rossendale College have opened up a lot of doors for me and enabled me to experience many things that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.” For more information about Cryo Express visit www.cryoexpressltd.com

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PTSA Video Library Project These past si x months have been challenging in many ways and we feel that a video library will help our families relieve the stresses that come along with the Covid-19 situation. The school administration and the PTSA would like to invite families to help us create a video library for our school website. Our goal is to inspire, educate and enlighten the Ma'ema'e community and families during these difficult times. We encourage families to send in a one minute video of advice, tips, experiences and/or inspirational stories in one of the following categories: Physical Health (i.e. how you stay healthy by doing physical activities by yourself or with your family, nutrition, sleep, etc) Social and Emotional Health (i.e. meditation, humorous experiences, showing compassion and kindness, how you stay connected with your friends and family, new hobbies or activities that help promote good mental health) Any other positive experiences and inspiration that can help our community and families SUBMIT VIDEOS using this link: We will also accept photos in the following categories: Family outings and activities Families and their pets SUBMIT PHOTOS using this link: Videos and photos submitted will not be edited. By submitting a video or photo, you are allowing the school and PTSA to post it on the school website and/or the PTSA Facebook page. Deadline for submission is Friday, December 11, 2020. We look forward to seeing your entries.

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Visual aids can be a very useful part of a business presentation – but not if you just stick to boring PowerPoint slides. There are only three reasons for using visual aids: 1) to make a point crystal clear to your audience 2) to make your point memorable 3) to make an impact so that your audience remembers YOU. Dorothea Stuart from Toastmasters International reviews the creative opportunities visual aids give you as a presenter and how they add value: You are a visual aid! Remember you are one of your visual aids! Your overall style of delivery, including your clothes, has visual impact. If you’re talking about your organisation going through culture change how will you behave and dress? Is your image in conflict with the new, vibrant, fast-paced culture you are describing? For maximum impact your visual appearance needs to be in synch with your message. Visual aids for emotional connection We remember best when we are emotionally connected to the subject. Even in informative business presentations we need emotional engagement. For example, start with: “We’re here to discuss a subject of vital importance to you.” The creative use of props can evoke a strong emotional response. Imagine you’re fundraising for a charity for premature babies. What’s likely to happen when, after some well-chosen words, you pause and hold up a tiny suit of baby clothes? Visual aids create iconic moments At an event with many presentations the audience can’t remember everything. Carefully picked, impactful visual aids will make you and your presentation stand out. There are famous examples of iconic aids: Steve Job with the MacBook Air in an envelope, Bill Gates talking about malaria, releasing mosquitos into the audience. I recall a formally dressed Scandinavian colleague suddenly putting on Smurf-blue Viking hat with horns. Once seen, never forgotten! Pictures and graphics pack a punch Pictures can make a point powerfully. If you’re talking about in-store merchandising, showing your sales force photographs of the good, bad and ugly will be more efficient and effective than elaborate verbal descriptions. Graphics can be distracting if they are too complex. For example, if you are describing a year of sales growth do you need the horizontal and vertical marks for every 100k? A dramatic upward sweeping arrow might be more powerful. Some members of your audience may need the detail – therefore follow-up with hand-outs if necessary. Show senior executives the product In large organisations it is easy to get distanced from reality. I recall a meeting with a board of directors who resisted increasing a development budget. It was only when they tried using the prototype product during the presentation that they fully appreciated the problem which the focus groups had highlighted. Stories and metaphors – the invisible visuals! A well told story or metaphor will create the visuals in your audience’s heads. Your story should paint a scene that people can relate to but be broadly described. That way they can fill in detail themselves. For example, if you’re talking about stress reduction you might contrast a relaxing Saturday on the beach with a work day. Rather than saying “imagine walking on the golden sand” say “imagine walking by the sea.” Some people like sandy beaches some like gravel beaches with rock pools. They can decide which it is. It’ll make the story meaningful and memorable for each listener. Low tech or high tech? Let’s not forget the humble flipchart – so long as everyone in the room can read it. They can be prepared in advance or used during a meeting. Just make sure your handwriting is legible. What about PowerPoint etc.? Visual aid software has many benefits. If you are clear on your message the software helps you support your key points with words, pictures and other graphics. Just remember to keep it in its place. It’s the support act not the presentation. By using visual aids appropriately they can enhance a presentation and make it memorable – for all the right reasons. But don’t fall into the trap of cluttering a presentation with unnecessary visuals – that could do more harm than good.

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Public speaking is rarely easy. Whether you’re inexperienced, talking to a large group of people or are presenting to high-profile executives, there are a number of factors that may have you especially nervous when public speaking. Many speakers tend to become introverted in these circumstances and read mechanically from a prepared script and slideshow. Here are five top tips for turning your run-of-the-mill presentations into public speaking masterpieces. Audiences love stories, so using a specific example to outline the concept or theory you are trying to explain will go a long way in keeping the audience interested. Whether it’s funny, tragic or inspirational, you should be able to evoke an emotional response, which can turn even the driest of subjects into a water cooler discussion point. Finding it tough to come up with your own examples? Seasoned speakers often ask the audience if they have examples – this not only takes the pressure off you, it can provoke debate. If you are covering a complex topic or a subject that is necessary but perhaps a bit dull, then try to liven it up with a demonstration. Bring your own props, act out parts of the speech physically or even bring someone onto the stage to help you. Getting the audience involved in this way prevents them from being bored and makes them feel a part of the presentation, even if they’re the lucky ones that escape your attention! Any public speaker worth their salt will know their way around a PowerPoint presentation. However, the difference between a vivid and exciting slideshow and something that sends the audience to sleep is a skill that not every speaker has mastered. Let’s face it, many people claim that former US vice-president Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize for his slideshow on global warming! When putting images in your slideshow, make sure they are high-quality, relevant to the issue and add something to the concept that you are discussing. Ask questions, but avoid answering them! Asking lots of questions during your presentation forces the audience to think, not least because they might be worried you are going to pick on someone to answer. These can be rhetorical or actual questions, inviting people to pitch in and offer ideas and solutions to encourage debate among attendees. Make sure you are knowledgeable on the subject so that you can highlight any inconsistencies in answers given or add extra value to audience contributions. However, you should try to avoid answering questions where you can. These can disrupt your presentation and take you off on a tangent, particularly if the audience member is trying to catch you out with a toughie. Either rebound the question back out into the audience to get them involved, or politely say that you are happy to answer questions … during a Q&A session in the speech. People are often hesitant to make suggestions or contribute in a group – particularly if it’s a large conference or high-profile event. It probably harkens back to being in school and being mocked for getting a teacher’s question wrong in front of everyone. As such, make sure to acknowledge and thank people who throw caution to the wind and speak up – creating an inclusive environment helps people to feel more comfortable and will no doubt encourage greater audience participation. If you’re really keen to have audience input, you can even ask them to brainstorm for the first five or so minutes of the presentation. This scenario is particularly useful when you’re speaking on a problem-solving issue. Register your interest to participate in a training course with focus on presenting to boards.

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The Department of Education (DepEd) announces through DepEd Order No. 34, s. 2022 that all classes in public elementary and high schools will resume on August 22, 2022 and shall end on July 7, 2023. Five-Day Mid-Year Break The five-day mid-year break shall be spent for the conduct of the Midyear Performance Review and Evaluation and the School-Based INSET. The first two days shall be spent in evaluating the school’s progress in the implementation of the educational programs, projects, and activities, as well as in reviewing the performance of teachers and the school staff to address concerns through cooperative effort. The last three days shall be devoted to the conduct of the school based INSET activities for the teachers’ continued professional development and the preparation of their Instructional Materials.

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Geylang Methodist School (Secondary), or GMSS, believes that strong families build strong schools, and ultimately, a strong society. At the same time, the school makes a concerted effort to partner parents and involve their own students in family education programmes as it recognises that strong families do not happen by chance. GMSS does not merely focus on the academic development of their students, they also emphasise character and values, and focus on the holistic well-being of every child. This is why they believe in their students carrying the responsibility to champion family for the next generation through Family Service Projects. The school has partnered Focus on the Family across a variety of youth and parenting programmes, such as FamChamps, Love Literate Parent-Child Workshop, and Parent-Coach Dialogues. Just recently, it also organised FamQuest, a simulated family life game for the entire Secondary 1 cohort. One of its students, Lua Rong Yi, who went through the FamChamps programme in 2018, shared that his main takeaway was realising that family relationships can actually improve with intentional effort. He said, “It helped me believe that even as a child, I have the power to change our family relationships; it doesn't always have to be the adults taking the first step. After FamChamps, I have taken the time to understand my parents and communicate with them better.” GMSS also has an active Parent Support Group, so that parents can be engaged with the school in its multi-faceted activities and programmes, as well as connected with one another. Mr Wee Tat Chuen, Principal of Geylang Methodist School (Secondary), shared his philosophy behind the school’s approach, “In the school context, discipline is key for teenagers. I try to help students see that when they are disciplined, they are able to go further, and when they are able to go further, they can become a blessing to others. As a Christian school, we are also able to encourage our students with real-life examples of how God provides strength and grace in our lives. I think this faith helps our teens as they go through their various struggles in this period of their lives.” Mrs Joanna Koh-Hoe, CEO of Focus on the Family Singapore, said, “GMSS is indeed a forerunner in building fruitful partnerships with parents for the well-being of students. I wish the school and its students well as they continue to do their part in building up strong families and communities in Singapore.” © 2019 Focus on the Family Singapore. All rights reserved.

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Markia Beckwith likes to call herself “the Jeff Bezos of educational enrichment program services.” But you could argue that she’s underselling her efforts. Markia has essentially created a marketplace for all educational and professional development enrichment services for inner-city youth, educators, communities and schools in the greater Baltimore area. She founded Natural Born Champions (NBC), a non-profit 501(c)(3), in 2012 when she was just 18. Starting with a summer camp that still thrives a decade later, she’s evolved NBC to include year-round programming. NBC’s mission is to keep kids out of the school-to-prison pipeline, and to promote pathways full of college and career opportunities. Kids get to participate in fun entrepreneurial pursuits, like community pop-up shops, where they develop business ideas and take these endeavors to another level. “I wanted to capture a space I wish I could visit as a kid before, during, and after school hours,” Markia explains. The non-profit runs programming for kids starting as young as age two, provides before and after care, has virtual learning and tutoring services, tackles transportation issues, and even provides parent and family workshops. Markia’s latest expansion project is to renovate a multipurpose community center into a hub for extracurriculars, educational enrichment, and professional development. The center will include a computer lab, study hall, and health and wellness center, with plenty of cross curriculum options. NBC is hosting a local fundraiser in August, The NBC Block Party Takeover, to raise money for renovations. Learn more about Markia’s journey to entrepreneurship, how she’s expanding her business, and why she says Natural Born Champions has changed her own life for the better at the Weekly Campfire.

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Our Civic Engagement Call2Action! Programs teach participants how to use collaborative problem-solving to address issues of public concern for service learning, community design, community organizing, and community building for an inclusive and deliberative democracy. Civic Engagement Fellowship The Civic Engagement Fellowship was an academic and paraprofessional fellowship for undergraduate and graduate students interested in education, non-profit management, public policy, applied anthropology and human development wishing to advance their training through field-based learning and professional mentorship. The purpose of the Fellowship was to develop skilled, ethical and sensitive organic intellectuals of diverse backgrounds to be premier community leaders. Our fellows developed Service Learning Programs, Relational and Civic Trainings, and provided on-site program development to school-communities.

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YMCA Alternative Suspension is a dropout prevention program designed to counter these risk factors. If students reconsider their decision, they can go back to the schools and re-enroll. Want to study abroad American High School Academy can help you with a Study Abroad Programs Worldwide.Most students are referred to American High School Academy by their school districts students; however, students and family members can contact us directly to learn more or to enroll in our programs.Contact us Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Some programs are found in two-year community colleges or four-year colleges; others are found at vocational or technical schools. While, every program must incorporate 16 research-based components that include individualized and effective instruction, clear and measurable program goals and objectives, counseling and social service components, and individualized graduation plans for all students, the … Possible choices of study include travel and tourism, accounting, computers, fashion, film and photography, casinos, airline and aviation, broadcasting, horseshoeing, counseling, health care, court reporting, massage therapy, drafting and architecture, animal training, engineering, arts and design, homeland security, engine repair, property management and welding. We do not recommend or endorse any particular resource on CAP4Kids. Site developed & maintained by When necessary, participants may also receive access to housing and clothing assistance. Dropout Prevention & Alternatives Any student eligible to attend public school in the state of Ohio is eligible to attend a charter school. The university also requires submission of an ACT score for all applicants under the age of 21, or those over 20 who want to major in engineering, computer science or math. Get school news & new blog posts directly in your inbox.© 2019 American High School Academy. This evaluation of one such program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, WI finds that it helped more students earn their GED s and enroll in college courses. And, those who do drop out are more likely to draw on welfare. A wide variety of course programs are available, and many schools also offer students, particularly single parents, financial aid.Trade schools offer training in diverse fields. For example, according to an article published in the New York Times, the average high school graduate will earn 50 to 100 percent more than someone who drops out of school. And, once these students have attended to the issues that forced them to drop out, they can then move on and complete their degrees at a later time.Students who have no interest in enrolling in their old schools might benefit from taking the GED. Eligible students must live in the district and be 21 or younger but not earned enough credits to graduate.Helps kids in Columbus and Whitehall City Schools stay in school and graduate through a variety of programs including peer mentoring, tutoring, health resources, college and career readiness. Families can refer themselves or receive a referral from another agency.An alternative education program providing a structured and safe learning environment to students in need of social, emotional and behavioral interventions. The goal is to reintegrate the majority of youth back into a traditional school setting. And, it’s designed to ensure that students have learned the same things they would have picked up in completed educational program.There have been some vocal critics of the GED who claim that this certification isn’t quite as valuable as a high school diploma. The college also offers help with job placement and financial aid to those who qualify. They can easily be found by doing a search on a technical schools guide website, then entering the preferred area of study and location in the site's search engine. (See Resources. Possible choices of study include travel and tourism, accounting, computers, fashion, film and photography, casinos, airline and aviation, broadcasting, horseshoeing, counseling, health care, court reporting, massage therapy, drafting and architecture, animal training, engineering, arts and design, homeland security, engine repair, property management and welding. 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Ireland is a place where elite and prestigious schools, colleges and universities are concentrated: the state cares about the development of national education and is interested in attracting talented foreign students. The organization of education is carried out by special methods, so that students can immerse themselves in learning the profile subjects and develop in the chosen directions. The government and private institutions provide scholarships, grants and acceptable conditions to stay in the country after graduation. The advantages of studying in Ireland for foreign students - unique teaching methods; - high level of academic education; - ample opportunities for leisure and entertainment; - hospitable and friendly locals; - English is the official language here; - fidelity to British traditions; - large investments from the state in the sphere of education; - the combination of study and work is permitted by law; - the possibility of entering immediately after the school; - possibility to obtain a visa after graduation for a year; - cheaper accommodation than in the UK; - one of the safest countries in Europe; - internships during education; - practice-oriented classes. Secondary education in Irish schools for foreign students - Pre-school education children receive in specialized centers from 4 years of age by special teaching methods: kindergartens do not exist at the state level, but there is a limited number of private gardens. In the development centers, teachers provide basic knowledge of writing, reading, math and take into account all the features of teaching and educating preschool children. - In elementary school, children can be enrolled at 6 years old, they usually study there for up to 12 years. - In secondary school compulsory education is provided for 3 years - during this time students study 3 main subjects: English, Irish, mathematics. After the termination of the curriculum, students receive a Junior Certificate confirming the receipt of secondary education. For example, you can study in the middle classes on the basis of the private Irish boarding school Kings Hospital School Dublin, located in Dublin. The cost of schooling is 26,800 € for the academic year (3 terms) with accommodation and meals at the guesthouse. - Transition year - students of 14-16 years for one year of study choose the most priority subjects and disciplines. - Bacavria - after 3 years of study in the chosen direction the student receives Ordinary Bachelor Degree, after four years - Honors Bachelor Degree - The master's program assumes 2 years of study, special attention is paid to research and projects - Doctoral and postgraduate studies - from 2.5 to 6 years, depending on the specialization. The prestigious Midleton College is popular with foreign students; Despite the fact that you can enter the university right after school, students try to deepen their knowledge of basic school subjects and improve the level of English. The cost for an academic year with living in the family is 18,695 €. In high school, students spend 2 years studying additional subjects to choose from in order to prepare for university enrollment and increase their readiness for education - the program is considered an analogue of the British standard A-level or international IB. Upon graduation, students receive an Irish matriculation certificate - Leaving Certificate. The high school program at the Blackrock College elite school-boarding school in Dublin is available only for boys - the institution provides a separate form of education and successfully practices special receptions. Boys independently choose disciplines for their development, and special attention is paid to sports in a prestigious boarding house. The cost is - 27,850 € / year. Receiving higher education for students in prestigious Irish universities A certificate with a high average score is an advantage for foreign students who wish to enroll in one of their programs: The Dublin institute of design is considered the best profile university in the country - it is a very prestigious and elite educational institution, an accredited center for taking examinations BTEC, works as City & Guilds, accredited by QQI. Here you can get a bachelor's degree in the direction of "Graphic and interior design." The price of the undergraduate program without residency is 8,000 € / year. Summer and language programs To improve the general level of language knowledge, linguistic programs are provided for the summer, also in Ireland you can prepare for the exams all year round: TOEIC, IELTS, FCE, CAE, CELT. For those who want to immerse themselves in learning a foreign language, individual education is available alone with the teacher. Particular attention should be given to teaching the child language before entering a secondary, high school or university. Combine the course in English with other hobbies: horseback riding, golf, studying law, finance or business, football, rugby, dance and drama. For students who have already enrolled in an Irish institution, but who are hard at teaching in a foreign language, the opportunity is given to work on language courses in parallel. For example, in the summer camp of the Griffith College Dublin Emerald Cultural Institute, you can take English courses with an active entertainment program, soccer, rugby, golf or horse riding. Griffith College is a prestigious educational institution on the basis of which in the summer months the educational program of the ECI educational center is taking place, while students and students live in the residence of the educational institution. The price of courses ranges from 1,930 € / 2 weeks to 2,720 € / 2 weeks. Compulsory guardianship of minors during the educational process Local legislation provides for compulsory guardianship of students under 16 years of age: the guardian can be a resident of the country who is fully responsible for the child's life, helps in organizational issues of education, controls academic performance, represents the interests of the student and others. Grants and scholarships for foreign students In Ireland, the direction of scholarships and grants that are issued by the state or the universities themselves is very advanced - there are several types: - The Government of Ireland Scholarship provides a state scholarship for foreign citizens who are not EU citizens. The amount is enough to cover the costs of the undergraduate program and one year of magistracy or doctoral studies, residence during studies. - The Ireland Homecoming Study Program is designed for students of Irish origin who were born outside the EU. To receive the scholarship, it is necessary to prove that one of the relatives was an Irishman, and the amount received will cover only a part of the costs associated with studying abroad. - Government of Ireland and Enterprise Partnership Postgraduate Scholarship - the research center of Ireland for the promotion of innovative research aims to attract talented students with interesting research projects. All students have the opportunity to receive material assistance from the state - for this it is necessary to apply with the application and submit the necessary documents. For advice, you can contact SMAPSE: specialists will help you choose an academic program or a linguistic course at the best universities in Ireland. Enrollment of the company's clients is free of charge: SMAPSE specialists are not intermediaries, but they work on partner agreements with numerous foreign educational institutions. Can I stay in Ireland after graduation from a university or college? Under the Third Level Graduate Scheme program, graduates have the right to stay in the country for a period of 6 to 12 months - this time is designed to find work in Ireland. In case of successful employment there is a great chance to get a green card or work permit: - In order to apply for a green card, you need an invitation to work from the employer for a period of more than 2 years, and the salary must be at least 60,000 € / year or 30,000 € / year in the most important areas for the country. - A work permit allows foreign students to work and reside on the territory of Ireland for 2 years, plus a permit can be extended for another 3 years. For employees with work experience of more than 5 years, an indefinite permit is issued.

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Assisted by other faculty and staff members, the Core Curriculum Development Committee (CCDC) at Erskine College has submitted and received approval for a new core curriculum to be implemented in the fall semester of 2014. The new curriculum divides general education courses—now designated “the core curriculum” at Erskine and other institutions—into foundation courses and formation courses. “For years, ‘gen ed’ was viewed as something to get out of the way in order to move on to the more important major,” CCDC chairman Dr. Sandra Chaney said. “Now, higher education is stressing the complementarity of core courses and the major.” In foundation courses, “students develop essential skills and knowledge about God, humanity, and nature,” Chaney said. The choice of courses that can meet foundation requirements is limited, she said, and many will look the same, “such as those for Bible, composition, foreign language, mathematics, sciences, and so forth,” though some requirements have been “reframed, providing a clearer, more compelling rationale for them.” At the formation level, “the new core offers more choice in the courses that students may take,” Chaney said. “Students continue to hone vital communication and logical reasoning skills and develop knowledge through discipline-specific perspectives, but they go further in integrating critical analysis, problem-solving, and morals and ethics.” Other changes brought into play with the new core curriculum include a required contemporary global issues course; a retooling of the school and community health course to include physical activities; a spiritual formation requirement that can be met by a traditional or winter term course or through service learning; and the expansion of courses meeting the creative and performing arts requirement. “This has been a huge project for the faculty,” Chaney said. “We really could not have completed our work without our colleagues’ responses, and they were generous with their time and ideas.”

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The Thulasizwe Primary School in Boksburg celebrated the opening of a brand-new library and information centre this week which was donated by Hyundai Automotive South Africa and the Hyundai Motor Company, in collaboration with the Imperial and Motus Community Trust. It is the 14th library that has been opened at selected schools in previously disadvantaged communities in the Witwatersrand region, as a result of the partnership between Hyundai and the Imperial and Motus Community Trust. “I have represented Hyundai at most of the library openings, and every one of them has been a very special occasion. It is our vision that these libraries and information centres will bridge the gap of illiteracy at primary schools in our communities and that it will prepare the learners for a bright future,” said Niall Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Automotive South Africa, at the opening ceremony held on Thursday 28th July. “Our aim is to assist these selected schools to provide a balanced and holistic education that will enable their learners to excel and realise their potential both academically, and as young individuals.” The library and information centre at Thulasizwe Primary School in Windmill Park, Boksburg, was installed in one of the classrooms which was prepared for this purpose. The cost of the whole project, which includes the acquisition of books, computer laptops, learning aids such as a digital “white board” and the salary of a librarian for year, amounts to R 1,62 million. The librarian will manage the teaching programmes and support the school for five years, while training staff members at the school to take on the role of librarians after this period. Hyundai Automotive SA has also partnered with the Reel Gardening initiative to establish a vegetable garden at Thulasizwe Primary School. The aim of this project is to work together to educate and employ community members to establish their own gardens. Reel Gardening consists of a vegetable garden kit which contains a biodegradable seed tape that can be planted straight into the ground. The tape takes all the guesswork and confusion out of starting a vegetable garden. It contains high quality, non-chemically treated seeds. The seeds are held within the tape at the correct depth and distance apart for the plants to grow. Hyundai will introduce the Reel Gardening kits to each school to which a library is donated to help provide food security to underprivileged communities. At the opening ceremony, Khanya Magudulela, Human Resources Director at Hyundai Automotive SA, encouraged the learners of Thulasizwe Primary to gain knowledge by reading and using the library. “Reading can let your imagination go and let you create your own pictures. Books can keep you entertained even when there is load shedding. Reading and education can help you to go places, to get a good job and save money to travel and broaden your mind,” she said. In his address Mr Peter Moropa, Principal of Thulasizwe Primary School, thanked Hyundai and the Imperial and Motus Community Trust for their involvement with education and the establishment of the library and information centre. “It is only through education that learners from this community will be able to face the challenges of the future,” he said. Mr Nathan Harris, Deputy Principal of Windmill Park Primary School which received a library in February this year, said at the handover, they have noticed that school attendance improved after the library was opened.

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The director, Ms. Hill Marsh’s words echoed time and again for me. “I believe in divine intervention,” she would say. According to her, we had a calling – to develop these young men and women to become college graduates and to live as productive citizens. This summer, I worked for Upward Bound at Le Moyne College, a small Jesuit school located in Syracuse, NY. The program gives low-income high school students (potential first generation college students) better opportunities to attend college. The program strikes a personal chord for me. Thirty years ago, my mother and her siblings were enrolled in the same program; they all graduated from college. They had immigrated to the US from Taiwan only a few years prior, and their parents had not even graduated from high school. Because my grandparents did not speak English, the program gave their children an academic foundation they might not have otherwise had. I had many responsibilities. Not only was I tasked as a teaching assistant, but I also resided with the students in the Le Moyne dormitories and served as a resident adviser (RA) and personal adviser. I worked alongside six other college students, who were also responsible for the students’ academic and personal growth. We collaborated on the students’ curriculum and harnessed our skills to make the summer a fulfilling experience. I can recall helping one of my students with his biology homework, and then subsequently assisting him with his calisthenics. Other nights, I gave the students advice on proper MLA citation and then we would discuss their personal struggles with love, life and the unknowable future. As the assistant to the history and economics teacher, Mr. Little, I was assigned to work on improving the students’ research and writing skills in preparation for college. We worked with primary and secondary sources and researched historical figures ranging from Copernicus to Gandhi. My position was aptly titled Tutor Counselor. Although the time put into academic preparation was rigorous and demanding, the program never failed to enrich the personal character of its students. For one of our trips, we went to a nature reserve called Orenda Springs. The name Orenda is derived from an Iroquois term designated to the power of everything in the universe, encompassing the sun, planets, moon, stars, plants, animals, and the weather’s ability to give people strength to undertake mighty deeds. It was here that the ideas of teamwork and inner strength were given hearty tests. I chaperoned the juniors and seniors, who were allowed to use the zip-lines and other acrobatic equipment. Because we were able to build stronger relationships with the students, the Orenda Springs staff encouraged us to partake in the activities. In one of the climbing challenges called the catwalk, I climbed to the top of a tree that soared over the preserve to meet one of my students on a log that rested between us. It was barely a few inches in length. Afterwards, we were suspended upside down on the log while being belayed by two students and staff. In addition, we had Sunday dinners in which the students were required to dress up. The students were taught proper table etiquette and assisted the dining staff in preparing the dinner. The director often asked one of my students to start the meal by saying grace. It was a gesture of warmth and sought to engender closeness rather than alienation. The dinner was also a time to look back on the preceding weeks and to prepare for the next. The Upward Bound program employs individuals whose personal stories are relevant to their students. The program afforded my mother and her younger siblings the ability to thrive in all of life’s avenues. My background not only gave me the ability to relate to my students, but the desire to do so as well. Through this and my relationship with the Upward Bound staff, I learned to give and receive advice and criticism, whether good or bad, valid or invalid. I learned to maintain professionalism in a time when much rested on patience and good judgment. But most of all, I wanted my students to become aware of the potential they could reach through this program as shown by my mother’s own success. Overall, my experience was challenging but rewarding. At times I was greatly discouraged by how unmotivated some of the students were, but there were also many who excelled brilliantly. Throughout my tenure as Tutor Counselor I improved on my leadership of the classroom and dormitory and how to deal with teenagers who are good, those who are disobedient, and how to counsel the ones with personal difficulties. Academically and behaviorally, it was a constant battle between disciplining them and sympathizing with their backgrounds. However, it was well worth it in the end, only to see the students meet their potential.

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Newly licensed by the state as an emergency child care center, it is offering flexible child care from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for infants through age 9. Not only will it help essential workers feel comfortable leaving their children in a safe environment, Mahdi Dadrass, the school’s executive director and co-founder, says this move also likely allows parents the opportunity to expose their children to the Montessori environment for the first time. Strict health precautions are in place, he says, including limiting the size of classrooms to 10 students each for a maximum of 40-50 students in the school. Students and teachers will not commingle between the other classrooms, will have temperatures checked before entering the school, during school and before leaving the school, all need to have a pair of shoes not worn outside to avoid tracking in anything and will face regular handwashing among other safety precautions, such as masks and gloves for teachers. Parents will not be permitted inside the school and staff will be decontaminated before entering the school. “Being one of the first schools and Montessori Schools to obtain this emergency child care license has allowed us to think outside of the box in terms of how we can go above and beyond to protect our staff members and our students,” Dadrass says. “We really tried to cover all of the bases here,” he says, adding staff has reported feeling safe. He says the lessons he’s learned along the way are something he’s eager to share with other schools that will face the same challenges when they reopen. Existing South Loop Montessori students continue to e-learn at home until the governor permits all schools to reopen. Dadrass says he’s been pleased with the success of the school’s e-learning program and the support from parents. Applications for immediate enrollment of essential workers are being accepted online. Regular enrollment for non-essential workers for the new school year and year-round programs remains open. Follow Chicago Parent on Instagram.

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Most of the attention in a life with cerebral palsy is on the children, but parents need an abundance of support and resources as well. That’s why we created CParents! This CPATH program provides educational resources to parents and caregivers, as well as an opportunity to connect, build relationships, and learn in a supportive environment. We hold many workshops which include adults with CP sharing their inspiring stories and successes, local doctors presenting advanced research for cerebral palsy, family psychologists, massage therapists, orthopedists, financial experts for special needs trusts, and more. These Q&A forums allows parents to have dialogues with the experts as well as one another. Information gathering, sharing, and building a community is what we do at CParents! NEW at CParents!!! We’ve recently teamed up with the SW Family YMCA to offer parents and caregivers respite day opportunities. Children with CP or similar neuro motor diagnosis ages 4-21 enjoy adaptive games, recreation, music, and friendship building, and more while adults are able to enjoy some much needed free time! The best place to learn of our respite dates is through our Facebook page and the also calendar of the right side of this website. We are always seeking opportunities to share information with the central Texas CP community, please contact [email protected] with possible speakers and/or events. I’m appreciative of the workshops because in our busy lives it’s more beneficial to learn from others in person than reading it on the Internet.

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A first-of-its-kind Career and Technical Education center designed to create hands-on experiences while earning core credit Explore careers in six pathways, with a variety of specialized programs leading to industry certifications and paid apprenticeships Experience programs based on business needs where job skills are learned while interacting directly with community partners Encompasses design, production and publication of multimedia content, visual & performing arts, as well as design, development, support and management of information technology systems Trains students for careers in accounting, business law, career development, communication, computation, economics, international business, management, and marketing Primes students for careers and higher education in the healthcare field, in a variety of settings, including clinics, home health, hospitals, insurance industry, laboratories and research, and nursing homes Stimulates students to manage the challenges of living and working in a diverse global society while preparing for family life, and human services Prepares students for careers and higher education within manufacturing technology, engineering and design, transportation technology and communication. Paid Registered Apprenticeship Programs Currently Participating School Districts Student to Faculty Ratio College Credits Awarded Savings in College Costs With this program, I can start building my future and get ahead of students who don’t have this available. - Oakley, Senior As a parent, I don’t know if she has any other classes in the school, because IGNITE is the one she talks about all the time. - Eric, IGNITE Parent I don’t like English, it’s my worst subject. At IGNITE, I can take English, and instead of sitting in a desk, I get to work on a challenge. - John, Junior

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"The best judge of a person is not the answers they give but the questions they ask." - Voltaire What are some of your favorite questions to ask others? Asking good questions was perhaps the most valuable skill I learned in my years as an adult educator and coach. And nerdy as it is, I made it a habit to keep handy a list of questions that I discovered worked well in the classroom. That list became useful in my personal relationships and in my role as a supervisor. I've retained it to this day. What did this class usefully confirm to you? That one is still among my favorites. It's easy to modify by simply replacing the word "class" with "essay", or "article", or "film", etc. Like all good questions, it is one for which the questioner cannot have an answer. It's all about the person being asked. I stole another of my favorites from Emerson: What has become clearer to you since we last met? I've rarely been disappointed in the answers I've received for that. Open-ended questions like those two favorites keep me in a pure listening mode and help me avoid confirming my own biases. Tell me what you are passionate about. Sometimes declarative statements are more powerful - and elicit better responses - than a question. From its inception, asking questions on my blog has been the gateway I've used to attain one of my goals: Learning more about anyone who takes the time to read me. Today, I'll learn about you when you share your favorite questions with me. Of course, one of yours could well end up on that trusty list of mine; just saying.

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In schools across the Semarang region of Indonesia, a small revolution is taking place. Students, parents and head teachers are coming together for the first time to challenge poor school facilities and teacher performance via Cek Sekolah Ku (Check my School), an online platform that publicises school budgets, allows students to highlight teacher absenteeism, and reports issues directly to the Department of Education. Making All Voices Count's Lucy von Sturmer visited schools in the region to ask them how Cek Sekolah Ku is working on the ground. To get people on board, you need to show success - and fast SMP 41 secondary school was chosen by project lead Rosihan Widi Nugroho to launch the platform in Semarang. But, despite picking a school where the principal was known for welcoming change, launching any new project is an uphill battle - and SMP 41's Principal Nurwahidah was wary about embracing a platform which revealed the school's budget data and encouraged students to question and report on teachers. Rosihan knew he had to work hard to gain her trust: he needed a quick win. Walking around the school grounds, Rosihan noticed the school's toilet was too small and had no roof - and spotted an opportunity. He uploaded a picture of the toilet on the Cek Sekolah Ku platform. This alerted the district’s Head of Education and, within a week, the toilet was fixed. “This small, visible change inspired the whole school to start using the platform,” says Principal Nurwahidah. “I now tell my students: if you see something wrong, send a complaint to Cek Sekolah Ku so we can get it fixed!” Students need both support and safe spaces in order to question authority The Cek Sekolah Ku platform has also become an active part of the students’ daily lives, and the school's IT classes include training on how to access the site and lodge questions. Rian Pratana (above right), age 14, says that the platform feels like a safe space. “If I couldn’t give feedback here, I wouldn’t know where to do it.” Aisyah Dini (above left), also says she’s noticed that since the school began using the platform, teachers are now always on time and much more engaged in their lessons. She points to recent examples of complaints that have been logged on the platform and brought quick responses from the school - including fans for every classroom and new desks replacing the old ones that were rotten with woodworm. The right information can turn ‘feelings of concern’ into actionable complaints Just down the road, at SMP 23 elementary school in Semarang, parents said that they were concerned for years that teachers’ requests for ‘voluntary’ payments were actually fraud, but had no proof that anything was being done wrong. “Teachers kept asking us for money on an almost daily basis. They said it’s for a refurbished prayer room, an outdoor excursion, or new equipment, but we were frustrated with these on-going demands. These we’re not really voluntary, because the teachers would stand by the donation box and the students felt intimidated not to pay.” – Parents Committee, SMP 23 But, using the budget information on Cek Sekolah Ku, the Parents’ Committee was able to see just how much funding was coming into the school and what it was being spent on – helping to highlight where these ‘requests’ were actually already covered by the school’s budget. At the monthly Cek Sekolah Ku meetings, where parents, school leadership and education department discuss reports lodged on the platform, the Parents' Committee finally felt they could raise the issue, using the school's budget information to back up their complaint. “The teachers defended the requests saying there were teaching the students generosity... but after this meeting the requests stopped.” We're changing minds - one toilet at a time The changes in schools may be small, but the changes in attitudes of parents, teachers, students and the education authority is significant. Sujono Soedjono, Education Agency Secretary, responsible for all 400 schools in the city explains “We used to receive complaints in a wooden box; now it’s an online platform - it feels like a very big difference." And the small victories really do seem to be adding up to big changes. This blog is one of a series of articles highlighting some of the new voices that are emerging in Indonesia’s quest for better governance, showing how school children, university students and women are speaking up about issues that affect them. To explore projects Making All Voices Count is supporting in Indonesia see here. More on these themes BLOG |December 13, 2017 Supporting local learning and adaptation – Unpacking the effectiveness of… NEWS |November 16, 2017 MOPA: How an app generates data that help clean-up Maputo NEWS |November 15, 2017 LENGGO: Public budget tracking holds Kenyan county governments to account BLOG |November 14, 2017 Citizen accountability in a time of Facebook NEWS |November 3, 2017 Balangay wins People’s Award at Global Innovation Week 2017 NEWS |October 23, 2017 Oil Journey: Following the money from oil revenue to improve… NEWS |October 20, 2017 TIMBY: Evidence-based reporting of environmental crimes in Liberia NEWS |October 18, 2017 Game My Village: Improving and inspiring village participatory planning in… BLOG |October 9, 2017 Anjali Nayar: A storyteller that innovates for social change NEWS |September 19, 2017 Research, Evidence and Learning Newsletter - September 2017

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The New York Times , on December 26, 2014 published an article about the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks using micro expressions, a form of nonverbal communication, to help find players and recruits that may be a better fit for the Bucs and their organizational goals. Micro expressions are sub conscious, cross cultural, expressions of emotion that come across the face very quickly. The existence of micro expressions were first brought to light by the research of Paul Ekman and Wally Freisen. There have been well over 100 studies that show the existence of micro expressions. This form of nonverbal communication can be extremely valuable in gaining insight into a persons true feelings. Does one’s facial expressions contradict their words? Is there more to be told than the person is revealing? The applications are endless. However, keep in mind that micro expressions are only a piece of the nonverbal picture . Nonverbal communication is like putting a picture puzzle together; the more pieces of the puzzle you can put together, the clearer the picture becomes. Just one more example of the value of understanding nonverbal communication! and oh yes…….. , we can teach you how to recognize these micro expressions!

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How do you end a presentation phrase? 3 phrases to use as a signal to the end in your presentation conclusion - “This brings me to the end of my presentation. To summarize my main points,…” - “Well, that is all I have for today. Let me now summarize what I talked about…. ” - “I have now come to the end of my presentation. In summary, I spoke about…” How do you start a defense introduction? Start by expressing the fact that you’re glad to be there. A statement like, “I’m glad/excited/pleased/thrilled to be here” is almost obligatory. It invites the audience to be glad that they’re there, too. Your excitement is infectious and infuses the session with your energy. How do you make closing remarks? Here are some options for ending your speech: - Close with an inspirational quotation. Find a short quote that captures the feeling you want the audience to have. - Include a call to action. - Tell a story. - Describe the impact of what happens if the audience does what you ask. - Transition to Q+A. - Match the opening sentence. What are three strategies to consider when creating a presentation? - Consider the audience and what they already know. - Visualize the stage and setting. - Determine your objectives. - Build your presentation. - Confront nervousness. - Hook your audience. - Speak clearly. How do you speak in a topic? If you want to speak on any topic or present a topic that you are not familiar with, you should always prepare it thoroughly. However, I do not suggest that you start with topics where you do not have the ‘right to speak’. you need the ‘right to speak’ to make an extempore or impromptu speech. What is a good way to end a presentation? Don’t end with a question and answer slide. End with a memorable quote. Say thank you to the audience. and more!…It’s free. - Include a Strong Call-to-Action (CTA) - Don’t End with a Q&A. - End with a Memorable Quote. - Close with a Story. - Drive Your Main Points Home. - Thank and Acknowledge. What’s another way to say in closing? In Conclusion Synonyms |In Conclusion Synonyms||In conclusione sinonimi (Italian)| |4||To conclude,||Per concludere,| |5||In closing,||In chiusura,| |6||Finally, it may be concluded…||Infine, si può concludere…| |7||To summarize,||Per riassumere,| What is the purpose of closing remarks? The closing remarks, or conclusion, of a speech emphasize the primary message that the speaker wants to convey. These final words help the audience remember the main points that were made. Closing remarks are important and not easy to write.

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By Ashani Kurukulasuriya, HHS Class of 2020 The innumerable changes that have been taking place in society on a social, educational, and technological front have inspired Holliston High School’s administration to construct a group of diverse students, faculty, and community members in an attempt to try and dramatically rethink the way education is being provided to students. There are approximately 30 members, or “visionaries”, on this new committee known as the Future Ready Coalition. All members are involved with Holliston Public Schools in some manner; each member is also dedicated to helping facilitate meaningful conversations revolving around the vision of a Holliston High School graduate and how the community can help to foster an environment for growth mindsets, valuable learning experiences, and endless opportunities for all of the students. The coalition first came together at the end of March without any concrete expectations — the meeting consisted of ice-breaking activities that allowed for its participants to gain a sense of familiarity and comfort prior to exchanging their ideas and thoughts of reinvention. Thanks to the welcoming environment and standards that were set in place, the members found themselves situated in a “safe space” — a place where they can freely express their thoughts without hesitation or fear of being ridiculed. The three-hour meeting also consisted of activities that pushed everyone to think critically about what specific characteristics they value in others and how the school can utilize nontraditional approaches to help students acquire these traits. Holliston took inspiration from schools/districts including Shrewsbury High School, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Evergreen Public Schools, all of which have already juggled with the idea of what a graduate should/could look like. Some interesting questions that prompted serious thought included the following: - What are our highest hopes for what we want our graduates to be able to do when they leave here? - What are the skills that are required at various workplaces (technological/medical, educational, financial, creative arts, etc.)? - What are other schools doing? How can we be different? How can we take inspiration from others? Particular members shared that their hopes are to ensure that all students leave the walls of Holliston High School as “globally aware, civically minded, and problem-solving individuals.” Other members shared that they would like to see students ready to take on jobs that involve “strong interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and a technological aptitude.” Everyone in the room was well aware of the fact that these questions have no right answers – and that is okay because the goal of the coalition is not to be right, but rather it is to be ready for a series of trial and error “experiments” in hopes of challenging the traditional approach to schooling. The subsequent meetings were quite similar to the first one in terms of the questions being asked and the conversations that were being held. With each meeting inching closer and closer towards a final draft of what the typical Holliston High School graduate should look like, members found themselves engorged with feelings of skepticism, fear, and trepidation. Hearing from students and faculty alike in small groups, however, allowed for feelings of fear to be exchanged for excitement and optimism for the future. The future seems very bright for this committee and Holliston High School. Their ultimate hope is to have a “…living and breathing document” that outlines the vision of a Holliston graduate. In other words, they not only wish to pin down their hopes and wishes for their graduates, but they also hope to make that wish a reality by doing whatever they can to get themselves to that point. In the upcoming weeks, the group plans on gathering feedback from graduated Holliston seniors and hearing about how their high school experience equipped, or did not equip them, for the world outside of secondary school. The group also plans on taking field trips to various workplaces to see how work environments have changed over the years and from that, they hope to engineer new and innovative ways to help high schoolers be ready to take on this evolving world.

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RRU MBA student flies to the rescue of BC communities On the first flight of his newly registered charity, Helicopters Without Borders, Owen McClung-Sitnam delivered 250 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter to three isolated First Nations communities near Prince Rupert, BC. Helicopters Without Borders (HWB), celebrated its first anniversary on January 12, 2022. In its inaugural year, HWB travelled 18,215 kilometres – three times the length of Canada, transporting close to 4,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to remote and rural areas in BC. In addition, the charity delivered food and supplies to people cut off by wildfire, flooding and mudslides as well as medications, COVID-19 tests, equipment, school supplies and winter clothing to those in need. “I never thought Helicopters Without Borders would be in this position, going at this pace,“ says McClung-Sitnam, CEO of the charity and a student in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Executive Management program at Royal Roads. Staying in school It was a hectic year trying to juggle his studies and the charity. McClung-Sitnam considered dropping out of school, but he was able to continue his studies, thanks to RRU and his instructors. “They really supported me, and they mentored me,” says McClung-Sitnam, adding assignment extensions also helped. He admits he wasn't a very good student in high school and knew then he wanted to be a pilot, like his father, Danny Sitnam, who fought fires and is a founding member of Helijet, Canada’s first scheduled helicopter service. McClung-Sitnam preferred helicopters to planes and got his commercial helicopter pilot's license when he was 18 and spent the next decade flying an air ambulance and fighting wildfires in BC. It was rewarding work. But McClung-Sitnam wanted to do more. He was inspired by his uncle, who has worked in the humanitarian field for 45 years, most recently as deputy director for CARE International in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “I found [his work] really interesting and I wanted to get into it, but the challenge I had was I didn't have any humanitarian experience.” But he had a skill, and a passion. “So I tried to find how I could marry the two.” 'Improving human welfare' McClung-Sitnam went back to school while still working as an air ambulance pilot. That is where he met McClung-Sitnam met Adam Aldous, a former pilot in Afghanistan. Together, along with Danny Sitnam, they started Helicopters Without Borders. Having charitable status allows HWB to lease helicopters at cost, while pilots volunteer their time. McClung-Sitnam is the only full-time pilot but the organization has grown over the year and now has two part-time staff, a bookkeeper and a logistics coordinator, along with eight volunteers. McClung-Sitnam credits his education as setting the foundation of knowledge to help him to perform multiple roles, from bookkeeping to fundraising, business development to operational logistics. McClung-Sitnam is now working on his thesis, which examines how to reform healthcare delivery in isolated parts of BC. Visiting remote communities and their residents has inspired McClung-Sitnam with some ideas. HWB has partnered with the First Nations Health Authority, which works to reform and redesign health programs and services in BC. "We developed an approach that first listens to the interests and needs of our Indigenous partners. From there, we offer our services as an opportunity to consider when accessing health and wellness,” says McClung-Sitnam, who transported vaccines to the Lax Kw'alaams Band, Metlakatla First Nation and Gitga'at Nation on his inaugural HWB flight. “We are focused on improving human welfare and believe that by a sustainable aviation strategy, we can, in turn, supply nutritional goods, clean water, healthcare and wellness to most at-risk communities.”

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Social Behavior and Human Understanding Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies College of Humanities The knowledge of human behavior, history, culture, ethics and communication gained with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Social Behavior and Human Understanding forms a solid foundation for a variety of careers. Social Behavior and Human Understanding graduates work in human services, program coordination, public relations, or marketing. This focus theme is also good preparation for work and further studies in health care, legal services, public policy and public health. Interdisciplinary Studies, like many majors, teaches content and skills that can be applied to a wide variety of career fields. *Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information. Potential courses within this program are listed below. Work with your advisor to choose your specific path.

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LIVING IN LILLE As the capital of a region (Hauts-de-France region) with a population of six million, Lille benefits from the advantages of its unique environment. The city is the center of a rich cultural life, which is derived from the long history of Europe. The University of Lille attracts many students thanks to a vibrant academic environment, and world-class international universities also provide a rich learning environment. Students enjoy good learning conditions on a large campus with many connections, culture and facilities. They can use modern international standard university dormitories, the latest library (learning center) equipped with digital technology and new learning facilities, and a highly developed rich and diverse cultural calendar (cinema, exhibition hall, theater). Lille is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in France after those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated in French Flanders, on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region and the prefecture of the Nord department. The University of Lille continually develops and promotes student exchanges with high-quality institutions of higher education in the European Union and beyond, thanks to a variety of programmes (Erasmus +, etc.). It also promotes cosupervised doctoral theses, for which doctoral students do research alternately at the University of Lille and in an international institution HELPING STUDENTS GET STARTED The University of Lille has established a variety of events to welcome students and to help them get off on the right foot. Every year, the University of Lille organizes a student orientation session (JIVE), a time for exchanging impressions and sharing experiences that allows students to discover the different campuses and facilities of the university. Numerous athletic and cultural events are organized during this period. It is also an opportunity for newcomers to discover the campuses and services of the university. A specialized service accompanies students with disabilities throughout their time at the university, for example by providing specially adapted facilities. WELCOME ACTIVITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Every year the University of Lille hosts a week-long celebration of international students: the International Student Week. This is an opportunity for French and international students to participate in many festivities and events on the theme of international exchange. The University of Lille also works in close partnership with the Lille branch of the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) to provide a warm welcome to international students and to provide support during their stay. A welcome meeting is organized by the ESN at the beginning of each semester. Exchange students can also take advantage of the chance to stay at the newly built Reeflex international residence hall. The university offers a selection of courses that are bilingual or taught entirely in English. In order to prepare for their exchange, thematic summer schools that include language training in French are available. International students can also take advantage of French language courses that will allow them to reach the level necessary for their studies (offered by the Department of French as a Foreign Language – DEFI) as well as French courses for particular scientific fields (offered by La Maison des Langues).

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Can you believe that there’s less than a month before the seniors will graduate from high school? They have spent four years of their lives at Edison, and it will be over before we know it. Most students have already committed to a college and they feel they couldn’t have done it without the help of their teachers. Their teachers have spent this entire year trying their best to prepare to send off their students. “I am feeling kind of nervous and stressed about figuring out my next steps,” Nabeeha Circy said. She is worried about her commute to her college, and her preparation for her first semester. She wants to stay motivated and try her best through everything. “In the beginning I didn’t have the best high school experience starting from ninth grade, but overtime I started to improve my grades and take part in extracurricular activities. By the time I reached senior year, I had to get through obstacles. I have friends, peers, and even some teachers who made me feel happy and warm and thanks to them, I’m having a good time,” Nabeeha Circy. She feels that high school has helped her with discipline and understand herself better, so she feels ready for her next steps moving forward. Ms. Baker has a close connection with most of her students so I wanted to ask her how she feels about sending them off to college. She stated, “I will miss many of them. At the same time I am very proud of them. I hope that I have adequately prepared them for college to the best of my ability.” In order to prepare her students for college, she would hold Financial Aid tutorials in her classroom, and would get assistance from her student teacher, Ms. Triana about CUNYFIRST and FAFSA awards. Ms. Baker isn’t sure whether she prepared her students enough, but she is always open to more suggestions from her students, college advisors, and the guidance department. Some advice she would give her students would be to “Prepare in advance, and research future career options and to visit the different colleges/campuses that you’re considering.” She wants us to not be afraid to ask her or any other teachers for advice or any questions that they may have. It was very interesting to learn about the different perspectives from both a teacher and a student. Moving forward onto college is a very bittersweet experience, though some may be ready while others may not. With whatever little time we have left, we should strive for the best of it and focus on getting through graduating high school.

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A pile of misfit socks on the laundry room floor was all the inspiration one New England family needed to open the doors of Misfit University, the only online university of its kind to take a unique stand against bullying and encourage young people to celebrate what makes them different. Founded in 2012, this resource creatively introduces a hands-on educational curriculum that includes an anti-bullying initiative, service-learning projects, cause-related events and spirited fun with the goal of delivering unmatched results in the practice of team-building, positive self-esteem, creativity, and respect. Misfit University is free and new curriculum projects are added monthly. “Misfit University was founded on the principle that we are all magnificent MISFITS and the very talents and experiences that can sometimes divide us, should define us and be nurtured and shared,” said Misfit University founder Karen Kiefer. The University focuses its curriculum in four areas: Hope, Inspiration, Love and Gratitude and uses creative concepts to communicate important messages to young people. “It is very common for young people to hide their talents or handicaps for fear of not being accepted,” added Kiefer. Misfit University uses misfit socks as a creative muse to teach hope, inspiration, respect, and gratitude. Inspired by the children's storybook and Christmas tradition, "The Misfit Sock," the University also sponsors The Million Misfit Sock (virtual) March in October for anti-bullying month and Misfit MARCH Madness in March for "Celebrate What Makes You Different" month. For more information on this global initiative, please email us at: [email protected]. Learn more about the book project: www.themisfitsock.com

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UMaine Supports Teachers with First Summer Educators Institute Schools across the state held their last classes of the 2021–22 school year , marking the official start of summer for Maine students, parents and teachers. However, about 125 educators didn’t the classroom , as they took part in the first annual University of Maine Educators Institute being held virtually June 22–23. The theme of this new UMaine Summer University program, developed in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education, is “Supporting Emotional and Behavioral Well-Being in School Communities: From Surviving to Thriving.” “Educators have always faced challenges, many of which have been amplified by the pandemic, as well as by the social and cultural environment of the past few years,” says Penny Bishop, dean of the UMaine College of Education and Human Development. “We’re launching this institute in hopes of equipping teachers and other school-based professionals with new knowledge and strategies they can take back to their schools next year to meet these challenges head on.” The program features six strands, with workshops led by faculty members from UMaine, as well as educators and other experts from around the state and beyond. The six strands are Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice; Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS); Trauma and Resilience; Social-Emotional Learning (SEL); Student-Centered Learning; and Exploring Wabanaki Studies. The institute also included keynote speeches by Judith Josiah-Martin, a faculty member at the UMaine School of Social Work and former director of UMaine’s Office of Multicultural Student Life, and Catherine Bradshaw, university professor and senior associate dean for research and faculty development at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. Participants are eligible to earn continuing education units (CEUs) for professional development. In addition, more than a dozen educators are will take part in the institute as part of a three-credit graduate course that runs from mid-June to mid-July and includes additional content and strategies. “We’re excited about the program for this inaugural institute and look forward to working with the College of Education and Human Development to make it the premier summer personal and professional development opportunity for educators in Maine moving forward,” says Patricia Libby, assistant dean of the UMaine Division of Lifelong Learning. In addition to the UMaine Educators Institute, the UMaine Division of Lifelong Learning is offering two other Summer University opportunities for teachers and educators: The UMaine Climate Change Workshop: “Climate Change Teaching Tools,” July 12–13; and the Summer Technology Institute: “Cooperation Across Environments and Boundaries,” Aug. 2–4.

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The Morning Report San Diego news and info you need to take on the day. If you’re a high school student interested in journalism, or if you’re a teacher or parent trying to help your students build an online news site, please come to our first High School Student News Workshop Feb. 5. We’ll talk about the future of news and then you can choose a whole morning of programs and break-out sessions featuring voiceofsandiego.org staff and SDSU professor Amy Schmitz Weiss. It’s not easy to move the traditional student newspaper into the digital age. Come talk to some who have done it, others who can help you do it and others who just want to explore new ideas. Going online with student news brings a host of advantages: lower cost, more frequency and relevance, and a learning environment closer to the real world. There are new things to consider like crowdsourcing, engaging readers, the complexity of analyzing real-time polls, and the mix of blogging and longer stories. Whether your school publishes only online, in print and online, in print, or not at all, this workshop has something new for you. Take a look at the details here. Date: Saturday, February 5th Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Location: San Diego Foundation building in Liberty Station (Point Loma). 2508 Historic Decatur Rd., San Diego, CA 92106. There is no cost to attend the program, but advance registration is required by February 1, 2011. To register, simply email [email protected] with your name and the school you attend. Your hard work covering school and neighborhood issues may deserve more than a pat on the back. voiceofsandiego.org would like to celebrate excellence in student news and promote online platforms for high school journalism with the VOSD Awards for Excellence in High School Journalism. We’re calling for your best entries in the following categories: best news story, best editorial, best feature, best photograph or video and best online news website. And, there’s a $500 prize for each category. The contest is open to all school-sponsored student newspapers or student news websites in San Diego County public schools. Eligible work must have been originally published during the 2010-2011 school year (between August 2010 and May 6, 2011). Deadline to submit is: May 6, 2011. Entries will be judged on journalistic style and quality, relevance to the student audience, and insightfulness. Also, a special thanks to our generous awards sponsors Bob, Karen, and Heather Bowden. We look forward to receiving your entries.

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For productive and efficient performance, L&D programs are critical. Having learning and development opportunities at workplaces enhances the growth chances for employees. Learning and development programs are more likely to encourage employees to be engaged in their jobs when provided by their employers. A strong emphasis on learning and development can also help to improve retention. 5 Great l&d Platforms Here you are going to know about the five l&d platforms that are actual examples of great learning and development programs. Most businesses have adopted these strategies to assist their employees in learning, growing, and developing their skills. 1. Adaptive Lab Adaptive Lab provides the team with the tools and resources they need to incorporate L&D programs into their daily routine. Investing in the senior team’s growth and development, increasing peer learning activities, and providing regular feedback motivates and promotes mentoring and coaching across all specialties and levels of the organization. Individuals can better focus their efforts and progress toward present and future career goals when they have regular development talks utilizing specialized tools, such as their Skills Matrix and team behavior charter, developed by the company. In addition, surveys of team engagement help ensure that all the parts are in place for a productive and happy team. People at all levels of the organization are allowed to learn from their colleagues. Professionals at Etsy School both support learning and teaching in classes on various topics, such as tap dance or how to negotiate a challenging conversation. The Etsy L&D team assists people in determining a direction for their professional development. AdRoll recently launched an internal “Women in Leadership” L&D program to encourage more women to take on leadership roles. Women who are accepted into the program receive specialized mentoring, training, and encouragement to pursue leadership possibilities. The program’s objectives are to: - Invest in female employees and help them grow. - Develop a workflow of strong female leaders at AdRoll. - Establish a group of mentors to develop our female talent at AdRoll, and challenge participants to grow as leaders, think differently and collaborate to create a common vision for their teams and AdRoll. Zulily L&D’s approach is reflected in offering its employees access to more than 400 online and in-person courses – including an eight-course program for managers designed to help them become more engaging and effective leaders. A job changing and rotation programs are also available at Zulily to help employees advance their careers. Zulily’s monthly university series, in which they bring innovators and executives from various industries to present to employees, is one of its most popular initiatives. Galvanize provides an annual learning passport program, in which each employee can spend up to $1000 each year on a program that will assist them in learning and progressing in their current position in the l&d program. Additionally, the advantage can be extended to industry conferences and courses, professional publications and journals, and certification and licensing exams and certifications. Finally, galvanize has built a database of what workers have done with the money to generate ideas for other staff. Frequently Asked Questions a. What is a training program, and how does it work? We define a training program as a task or series of activities that comprise completing one or several courses to enhance a group’s effectiveness, creativity, skills, and expertise. It is typically a low-budget project with a flexible timetable and budget. b. What is the purpose of learning and development programs? Learning and development assist businesses in attracting and retaining top personnel, increasing employee satisfaction and morale, increasing productivity, and increasing profits. Additionally, organizations with actively engaged and dedicated employees report a 41% reduction in absenteeism rates and a 17% increase in productivity. c. What are career development programs? Employees benefit from career development programs and offerings that assist them in improving their performance in current roles, navigating organizational hoist, obtaining unique insights into their potential needs, and enhancing their ability to advance their careers when the opportunity arises. d. Why do firms invest in learning and development for their employees? L&D programs enable you to develop the skills of each employee by strengthening the skills that are currently in place. A development program raises all employees’ skill and knowledge levels to a higher degree, ensuring that they are all on the same page. Consequently, any weak links within the organization that rely heavily on others to execute primary work responsibilities will be reduced. e. In what ways do training and learning differ from one another? Information and knowledge are imparted to trainees through voice, written word, or other ways of presentation in a manner that is intended to instruct the recipient of the information and knowledge. Essentially, learning is the act of assimilating knowledge to enhance skills and talents and put that information to use in various settings and situations. l&d programs are building a powerful bond between the employers and the employees. This is the reason when you are incorporating the l&d programs. In addition, you are positively taking the initiative for skill enhancement. So keep maintaining these factors and share your experiences related to the l&d programs. - 6 Ways That Using Increase Employee Survey Response Rates Can Make Changes In Your Company - Is Modicare A Trustworthy Company? Must-Read Guide For 2022!!! - Company Tools and Software to Improve Your Workflow

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ARLINGTON, Va. - With teal-colored combat boots lining a section of the atrium of the Army National Guard Readiness Center here, Soldiers from the Army National Guard kicked off this year"s Sexual Assault Awareness Month on Monday. "It"s important to seize the opportunity to use an event like this to kick off awareness," said Army Maj. Gen. Judd H. Lyons, acting director of the Army National Guard. "We"re responsible as leaders to set the standard and create that culture of dignity and respect. It doesn"t matter what your rank is." To Lyons, resources applied toward training create a culture of continuous awareness. One example: A recent training program that two National Guard noncommissioned officers attended. Sgts. 1st Class Frederick Nicholas, Virginia National Guard, and Michael Kerkhoff, New Mexico National Guard, graduated March 28 from the first iteration of an eight-week pilot program that launched in January at the District of Columbia National Guard"s Regional Training Institute on Fort Belvoir, Va. The course was launched to better prepare sexual assault response coordinators, victim advocates and trainers of the 80-hour SHARP course. "Not having in-depth knowledge as the rest of the class was a little challenging," Kerkhoff said about the roughly 30 person class made up of mainly Army SARCs and VAs, "but I think we got caught up to speed pretty quickly." For Nicholas, the pilot program made the material more tangible and provided a bridge between what program expectations were and what was happening in the SHARP community. "It"s important to get realistic training, and realistic expectations of what"s going to happen," he said. Through various subject matter experts from offices including the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, the Inspector General and the Army Management Staff College, the course prepared participants to replace the current Mobile Training Team instructors, centralize the curriculum and establish a level of professionalism to the services provided and to the career as a whole. "All the guest speakers brought a different dynamic and more in-depth knowledge on some of the more technical subjects," Kerkhoff said. Subject matter experts also allowed students to ask questions and discuss the topics they covered. "Having subject matter experts available to answer questions was priceless," said Nicholas. "Our knowledge base increased just by listening to some of the questions asked by other participants." In addition to the subject matter experts, representatives from National Guard Bureau briefly covered the challenges faced by National Guard Soldiers. "It was eye-opening," Nicholas said. "A lot of the active duty participants were giving us "kudos" because of the challenges and dynamics faced by the National Guard." Nicholas and Kerkhoff are working at the Army National Guard Readiness Center as the Mobile Training Team, ready to undertake instructing the 80-hour SHARP course to more than 700 National Guard collateral duty victim advocates located throughout the 54 states and territories who still need certification - an effort that will take about 22 class iterations. The Army National Guard has more than 2,600 collateral duty victim advocates who have completed the 80-hour training. Sexual assault in the military, an issue that has garnered national attentio, has consistently been a topic of discussion at Guard Senior Leader Conferences and Command Sergeants Major Advisory Council meetings and is a top priority for military leaders at all echelons. It is a priority that was evident to both Nicholas and Kerkhoff when Army Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, the Army deputy chief of staff for personnel, addressed the class. "Having leadership come down and not just to say "it"s important", but to come down and take time to visit," noted Nicholas, "to me that speaks volumes on how important it really is."

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Recently I spoke to a university senior who is a leader in a political club at her school. I wondered how things were going for the club, given today’s campus climate where a free exchange is not always welcome, to say the least. She told me that students with a range of views show up, eager to hear perspectives not taught by professors. The club hosts discussion times, where they share about issues informally. When I heard what the club was doing, it made me think, Isn’t that what should be happening in the classrooms? The answer is, evidently, that unconstrained substantive conversation is not occurring where it should. No Great Surprise That comes as no great surprise, though. Students want to discuss the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolution, too — but you can be sure that isn’t welcome in their courses. There’s probably more room for open communication about politics than about biology. Why do our Summer Seminars attract science undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs? Why do they want to spend ten days in Seattle, learning about intelligent design? (Why, that is, apart from the enviable Pacific Northwest summer weather.) It’s because their professors don’t permit discussion of ID in the classroom. Or if they do, it is to disparage the concept and poison the well before any honest discussion can take place. On this subject, distortion and bullying, not sincere curiosity, are the rule in academia. The Summer Seminars are the only chance that most students will have to hear a presentation about ID from top ID proponents themselves. Instructors include Michael Behe, author of the new book Darwin Devolves, out next week, as well as Stephen Meyer, Richard Sternberg, Jonathan Wells, Ann Gauger, Paul Nelson, and more. Students can take what they’ve learned back to school with them. Now, at least, they’ve heard the other side of the story that they won’t hear from their professors. That is a precious opportunity for the truly open-minded learner. Sound intriguing? If you’re an interested university student, the application for the 2019 Summer Seminars on Intelligent Design is now available. There are two tracks, focused respectively on the sciences — to “prepare students to make research contributions advancing the growing science of intelligent design” — and the humanities. Please pass this on to others as well! Learning from the Medieval University Free speech at universities is a worthy goal. How can we encourage academic freedom on evolution? After reading Michael Keas’s new book, Unbelievable, it seems to me that the medieval attitude towards learning was, in key respects, more open than the modern one. The university, as birthed in the Middle Ages, was a place where students and professors raised questions and discussed issues. These were centers of learning, not places of censorship. As Professor Keas recounts, universities encouraged translation of works from pagan sources. Franciscan friar Roger Bacon drew on Greek and Islamic works in his study of light, and this influenced Kepler’s research on light and optics. Today, in university classrooms, dissenting from evolution is strongly discouraged as unorthodox. The good churchman Bacon was free to draw from the works of Islamic scholars, but a biology student who doubts unguided evolution on scientific grounds must keep her mouth shut. Perhaps we can return to a free flow of information and open discussion in the pursuit of knowledge. How can one raise awareness? Encourage your elected state representatives to consider our model Student Freedom in Science Resolution. Perhaps you could host a small gathering with friends to discuss academic freedom on controversial scientific issues. I hope that at some point in the future students won’t have to seek out a special club where discussion is allowed. Perhaps they will be able to explore issues in class. Imagine that!

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Enrolling at South Davidson South Davidson High School Students enrolling in Davidson County Schools must reside within the geographical boundaries of the school district. Davidson County Schools does not accept any out-of-district students, even on a tuition basis. Students new to Davidson County Schools will need to provide the following documents to enroll at South Davidson High School. - Immunization (shot) record signed by the physician (click here for NC immunization requirements) - Certified copy of birth certificate - Parent's ID - Two proofs of residency (utilities, water, gas, electric, or telephone bill) - IEP (if applicable) - Transcript from previous school (recommended for high school enrollment) - Completed Davidson County Schools: High School Registration Enrollment Form & Language Survey with Course List (English) or Escuelas Del Condado Davidson: Inscripcion Grados K-12 (Spanish) - Completed NC Health Assessment Form (Effective 2016-2017, required for students new to NC public schools)

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SALT LAKE CITY – WGU Labs, Inc. (WGU Labs), an affiliate of online nonprofit Western Governors University (WGU), has announced a product and market development agreement with MajorClarity—an education technology company designed to help students discover their future careers and the postsecondary paths needed to attain them. As part of the partnership, WGU Labs will develop content for interactive career simulations and provide support for MajorClarity’s market expansion. “The term ‘college and career readiness’ is used widely throughout the education industry, but the career portion of the equation almost always takes a backseat to the college piece,” said Joe Belsterling, founder of MajorClarity. “We want to flip the focus to empower K-12 learners to begin their postsecondary planning with a deeper understanding of themselves—their strengths, aptitudes, and interests—and how the career landscape fits them.” MajorClarity is based in Richmond, Va., and unifies teaching, counseling, and career readiness in a single platform that puts the student at the center of their own future. Rather than simply reading about careers or watching videos, MajorClarity engages students with career “test drives” through authentic, career-specific projects designed to give students a deeper understanding of different careers to help them determine which roles might be a good fit. This career-first, student-centric approach is a shift from how college- and career-readiness systems have typically engaged students. Moreover, many high school career- and college-readiness programs focus heavily on four-year college pathways, often leaving students who are pursuing other options to fall through the cracks. “The career simulations we develop with Major Clarity will empower students to test drive careers before they invest time and money down any one path,” said Jess Stokes, Head of Product Management for WGU Labs. “We are passionate about MajorClarity's role in inspiring students to pursue careers that align with their interests, and for helping students avoid costly missteps.” “The last program we used had some video and activity content, but nothing compared to MajorClarity’s platform,” said Ginger Jones, Director of Counseling and Student Support Services for Rankin County Schools in Brandon, Miss. “Our students used to do a lot of digging to research potential colleges and scholarships, but with MajorClarity they can log in, research, compare, and save postsecondary opportunities—all in one spot.” Belsterling believes that adding value to the workforce and society is more important than whether a student gets into college immediately after high school. “Our vision is focused on helping students achieve successful career outcomes,” said Belsterling. “Of course, at the center of everything we do are the students and educators that we have the privilege to offer our service to—we simply hope to amplify the incredible work already taking place in school districts across the country by providing career readiness at a critical point in students’ lives.” About WGU Labs WGU Labs is a nonprofit applicant that is an affiliate of WGU. WGU Labs primarily provides research, services, invents, builds, and secondarily invests in strategically aligned innovative learning solutions that improve quality and advance educational outcomes for learners everywhere. Building on social psychology, learning science, and industry trends, WGU Labs accelerates education startups and develops its own research-supported, scalable products. Learn more about WGU Labs at https://wgulabs.org/. MajorClarity, Inc., is an educational software company providing career exploration and academic-planning services to 1,500+ schools nationwide. MajorClarity unifies academic planning and career readiness for schools and students, helping ensure that every student’s education leads to a successful career outcome. MajorClarity offers the only academic-planning platform with interactive-career simulations (or “test drives”), in addition to its video content. MajorClarity helps every student leverage their career exploration to build out a course plan and a postsecondary plan that leads to their desired career outcome, whether that is through a 4-year degree, a 2-year degree, a technical certificate, the military, or going straight into the workforce.

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Paul’s wife knows Paul loves to read cookbooks. She decides to get him one for his birthday. Paul tells her he will try to make a new recipe for three days in a row. On Monday, Paul makes blueberry pancakes for breakfast. He gets the blueberries from the farmers’ market. On Tuesday, Paul makes beef soup for dinner. He puts in cubes of beef, carrots, and onions. The recipe calls for cream, but Paul does not cream. He uses water instead. On Wednesday, Paul makes a tomato salad with cucumbers and onions. He picks the cucumbers and tomatoes from his garden. He likes this dish best. It was also the easiest for him to make. What does Paul say he will do? The purpose of education is to make the student an expert in his subject. This must be clearly understood, and mere mudding through lessons and lectures and books and passing examinations are relegated to secondary importance as means to the end-which is excellence in the field chosen. But there are so many fields, and no man can become an expert in all the fields it is necessary to decide which fields are important ones that a man should know well. It is clear that one’s own work is the most important. This has been realized and modern civilization has accordingly provided vocational education. It is now possible to acquire high professional skill in the various fields, medicine, engineering production, commerce and so on-but with good and bad mixed together, and no standard for guidance. The purpose of education is to make the student:

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Will the current COVID19 crisis have a lasting impact on our educational system and understanding? Or will we still be learning and teaching in 100 years as we do today? These two core questions have been addressed by Prof. Dr. habil. Heiko von der Gracht in an interview in the trade magazine Didacta. Various scenarios were outlined in the conversation: The best-case scenario focuses on the use of cogs (cognitive computers). In the worst case, everything remains as it was, because the structures will not yield to the pressure to innovate. In addition, two students were interviewed in the journal. Read the article to see how they envision the future of education, what our professor has to say about it, and how Star Trek’s holodeck fits in. Try the magazine for free with this coupon code: (1806didactaPM).

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The Federal School Safety Clearinghouse will host a webinar on May 19 focused on mental health in K–12 schools. It will include guidance, a Q&A session, and school safety-related resources. Join REL Central on February 25th at 11am M.T. for a webinar on the importance of administrator retention and evidence-based examples of state/local policies and programs that address administrator mobility. This REL Central webinar discusses personalizing instruction to address COVID-19 learning gaps. The Midwest and Plain Equity Assistance Center is hosting a Virtual World Café on June 22, 2020 at 2:30pm ET for education stakeholders to convene online and discuss equity implications for addressing students' educational, social, and emotional needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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A Class of 2015 graduate from The Episcopal School of Dallas, Christina Gordon was recently one of 10 named to Richmond Inno Under 25's 2021 list. Gordon, a Virginia Commonwealth University doctoral student in dentistry, developed the Proxy-Flosser to help people with braces clean their teeth. The Proxy-Flosser idea came from Gordon's real-life experiences. She used $10,000 from the VCU Commercialization Fund to develop the prototype and was one of five to receive funding. This is not Gordon's first time to use her experience to help others. In ninth grade at ESD, she launched Friendsinkneed.com to encourage and support fellow student-athletes recovering from injuries. Gordon published Finding Hope: A Dog's Tale her junior year. On a fun note, she read her book to the (then) fourth-grade Class of 2022 as part of their Texas history study! Read more about her book here. Proud of you, Eagle!

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Debriefings with honest, open communication 10kv is a method for running debriefings while avoiding the usual pitfalls. Anonymous input allows people to share ideas without fear of repercussions or rank issues. Each session evolves based on the desires of attendees, instead of the usual top-down agenda. 10kv sessions have been used to debrief events such as murder investigations and pandemic responses. Find the topics that matter most 10kv sessions are either held in person in large meeting spaces, or remotely with people logging in from anywhere in the world. The discussion is held within our software. It is a text-based forum, with each attendee given an anonymised log in which they access on their own device or one of our iPads. Sessions start by people submitting and voting on talking points. This is in opposition to a preset agenda, revealing the areas that different groups wish to discuss. All the topics are then set live, with discussions happening in parallel. People can choose which discussions to join and how much they wish to contribute. A space to vent or voice concerns The anonymised nature of 10kv sessions gives people the chance to have emotionally honest conversations. We often hear from attendees that it is the first time they have discussed the emotional impact a critical event has had on them, which creates a therapeutic effect. It also allows people to question aspects of the approach that would usually be outside their jurisdiction. Higher ranking personnel often discover snags in the system that aren’t obvious from their point of view. Of course, these anonymous discussions are kept civil by all participants agreeing to a code of conduct for the event. In depth post-event report 10kv sessions can result in thousands of lines of written text. We don’t expect you and your team to read through every line, so our analysts comb through it for you. You receive a full report following the event. We will adapt to your priorities but a typical report will contain summaries of all the key points, particularly insightful comments, and word clouds of common sentiments. We may also produce recommendations for you. If we are using 10kv working in partnership with you on a new Hydra installation, we will provide you with a training analysis for making best use of your new suite.

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Sopro launches Level Up Laptops appeal to get more laptops to children in Sussex struggling to access education online 19 January; Launching today Level Up Laptops is a charity initiative created by Brighton based social prospecting company Sopro. It’s asking Sussex based businesses to donate laptops and other computer equipment that can be given to local schoolchildren struggling to access online learning resources. Level Up Laptops will also take monetary donations through its Sussex based registered charity partner the Tarner Community Project. All funds raised will be used to cover refurbishment costs or to purchase new machines for local children. Ryan Welmans, Sopro’s CEO and the mastermind behind this initiative explains why the project started: “When I heard on the radio how a lack of devices is making it impossible for some of our most vulnerable families to home school, I knew we could help. So many businesses have old laptops lying around and we can reach the with our Sopro prospecting technology quickly to raise awareness and gain their support. We’re also donating staff time to handle the collection, refurbishment and fundraising plus our fantastic charity partner the Tarner Community Project already has links into local schools and the council. To get the campaign of to a flying start, Sopro are funding ten laptops for ten local kids immediately.” Emma Jacquest, CEO at the Tarner Community Project explains how these devices will help Sussex school children; “Covid has accelerated the amount of education conducted online and it’s critical that vulnerable children don’t fall behind because of a lack of access to learning resources. We’re excited to be involved in this project to tackle the digital divide across Sussex and have every confidence in the generosity of local businesses.” Level Up Laptops will accept any laptop that runs Windows 7 or later plus tablets, which many younger children need for their studies, refurbishing them and then connecting with local schools who will distribute the devices to children struggling to maintain their education remotely. Matthew Ansell from Hove based marketing agency Matrix Marketing added; “We’ve made a cash donation to help cover refurbishment costs as it’s critical to get usable devices out to children who are missing out on education. I wouldn’t be able to work if my children couldn’t get online and access sites like BBC bitesize because I’d need to teach or supervise them constantly. Without access to the internet, they would also miss out on video calls with their teachers and friends which are so important to their mental wellbeing during this pandemic.” Many households are struggling even if they have one device already as parents are working from home and often there is more than one child who needs to join online lessons or use a laptop to access educational resources online. It is estimated that 2.6 million schoolchildren live below the poverty line in England alone, and Ofcom estimates that about 9% of children in the UK – up to 1.7 million – do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home. More than 880,000 children also live in a household with only a mobile internet connection. Online Nation 2020 – https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0037/194878/technology-tracker-2020-uk-data-tables.pdf Full details of the Level Up Project can be found on its website at: https://leveluplaptops.co.uk/ or join our community at https://www.facebook.com/Level-Up-Laptops-103347615069389 Donations can be made via Just Giving here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/leveluplaptops Privately owned and funded, Sopro is one of the fastest-growing B2B marketing technology businesses in the world. In four years and with zero capital investment, Sopro has built a highly skilled team passionate about technology, customer service and results resulting in an annual turnover that now exceeds £3m. Sopro’s social prospecting format connects businesses with their target customers on a 1-to-1 basis with personalised, conversational email introductions, designed to flow naturally into the sales pipeline. Twitter: @Sopro Facebook: @Sopro.Prospecting Contact: Ana 07770507723 for additional information, to speak to Ryan or for additional images About the Tarner Community Project Tarner Community Project is a charity based in Tarner Park, Brighton, dedicated to supporting the local community and providing all year round activities for children and young people. With OFSTED good accreditation, we offer a caring, inclusive, service. Healthy living and wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do with an emphasis on physical and outdoor activities. The Tarner team will be using their local connections with schools across the Sussex region to make sure that all devices secured by the Level Up Laptap appeal reach children who are struggling to access vital online learning resources.

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Who We Are? The mission of the Boston HBCU Alumni Network is to provide Boston area youth with leadership development skills, mentorship opportunities and exposure to educational resources. We specifically focus on bridging connections from high-school to college, and from college to career. We believe that if we are able to provide youth of color a space to authentically engage with and learn from people that share similar upbringing and racial ethnic backgrounds that have successfully navigated post-secondary education and careers, then we can positively change the educational/professional trajectory of the next generation of Boston’s youth of color. George B. Cox Equity in Urban Education Fellowship Named after prominent educator and HBCU Alumnus George B. Cox, The Equity in Urban Education Fellowship through the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Office of Recruitment, Cultivation and Diversity (RCD) is designed to be an inclusive, project-based professional learning opportunity for undergraduates, students as they enter into the final phase(s) of their undergraduate careers, equipping them with the tools necessary to succeed in professional landscapes. Collaboration, professional learning, and supporting the district of Boston Public School strategic plan are the three main drivers that will push the fellows’ work throughout their fellowship (Semester or Summer). To provide additional development opportunities, each fellow will receive the following services: - Interview preparation : Resume & Cover Letter Support and MockInterview Sessions, - Mentoring and Career Coaching – Intergenerational meetings, a learn series with a strong emphasis on career trajectory and shadowing. After each fellowship, each fellow will be asked to deliver a capstone presentation that showcases their contribution to the BPS RCD team with any organizational suggestions that they might have based on information collected throughout the summer. and highlights their professional learning acquired throughout the summer/semester. Boston Public Schools Teacher Cadet Program The BPS Teacher Cadet Program is a district-wide pathway that identifies and cultivates culturally, linguistically and racially diverse high school students who will become the educators of tomorrow. Students are engaged as early as freshman year of high school and continuing through college graduation, TC Student-Scholars receive academic support and professional development. Scholars are tracked and supported through their experience exploring the field of education through lesson planning, teacher observations, and tutoring. They gain leadership skills, participate in college visits and conferences, and prepare for a teaching career. The BPS TeacherCadet Program engages Scholars in monthly meetings, college visits and conferences, and a curriculum focused on teacher education, college access, and leadership development. The model engages students from all grade levels in high school through college graduation Boston Day and Evening 2.0 Mentorship Program In partnership with City Year and the Boston Day and Evening 2.0Academy (BDEA), the Boston HBCU Alumni Network will present a series of mentorship events, including but not limited to: recruitment fairs, mentor-match orientations, and special in-person events to engage students with potential and matched mentors from ourNetwork who are eager to provide educational and socio-emotional support and guidance. The goal of this partnership will be to pair our vast network of HBCU Alumni who are prepared to advise and pipeline BPS students from secondary school into post-secondary opportunities such as college and trade school.

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Along the lines of my last post, I’ve tweaked another game that I have used previously — the marshmallow challenge. My goal was to illustrate how economic development can be considered a collective action problem in which trust plays a key role. Here are the rules of the game: Each team has 18 minutes to build a tower topped by a marshmallow using the materials provided. The members of the team that builds the tallest tower earn 25 points each. A “Red” player secretly placed on your team gets 25 points if their real team wins. If a team correctly identifies its Red player, each team member wins 25 points. Only one guess per team. The debriefing discussion included my brief description of Rousseau’s stag hunt scenario, and these questions: If one considers the height of a tower as an indicator of a society’s level of economic development, why did some societies (teams) develop more quickly than others? Did cultural values promote trust among team members? What was in each person’s best interest? Were these interests achieved? How did having a Red on your team affect your team’s behavior? Who do you think the Reds were? Why? How does it feel to be accused of being a Red? At the very end of the discussion, I revealed that there were no Red players. The class had ten students that I divided into three teams. One team’s tower collapsed when time expired, but none of the teams exhibited a high degree of dysfunction due to suspicions about the identity of its Red player. As usual, I think the game would work better in a class with more students. In an attempt to rectify the failure of my previous classroom game on ethnic heterogeneity, democracy and dictatorship, I created another game that included a loss aversion component. I intended the game to demonstrate the concepts found in Mancur Olson’s 1993 article, “Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development” (The American Political Science Review 87, 3). Here are the rules for game’s initial version: Each person gets a playing card and 4 chips. The class is divided into small groups. The person with the highest card value in each group is a bandit. The game has five rounds. Each group’s bandit confiscates 1, 2, 3, or 4 chips each round from every other group member. This decision is made by the bandit. The bandit has to confiscate at least 1 chip from each group member each round, assuming the group member has a chip. After round 1, 2, 3, and 4, each non-bandit gets 1 additional chip if they have ended the round with > 0 chips. The person in each group with the most chips after round 5 earns points equivalent to the number of chips in their possession. Version 2 of the game has the same rules as Version 1, plus: A bandit can switch to a different group after each of rounds 1-4. The bandit with a higher value card turns another group’s bandit into an ordinary person. The new bandit takes the eliminated bandit’s chips and can keep them or distribute some or all of them in any manner to members of their new group. Version 3 has the same rules as Versions 1 and 2, plus: Members of a group can eliminate a bandit if (a) they have card suits different from the bandit’s suit, and (b) the combined value of their cards exceeds the value of the bandit’s card. If a bandit is eliminated, the bandit’s chips are distributed equally among the challengers. A bandit can retain control if (a) group members with cards of the same suit as the bandit’s decide to ally with the bandit and (b) the combined value of cards of this suit exceeds that of the bandit’s challengers. Before play started, I stacked the deck with cards from only three suits because of the small class size — thirteen students are registered for the course, but only eleven showed up. I divided these eleven students into three groups. For all versions of the game, all bandits confiscated the same number of chips from their group’s members in each round, even though the rules did not specify that they had to do this. In Version 1, one bandit confiscated all the chips from every group member in one round, which ended that group’s game play for the remaining rounds — demonstrating that it’s better for a stationary bandit to extract only a portion of wealth from the populace at any given time. During Version 2, no bandit changed groups, and in Version 3, no one tried to eliminate a bandit. This game worked better than the last one, but it still needs a much larger number of participants for it to function as intended. I recently ran a game in two classes that I had hoped would demonstrate the effects of ethnic heterogeneity in dictatorships and democracies. The basic mechanics of the game: The class is split into groups. Each person gets a playing card. Card suit represents ethnicity, though I didn’t tell students this. A card’s numeric value equates to the power level of the person holding it. If someone in a group has a face card, then the group is a dictatorship. The person in the group with the highest value face card is the dictator, who makes all decisions. If no one in the group has a face card, then the group is a democracy, with decisions made by majority vote. The numeric values of the cards don’t matter. The game is played in multiple rounds, with a greater number of points at stake in each round — I used five rounds, worth 3, 5, 7, 10, and 15 points, respectively. These points count toward the final course grade. In every round, each group allocates its points to its members according to the rules above. If anyone in a group is dissatisfied with how the points were distributed, the person can recruit a cluster of allies who have cards of the same suit to challenge the distribution. In a dictatorship, the challenge succeeds if the cluster’s combined power level exceeds that formed by the dictator’s allies. In a democracy, the challenge succeeds if the cluster’s total power level exceeds that of the rest of the group. When there is a successful challenge, the group has to distribute its points in a different way. Each round had a time limit of just a few minutes, and if a group failed to successfully allocate its points before a round ended, the group’s points for that round disappeared. My youngest is currently getting stuck into her school’s debating society. Weekly topics range from getting rid of the monarchy to pushing vaccine mandates, with pupils getting dropped into a side at random, and at short notice. You might well have done the same yourself when you were younger; I didn’t, mainly as I was too busy being awkward and gangly. My daughter really likes the approach, both for the range of topics (which we often end up discussing over the dinner table) and for the reflection it promotes about how to make an effective case. The other day as we sat at the orthodontist, waiting for a replacement retainer (hers, not mine), we were deep into whether a technocracy was better than a democracy when she raised a concern. The format of debates requires you to defend a position, regardless of what you believe. So far, she’s not found herself pushing something she strongly disagrees with, but she felt uncomfortable about the thought of it. Indeed, your beliefs – and any objective facts – count for nothing in formal debating. Yes, you can bring evidence, but it is in compelling presentation and investment in the logic of ‘your’ side that you can usually prevail. Put differently, debating seems to care more for what is convincing than for what is grounded in evidence. At which point we wave from our PoliSci benches and give a big ‘hello’. I noted that when I allocate students into my negotiations, I often like to put people in roles that don’t fit their own views, on the grounds that it’s a good exercise in learning to empathise. You might find it axiomatically true that X is right, but there are others out there who (strongly) disagree, so perhaps by trying to put yourself in their shoes for a bit you might better understand where they’re coming from. But you see already the potential for a replication of the same dynamic as that debating society: maybe everyone focuses on ‘winning’ rather than the empathy. In the debating society the format is very much focused on that competition, so it’s a real issue. For negotiations, I hope we have more latitude to limit the problem. Most obviously, I never judge negotiation exercises on who ‘wins’, and often there is no clear ‘win’ available in basic structural terms. Secondly, the debrief that always follows is about process and substance, with consideration of the differing value judgments, how they arise and their impact. And finally there is often a degree of integration: progress towards agreements is usually about finding common ground rather than domination. However, the orthodontist discussion did give serious pause for thought. In an age when politicians sometimes seem to be willing/able to say anything to gain support/profile, there is a danger that simply giving students rhetorical skills breeds a false impression that all truths are equal and find their value only in how well you speak of them. Yes, the scientific method does point us towards the essential need for evidence, but maybe this isn’t enough. Empathy cannot be presented as a equivalent of sympathy or of equivalence, but as a tool for improving our understanding of contested spaces and topics, with which we can then work to find more inclusive ways forward, working together. Maybe I’ll suggest that as a future topic for someone’s debating society. Today we have a guest post from Michelle Goodridge, academic librarian at Wilfrid Laurier University. She can be contacted at mgoodridge [at] wlu [dot] ca. After a casual conversation about classroom games with my colleague Professor Andrew Robinson, we created a foreign policy simulation for his course, HR 100 Human Rights and Human Diversity. We had two goals for the simulation: first, have students explore why state actors fail to advance human rights domestically and internationally, and second, measure the simulation’s effectiveness in helping students achieve desired learning outcomes. Orienting the exercise around human rights instead of international trade. Dividing students into three teams of high and middle-income pro-human rights. democracies, two teams of low-income democracies indifferent to human rights, one team of a high-income state that is anti-human rights, and one team representing an NGO. Introducing the political objective of re-election. Creating different winning conditions for each team. To form teams, students picked one of several different colored t-shirts that we had laid out around the classroom. Each team received a corresponding packet of instructions and resources. I had the role of The Trader who accepted the geometric shapes produced by teams in exchange for political support units. Andrew injected human rights crises into the simulation via PowerPoint. The simulation ran an hour, with defined victory conditions that needed to be met to have a winner. Often none of the teams met its victory condition, which came as a shock to the students, but it helped illustrate the complexity of international relations. After the game concluded, we took time to debrief the students, and this is when students made robust connections between the simulation and concepts they had been studying. I can only assume this is because verbalizing these responses right after the exercise is easier than writing them down a week afterward. We attempted to measure the effectiveness of our Human Rights Foreign Policy Game with pre/post test evaluations. The evaluation results were anonymized, coded, and analyzed using SPSS. We found that the richest data came from students’ responses to the evaluation’s open-ended questions. So far, we have run this simulation in six semesters, and we will probably continue to use it in the future because of the high percentage of students reporting that it helped them learn. For more details, please see our article “Objective Assessment of Pedagogical Effectiveness and the Human Rights Foreign Policy Simulation Game,” Journal of Political Science Education 17, 2 (2021): 213-233, DOI: 10.1080/15512169.2019.1623048. Today we have a guest post from Eric Cox, an associate professor at Texas Christian University. He can be contacted at e[dot]cox[at]tcu[dot]edu. Does the online Statecraft simulation improve student learning when used as a key component of international relations classes? I explored this question in a Journal of Political Science Education article through a controlled comparison of two IR course sections taught during the same semester. One section was randomly chosen to participate in Statecraft, the other was assigned a research paper. The primary finding of the study was that students in both sections performed similarly on exams when controlling for other factors. Statecraft is a turn-based simulation that divides students into “countries” that they govern. Each country must choose its form of government, economic system, and other attributes. Players also choose whether to focus on domestic spending priorities such as schools, hospitals and railroads, or on military capabilities. They must deal with terrorism, the melting of Ice Mountain, pirates, and rumors. The simulation is, to put it mildly, complex. I have been using it for just over a decade. To try to put the students doing the research paper on an equal footing with those engaged with Statecraft, I dedicated several days of class to instruction in research writing skills and peer review. The students in this section spent roughly the same amount of time in class on their paper as the students in the Statecraft section did on the simulation. Both groups also wrote about the same amount. At the end of the semester, I compared class performance on three exams and gave students a brief survey on their experiences. The initial findings were surprising: the research paper class did much better on exams but were less satisfied with the research assignment than the Statecraft students were with the simulation. I obtained access to students’ GPA when entering the course, and re-ran my analysis with GPA, whether students were taking the course for a grade, and whether students were political science majors as controls. Once these controls were introduced, the effect of Statecraft went away. The strongest predictor of course performance was their incoming GPA. Students with high prior GPAs made As, B students made Bs, and so on. Academic performance was independent of the research paper or Statecraft assignment. However, students in the Statecraft section showed a strong preference for the simulation over a traditional research paper, and students in the research paper section indicated they would have rather done Statecraft. Subsequent student evaluations have also demonstrated the relative popularity of Statecraft. That said, my use of Statecraft has evolved, something I discuss in detail in my chapter of Teaching International Relations. Foremost, I dedicate class time to the simulation, and draw examples from the simulation when discussing IR theory, issue areas, and current events. Students have indicated that the simulation gives them a greater appreciation for the complexity of international relations and the challenges leaders face. Editor’s note: previous posts on Statecraft can be found here. Two weeks ago, students in my economic development and environmental politics course played my simulation on freshwater resource scarcity in Asia. If my memory is correct, it was the first time running the simulation in the physical classroom, and I was interesting in whether students behaved differently in the face-to-face environment compared to a prior iteration of the simulation that occurred online. The underlying mechanics of the simulation were unchanged: six teams, each representing a different country with one or more transnational rivers crossing its territory. Turn by turn, the population expands, more food must be produced, and water demand increases, yet countries are building dams upriver and rainfall declines because of climate change. Eventually a country has a famine and millions of refugees spill into its neighbors. This time around I added a victory condition: members of the team with the greatest percentage growth in GDP per capita when the simulation ended earned five points (out of a thousand) toward their final grades. I put a copy of the simulation’s spreadsheet, which shows how actions taken by teams affect water availability, food production, hydroelectricity generation, and GDP, on the LMS and encouraged students to experiment with it before the simulation started. Student did seem more engaged with the simulation in the classroom than they had online, though it was far easier for me to observe their interactions. The real surprise was how baffled students were about the cause and effect relationships built into the spreadsheet. Growth in GDP requires growth in hydroelectric capacity, which only comes from building dams. Yet teams were hesitant to build dams. By the end of the simulation, China, for example, had stockpiled enough of a reserve to have constructed over one hundred dams, yet it had built only a handful. The largest change in GDP among the six teams? Only 1.1 percent over a twelve year period. Students clearly had not tried to figure out the spreadsheet before the simulation started, and none of them seemed to understand the relationship between economic growth, food, and water. Consequently, many of them flailed about helplessly as their country’s water supply steadily dwindled. When asked during the debriefing why they chose inaction instead of action, I got mostly blank looks. As I’ve noted before, many students seem to have little understanding of cause and effect; instead, in their worlds, stuff just happens. While I would prefer not adding multiple assignments to the course to force students to work with the simulation’s causal relationships before the simulation actually begins, it might be necessary. As I’ve mentioned before, part of my new role involves designing a negotiation exercise of an online, asynchronous programme. This presents a number of rather basic problems, so consider this a bit of my attempt to try and work them out. First up is the asynchronicity. A fundamental part of negotiating is interaction, so if you can’t do that there-and-then, you have to deal with a major challenge. In this case, our usual cycle for students is a week, within which we set work for them to fit around their other commitments. Since most of our students are working, or have other major life obligations, that means it’s really hard to ask for anything speedier. Even if most could turn things around in a matter of days, we can’t be certain that everyone can, so those not able to would suffer in the exercise. Secondly, there a debrief issue. The materials we produce are intended to be used for several years: our role is relatively separate from delivery, as our system of associate lecturers handle most of the pedagogic queries and support. If we accept that negotiation must have debriefing (and I certainly do), then how do we fit that into this system? Is it my work, or associates’, or do we have some generic points to reflect upon, and how would any of these models operate? Finally, we have the tiny question of scale. I don’t know how many students will be using this exercise in any given presentation (as we call our delivery), so I need a negotiation that can cope with both a large number of participants and a varying number of participants. Our plans say 80, but that’s neither here nor there, except in the most general of terms. Oh, and I have to assume none of the students will have any prior experience in negotiating. So what to do? I’ve been working around some different abstracted options for a while to handle all of this, and it might be useful to consider these for a while. They vary by how much of a ‘negotiation’ they involve, since that interaction issue strikes me as the most fundamental one. Obviously, the starting model is a set-up where there is direct student-to-student negotiation: it’s prototypical and best allows them to develop practical skills. But it needs much time, much support and debrief. Plus you have to work out roles. So maybe you could have instead a ‘negotiation’ with an automated interlocutor: a ‘chose-your-own-adventure’ approach, effectively, but with a computer programme rather than a paper-based text. It can be played individually, paths/outcomes are fixed so feedback is easy, but it’s not so very much like actual negotiating. A different direction would be to ask students to do the prep work for a negotiation: drawing up negotiating briefs, setting out positions and the like. This is crucial part of negotiating, so it’s prototypical, but without the pointy end of testing out ideas. It’s more manageable for support and debrief, but probably isn’t as engaging. And most distantly of all, you could ask students to study a real-world negotiation, through the lens of some theory. That’s also a good skill to learn, but it’s not so hands-on as any of the others. In short, it’s a world of compromises. For our purposes, we really want to build practical skills, so we’re currently closest to the first option: the ‘proper’ negotiation. As we often discuss here, the purpose of the exercise needs to be clear to you and to the student, otherwise it’s pointless making choices. In that sense, having the discussion with the rest of the team was an essential step in moving this on. My tentative model right now looks like the following, working within the constraints I have. In my 4 week block for this, and alongside other work they need to do, I’m planning to give students a crash course in how to negotiate (week 1); two (and maybe three) rounds of negotiating (weeks 2-4); and some debriefing (week 4). The block topic is international challenges to political stability, so I’ll be using a climate change topic as the substantive focus, which also allows me to use a UNFCC-style format, with a couple of hundred roles that I can allocate to individuals. Those roles will have an order, so we start by populating key representative states (in terms of the different preferences) and then work through to everyone else, so we can accommodate the varying numbers. Probably that means making a generic position pack, plus some headlines for each role, with some requirement to expand on that through their own research. The training would be some materials on practical negotiating, plus an option to download a small crisis game, to play offline with friends/family or even just to muse upon. The main section would then require students to post positions/text on a forum each week, ideally to build a single text for final approval. This will require relatively simple technology, but does rely on students to be able to build coalitions and engage in discussion, which will be an issue for some. To keep debrief viable, we’d probably need to start with a draft text – to keep things within relatively clear bounds – then provide cues to students to aid their own reflection, with some debrief points that could track key issues within the draft. This should make it more possible to keep associates on top of what’s gone on. And that’s about as far as I’ve got on this. There are lots of practicalities to work through, at all steps, but we think the basic design is viable. As I work through those, I’ll write more, but I’d love to hear thoughts. Today we have a guest post from Elia Elisa Cia Alves, Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), and Ana Paula Maielo Silva and Gabriela Gonçalves Barbosa, State University of Paraíba (UEPB), of Brazil. Elia Elisa Cia Alves can be contacted at eliacia [at] gmail [dot] com. The Challenge Game was developed by a group of professors at the State University of Paraiba and the Mettrica Lab in Brazil. It is suitable for teaching concepts in international relations theory, such as state survival within an anarchic system, the security dilemma, alliances and the balance of power, and hegemony. To play this game in the classroom, you will need 1) approximately 8 to 50 students who can play either individually or in teams, depending on the purpose to which the game is put, 2) candy, points, or some other reward that can be distributed, and 3) a method of determining the winner of a challenge between two parties, such as dice (high roll wins), rock-paper-scissors, or an online random number generator. Also, the rules of the game should be visible to students during the game. The game is played in four rounds of approximately ten minutes each. A challenge is a one-candy bet (a loss results in one piece of candy being taken away) with a 50% probability of winning. Any individual or team that is challenged must participate in the challenge. Only one challenge should occur at a time so that the instructor can note what happens. A student or team that ends up with zero candy can no longer issue challenges; they are “dead” for the remainder of the round. Round 1: Each student starts with one piece of candy. The winner of a challenge takes one piece of candy from the loser and can then challenge someone else. Any student who loses all of his or her candy is out of the game for the round. Depending on class size, the instructor may want to limit each student to a maximum number of challenges. Round 2: Candy is distributed unequally among students. Most students should have 1-2 candies, a few students should have 3, and only a couple of students should have 4. The instructor may want to allow students to form alliances, in which case students can borrow candies from each other if needed. However, the loan is optional. Round 3: Group students into teams. Distribute candy unequally among teams as in Round 2. Each team represents a nation-state. Students within a team decide, using any decision making method they choose, whether the team challenges any other team. As in Round 2, the instructor might allow teams to form alliances. Round 4: Group students into teams and distribute candy as in Round 3. The professor grants special rules to only teams that have the greatest number of candies, such as altering their odds of winning a challenge. After the game, the professor should debrief the class to link theoretical international relations concepts to students’ experiences of the game. In our JPSE article, we suggest several questions that can be used as part of the debriefing.

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If you are a Disabled Students Program (DSP) member, you are likely to be one of the approximately 10,000 UCSB students who are eligible for CalFresh! CalFresh is a federally funded program through which students can receive up to $234 each month to purchase groceries. There are four parts of CalFresh eligibility which include: - Citizenship (US Citizen, Lawful Permanent Residents, U and T Visas, Refugees, Asylees, VAWA, and some other special immigration categories) - Student CalFresh Requirements and If you are a member of DSP, you meet one of the Student CalFresh Requirements and so are 25% of the way there! DSP has gotten approval to become a student exemption program that you can now use to meet the requirement for this area. If you are over 18, you also meet the age requirement and are 50% of the way there. The last two categories (Citizenship and Income) are harder to assess before talking with you, but Basic Needs can help you to determine the rest of your eligibility if you are interested. Might not be eligible? If you think you might not be eligible for CalFresh, Basic Needs is also able to help you identify alternative resources that might be a better fit for your situation. Basic Needs Peer Advisors are trained on resources on and off campus, can help students identify the best options, and can provide them guidance on how to access other programs. Next Steps for Checking Eligibility and Applying To check in with a CalFresh Advocate and Basic Needs Peer Advisor, you have a few options: 1. Quick CalFresh Questions. If you have specific questions about CalFresh, you can reach out to Basic Needs on their live chat at https://food.ucsb.edu/ (see the avocado in the lower right hand corner), email them at [email protected] or call 805-893-2786. 2. Zoom Appointments. To set up a virtual appointment with Basic Needs on zoom, please visit https://food.ucsb.edu/ and scroll half way down the page to the blue-green boxes that say “Book an Appointment”. Click there and you can choose a time that works for you. You will need to login to shoreline with your UCSB NetID. If none of the available times work for you, please let them know at [email protected] and they can find a better time. 3. In-Person Appointments. Basic Needs is also able to offer in-person support at the UCSB Food Security and Basic Needs Advising Center (nicknamed the “SNAC”) which is next to the Campus Store and Jamba Juice at the University Center. This is also across from Storke Plaza. You can see their hours for this at: https://food.ucsb.edu/ Frequently Asked Questions about CalFresh How does the CalFresh program work? If you apply and are accepted into the CalFresh program, then you will receive an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card in the mail. This card works a lot like an ATM card, but funding is allocated to this card from the government. You can use the card at any major chain grocery store, Isla Vista Food Cooperative, Isla Vista Market, the Arbor, or Tenaya Market. If I apply for CalFresh would I be taking this resource away from someone who needs it more? Calfresh is an entitlement program, which means everyone that qualifies and applies receives benefits. Enough funding is allocated to the program to support everyone who is eligible. This funding often goes unused. Only 72% of Californians that are eligible sign up for the program, which is the fifth-lowest rate of participation in the nation. For the income eligibility, does CalFresh only look at my own income or also my family’s finances? CalFresh only takes into account the finances of yourself and anyone that you regularly share a grocery budget with, shop with, and prepare food with. If you and your housemates share occasional meals together you can still apply to CalFresh as an individual. You only have to include additional people in your household if most of your meals are prepared together. When should I apply for CalFresh and are there any deadlines? There is no deadline for applying CalFresh and you can apply whenever it works for you. It can take up to 30 days from when you apply to receive CalFresh, though there is also an expedited process if you are in an emergency situation, please contact Basic Needs if you want to apply for your application to be expedited. Please note that if you are outside of Santa Barbara County and planning to move back soon, the best time to apply is within the month that your new lease starts or that you plan to move in. So if you are moving back in September, you can apply in Santa Barbara County as of September 1st. Prior to that, you would need to apply in the county you are currently residing and then request to have your case transferred when you move. Basic Needs advocates can assist you to apply in any county. If I am approved, where can I use CalFresh, and for what? You can use CalFresh at any major chain grocery store as well as several local grocery stores such as Isla Vista Food Cooperative, Isla Vista Market, Tenaya Market (the grocery store at the San Joaquin Apartments), and the Arbor by the campus library. You can also use your CalFresh at any of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Markets (https://www.sbfarmersmarket. Is CalFresh counted towards taxes/taxable income? No, CalFresh is not taxable income and will not affect your or your family’s taxes. CalFresh will also not affect your financial aid. Do you have more questions? Please email Basic Needs at [email protected], call them at 805-893-2786, or visit https://food.ucsb.edu/ and use the live chat feature in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

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Each school year, we encourage and invite rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to apply to be a Safe2Tell student ambassador. Our ambassadors provide insight and feedback on the Safe2Tell program and ensure that our work stays youth-centered. The application is open in the springtime of each school year. The program will begin with selected students in the summer and continue through the end of the school year. If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of Colorado students and meet the qualifications below, becoming a student ambassador may be a great opportunity for you. Qualifications to become a student ambassador: - A rising sophomore, junior, or senior - A creative, solution based, problem solver - Socially conscious - Empathetic about mental health and other issues facing teens and youth - A self-starter eager to engage in projects outside of the meeting time - Experience with either side of bullying and a commitment to ending bullying at your school - A humble desire to lead your peers - Interest in school safety, leadership development, marketing, community service, and public policy - Availability for monthly meetings, either virtual or in person - School staff/leadership that is willing to support you and your project(s) - Make an impact within your community through Safe2Tell - Meet and greet with the Colorado Attorney General - Safe2Tell swag for each ambassador - Network with Safe2Tell staff and other students from across Colorado - Exposure to groups that have a similar vision - Learn new or develop leadership skills If you, or someone you know, wants to make a difference as a Safe2Tell student ambassador, apply using the links below in the spring of each school year. If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact [email protected] or fill out the interest form below: "*" indicates required fields

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Published: 25th July 2022 Curious case of multiple circulars: Why Odisha parents are asking for equal weightage for both Term I, II exams Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha has written to CBSE demanding that a 50:50 weightage for Terms I and II of the exam should be considered for awarding the marks to the students Even after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the Board exam results for Classes X and XII on July 22, the uproar over how much weightage should each term get refuses to die down. It is now the Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha (OAM), a parents’ body of the state, which has written to CBSE demanding that a 50:50 weightage for Terms I and II of the exam should be considered for awarding marks to the students. They have claimed that many students are not satisfied with their obtained marks. This year, the CBSE Board exams for both Classes X and XII were held in two terms, I and II. CBSE awarded the marks based on weightage criteria which allowed 30% weightage for Term I and 70% weightage for Term II. The results were declared on July 22, Friday. “Many students are aggrieved that they didn’t score well in the Board exams. So, we have approached CBSE to consider a 50:50 weightage for these students. We have already submitted an application at the CBSE regional office (in Bhubaneswar) to the Chairman,” said Basudev Bhatta, Chairman, OAM. Similar sentiments were echoed by the All India JEE NEET Students Association (AIJNSA) whose President Himanshu Borah took to Twitter to express dismay over the same situation. “Majority of students are unhappy with the weightage system that has been taken into consideration. The Board has done injustice to lakhs of students. #CBSEResults #CBSEstudentsWantJustice” he wrote, a day after the results were declared. “On July 5, 2021, CBSE issued a circular stating that it would consider a 50:50 weightage for both Terms I and II. After Term I, around the first week of April, there was a notice doing rounds on social media as well as on news portals, reading that CBSE would consider a 30:70 weightage for Terms I and II respectively. However, on April 5, in a tweet, CBSE stated that the 30:70 notice was fake. On July 22, CBSE issued another circular around the time of result declaration that, indeed, 30% weightage has been considered for Term I and 70% weightage for Term II. Now, this is absolutely unfair. CBSE cannot consider this kind of a weightage after its declaration,” Bhatta said. It may be noted that CBSE issued the July 22 circular at the time when the Class XII Board exam results were declared. The circular informed about the marking scheme and stated that the Class XII results were ready for declaration. In its letter to the CBSE Chairman, OAM has urged that the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should intervene in the matter, review the issued circulars by CBSE and then take appropriate action. The association has sent a copy of the letter to the Education Minister. “Students had around eight months to prepare for Term I and only four to prepare for Term II. Many couldn’t score well. It is alright for those who are satisfied with their marks. But we have written to CBSE to consider revising the weightage criteria for the aggrieved students, who are not satisfied with their marks. We demand that they should devise a process for these students to be able to apply and opt for changing their marking criteria,” Bhatta explained. “Today (July 25), a delegation from our association met the CBSE Chairman and submitted an official memorandum at 3 pm," he informed.

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A As aspirational India undergoes a transformational overhaul, its education policy cannot remain static. It must respond to emerging demands and requirements of contemporary times. With the passing of time, everything changes for the better. Even Darwin’s theory of evolution suggests the survival of the fittest. That’s why, even our constitution-makers left the scope for amending the constitution to meet the aspirations of coming generations, whenever the need arises. Aligning with the objectives envisioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines regarding its recently launched dual-degree programmes. The seed of inception While the significant thrust of National Education Policy 2020 remains on making education more experiential, holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented and learner-centric, the double degree programmes by UGC will take the NEP’s mission forward. The programme was launched with the intention of making curricular structures more imaginative and innovative, to enable creative combinations of disciplines for study, that would offer multiple entries and exit points, thus removing currently prevalent rigid boundaries and creating new possibilities for life-long learning and centrally involving critical and interdisciplinary thinking. The dual degree programme is certainly a future-oriented education policy launched with the sole purpose of taking our higher education segment to the next level. The dual degrees will certainly be beneficial for motivated students. According to the UGC Chairman, the decision on the double degree offering was made to allow students to acquire numerous talents. Now, students will have the opportunity to pursue two degrees simultaneously, and make themselves ready for the competitive world of the 21st century where specialised skill sets drive professional industry. Dual degrees help in broad-basing an institute’s engagement with its partner institution. The degrees will allow for a more immersive experience, both academically and culturally. It allows students to study in an academic context that is equally rigorous, but different at the same time. They will get the opportunity to learn from and engage with specialised faculty members who may not be available at their first institute. They can also learn about new study practices, seek placement assistance from the partner institute, and gain a deeper understanding of global markets and their requirements. Upon graduation, they would be connected to the alumni networks of both institutes. A combination of subjects will help students in their careers if they choose to pursue a double-degree offering. For instance: Business and Computer Information Systems Almost every industry usually requires professionals who understand computer systems, programming and algorithmic processes, networks and data analysis. Computer science is responsible for the existence of the internet, digital photography, email and open-source software. Management information systems assist organisations in making data more accessible and valuable. So, this combination has great future prospects professionally. Computer Information Systems and Accounting– An accounting information system collects data describing an organisation’s activities, keeps a detailed financial record of the organisation’s operations, converts the data into information and makes the data accessible to users, both inside and outside the organisation. People who have a degree in information systems have a wide range of career options. Jobs range from programmer analyst to business analyst, manager and chief financial officer. Economics and Computer Science– Computer Science and Economics (CSEC) is a cross-disciplinary major for students who are interested in the practical and theoretical connections between Computer Science and Economics. Students who have done a masters in Economics and graduated in Computer Science can pursue careers such as data scientist, economic analyst and industrial economists. The other way around This decision will increase the load on universities. It also doesn’t increase the number of students enrolling in universities because the same student will study two courses. So, higher education’s gross enrollment ratio (GER) will not go up. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20, GER for higher education is at 27.1 per cent. The NEP has set a target of raising this to 50 per cent by 2035. It will also lead to a demand for teachers in universities, as thousands of vacancies for current needs have not been filled. Several subject experts and scholars have pointed out that the UGC’s decision to allow students to take up two full-time academic programmes simultaneously in physical mode may hamper the quality of honours courses at the undergraduate level. According to some experts, the basic philosophy of honours courses is to provide comprehensive, intensive, and advanced knowledge to students. And even in honours courses, students can opt for discipline-centric courses. In courses where practicals are as important as theory subjects, students pursuing another course alongside will disturb schedules and will create chaos for both students and faculty. Allowing students to earn extra credits is an understandable concept, but allowing them to earn extra degrees will just dilute the quality of the degree programmes. Another challenge is in fulfilling the UGC’s stand that there should be no hard separations between arts and sciences, curricular and extracurricular activities, vocational and academic streams, etc, in order to eliminate harmful hierarchies, and silos between different areas of learning. ng. The way forward With the rapid increase in demand for higher education and limited availability of seats in regular streams, several Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have started a number of programmes in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode to meet the aspirations of students. It has also led to the emergence of online education programmes which a student can pursue within the comforts of their home. As per experts, as every good thing embeds in it some faultlines and missing points, so is the case with this dual-degree programme of UGC. This isn’t merely a dual degree. The students will earn two degrees for full-time study. While the student’s choice of core disciplines is up to them, based on their interests, it also depends on the institution’s resources. The two programs must be of the same level. Students can only pursue two bachelor’s, two master’s or two diploma programmes at a time. So, to make this program truly viable, a thought-over methodology is required. All the apprehensions and scepticism of students, teachers, colleges and institutions must be addressed comprehensively.

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Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook |Dates & Locations:|| | This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:Semester 2, - Taught on campus. Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here. |Time Commitment:||Total Time Commitment: 240 hours| |Prerequisites:||702-441 (ABPL00107) Studio 1: Landscape Design Techniques, or equivalent.| |Recommended Background Knowledge:||None| |Non Allowed Subjects:||None| |Core Participation Requirements:|| For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry. It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability CoordinatorDr Scott Alexander Heyes An in-depth introduction to site planning to create purposeful relationships between natural and built systems that achieve sustainability at a site scale. Topics include: site analysis (evaluation of natural features and functions, slope, orientation and exposure, access, land tenure); analysis of contextual constraints and opportunities (land tenure and zoning, associated development or conservation areas, form, function, access); methods to site buildings, circulations systems, and functioning open spaces including programmatic analysis; fundamentals of carrying capacity at a site scale. There is an emphasis on 3-dimensional thinking/massing, visualisation and representation at the site scale using sites of 5-10 hectares. This subject aims to introduce and develop skills in understanding, evaluating and organising sites for effective and sustainable use. |Assessment:||Progressive project work equivalent to 10,000 words. A 1500 word assignment due in week 4 (20%); a 1000 word assignment due in week 6 (10%); a 7500 word assignment due at the end of semester | |Prescribed Texts:||Lynch, K. (1962) Site Planning. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. | LaGro, JA. (2001) Site Analysis: Linking Program and Concept in Land Planning and Design. John Wiley and Sons Inc, New York |Breadth Options:|| | This subject is not available as a breadth subject. |Fees Information:||Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date| |Links to further information:||http://www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/environments-and-design-students/melbourne-school-of-design-students.html| Master of Landscape Architecture | Download PDF version.

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The KS4/+16 Award is a fully resourced leadership and character education programme for delivery within schools. Based on the concept of running a race the Award focuses on developing core skills for life after school and the work place. The Short Course costs £19 per pupil + VAT and the Full Course costs £29 + VAT. This includes access to all of the online teaching and learning materials, planning and assessment materials, a certificate on completion for each pupil, a school completion certificate and training and support for participating teachers. Please contact us about discounts available if you would like to sign up more than 150 pupils. Delivered one hour a week over two years. Delivered one hour a week over one year or one hour a fortnight over two years. Skills Based Activities Apprentice Style Challenge Volunteering in the Community Setting Personal Targets Key Stage 4 young leaders arranged a whole school event to raise funds for a local charity, Prevent Breast Cancer. Being an all-girl school the young leaders particularly identified with the work of the charity. They arranged for the whole school to take part in a sponsored run hoping to raise £1,000. Each pupil chose to either walk, run or skip a tenth of a marathon around the route the young leaders created. To their surprise the young leaders ended up with a fundraising total of over £5,000! "I have really enjoyed the Young Leaders Award because it’s taught me a lot of skills that I didn’t have before, like patience and learning to cooperate and understanding other people’s points of view. "

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UNICEF reports that 97 percent of Caribbean and Latin American students (137 million children) have lost nearly 4 times the amount of schooling days than children in the rest of the world. Learning losses could cost the region up to $1.2 trillion in the lifetime earnings of children who are unable to access formal education. With 22 million people in the region who have already slid into poverty due to the pandemic, the stakes are high as ever to reach millions of vulnerable children. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Literacy Links have been on at the forefront of education disaster relief in the communities where they live and serve. Our agile programs continue to meet children, families, and educators where they are. Throughout the pandemic, these programs have helped bridge the gap for children who are stuck at home with limited access and resources. Some of our most notable response activities include: - Antigua Summer Literacy Programme (July 2021) - Takeaway Books - National Radio airings of Audio Read Alouds - Video Read Alouds for At-Home learning - Open Library Days (Dominica) - Book Giveaways - Mobile Books (Antigua) Dear Hands Across the Sea: We received all the wonderful books from your organization, and my principal asked me to be the coordinator for our new library. I am happy to say that we got our Student Librarian team trained, we formed a library committee, and we timetabled a library period for all classes. Our school library was in full, wonderful swing. But this year will go down in our history as a—now what were the words Queen Elizabeth used to describe a tough year that she once had? An annus horribilis. First, one of our beloved teachers died. Then, Covid-19 hit. The lockdown was so sudden we did not even have time to get the borrowed library books returned. Class teachers like myself had to start from scratch to set up and teach online. Our school was turned upside down. But our students are still reading. One called me just yesterday and read to me over the phone. He wanted to show me how much he had improved. He truly had! Another showed me over Zoom that he had started writing his own comic book after being locked in with one from our library. The work you did for us this year and the impact of making new and interesting books available for our children is magical! Thanks to Hands we were able to see the light bulb go off in the heads of our students as they discovered the joy and wonder of reading. Yesterday yet another parent called to thank me for her child’s ‘improved reading appetite.’ Smile! That was music for my ears. I must also express how impressed I have been with the work of the two Hands Literacy Link ladies, Vernest Mack and Hyacinth Barriero, from your organization. They helped us pack up the library and secure the books in case of a hurricane. They are inspirational. They truly go above and beyond. So please keep up the great work you are doing. Let those who donate and sponsor know that they should not stop, because they are a part of life-changing work. We wish you all good health and safety in these turbulent times. -Josanna Lockhart-Brown, a teacher at Antigua Wesleyan Junior Academy (170 students, Grades K-6)

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The Career Development Policy Group (CDPG) is urging the government to give everyone in England access to lifelong career guidance. The call for a Career Guidance Guarantee in England launches at an event today (20 October) as part of several recommendations made by the CDPG to embed enhanced career guidance throughout the education and employment systems. The call for a Career Guidance Guarantee in England comes as youth unemployment is growing and many working people are facing challenging times in their careers – many need to retrain or change their jobs. People’s potential remains unrealised and unmatched to the needs of the economy, deepening the skills shortage. This problem is made worse because support for career development in England is fragmented and unclear. Once students have left education it is unclear where career support should be accessed. Working people also need career development and support for career change to underpin a dynamic labour market. Career guidance helps people to manage their life, learning and work. People’s careers develop over the years and so they need access to career guidance throughout life. Providing an entitlement to career guidance for all young people and prioritising more intensive support for people who are facing redundancy or who are recently unemployed will result in more productive outcomes for job seekers and employers. - Publish a national lifelong strategy for career guidance involving employers, education providers and careers professionals. - Challenge youth unemployment through an entitlement to career guidance for all young people. - Support lifelong career development through meaningful access to the National Careers Service for everyone over the age of 18 - Finish the Gatsby revolution in schools with a trained careers leader in every school and college, and fund personal guidance for all students - Develop graduates’ careers with a clearer and more coherent national system capable of guaranteeing access to career guidance for all graduates - Ensure quality and professionalism through an assurance that those who provide career development services within all government programmes are appropriately qualified “There is extensive evidence which demonstrates that career guidance is an important part of the education and employment system. Where career guidance functions effectively, it supports the effective functioning of labour markets and skills alignment, bringing economic and social benefits,” says David Morgan, Chief Executive of the Career Development Institute. “We believe that England should develop its existing career guidance system and give its citizens a career guidance guarantee.” The CDPG brings together a range of organisations who believe that it is essential that citizens have an opportunity to access support in their careers. The group works with the Government and other stakeholders to develop policies and initiatives that support career development.Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in

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Information about the initiative to provide York students and faculty with opportunities to apply classroom education to the greater community. What is Service-Learning? Service-Learning at York College is a teaching and learning method that engages and encourages students to make meaningful connections between course content and real-life experiences through service and community-based education. York College's aim is to deepen student learning while increasing students' level of civic engagement, responsibility, and social justice. Service-learning has a positive impact on student learning outcomes, civic engagement, and retention. Service-learning can be applied across all subjects and academic levels; it can involve a single student or a group of students, a classroom or the entire school. Students build character and become active participants as they work with others in the school and community to create service projects in areas such as education, public safety, and the environment, to name a few. What Service-Learning is Not. Because service-learning is intrinsically tied to academic coursework, it is not the same as other common forms of community engagement, such as volunteerism, co-ops, and internships, or traditional community service. As a result, academic credits are earned for the learning portion, not for the service. What should I do if I'm interested in taking a service-learning course? The first thing to do is check with the department in which you would like to take a service-learning course to see if there are any "experiential learning" classes being offered in the semester you would like to take such a course. What should I do if I'm interested in teaching a service-learning course? Faculty should consult our Resources for Faculty page. There you will find links to sample syllabi for multiple disciplines, a toolkit on how to develop a course and obtain the requisite service agreements when having students serve off-site. You will also find the course criteria form created by York's Service-Learning Advisory Board, which seeks to standardize the elements of all courses approved by the Board.

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The ESL program at Gonzaga is very different from other ESL institutions due to various teaching methods in order to help students improve their weakness. For me, I have improved on speaking and listening skill. For my classmates, they learned more about writing and reading skill. The professors are very dedicated and give attention to every individual in class, hoping each of us succeed in learning English. Personally, the final presentation is the most unforgettable moment in this ESL program. With instruction and help from professors, I was able to present a complicated topic – taxes on wealthy class – to other students, professors, and visitors at Gonzaga. This was the first time I learned how to conduct survey and present the collected information to another person. I am proud of being more open-minded. In class, the students had opportunity to discuss many topics. Through the discussions, I learned more about the world by examining different viewpoints from my peers and professors. As I have said before, the most difficult thing for me was public speaking. However, after the program, I am more confident when presenting in front of the audiences. I think the way I perceive an idea has changed. Since I interact with people coming from different countries, I am more open-minded, critical, and innovative in my thinking process. I can't express my appreciation to my professors in this ESL program. I encourage future students to apply and actively participate in the program in order to achieve success in studying English. The most challenging was to learn from very different perspectives. There are many different countries having different ideology. Listening and having conversation with diverse students is truly thought-provoking. However, I became more opened to new and creative ideas. Also, when working with diverse students, I learned to be adaptable and flexible. This enables me to work with people who come from different backgrounds and have different working styles. I have become so much more confident in my English and have better cultural understanding.

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Your body language matters when it comes to persuading others in public speaking. Here are 5 body language secrets to help you speak with power! Do you open yourself up to audiences in speeches and presentations? Or do you think only in terms of rolling out information? If that's the case, you need to be thinking in terms of your Body Language. Too many speakers proceed exactly like the former. But the content you convey to listeners is only the tip of the iceberg. Data can only go so far in influencing audiences and strengthening your credibility. You on the other hand are a gold mine of information for those you speak to. Your attitude, expertise, honesty, and good will, even how you feel about yourself come through loud and clear by what you're showing an audience. Think of a really good TED or TEDx speaker in a TEDTalk and you'll understand how much such a presenter is sharing about themselves with the audience. In other words, your body language is helping reveal who you are. Effective body language increases your impact and persuasiveness. Learn how in my Free Cheat Sheet, "The Body Language Rules: 12 Ways to Be a More Powerful Speaker." Let's look at how what you show audiences plays into how they perceive you. I'm talking about your gestures and movement, posture, stance, facial expressions, your use of your performance space, and even the vocal component of your presentations. All of these elements affect how listeners receive the signals you're sending, and how they respond. Why Does Your Physical Expression Matter? Nonverbal communication often punches above its weight in terms of what it reveals. People use it to judge your personality, your ideas, your organization, even the products and services you represent. It's a great reason why you should learn how to avoid body language "mistakes." Obviously then, you need to pay attention to how you use your body, specifically whether it strengthens or weakens your case and the impression you make. In other words, when you speak you'd better be aware of what you're showing! Below are 5 key components of using physical expressiveness effectively. These may or may not be secrets. But there's no denying their power to add or detract from the success of your pitches, presentations, speeches, remarks at meetings, and all other forms of public speaking. 1. The 'Visual You': Body Language in Action Consider these photographs of three women on stage. What are the impressions you get from each of them? Do these speakers/performers appear to demonstrate confidence? How about their level of comfort on stage? Do you get any impression of poise and professionalism? Does each convey a sense of dynamism and excitement? The truth is, the cues that help us decide to trust someone, accept what they say or show, and be willing to follow their lead are often not language related. Many of them are wholly visual. And so the "visual you" has great importance when you're speaking to others. Physical information certainly predates language in evolutionary terms. For that reason, I always feel it's like a swift river, flowing underneath what you're saying. So the more you're aware of what you're displaying, the better you'll be able to confidently lead your listeners where you want them to go. 2. Why Content Isn't Enough to Persuade Audiences It probably won't surprise you if I say that many speakers depend upon their content, not only to get their message across, but also to create the response they want in listeners. But how could that possibly work? People need to trust what you're saying if they're going to accept it. That is, they're interested in your intentions and motives as well as your knowledge. One of the best ways you can convey your openness and honesty is not through words (since we know enough to question whether what anyone says is true), but how you relate to your audience in physical terms. Data may be essential, but it's almost never powerful enough by itself to persuade and build trust. What you show matters as much, and sometimes more. So the next time you speak, make a conscious effort to be sure your movement and gestures support what you're saying. Need more information on how to improve? Download my newest free resource, "Body Language for Public Speaking: 6 Skills Building Exercises." 3. How to Command Space in Speeches and Presentations In my speech coaching practice at The Genard Method, I give all my clients and trainees the same advice, whatever their level of expertise: You need to get out of your head and into your body. That's because most of us are guilty of "Talking Head Syndrome," as though we were brains perched on a lectern, spewing out pure wisdom! Of course, the reality is that you are a body in space when you present. And that body has a critical part to play in your effectiveness as a speaking performer. Here are four ways you can be a dynamic presence by "commanding space": - Make a strong entrance. Enter, move to your spot, and wait there until you gather everyone's attention. Then begin. People will be ready to listen. - Ground yourself. Stand or sit with your feet at armpit-width. Feel how stable you are? Get your energy from the earth itself—you'll look and feel more powerful. Here's more on using grounding to look and feel more confident. - Use the two "public" circles of energy. A helpful visualization is the three circles of proximity to others. First circle is the intimate or private space. Second circle is interpersonal. Third circle is the most public of the three. Pay attention to your energy and spatial relationship to those you're speaking with. Adjust your "size" in terms of gestures, vocal volume, and how much space you take up. This is an essential use of body language. - Move with purpose. Use your space productively when you speak! When you're on a stage, move to a different spot for each main point. Occasionally, approach a questioner or the screen. Make the effort to get closer to your audience instead of staying stuck behind a lectern. Speakers who move with purpose not only make what they're saying easier to receive and retain, but they also get a big boost in terms of engaging their audience. 4. How to Speak With Power An essential element of effective public speaking is strong vocal dynamics. ("Verbal" concerns what you say, and "vocal" with how you say it.). Powerful speaking starts with proper breathing. Stability, energy, and strength all start with sustained breath that is then "colored" by the voice. Click here for my Free Cheat Sheet, "The 5 Key Tools of Vocal Dynamics." The truly reliable way to achieve vocal power is to use your breath to support and project your sound. So practice some breathing exercises: Place your hand around 9 inches from your mouth and "touch it" with your breath. Now speak to cover that distance, gradually increasing it—6 feet away; across the room; and finally to a point outside the window. Just make sure that the breath you're using to project your voice comes from the diaphragm or belly area, not from your throat. That's the way to produce a strong, healthy, and sustained sound. Here are some more techniques for developing a warmer and more pleasant voice. 5. Handling Nervousness for Public Speaking Confident speakers look the part. Nervous speakers do too. You need to look like the former instead of the latter. If you suffer jitters just before speaking, or even during your presentations, you need to find a way to calm yourself quickly and reliably. And you definitely should be aware of where you fall in the nervous-to-confident range. To display an open, focused, and strong image when you speak, see my article "Body Language Secrets: What Self-Image Are You Broadcasting?" To relax nervous clients, I take them through my 5-minute technique for calming your nerves before speaking. Here's another way to avoid appearing nervous when you speak: Simply tell yourself you're going to broadcast confidence instead. It may be difficult at first to envision doing this, but you can; and with practice, you'll get better at it. Assume a strong stance, move with purpose, and make your gestures clean and strong (and don't use too many of them). Remember: when you appear confident, the audience will have confidence in you in turn. And you yourself will feel a greater level of self-assurance. Now you're using the visual you to maximize the language of your body for public speaking! Key takeaways from this blog: - Your content may only be the tip of the iceberg concerning your influence. - People gain information about your motives and judge you by what they see. - You can command space by moving with purpose and using energy effectively. - The powerful voice you need begins with good diaphragmatic breathing. - If you feel nervous, concentrate on looking confident. It truly will help! This blog was originally published in 2012. This is an updated version. You should follow me on Twitter here. Gary Genard is an actor, author, and expert in theater-based public speaking training. His company, Boston-based The Genard Method uses performance techniques, through in-person and online training, to help executives and leadership teams embody presence and confidence to achieve true influence. In 2020 for the seventh consecutive year, Gary has been ranked by Global Gurus as one of The World's Top 30 Communication Professionals. He is the author of How to Give a Speech. His second book, Fearless Speaking, was recently named as "One of the 100 Best Confidence Books of All Time." Contact Gary here.

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Children are imaginative. We help in conserving both their dreams and their childhood. The problems are manifold. So are the solutions. Look at the innovative ways to tackle child illiteracy. Our approach is specifically designed to cater to the variances in dealing with every unique individual. Because actions speak louder than words. What could be a better yardstick than an insight into our impact? C-98, C Block, Sector 10, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India +91 70040 43869 BUILD A CLASS INITIATIVE IS A REGISTERED SEC 25 (8) COMPANY

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Climate and Culture Our mission is that together, we will ignite each student’s passion for learning, preparing for a life of infinite possibilities. A positive school climate and culture is essential to realizing that mission. What are climate and culture? We think of climate and culture in terms of seven broad categories: - Student Relationships: Do students have relationships and connections to their school and adults in their school? - Learning Environment: Is the learning environment rigorous, but also supportive of each child according to need? - Safety & Well-Being: Do students feel cared for and/or safe physically, socially, and emotionally? - Physical Environments: Do physical environments support student learning and growth? - Contracted Services: Do programs meet students' needs? - Family Engagement: Are families engaged and connected partners in education? - Overall District Quality: Does the district provide a quality educational program and effectively communicate and engage with families? In order to understand perceptions of our schools’ and our district’s climate and culture, we invited MTSD parents and guardians to participate in a survey focusing on these seven categories. Schools and the district will use these results to enhance the educational experience for all students and families while monitoring progress toward strategic goals. 2021-22 Key Facts & Insights - The Climate and Culture Survey was open for approximately two weeks. - Families received two survey notifications via e-newsletters and direct email to encourage participation. - 594 responses were submitted (up from 542 in 2020-21). - 87 percent of respondents agreed that "The adults in my child's school care about my child's social and emotional well-being." - 92 percent of respondents agreed that "My child's teachers are available and communicative when I have a question or concern." - 91 percent of respondents agreed that "My child feels safe at school." - 83 percent of respondents agreed that "My child's school is kept clean." - 81 percent of respondents agreed that "The school's transportation service is reliable." - 87 percent of respondents agreed that "Communication with families occurs in an open and respectful manner." - 87 percent of respondents agreed with the statement "I feel well-informed of important updates from the Mequon-Thiensville School District." Please review the report below to review comprehensive districtwide 2021 Climate & Culture survey results.

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What is the best premed major? We get asked this question a lot—by hundreds of students and their parents—but there are a number of variables and personal preferences to consider in order to give an answer. The journey of every premed is different, and that’s a good thing. Admissions committees are looking for a diverse group of students when building their student body. But we get it: making big decisions like this is tough, and choosing your premed major is a decision that will set your doctor journey in motion. When making any tough or big life decision, the first step is doing your research and understanding the data—and we’ve done just that. In this post, we’ll take a look at the numbers, analyze the data, and give you actionable advice to optimize your chances of a medical school acceptance. The “Premed Major” Myth First, it’s important to understand that at most schools, there is no such thing as a “premed major.” Premed isn’t a major itself but a term to describe your path before medical school. As a premed, you will pick a major from a number of suitable options, most commonly based in the sciences. To get into medical school, you can technically choose any major you’d like, so long as you also complete the medical school prerequisites. Each medical school has slightly different prerequisites that you need to fulfill in order to apply. However, there are a shared core of requirements, which are as follows: - 1 year of Biology with lab - 1 year of General Chemistry with lab - 1 year of Organic Chemistry with lab - 1 year of Physics with lab - 1 year of English Many other schools require a few additional courses. For that reason, we also suggest you also take the following: - Psychology and Sociology Aim to take as many of these courses as possible prior to taking the MCAT, although taking every single one is not always necessary. For example, I didn’t take biochemistry until after my MCAT, and I still achieved a 99.9th percentile score, or “100th” percentile. Many students and advisors alike say that you can choose any major and it shouldn’t matter, so long as you complete your prerequisites. I don’t necessarily agree with that in all cases, and I’d say that not all majors are created equal. There are many variables to consider, and each student’s ideal path is different. To see what I mean, let’s jump into the data. The Data on Premed Majors First, let’s get to the bottom of this question. When people ask, “What is the best premed major,” they’re usually asking, “What is the major that will maximize my chances of getting into a good medical school?” Luckily, we have the data on that. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) publishes annual data on the medical school application process. For the latest application cycle, we can group applicants by the major they applied to. Out of the 62,443 applicants last cycle, 36,520 of those majored in biological sciences, including majors like molecular biology, cell biology, and neuroscience. That’s 58.5% of all applicants. Rounding to even numbers, the other majors work out as follows: - 9% majored in social sciences, including majors such as economics, government, etc. - 8% majored in physical sciences, such as physics and chemistry. - 4% majored in specialized health sciences, including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and public health. - 3% majored in humanities, such as history, English, and literature. - 0.5% majored in math and statistics. - 16% studied other majors not falling into the aforementioned categories. It’s clear that the biological sciences are the most popular premed major, and we’ll discuss why shortly. But more interestingly, the average MCAT score and even acceptance rate vary significantly between these majors. On average, math and statistics majors topped the list with an MCAT score of 510.2. Let’s go over how each of the majors fairs when it comes to the MCAT. - Math and statistics – 510.2 - Physical sciences – 509.1 - Humanities – 508.2 - Biological sciences – 505.9 - Social sciences – 505.2 - Other majors – 504.7 - Health sciences – 503.2 There is a considerable difference between the average MCAT scores for these different majors, with over 5 points separating math and statistics from health sciences. Keep in mind this is MCAT score data based on applicants, not matriculants, but as a premed, your goal is to get accepted into medical school. In terms of acceptance rates, humanities tops the list at 44.1%, followed by physical sciences, and then math and statistics. - Humanities – 44.1% - Physical sciences – 42.5% - Math and statistics – 40.4% - Biological sciences – 36.0% - Health sciences – 35.2% - Social sciences – 34.9% - Other majors – 33.7% Interestingly, biological sciences is in the middle of the road in terms of acceptance despite being by far the most popular major for premeds. Does this mean simply choosing humanities or physical sciences will increase your chances of acceptance? Not exactly. So, how should we interpret this data when choosing a premed major? Which is the Best Premed Major to Get Into Medical School? If you were to go blindly off the data, you may assume that you should pursue a math, physical sciences, or humanities major. After all, those are the three majors with the highest average MCAT scores and highest average acceptance rates. But such a conclusion would be an inaccurate portrayal of the data. First, correlation does not equal causation. Just because students studying certain majors had a higher MCAT or acceptance rate does not mean it’s because of their major. In fact, there are a series of confounding variables and biases that are likely at play. Theory 1: Certain Majors Prepare You Better It’s sometimes suggested that students majoring in humanities may have higher MCAT scores because they’re better prepared for the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section (CARS), which is arguably the most difficult section of the MCAT to rapidly improve your score in. But by looking at the data, we see this explanation falls short. While humanities majors do score highest on CARS, it’s only, on average, 1 point higher than other majors, thereby only accounting for a small difference compared to other majors. In extending this logic, we would expect biological science majors to score the best on the bio section of the MCAT. But that’s not the case. In fact, bio majors score right on average with everyone else, and it’s actually math and statistics majors who score highest. Do physical sciences majors score the highest on the chemical and physical section of the MCAT? Nope, it’s once again the math majors who win out. Taking a step back, we can notice two interesting trends. First, students majoring in humanities, math, and physical sciences dominated multiple sections of the MCAT and had the highest medical school acceptance rates by a large margin. Second, students majoring in health sciences, social sciences, and other majors scored last on the MCAT and had the lowest medical school acceptance rates. Theory 2: Survivorship Bias I’d argue that the reason we see these trends has little to do with the major and field of study. Rather, over the large population of medical school applicants, we’re seeing a survivorship bias of highly ambitious and driven students. Biological sciences are the default premed major because it’s the most straightforward. Most classes that are medical school prerequisites overlap well with the courses that are required for a biological science major. For that reason, over 50% of premeds default to a biological science major. And therein lies the secret. On average, it’s an easier path. If a premed chooses a biological science major, they’re more likely to end up applying to medical school. There are fewer obstacles in the way of achieving that goal. On the other hand, the less than 1% of premeds who major in mathematics or statistics are generally working an uphill battle. You need to not only complete your full course requirements for math, but also 2 years worth of medical school prerequisites. For this reason, those who choose this path and are able to even get to the point of applying to medical schools must really want it. Remember, this path is more difficult, so I’d argue that a higher percentage of those who choose this path will fall short. They’ll simply never even get to the point of applying to medical schools. Hence the survivorship bias. We only see the successful fraction that made it all the way through—those who really wanted it. This also explains why those studying specialized health sciences fare so much worse. They’re essentially the opposite of the math majors. Some portion of students who choose nursing or physical therapy may be premed as more of a moonshot. It’s something they’d like to do, but they aren’t fully committed to. After all, they have a backup option in the healthcare industry they can fall back on. How to Choose the Best Major for You So, even after looking at the data, we still don’t have an answer to the question. What is the best premed major? Let’s consider some other factors and actionable advice you can use to choose the best path for you. Consideration 1: A Straightforward & Streamlined Path If your top priority is getting into medical school, I recommend you pursue a major in biological science, particularly one that is of interest to you. The requirements for your major will overlap nicely with your medical school prerequisite courses, and you’ll hopefully be studying something that is of interest to you. After all, you want to be a doctor and study the human body. Consideration 2: Prioritize Something You’re Interested In If you want to be a doctor, there should be at least one biological science major that is of interest to you. If you despise all bio majors, then it’s time to seriously consider why you want to be a doctor. That being said, there are students who still prefer to pursue something else. After all, you have the rest of your career to study biology and the human body. For those students with a burning interest in political science, the humanities, art, or Asian history, by all means follow that passion. Simply understand that it’ll be a bit more of an uphill battle for you, but it’s definitely not impossible. In fact, some medical schools prefer that you have a unique background and interests outside of medicine that you pursued. Your application will stand out and you’ll have unique experiences to speak about in your application, personal statement, and interviews. Consideration 3: Preparation for Medical School Medical school is the toughest, most rigorous schooling in the world. Preparing for that process will only make the transition easier. For that reason, I suggest you consider majors that will prepare you either in subject matter or in rigor. Or do what I did and choose a major that prepares you for both. As a premed at UCLA, I chose neuroscience as my major. The brain, after all, is the sexiest organ in the human body and one of life’s greatest mysteries—it was something I was and still am deeply interested in. It was a biological science major, so the overlap with my prerequisites was nice. And finally, it was tough. In fact, during my time, neuroscience and bioengineering were considered the two most challenging premed majors. By choosing a difficult path, I was able to hone my work ethic and learn a great deal about the nervous system—to far greater depth in some areas than what I would later cover in medical school. I learned so much about the brain and its anatomy as a neuroscience major that in medical school, setting the curve in my neuro and psych block came easily. Choosing a Premed Major Utilizing a combination of these strategies will help you choose the path that’s best for you. The data can only take you so far, and it could be that you have a completely unique set of interests and circumstances that take you on a different path to medical school. We go into more detail in our article: How to Choose a Premed Major in 5 Steps. The guide discusses different paths you might take, the benefits to an unconventional premed major, and additional factors that may help you make your final decision. Choosing your premed major is a big decision, and like all big life decisions, they come with a lot of pressure. If, after considering these factors, you’re still having trouble deciding, try practicing DOMS decision making strategies. For example, we always recommend premeds and medical students put notable time in during a research phase before making any big life decision. You can’t make an effective decision if you aren’t informed. In the case of choosing your premed major, review the data as well as what that data may actually mean—as we discussed in this article, correlation does not equal causation. Put time into understanding what courses you will need to take to cover your prerequisites, and understand what it will mean for your time and workload if you choose a major that does not cover these courses. What courses will you need to take for each of the majors you are deciding between? Are there options for you to take a second major or minor along the way so that you can pursue your premed prerequisites along with another passion? In the research phase, go beyond simple Google searches and speak to other students who have been in your position before. What did they learn? Were they happy with their decision? Would they do it differently if they could do it over again? If you struggle with decision making, you understand how debilitating not being able to decide can be. Utilizing decision making strategies will help you make informed decisions you can feel good about for years to come. Read our guide: How to Make Tough Decisions — 7 Strategies for Better Decision Making. Remember, statistics apply to populations, not to individuals. Just because you’re a math major doesn’t mean you’ll do spectacularly, and just because you’re a bio major doesn’t mean you’re bound to be mediocre. Despite choosing neuroscience, a biological science, I ended up with a killer MCAT score and my pick of multiple top medical schools—several with merit-based scholarship offerings. And you can do the same! Med School Insiders was started to help premeds and medical students learn the ingredients to success in both their personal and professional life. These are things that took me years of studying, optimizing, and experimenting to figure out. In the end, they helped me become incredibly successful, and I know they can do the same for you. Med School Insiders offers one-on-one advising that pairs you with a physician advisor who best fits your specific needs. It’s our goal to help you create a future that aligns with your vision. We can help you craft an ideal medical school list, provide advice on whether or not a gap year is the best option for you, help you craft a stand out medical school application, and much more. Sign up for our newsletter and follow our blog for the latest lifestyle and productivity strategies, as well as detailed guides on applying to medical school, succeeding as a medical student, and making specialty decisions. It’s sent out once a week, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Our content library is filled with articles that will help you prepare for every aspect of your medical journey, and we update it multiple times a week to ensure you get the most accurate and up-to-date information. Save some of our most popular guides:

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When the Data Come Alive When I started at Ed Trust, my first project was to sort and filter through states’ school-level achievement and demographic data. My mission: to find schools with sizable low-income and/or student of color populations that were outperforming their state. They would then be considered for our Dispelling the Myth Award, which we give to a few schools each year. A few months ago, after analyzing several states’ data, Brimley Elementary School made it onto the short list of schools that my colleagues would visit and vet for the award.Brimley is a small rural school located in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula that is 53 percent American Indian and 59 percent low-income. And, until this month, to me the school was just numbers in an Excel file. But as Brimley leaders stood on stage and accepted their Dispelling the Myth Award at our national conference, I finally connected the data I spent so much time with to the individuals and the practices that fueled Brimley’s improvement and success. Talking with Pete Routhier, Brimley Elementary’s principal, and his staff was the highlight of my time at conference. I found their excitement contagious and was grateful to be a small part of their experience. Although humble and quick to remind me that they still had a lot of work to do, they expressed their appreciation of the opportunity to share their practices and to celebrate with staff back home. Routhier was surprised that his little school could be spotted from so far away. Looking at the row of posters celebrating current and past award-winners, he admitted he was a little embarrassed to see his words emblazoned in large print: “We just do our thing — but it’s always research-based.” He thought maybe he should have said something better, but his work has never been about the desire for outside recognition. Now outside of his school building, he realized that his mindset isn’t true of all educators, that his way of thinking is perhaps rarer than he thought, and that Brimley is something special. Routhier and I snapped a photo together and parted ways, but meeting him and connecting a face with the data made my work and its importance come alive. My time with numbers and spreadsheets materialized into recognition for a school in a place that most probably wouldn’t go looking for success. Stories and lessons, like those from Brimley — a school which just does its thing, are what we hope to magnify and share with both educators and the public. They rightly signal that there are many ways to dispel myths and do well by all students.

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The module will include an overview of mathematics as the science of pattern and order and what it means to do mathematics in the Intermediate Phase. It will also highlight basic concepts that are useful in everyday life with specific reference to problem solving in everyday contexts. The four operations will be discussed against the background of the number system with particular emphasis on fractions, percentages, data handling and proportionality as well as the basics of financial mathematics. The regulations and rules for the degrees published here are subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. The General Academic Regulations (G Regulations) and General Student Rules apply to all faculties and registered students of the University, as well as all prospective students who have accepted an offer of a place at the University of Pretoria. On registering for a programme, the student bears the responsibility of ensuring that they familiarise themselves with the General Academic Regulations applicable to their registration, as well as the relevant faculty-specific and programme-specific regulations and information as stipulated in the relevant yearbook. Ignorance concerning these regulations will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression, or basis for an exception to any of the aforementioned regulations. Postal Address: University of Pretoria Private Bag x 20 Hatfield 0028

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The OMA Minority Mentoring Program was organized by Dr. Judith Lightsey of the Radiation Oncology department. Dr. Lightsey took the time from her busy schedule to create a connection between current medical students and health professionals within the UF and Shands health care system. The inaugural reception for the program was held in April, 2008. “The OMA Medical Student Mentoring Program is a newly established program designed to provide support and guidance to minority medical students at the University of Florida College of Medicine. As director, I developed the application process and matched students with their respective mentors. A reception was held in April where the students and mentors were introduced to each other. Our goal is to develop the program into a more structured activity whereby mentors are available to meet with their student throughout the academic year. The program is aimed at entering first year medical students however interested upperclassmen may also apply. The program involves both UF faculty and community physicians in the mentoring process.” The OMA Minority Mentoring Program is designed to provide our URM students with faculty mentorship. Interested students are paired with interested mentors. It is a great opportunity for the fostering of relationships between faculty and students and for providing students with addition support during their medical school training.

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Coordinated support for powerful baseline ability. In the early days cowboy culture embraced rigorous physical labor. Today, the High Ground work ethic is instilled early in the goal-oriented, high-performing K-12 schools across the region, where students and faculty tackle their jobs of learning and teaching with purpose. Students graduate college-ready or immediately career-ready, through career tech tracks and dual enrollment. Two-factor talent pipeline. The region’s comprehensive network of community colleges and four-year universities means that for high school graduates looking for a career start or adults seeking to upskill, honing abilities and gaining knowledge are always within easy reach. Here in the High Ground, we keep our focus on the horizon. Workforce Solutions: One-stop connection and alignment. Connections are the key to the effectiveness of Workforce Solutions. Working in partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, the High Ground’s six workforce development boards also collaborate locally and powerfully with community colleges, business and industry leaders and other stakeholders. Working in concert they plan and deliver all the vital services of workforce development. This integrated system maximizes funding impact and efficiency through more precise local alignment and access combined with the flexibility and power of state-wide resources. This one-stop connection for employers and workers keeps the High Ground running productively through: - Workforce Solutions Panhandle - Workforce Solutions South Plains - Workforce Solutions North Texas - Workforce Solutions West Central Texas - Workforce Solutions Permian Basin - Workforce Solutions Concho Valley Custom training through Skills Development Fund and Recruit Texas. Custom training is a double-team approach in the High Ground, combining the expertise of the knowledgeable staff at the Texas Workforce Commission and the skilled and experienced industry experts at local community colleges. Together, this powerhouse partnership is ready to design and deliver site-specific custom training, with two funding mechanisms available to put training in motion for qualified projects, the Skills Development Fund and Recruit Texas.

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ERIC Identifier: ED382407 Publication Date: 1995-05-00 Author: Meisels, Samuel J. Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Urbana IL. Performance Assessment in Early Childhood Education: The Work Sampling System. ERIC Digest. The pressure to demonstrate effectiveness through children's performance on standardized tests not only changes how teachers teach and what children study, but also seems to be changing our very understanding of the nature of learning and achievement (McGill-Franzen & Allington, 1993). Group-administered tests focus on the acquisition of simple facts, low-level skills, superficial memorization, and isolated evidence of achievement. The tests hold great power, and that power can be abused. Of greatest concern is that they rob teachers of their sense of judgment about how to help children develop to their optimal potential. This loss of judgment is often observed in the use of readiness and early school achievement tests. The appropriateness of using standardized, group-administered achievement tests for children below third grade is highly dubious and questionable. The content of these tests is generally abstract, verbally mediated, and potentially biased against children unfamiliar or uncomfortable with test-like activities and with middle class manners and mores (Stallman & Pearson, 1990). Even more problematic is how little can be learned from the results of standardized tests administered to young children; the data may tell us a child's percentile ranking on a subtest, but they cannot tell us whether the child's performance reflects an inability to follow the complex test directions or whether the child did not have mastery of the information or skill. Performance assessment offers a new approach that documents activities in which children engage on a daily basis. It is flexible enough to reflect individual academic achievement and designed to evaluate many elements of learning and development not captured by standardized tests. It puts assessment back where it belongs: in the hands of teachers and children, and in the classrooms in which they work (Meisels, Dorfman, & Steele, 1995). THE WORK SAMPLING SYSTEM The Work Sampling System (Meisels, Jablon, et al., 1995) offers an exemplar of how performance assessment works in Head Start, early childhood, and the primary years (ages 3 to 11). This performance assessment system assesses and documents children's skills, knowledge, behavior, and accomplishments as displayed across a wide variety of education domains and as manifested on multiple occasions. Work sampling is a curriculum-embedded assessment, rather than an "on demand" set of tests. It systematizes teacher observations by guiding those observations with specific criteria and well-defined procedures. It consists of three complementary components: (1) Developmental Guidelines and Checklists, (2) Portfolios, and (3) Summary Reports. Classroom-based and instructionally relevant, these components involve the child, the child's family, the teacher, and the school administration in the processes of assessment. DEVELOPMENTAL GUIDELINES AND CHECKLISTS Guidelines and Checklists are designed to assist teachers in observing and documenting individual children's growth and progress. They are intended to reflect common activities and expectations in classrooms that are structured around developmentally appropriate activities and are based on national, state, and local curriculum standards. Teachers should be able to complete the Checklists without testing their children. Each Checklist covers seven domains: (1) Personal and social development; (2) Language and literacy; (3) Mathematical thinking; (4) Scientific thinking; (5) Social studies; (6) The Arts; and (7) Each domain is divided into functional components, each of which contains performance indicators that represent important skills, knowledge, behaviors, and accomplishments. Guidelines accompanying the Checklists enhance the process of observation, make it more reliable, and help ensure consistency by providing a rationale and illustrations for each performance indicator. The Checklists and Guidelines create a profile of children's individualized progress. Because of the common structure of the Checklists from preschool through grade 5, teachers can chart children's progress over a wide span of time and development and plan a curriculum that reflects individual growth and change. Purposeful collections of children's work that illustrate their efforts, progress, and achievements, Portfolios are used in The Work Sampling System to provide rich documentation of each child's experiences throughout the year. Portfolio collection enables children to become involved with the process of selecting and judging their own work. Portfolio content should parallel classroom activities and lead to the development of new activities based on joint teacher-child assessment of the child's progress and The Work Sampling System is a relatively structured approach to Portfolio collection that relies on the identification and collection of two types of work: Core Items (representations of a particular area of learning within a domain that are selected three times a year); and Individualized Items (unique examples of a child's work that capture the child's interests and experiences and reflect integrated learning across domains). Collecting Portfolio items on multiple occasions allows the Portfolio to become a tool for documenting, analyzing, and summarizing the child's growth and development through the entire Portfolios are powerful instructional tools. They offer children, teachers, parents, administrators, and policymakers an opportunity to view the sweep and power of children's growth and development. Above all, they integrate instruction and assessment. The final component of The Work Sampling System is the summary report, completed three times a year for each child. This report consists of a brief summary of the child's classroom performance and is based on teacher observations and on records teachers keep as part of The Work Sampling System. The report contains specific criteria for evaluating children's performance in each domain of learning and behavior that is emphasized in the The Summary Report is a means of translating the rich information from Developmental Checklists and Portfolios into a more easily understood and interpreted document for parents, teachers, and administrators. Summary reports are designed to replace report cards. They consist of performance and progress ratings in each domain, and teachers' reflections and comments about the child's development, based on the evidence accumulated in the Checklists and Portfolios. Tests are powerful only if we attach high stakes to them and relinquish our judgment about how to educate children (Meisels, 1992). Some tests are less informative than others, and some are hopelessly biased, narrow, or unrealistic; but any test can be misused, just as any idea can be distorted. Work Sampling is a powerful substitute for group-administered achievement tests. Research about The Work Sampling System shows that it provides teachers with reliable and valid data about children's school performance (Meisels, Liaw, Dorfman, & Fails, in press) and with a great deal of information and evidence about children's activities and development that can be used to enhance instruction and to report to children's parents. It is based on teachers' perceptions of their children in actual classroom situations. It simultaneously informs, expands, and structures those perceptions while involving children and parents in the learning process. The Guidelines and Checklists provide detailed, observation-based information about the child's skills, accomplishments, knowledge, and behavior. The Portfolios highlight qualitative aspects of children's work. The Summary Reports help record, summarize, and aggregate information on children's overall educational progress. Performance assessment, of which The Work Sampling System is an example, allows teachers to record what children can do in the context of their experience. When children's experience is rich and diverse, invites them to display their initiative, and engages their curiosity, then performance assessment promises to help us learn about children as we watch them learn about Adapted from: Meisels, Samuel J. (1993). Remaking Classroom Assessment with The Work Sampling System. YOUNG CHILDREN 48(5, July): 34-40. EJ 465 921. McGill-Franzen, A., and R.L. Allington. (1993). Flunk 'em or Get Them Classified: The Contamination of Primary Grade Accountability Data. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER 22(1, Jan-Feb): 19- 22. EJ 464 906. Meisels, S.J. (1992). Doing Harm by Doing Good: Iatrogenic Effects of Early Childhood Enrollment and Promotion Policies. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY 7(2, June):155-174. EJ 450 523. Meisels, S.J., A. Dorfman, and D. Steele. (1995). Equity and Excellence in Group-Administered and Performance-Based Assessments. In M.T. Nettles, and A.L. Nettles (Eds.), EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATIONAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT (pp. 243-261). Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Meisels, S.J., J.R. Jablon, D.B. Marsden, M.L. Dichtelmiller, A.B. Dorfman, and D.M. Steele. (1995). THE WORK SAMPLING SYSTEM: AN OVERVIEW. Ann Arbor: Rebus Planning Associates, Inc. Meisels, S.J., F-r. Liaw, A.B. Dorfman, and R. Fails. (In press, 1995). The Work Sampling System: Reliability and Validity of a Performance Assessment for Young Children. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY 10(3, Sep). Stallman, A.C., and P.D. Pearson. (1990). Formal measures of early literacy. In L.M. Morrow and J.K. Smith (Eds.), ASSESSMENT FOR INSTRUCTION IN EARLY LITERACY (pp. 7-44). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. (See ED 324 647 for original version of this report.)

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St Saviour's College Newsletter Term 2 Week 10 “In order to educate it is necessary to step out of ourselves and be among young people, to accompany them in the stages of their growth and to set ourselves beside them.” Pope Francis The past semester has seen many opportunities for our students to grow academically, spiritually and culturally. St Saviour’s College continues to provide our #MercyGirls with multi-faceted learning opportunities that both extends them and enriches them as young people. In the past week alone, we have had students engaged in a range of different experiences, including: - RACQ Docudrama (hosted by SSC, and attended by St Mary’s College and St Ursula’s College); - Macbeth ‘Shake & Stir’ performance (hosted by SSC, and attended by St Mary’s College); - Our ‘Deadly Sisters’ performing for St Saviour's Primary School; - The Interact ‘Great Debate’ against the East Toowoomba Rotary Club (SSC took out the win!); - Tuesday night Volleyball (SSC won the overall C2 Division!); - Our Homeclass Random Acts of Kindness bingo; - The ‘Peaceful Kids Program’, facilitated by Mrs Fiona Goodall, working with SSC as a pilot school; - Health presentations from Liz Ham, National Health Promotion Manager of the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation for all year levels; - Year 7 RE excursions to St Patrick’s Cathedral and St Luke’s Anglican Church; - A presentation to Caritas Australia Director, Mr Andrew Knife, a Project Compassion $1500 donation; and - Rosies Outreach at Wilsonton Heights Park, coupled with more than 100 items being donated by the SSC community. All of these experiences lend themselves to the richness of an holistic education for our young women. All of these experiences are made possible because we have staff who step out of themselves and be among young people, to accompany them in the stages of their growth. I am so proud of all our staff and the opportunities they provide for our young women, both inside and outside the classroom. I am so proud of all our girls who embrace these opportunities to learn, and to grow and to extend themselves, both inside and outside the classroom. I am so happy that, after what has been an incredibly busy Semester, we can all take a break! Special thanks to our dedicated staff who work tirelessly to ensure that our #MercyGirls experience life in all its fullness here at St Saviour’s, preparing them to become empowered young women for the future. Tomorrow (Wednesday), I will be travelling via Wellcamp to Cairns and on to Aurukun in Cape York, accompanying our boarders home. I can’t wait to share of my experiences, and I very much look forward to meeting Delphina’s, Nikaela’s and Rayziah’s families. I will also be travelling with Ms Tanya Brown (who will be going onto Cooktown) and Ms Jesse Bolton (who will be travelling onto Horn Island). There is so much work that goes into the planning of this travel and I thank our boarding staff for their dedication and commitment to this. I acknowledge with gratitude Ms Jesse Bolton, our former Boarding Manager, who has been supporting the upskilling and transition of Ms Tanya Brown, who has agreed to take on the role of Acting Boarding Manager for the remains of the year. McAuley Residential House is such a critical part of who we are as a College, and I wish all our boarders treasured times with their families and loved ones over the break, and wish our boarding staff two weeks of rest and replenishment. Thank you for all your efforts in what has been an extremely busy semester. This week, families from Years 7 to 10 will receive their daughter’s report cards. Please take the time to read through these with your daughter and reflect on both her challenges and successes. I congratulate the girls for their efforts and trust that they will use this time of rest to prepare themselves for even greater things in Semester Two! I acknowledge the service and commitment of Ms Yvonne White who finished up at the College last week. We wish Yvonne all the very best for the future and thank her sincerely for her 16 years of dedicated service to the College in her role as Finance Officer. May God bless each of you and your families and may you enjoy a safe and happy holiday, savouring time and memories with those you love. Blessings for the weeks ahead. Date Claimers for Term 3 - Pathway Information Evening (Yr 9-11 Families) - Monday 2 August - Winter Showcase - Thursday 5 August Deputy Principal - Curriculum Students in Years 7-10 will have their reports published to the Parent Portal tomorrow, Friday 25 June. These reports are a formal record of your daughter’s academic achievements and learning behaviours across semester one. The report gives a progress mark on several areas of College life including overall academic achievement, application, participation, completion of homework, readiness to learn and behaviour. Reports in the Parent Portal As we move into a more ‘paperless’ society, we will again make use of our Parent Portal to upload our reports. In Term One, you would have received an email detailing your Family Code, and instructions on how to log into the Portal. The reports may be accessed under “School Resources” option. Contacting a Teacher Whilst there are no formal parent teacher interviews scheduled until Term Four, we invite you to contact your daughter’s teachers if you have any clarifying questions or would like more information on her progress. Requesting a Hard Copy of your Daughter’s Report If you would like to collect a ‘hard copy’ report, please contact the College by telephoning 4637 1600 or by email [email protected] and we will have one printed and in the office for collection on Friday 16 July. If you have any questions about the report provided, please do not hesitate to contact us at the College. Timetable Changes in Semester Two The beginning of semester two will see many girls change subjects. Students in Years 7 and 8 will change elective subjects and students in Years 9 and 10 may opt to continue with their current elective options or change to try a different subject that links to their interests or future pathways. These timetable changes may cause some other small changes to your daughter's teachers for some subjects. Year 11 and 12 Unit 2 and 4 Students in Years 11 and 12 are now close to the midway point of Units 2 and 4. Whilst the holidays is always a good time to re-energize and regenerate, there will also be a need, particularly for Year 12 students who are preparing for External Examinations in Term Four, to do some revision, study and planning for the coming term. Some time may be dedicated these holidays to planning their study schedule for the coming busy term to ensure they are best placed for success in their upcoming mock exams and in preparation for the final exams which start in October. Year 10, 11 and 12 attended Macbeth Performance Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 were treated to an outstanding performance of a modernised interpretation of Macbeth presented by theatre company, ‘Shake and Stir’. The girls were joined by their St Mary’s College counterparts in the Callaghan Centre to view the performance on Tuesday. It was a challenging, sophisticated performance of the classic play – which will be subject of the Year 12 external exam this year. Assistant Principal - Mission and Student Wellbeing A Prayer for Walking Forward Together Through Winter In the midst of Winter, when the days are cold and wind can pierce, remind us of the warmth of your love. In the midst of Winter, when days are short, dawn comes late, and dusk arrives early, remind us that in the darkness your light still shines. In the midst of Winter, when the flowers of spring still lie hidden in the earth, when leaves are off the trees, and the world can seem bleak, remind us that Spring is but a short time away. And when in our lives we feel as if we are experiencing a season of Winter, reach out to us with the power of your presence so that we may feel the warmth of your love and see your light that alone can take away the darkness of our soul. Lord of all the Seasons, we take this moment to pray for those in our world who are cold and have nowhere to sleep; those in our community experiencing a Winter of the heart and; those who live in the dark, that they may all know the warmth and light of our love. Father, we ask in our prayers this morning that You shelter us, sustain our spirit and help us to keep our candle of community burning brightly as we weather this winter. Together, as one voice, walking forward together on one path, we are stronger. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Term 2 Outreach - Rosies our friends on the Street Mrs Candice Brazier from our College teaching staff accompanied Natalya and Nguweneza at this month’s Rosies Street Retreat. Mrs Brazier said the girls represented St Saviour’s College beautifully and were a big help to the Rosies' volunteers last Sunday. Both girls were humbled by the experience. Nguweneza made the comment that she had learnt so much (how to make all the different drinks and foods). Natalya is a seasoned Rosies volunteer, and said she appreciates the wonderful volunteers working together to form a very effective team. Youth Ministry Movie and Milos We had 45 girls attend our fundraising event in the Media room. This coincided with celebrating the fact that the students packed more than 100 donated items into Ms Brazier’s car for Sunday’s Street Retreat! What an achievement, girls! Thanks. Sowing Seeds of Hope Year 7 and Year 9 students were out and about in our community this week in their RE lessons. The Year 7s took part in a walking tour of St Patrick's Cathedral, taking in the visual symbols, focal points and other areas in the Cathedral of which the students may not have been aware. This tour connects with their recent learning on ways people pray and the sacraments. This term, our annual enrichment opportunity for Wellbeing was once again the Student Wellbeing Expo. The girls that nominated to take part, came up with the initiative of forming a group of student/peer help-givers, advocates and mentors for mental health and wellbeing issues. Here is a write up from the student team: The S.W.A.T team - Student Wellbeing Action Team - Our mission is to “swat” away mental health stigma and promote help-seeking. - The SWAT team meets every Monday at first break, and we are using Microsoft Teams to manage information sharing and record keeping. - We have already presented on school Assembly promoting the SWAT team and our mission. - We have organised for all year 7s, 8s and 9s to be trained in the Teen Mental Health First Aid course. This will be rolled out in Term 3. This will ensure that student help-givers are trained to provide peer support. - All staff at the College will also be trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid by the end of this year. - The SWAT team will be leading several wellbeing initiatives starting in Term 3 e.g. Denim for Dolly day. - At today’s meeting we received confirmation from the College Leadership team for approval of a Wellbeing Wall. The wall will be featured in Mercy Court for all students to access and will be a chalkboard that can be for positive affirmation writing and for promoting wellbeing initiatives. SRC Homeclass RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS Challenge! Our SRC Bingo initiative to promote collegiality and engagement in Homeclass, and provide some healthy competition, has proven to be a hit amongst the staff and student body. After playing two 'Wildcard' cards on Monday, Goretti and Xavier tied for first place: * Goretti - 11 points * Xavier - 11 points * McAuley - 6 points * Coolock - 1 point Student Leadership - Ozanam Vinnies Leadership Camp The St Vincent de Paul Leadership Camp was attended by Kiara McMahon and Abbey Crothers. The girls spoke about their rewarding experience on assembly last week. Here is an excerpt of the speech they gave on our last weekly assembly: On the 14th of May, Abbey and I attended the Ozanam Vinnies Leadership camp at Emu Gully where we did various activities to improve our leadership skills. It was a great experience where we were able to make friends, learn new skills, gain trust in our team and also expand out of our comfort zone. At the beginning of the camp, we formed groups and came up with a list of goals we wanted to achieve which allowed us to leave our comfort zone and create leadership skills for our future. I think one important lesson all of us learnt was being a leader isn’t always just being at the front but also leading from the middle and back. One of the activities that demonstrated this was the second activity where we went through a tunnel. Leadership was shown throughout the whole activity by the people opening the lid to inside the tunnel for the rest of the team, the people inside the tunnel guiding the person behind them and people helping others get out. All this shows leadership in the front, middle and back. The camp also allowed us to share and hear other stories and our pathways to leadership and the goals we strive to achieve. In the future, we have more leadership days, the Buddy program and the sleep out. Caritas – Project Compassion If we can stretch our minds back to our Mission Focus for Term One – as a community we banded together, inspired by the energy and passion of the Youth Ministry Team to raise much needed funds for Caritas Catholic Missions. Each assembly, you might recall during the Lenten season, we learned about the plight of people who were living the world’s largest Refugee Camp in Cox Bazar, in Bangladesh. This fortnight, we were able to make a real difference in the lives of all those many stories we heard. We were honoured to invite Mr Andrew Knife, the Director of Caritas Australia – back to our College assembly. College Principal, Ms Sharon Collins and representatives of the Youth Ministry handed over the giant cheque for an impressive ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS, to go towards improving the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable and raising the awareness of how fragile our environment is as well. We thank Mr Andrew Knife taking time out of his very bust work schedule to visit with us once again, and we hope these funds will help your organisation into the future. Useful Support Links for Students The College maintains its commitment to doing all they can to support all students attending St Saviour’s to feel safe, loved and that they belong. The College promotes social and emotional learning (SEL), which is about developing the ability to care for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and handle challenging situations. These skills are essential for developing resilience and the personal attributes that promote wellness, prevent illness and support recovery. The College also employs a best practice model of engaging with families and to provide a restorative approach to conflict within the community, and actively encourage: - Active partnerships with other schools (St Mary’s College, St Saviour's Primary School. Our Mercy partner schools and other Toowoomba Diocesan and Catholic Colleges). - Family Engagement by invitation to our regular College events, our fortnightly newsletter, social media platforms (check out our Facebook and Instagram pages!) - Strong community ties with local support and social justice agencies such as Toowoomba Transition Support Services, St Vincent de Paul, St Patrick’s Parish. - Intervention and Postvention strategies on campus for identification and referral for students who may need support, across all year levels. - A supportive Wellbeing Team, trained and with experience in restorative practices and mental health and wellbeing, consisting of: A fulltime Psychologist as our College Counsellor, Ms Renee Hunter. Assistant Principal: Mission and Student Wellbeing, Mrs Heather Hagemann Middle Leader Student Wellbeing, Mrs Juanita Doherty Middle Leader Student Wellbeing Support, Ms Alice Cavanagh Please contact one of us if you would like further information, assistance or support, regarding your child’s wellbeing. Below are some useful sites for external support, regarding wellbeing and mental health: Beyond Blue is one of Australia’s best known mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses. Along with a comprehensive website, the beyond Blue Support Service provide 24/7 phone support, Chat online 1pm-12am / 7days a week, email support and a range of community chat forums 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au Kids Helpline is a free Australian telephone and online (webchat and email) counselling service for young people aged between 5 and 25. 1800 55 1800 https://kidshelpline.com.au 1300 MH CALL: Mental health access line 1300 MH CALL (1300 642255) is a confidential mental health telephone triage service that provides the first point of contact to public mental health services to Queenslanders. 1300 MH CALL is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and will link to the caller’s nearest Queensland Public Mental Health service. eheadspace provides free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12 - 25 and their families and friends. Call 1800 650 890, 9am-1am AEST / 7 days a week. https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/ Student Reminders of College Guidelines and Expectations Bullying (inclusive of cyberbullying) There is no place for bullying at St Saviour’s College. Bullying is a repeated pattern of behaviour, which includes name-calling, taunting, mocking, making offensive comments, kicking, hitting, pushing, theft, inappropriate text messaging, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or internet, producing offensive graffiti, gossiping, excluding people from groups, and spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours. Cyberbullying is a repeated pattern of behaviour, defined as, ‘the aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself’. St Saviour’s College is committed to promoting responsible and positive use of social media sites. Cyberbullying behaviour can include: - abusive texts and emails - hurtful messages, images or videos - imitating others online - excluding others online - humiliating others online - spreading nasty online gossip and chat - creating fake accounts to trick someone or humiliate them How common is it? In the 12 months to June 2017: - 1 in 5 Australian young people reported being socially excluded, threatened or abused online. - 55% sought help from their parents, 28% from their friends; 38% blocked the offending social media account; 12% reported it to the website or platform. - 1 in 5 Australian young people (15% of kids, 24% of teens) admitted behaving in a negative way to a peer online - such as calling them names, deliberately excluding them, or spreading lies or rumours. Of these, more than 90% had had a negative online experience themselves. Here at the College, members of our community are modelled respectful behaviour, with our positive interactions with one another. There is no room for negativity at St Saviour’s. - White long-sleeved blouse (red piping)/ white short sleeved blouse (red piping) - College striped skirt - College tie - College blazer (optional) - College formal hat - Black opaque tights - College V-necked pullover - Black leather lace up shoes (no buckles, casual styles, raised heels, coloured stitching or eyelets are permitted) Have a safe but relaxing holiday break and look after one another. We look forward to seeing you all next term, and we also welcome some new students who will be joining our community! Assistant Principal - Mission and Student Wellbeing Peaceful Kids Program At St Saviour’s College we care as much about our students' academic success as we do their social and emotional wellbeing. This term our St Saviour’s community was blessed to have Fiona Goodall come to our school every Tuesday morning, from 8am to 9am, to facilitate the Peaceful Kids Program with a small group of our students. Fiona Goodall is the Director of Making Connections Toowoomba. Fiona has over 20 years experience working with school aged children on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disorders, and their families. ‘Peaceful Kids’ is a Mindfulness and Positive Psychology based program designed to: - Lessen symptoms of anxiety and stress in children - Teaches children to self-calm - Empowers children to manage their own anxiety and stress symptoms - Builds emotional resilience - Develops emotional intelligence skills - Teaches children life-long skills to manage stress and prevent stress build up - Supports children so they know that they are not alone with suffering from anxiety Our Girls Learnt About - Basic theory on Mindfulness and how it affects the brain and lessens stress and anxiety - The different ways to practice Mindfulness and integrate it into their lives - Their feelings and how this relates to anxiety and stress levels - Understanding stress and how it relates personally to them - Understanding triggers for stress and how to calm down when feeling stressed - Physical symptoms of stress and learning to identify when they need to take time out to calm themselves - Worrying and how it affects their happiness - Different types of thinking that increase anxiety or lessen anxiety - Noticing their own self-talk and how this affects worrying and stress levels - Creating a balanced lifestyle including lots of chill-out time and being in the flow - A range of Mindfulness meditations - Positive psychology exercises - Techniques to lessen worrying - A variety of coping strategies - A variety of problem solving strategies - Journalling and expressing their worries - Facing challenges and fears step by step - Preventative strategies to help prevent stress build up - Being attuned to their own bodies and minds - Being in the flow more regularly and enjoying more of the present moment If you would like to learn about Mindfulness and Positive Psychology and its benefits, the following links may be useful to outline the science and evidence-based research that the program is based on: If you would like to know more about Fiona Goodall and her services, please visit: From the Design Studio The Year 7 Design students have wrapped up the semester with their final assessment piece – Christmas in July. The brief had students designing and producing a craft, textile or food item and packaging. Some very creative items were produced including marshmallow snowmen, peppermint creams, decorations and reindeer cupcakes. The Year 9/10 class have just finished the Bluebird Café task where students designed menus and produced food items to be sold in their café each Thursday. After a slow start, students couldn’t get enough of the tasty treats that were on offer each week and waited in anticipation for the ever changing menu to be released. The Bluebird Café was a great success and I am sure both staff and students will eagerly await its return in 2022. Finally, we will be entering into the Cobb & Co Hanging Basket Display again this year. Students will design and produce the basket which will be displayed at the museum during the Carnival of Flowers. All students are welcome to participate in this activity and we will be meeting in MR12 at first break every Thursday. See Mrs Johnson or Mrs Holmes if you need more information. Business, Design, Humanities Remember if your book is overdue and you are getting overdue notices – log into Library online and renew your books yourself. When you log in your borrowed items should be able to be seen, as you hover over the item you should see the ability to renew the item. Browse our new book images below – check them out online through our Library online catalogue or visit the library and see them on display. Display books can be borrowed too, so you don’t have to wait to read it, come in and borrow it! New Manga books: Senior Fiction is a section for our Year 10-12 year levels and we are processing new books for this area all the time too. Check out some new books in this section below: Book Week is Coming! Each year, schools and public libraries across Australia spend a week celebrating books, and Australian authors and illustrators. Teachers and librarians conduct activities relating to a theme to highlight the importance of reading. Check out the announcement of the shortlisted books for 2021 here: New Book Choice This book resonated as a high interest and topical choice. Come in and check it out: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller The novel tells the story of a biracial girl, Lily, who learns about her heritage when her family moves in with Lily's Korean grandmother. Invokes the Korean version of “once upon a time…’ story. The book was well received and won the 2021 Newbery Medal. Read Over the Holidays! Just keep reading … just keep reading … just keep reading Keep reading over the holidays, you only get better with practise. Visit your public library, read online, download an audio book or an eBook. Read your borrowed library books. See you next term! Thank you to boarding staff, admin leaders and most importantly the students who have welcomed me into the Acting Head of Boarding role. My thanks and appreciation to Ms Jesse Bolton for her guidance and support during this transition period. Some of our most recent activities have included: Toowoomba Languages and Cultural Festival, the girls enjoyed being immersed in culture through displays, food stalls and musical performances. Technology free day has recently challenged the girls to participate in an upcoming event next Term, which will culminate in a public performance, but I won’t spoil this secret anymore, watch this space. Last week, a large group of girls went to support our local basketball team - the Mountaineers - and enjoyed watching Miss Jorja in action. A big thank you to Ms Jesse Bolton for organising the tickets and Mr Rod Hickey for driving the bus to facilitate this activity. The girls had a great time with Nickaela participating in an on court challenge, great effort Nickaela! With much excitement we held a Disco in the school hall last weekend. The girls were enthusiastic and became involved in all facets of planning this event, with a music play list, canteen, setting up the hall and not forgetting - some very impressive dance moves. Our best participants for the evening were Ruth and Deb, great effort girls. We hope to invite some other schools to another Disco next term after the success of this one. Our recycling efforts funded all expenses and we made a profit from our canteen sales, we are planning our next activity with the help of our recycling dollars. Keeping Warm this Winter Some of the girls recently received a beautifully crocheted blanket courtesy of the Wellbeing Ladies from Coolah in NSW. Ms Nicole Booth’s Mum is a member of this group and the girls, especially from Cape York areas, struggle with Toowoomba’s climate compared to their warmer temperatures at home. Ms Booth is a constant support to McAuley House, both students and staff, we are truly blessed to have her expertise and guidance available to us. Boarders' travel day is Monday 12 July 2021. Please note that staff will be involved in professional development, therefore we ask you to plan your arrival for after midday, if possible. Best wishes for a happy, restful break with your girls, we look forward to seeing everyone for a busy Term 3. Acting Head of Boarding From the Careers Centre Grandshake are offering a free, short 40-minute Upskilling Micro-credential called The Fundamentals of Communication. The course will give you communication soft skills to help you navigate your life and future career. Being able to clearly express your ideas, empathise with others and ask for clarification from peers, is critical to succeeding in a collaborative workplace. Simply click on the link, https://bit.ly/3fAZVkd and master the art of persuasion! Grandshake Virtual Work Experience Grandshake helps young people figure out what is next BEFORE they leave school by working with schools, employers and parents to give students the skills and experience they’ll need for the workforce, now and into the future. Grandshake collaborates with schools and national and multinational employers to give students virtual work experience, career education and mentoring opportunities that really work for them. Opportunities for virtual work experience are available in the following fields: - Systems and Signals Operation - Systems and Signals Operator virtual work experience at Grandshake - Civil Construction Cadet - Civil Construction Cadet virtual work experience at Grandshake - Junior Environmental Planner - Junior Environmental Planner virtual work experience at Grandshake - Junior Digital Engineer - Junior Digital Engineer virtual work experience at Grandshake - Communication and Sustainability Cadet - Communication and Sustainability Cadet virtual work experience at Grandshake - Drone Pilot - Drone Pilot virtual work experience at Grandshake School Based Apprenticeship Sign Up What Type of Engineer Should You Be? Engineering is an incredibly diverse career. From environmental to digital, chemical to civil, electrical to medical, if you’re innovative and a great problem solver, there’s bound to be an engineering pathway to match your passion. If you would like to find out what type of engineer could match your interests, take a look at this quiz from Grandshake. It only takes a few minutes and could help you narrow down your future study options. Take the quiz here: https://www.grandshake.co/post/types-of-engineering-quiz Careers Centre Information Sessions Feedback Survey The Careers Centre holds Information Sessions for parents throughout the year. These sessions can range from Pathways Planning in Senior School, Entry to Medicine, School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships and Vocational and Training offerings. We would appreciate your feedback as to the best time to hold these sessions. Please use the form below to indicate your preferred time. 5 High-paying Careers for Creative Minds If you’re creatively minded, trying to find that ideal role can feel like making a choice between passion or pay. There are creative careers out there that do not mean letting go of hopes for a good salary. Whether you’re interested in designing our roads and cities, love telling stories, or really want to create the next Minecraft, there are opportunities for you. Click here to see Seeks suggestions of high-paying careers that might interest you. They include: - User experience designer - Communications manager - Instructional designer - Civil designer - Games designer Have you heard of an Educational Psychologist, Engraver, Importers and Exporters? Educational Psychologists investigate learning and teaching and develop psychological techniques to foster the development and skills of individuals and groups in educational settings. A postgraduate degree in psychology or two years of supervised postgraduate experience with a registered psychologist is needed to work as an Educational Psychologist. Engravers inscribe letters, figures and designs on metal, glass, wood, rubber, plastic and other surfaces. You can work as an Engraver without formal qualifications however, they may be useful. Training is available through VET (Vocational Education and Training). Importers or Exporters manage the operations of importing or exporting establishments. Either extensive experience or a formal qualification in commerce is needed to work in this field. VET and university are both common study pathways for Importers and Exporters. 14/21: Years 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III in Hospitality (Front of House) - Jillys Café 15/21: Years 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III in Business - Berny’s on West 24/12: 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III in Business School-Based Traineeship Totally Workwear 26/21: Year 12 - Certificate III in early Childhood Education and Care – New Childcare Centre opening at Westbrook 27/21: Years 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III in Painting and Decorating with Travis Keen Painting 28/21: Years 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III in Hairdressing at Air Hair Studio 29/21: Year 10 - Certificate III in Cabinet Making Sir Lancelot's Kitchens, Bathroom and Joinery 30/21: Years 10 and 11 - Certificate III in Hospitality (Front of House) - various positions 31/21: Years 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III in Business – Customer Engagement (2 positions) Dental Practice at Highfields and Drayton 32/21: Years 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III in Dental Assisting (2 positions) Dental Practice at Highfields and Drayton 33/21: Years 10, 11 and 12 - Certificate III Baking – Bakery Cakery, Uni Plaza 34/21: Year 10 - Certificate II in Warehousing Operations - Reece Toowoomba 35/21: Years 10 and 11 - Certificate III in Fitness – Premier Conditioning SBA vacancies are advertised each fortnight in the newsletter and will be emailed directly to all students in Years 10, 11 and 12. If you wish to apply for a vacancy, please ensure you have completed the SBA Referral form, your resume is updated and that you follow the application directions in the advertisement. Once these documents are finalised, hand them (or send via email) to Mrs Cocks ([email protected]) for submission on your behalf (unless the advertisement has specifically stated that you need to apply online or visit the business directly). Career Development Practitioner Interact Event - Term 3

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This was to help the students to be well prepared for high schools. These public schools do not always prepare their students for higher education. Such an approach, they say, would help high schools better prepare students for college. In those early days, Eastern prepared its students to become teachers. There are resources available to prepare both students and teachers for the test. "Our students are very well prepared in critical reading and writing skills." Most of these programs include materials to help teachers prepare students. But there are no plans at present to prepare students for government management. Thus students are prepared to face trying situations beyond the school. They discussed how best to prepare students for the test.

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Active Leadership Development Program Iron Academy’s Active Leadership Development Program entrusts young men to lead: to practice it, to mess it up, to study it in action, and to learn from real-world successes and failures. Our leaders will make important decisions, reject passivity, and learn to manage group dynamics. Much of the daily life at Iron Academy relies upon student-directed leadership. Convocation every morning is run by student leadership that regularly rotates. The entire school is cleaned daily by students and managed by student leaders. Much of the discipline is handled directly by students who uphold Matthew 18:15-17 principles, iron sharpening iron. Round Tables draw upon every student who has earned his Challenge Coin to participate actively in the disciplinary process. Iron Academy students hold one another accountable for the Honor Code. They formulate the school rules each year. Student leadership is a daily practice and has daily significance for every student. It isn’t always pretty or perfect, but it is intensive, hands-on, effective, and life-changing. Student-directed leadership is the perfect complement to the Iron Academy Honor Code. It allows us to teach the students the code and how it influences daily life at Iron Academy. It then places most of the culture-building responsibility on the young men, where it should be. To be eligible to be a leader, students must possess their challenge coins, be in good academic standing, and submit a school leader application form to be approved by the faculty. If the leader fulfill the requirements for the elective in leadership, he can receive elective credit. Our students have several opportunities to develop and refine their leadership skills as described below. School Leaders are elected twice per year. The School Leader participates equally in Roundtable discussions with the staff, initiates and conducts intensive mentoring of fellow students as needed, runs the daily convocation, works closely with staff on issues as they arise, and is usually the first student to be entrusted with a problem. The School Leader has input in any revisions of the code of conduct. Our student body is divided into three tribes named for King David’s three mightiest warriors: Eleazar, Josheb, and Shammah. Each tribe will elect its own high school and middle school leader each quarter. Tribe leaders have significant responsibility for speaking for the tribe, being responsible for daily chores, monitoring the overall health of their tribe and tribemates, initiating Matthew 18 conflict-resolution principles, and consulting with Iron Academy staff members as needed. The Tribe Leaders have input in any revisions of the code of conduct. Crucible Camp Squires Crucible Camp Squires are valuable mentors and encouragers of all entering students who attend Crucible Camp. They assist the faculty in managing the week’s rigorous activities. In this leadership role, the Shepherds will meet daily with assigned middle school students to encourage them in regards to the Honor Code and check their bookbag and review their homework plan to ensure that all work is being managed well. The Shepherds will add a layer of encouragement and accountability for our younger gentleman scholars. Chaplains are elected twice per year. The Chaplain assumes responsibility for Chapel service on Thursdays, keeping himself in tune with the spiritual health of the school, initiating Matthew 18 conflict-resolution principles, and consulting with Iron Academy staff members as needed. This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.

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Do you have an important presentation in store? Is it important to you that this presentation will be a success? Or do you simply want to learn the basics for successful speaking? With individual coaching you quickly learn how to present with more pleasure and impact, so that your message will come across! For whom: for highly educated professionals like: specialists, scientists, managers, consultants, architects, PhD. students, creative’s, accountants, freelancers and marketing professionals. Where: in Amsterdam city centre. An 8 minute walk from the Central Railway station for live sessions. You struggle with: - Losing the attention of your audience after a few minutes. - Not attaining the goals you have with your presentation. - The fact that you are quite nervous and you do not exactly enjoy presenting. - Not making a professional impression when you present. - How to properly and efficiently prepare your presentation. - The fact that your message does not seem to get across. During the presentation coaching you will learn: - To present with impact and more pleasure. - What you need to become a more convincing presenter. - How to raise the interest of your audience and keep it. - How to quickly prepare a convincing presentation. - To present in a more effortless manner. - How to deal with presentation nerves. What does individual coaching exactly entail? By using a camera to tape the presentation and one to one guidance you make big steps in a relatively short amount of time. By lots of exercises and practising you quickly become aware of what works in your presentation and what not. “I could apply the tips immediately and the improvements showed themselves instantly.” Sander. Avantium. “Really good exercises during the coaching, that I could immediately apply in my presentation.” Jannita Mossel. Owner Spa Tree We will look at what you exactly need, to give your presentation a big boost. Your presentation and way of presenting becomes clearer, more engaging and more convincing. This means in practise: - Getting feedback on a presentation that you will prepare. Result: presentation becomes more effective. (Think of better structure, clear message, better introduction etc) - Step by step practising to make presentation skills your own. Result: apply and integrate the learning points. (Think a.o. posture, non-verbals and voice). - You will receive pdf theory files, tips, information and video’s to support the coaching. Result: you can continue learning after the coaching and always have information to fall back on and refresh your memory. - Your presentations will be recorded on video. The footage will, if desired, be send to you through WeTransfer. Result: become conscious of strong points and learning points from the video footage. Location: city centre of Amsterdam. Covid-19: live one on one meetings are possible. The 1,5 meter rule can be met and al sanitary measures will be taken to provide safety. Not keen on meeting live? Online sessions are possible as well. Tried and tested. Although live meetings are preferable to learn presentation skills, all possibilities to learn presentation skills are present online. Focus in these sessions will be on online presenting. Dates: in consultation. Duration: 3 private sessions of 3 hours. Preferably one week in between sessions for didactic reasons. Best dosage for integrating and applying knowledge. Costs: 1.275,- Euro (vat free). Time investment: think 2/2,5 hours before each session. Are you employed? If so, in almost every case there is a personal education budget available per employee. This means that in most cases the coaching costs can be compensated by your employer. Conditions: appointments that have been made during the coaching and are not cancelled 24 hours in advance, will be charged. Other information: basic knowledge of the English language is required. The emphasis of the coaching is on presentation skills and not on the English language. Starting level: college or university. Are you interested? Do not hesitate and send an e-mail to [email protected] or dial 06-245.97.282. It will be a pleasure to talk to you. How did other participants experience individual coaching? “I’ve followed a very special training ‘presentation skills’. I expected to receive all kinds of technical tricks. But, it entailed much more. It was also about becoming more conscious of how you stand in front of an audience.” “The emphasis in the training is really on practising, this way theory and insight can really be applied. According to me , this is only way to really learn.” “For me the training was a real eye-opener”. Very practical and instructive. It really created an important aha moment for me, and there are not many training programs that can cause this.” S. Eijkemans (Reed Elsevier) “It was very instructive, useful and fun. I view your training as an absolute recommendation for others that do not look forward to presenting.” L. van Nispen (Sanoma Media) “This week already 3 people stopped in the corridors of APG to tell me my presentation was very good. Thank you very much for helping me out. I am very happy.” T. Kovacheva (APG) “The training has brought me tailor-made advice on how I can be a better presenter. The advice is very to the point and easy to actually apply in practise.. This training is de facto really useful, which makes it extremely valuable.” A. Lafarre (TLS) “The training was a great experience.. What I really enjoyed was that each participant received a lot of personal attention. It was also a very practical training.. it was much better than receiving just some theoretical tips, because improving your presentation skills needs practise. Moreover, it was fun and Mabel managed to create a very open and friendly environment.” A. Jallai (TLS) Through this training, I now experience joy, when I need to present. I know now what and how to use the knowledge so I can give a successful presentation.” H. Olthuis Project Manager. “Mabel coached me very well and gave me the tools to improve my presentations. I could apply her tips immediately and the improvements showed themselves instantly. The training was very inspiring.” S. Wolf Project Leader, Avantium “I am enjoying this (presenting) more each time and I think it is thanks to you and your great course!” M. Azkarate (ESA) “It was a high quality training. Definitely a big compliment for that!” WJ Hendrikx (University of Tilburg) “Very professional trainer. Knows how to create a pleasant atmosphere, whereby presenting becomes more pleasurable. Really good exercises. During the coaching, I could immediately apply the learnings in my presentation. Due to her guidance, I have succeeded to give an engaging presentation in China, during the SpaChinaSummit.” J. Mossel. Founder Spa Tree. “Mabel is a relaxed and inspiring coach. She creates a safe environment, that makes you feel comfortable. The teachings are immediately applicable, so that you right away experience what works for you or not. With her open and inspiring coaching style Mabel has shown and taught me how to experience more freedom, space and rest while presenting.” C. van de Beek. Product Manager. Akzo Nobel “It was a very pleasant coaching that was completely tailor-made to my level and needs. With every session I learned things that I could immediately apply into practise. I really noticed my development. I liked the fact that there was a basic program, but at the same time a lot of room for exercises that were especially important to me. I really gained a lot by this training, it gives me a solid base for further development.” I. de Rooij – Hagen. Onderwijsadviseur. “Mabel’s coaching gave me lots of energy to engage myself with presenting. It all starts with a solid base. Also the coaching has shown me my best way to be an convincing speaker. The personal approach has helped me a lot.” A. Eekhout. Marketing professional. Big Green Egg “The coaching was fun and educational. The personal contact and tips were really tailored-made for me personally. This felt good, but I have also experienced the coaching as a valuable addition to my personal development.” Marije Zijlstra, Senior Adviser. Ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie

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As a medical student, you know what’s coming at the end of medical school: applying to residency. While residency programs are educational, they’re quite a bit different from medical school, and it’s imperative that your residency application reflects these differences. Your application must exhibit a greater maturity, growth, and dedication to the medical profession—it must also detail why you are a perfect fit for your chosen specialty and program, what contributions you will make to the program, and what you hope to accomplish with your specialty once you have become a doctor. We have a detailed ERAS Residency Application Guide that will take you through the ideal application timeline, what you need to include, mistakes to avoid, and FAQs, but in this post, we’ll focus on the most important tips and strategies for success on your residency application. We’ll discuss the following 9 tips for applying to residency below. - Don’t Lock in Your Application Prematurely - Don’t Treat ERAS the Same as Your Medical School Application - Begin Preparing Early - Build Strong Connections - Work Hard on Your Rotations - Think About Which Programs You Want to Apply to Well Before Applications Open - Ensure Your Personal Statement Directly Addresses Specialty Fit - Get Strong Letters of Recommendation - Put Significant Effort Into Editing and Proofreading Tips for Applying to Residency 1 | Don’t Lock in Your Application Prematurely Do not certify your ERAS application until you are absolutely 100% sure it is accurate, complete, and exactly what you want to submit. You are only able to certify your application once. Once you do, your application is locked in, and you can’t make a signal edit to it for the rest of the application season. 2 | Don’t Treat ERAS the Same as Your Medical School Application Applying to residency is an entirely different beast than applying to medical school. What matters most to medical schools is not necessarily the same as what matters to residency programs. If you’re applying to residency, it means you’re almost there; after nearly a decade of intense schooling, you are almost a full-fledged doctor. The priority for residency programs is determining if you’re a good fit for them as well as the specialty. Your residency application must demonstrate maturity, growth, a deepened dedication to medicine, as well as an increased focus on what you hope to accomplish with your specialty. You also need to illustrate why you are a good fit for the program and highlight the contributions you believe you will make to that specific program. 3 | Begin Preparing Early As a medical student, you know where you’re headed. After four years of school comes residency—keep this in the back of your mind throughout your time in medical school. Make smart decisions that will help you apply to residency and gain an advantage over other applicants. Create a personalized residency application schedule to keep you on track. You’re going to be busy, which means your time will be very valuable. Be mindful and make smart decisions about the opportunity cost of any given activity. Make decisions based on what will move the needle on your residency application, including building the right connections, gaining relevant experience, and making decisions based on your desired specialty. It’s also important to take notes and keep a journal during your work, volunteer, and research experiences. Taking notes will help you remember the moments and anecdotes that had the most profound effect on you and crystallized your desire to join a certain specialty. When it comes time to detail your experiences, you’ll be happy to have notes that capture exactly how you were feeling and what you were thinking at the time. 4 | Build Strong Connections It should come as no surprise that students pursuing a competitive specialty have the best odds of matching into their home program. You’ll have a greater degree of direct interaction with faculty and the program director, as well as the chance to rotate there. If you impress them with your performance during clinical rotations and research, they’ll likely take a strong liking to you. If it comes down to you and another candidate, they’ll choose the one they know personally and who has a proven track record. Faculty advocates are most impactful when they have significant direct contact with you, such as working closely with you on a research project for several months. This way, they can authentically and authoritatively speak about your skills, work ethic, and character. Considering the amount of time it takes to form this kind of relationship, it’s vital that you begin building strong connections early during medical school. To find a faculty mentor, start by pursuing research projects in your particular specialty, or ask fellow medical students or residents which faculty members are most willing to take students under their wing. 5 | Work Hard on Your Rotations Work hard on your rotations, as rotations taking place during this time are often called “audition rotations,” which means programs will watch how hard you work and if you fit in to determine whether or not to offer you an interview. This is also the ideal time to earn any remaining letters of recommendation from attendings in your desired field. If you have already secured enough letters of recommendation and your specialty doesn’t recommend away rotations, this is also a good time to complete other rotations that require a higher workload. 6 | Think About Which Programs You Want to Apply to Well Before Applications Open Begin compiling your list of residency programs in the months leading up to application season. Give yourself plenty of time so that you can research and contact the programs that interest you most. Be sure to determine the specific program requirements and deadlines so that you don’t miss anything. The AAMC has a residency preference exercise to help you discern which programs are most of interest to you. It’s a good idea to return to this exercise after you’re through the interview stage, when it comes time to rank residency programs in February. This is not something you want to skimp on. Start this process long before applications open to figure out the program that most excites and interests you. 7 | Ensure Your Personal Statement Directly Addresses Specialty Fit In keeping with the rest of your residency application, your residency personal statement must reflect a much greater understanding of medicine, a deepened dedication to the profession, and it must directly and clearly address why you will be a good fit for your chosen specialty. Residency programs aren’t looking for a medical student—they’re looking for a young professional who knows the direction they want to take their career. Focus your personal statement on your professional development and why your experiences have made it clear to you that you belong in a certain specialty. This is your one opportunity outside of interviews to express exactly why you personally believe you will excel in your chosen specialty—so don’t waste it. Speak confidently yet humbly about what you have accomplished already, and passionately explain what you hope to accomplish in the residency program and with your future career. Just like your original medical school personal statement, you don’t have much room to express all of this. While the residency personal statement technically allows for up to 28,000 characters, we strongly recommend that you keep it to a single typed page, about 700-800 words. Get started early to ensure you have ample time to edit it and have it edited by peers you trust. A poor personal statement can shut the door on an otherwise top-tier applicant, whereas a stand out essay alone can be enough to get you an interview. View our database of Residency Personal Statement Samples, take careful care editing, ask mentors for feedback, and consider professional personal statement editing. 8 | Get Strong Letters of Recommendation Residency programs trust the opinions of other doctors. The stronger your letters of recommendation, the more compelling of a candidate you are. ERAS letters of recommendation let programs know what the physicians you worked with think of you and if they hold you in high esteem, and they provide crucial insight into your work ethic, ethical judgment and decision making, and—arguably most importantly—how well they believe you will fit within your chosen specialty. It’s ideal to secure writers from a range of different specialties who you have worked with closely during your work, research, and volunteering experiences. A strong letter from someone you worked with closely is much more valuable than securing a letter from a well-known and respected physician who doesn’t know much about you and can’t directly speak to your unique strengths or specialty fit. You must also have at least one letter from a mentor, an attending you worked with closely, or a department chair in your chosen specialty so that they can speak to your aptitude and suitability for that specific specialty. Learn more about How to Get Strong Letters of Recommendation. 9 | Put Significant Effort Into Editing and Proofreading Sloppy editing and carelessness on your residency application is an automatic red flag for residency programs. You’ve been through four years of premed, four years of medical school, and you’re right on the doorstep of becoming a full-fledged doctor—DO NOT make careless mistakes on your application. Use editing apps like Grammarly and Hemingway Editor, but don’t rely on these alone to catch your mistakes. A bot’s grasp of context is severely lacking, so ask trusted friends, family members, and mentors to look over your application and scan for mistakes. Application editing services can also play this role, helping you edit, fine-tune, and tailor your application. Get started on your application as soon as possible, so you have lots of time to edit and rewrite your application until it’s perfect. Remember: you can only certify your residency application once, so do your utmost to ensure it’s flawless when you do. Get the Help You Need: Residency Application Editing It is critical to the success of your residency application that you approach it with tact and care—and you don’t need to do it alone. Our team of doctors has years of experience giving medical students the tools and know-how they need to get matched with their ideal program. Med School Insiders can help you prepare a stand out residency application. We offer a number of Residency Admissions Consulting Services tailored to your needs, including personal statement editing, USMLE tutoring, interview prep and mock interviews, and overall application editing.

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Courtesy of Sarah Gerrity Child and family development assistant professor Sarah Garrity has always been interested in babies and the idea of continuity of care. Although San Diego State’s Children’s Center practices a model of continuity of care in which children stay with the same teacher from the time they enter the program until the time they leave for kindergarten, Garrity decided to study this program so she could illustrate a successful model that other programs could imitate. Garrity recently received a fellowship from the Simms/Mann Institute, an institute that specializes in education and community development, for her research in continuity of care in early care and education programs. With this fellowship, Garrity, along with 13 other chosen faculty members, will help the California State University system expand its early childhood care and education provider programs for young children up to age three. Garrity, child and family development assistant professor Sascha Longstreth and graduate student Mashaael Alwashmi, who graduated from SDSU last year, all co-authored the study “A Qualitative Examination of the Implementation of Continuity of care: An Organizational Learning Perspective,” which was published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly. Garrity sought to improve a model of continuity of care that could be implemented at various children’s centers because of the advantages that come from stable relationships between infants and responsible adults. “Continuity of care supports and nurtures the important relationship between the teacher and the child, recognizing that children develop within the context of relationships,” she said. The concept stems from findings suggesting teachers can read a child’s emotional cues and respond appropriately when a child and his or her teacher are tuned in to one another. Due to this, children in continuity of care have a better chance of succeeding in school. “Children can learn that they are powerful, that the world is a safe place, and that their needs will be met,” Garrity said. “These types of responsive relationships that occur over time support children’s development in many domains, including communication, cognition, social emotional competence and moral understanding, all of which are important predictors of children’s success in school.” A continuity of care program is not like day care, but rather a second home for children who are cared for by highly skilled individuals. “The nice thing about continuity is that it’s like a second family,” Longstreth said. “It’s really something a parent loves because they feel like when they drop their kids off, they’re not just dropping them off at school — they’re dropping them off with someone who really cares about them.” Despite all of these advantages, the field of early care and education is belittled by low pay and disappointingly minimal requirements — only 12 units in child development and no degree — in order to be an infant teacher in the state of California. Garrity’s major finding from her study was that the SDSU Children’s Center successfully implemented continuity of care because of its highly-trained workforce of students with B.A. degrees in child and family development from SDSU. “Unfortunately, infant/toddler teachers in the United States are often considered babysitters rather than the highly-educated, reflective professionals that I encountered at the Children’s Center,” Garrity said. Garrity hopes that her research draws attention to the need to enact policy that supports infants, toddlers, their families and the early care and education workforce. “There needs to be systems-level change in order to personalize the field of ECE into a professional field of practice similar to doctors, lawyers and teachers in the K-12 system,” Garrity said. Garrity’s research aims to ultimately teach people about society’s need to build strong brains during a child’s early years so he or she enters school curious and ready to learn. “Neuroscience clearly tells us what needs to be done to build strong brains, yet this science is not translated into practice,” Garrity said. Society has yet to realize the importance of developing a child’s brain at infancy, which has led to the neglect of the field of early care and education, but Garrity’s research will hopefully revolutionize infant care.

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THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY Volume 11, No. 1, (2013) Value Orientation and Examination Malpractice in Higher Education in Nigeria: A Study of Anambra State Ngozi G. Egbue & Bentina Alawari Mathias Department of Sociology/Anthropology Faculty of Social Sciences Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Examination serves as the major instrument for evaluating students’ knowledge; it is the foremost means of assessing the quality and quantity of knowledge a student has accumulated at the end of a teaching process. Thus, most students who have lower intellectual endowment or have not made full use of their studying time and opportunities are often tempted to engage in all forms of inappropriate examination behaviour to achieve success. Such students often utilize all existing resources at their disposal; and modern technology has become a veritable tool to circumvent standard examination practices. A sample of the opinions of students from three tertiary institutions in Anambra State was taken in order to examine the background factors and consequences of examination malpractice in the State. Recommendations were made for necessary social change geared at effecting appropriate examination behaviour among students so as to arrive at a healthier educational and employment environment. Keywords: examination malpractice, penalty for malpractice, values, lecturers, Anambra

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Evaluation Services: T-TESS/T-PESS/Student Growth/AEL The ESC Region 11 Leadership Development Team provides support, training, and technical assistance to districts on the Texas Evaluation Systems. ESC Region 11 trains district leadership responsible for evaluating educators using the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS), the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), Advancing Educational Leadership (AEL), the Student Growth Measures, specifically Student Learning Objectives (SLO), and Impact Coaching for T-TESS & T-PESS. Special Note about Virtual Trainings: Per TEA, ESCs can provide virtual training only for participants working and/or residing within their region OR from districts that regularly use the ESC as their designated ESC due to proximity. If a participant needs to attend training at a different ESC due to scheduling conflicts, they must choose face-to-face training. The state evaluation system for principals is the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS). This system is designed around research-based best practices among school administrators and promotes a growth mindset, reflection, and setting/sustaining professional goals. 2020-2021 School Year - BOTH the previous T-PESS rubric and the updated T-PESS rubric were considered valid appraisal instruments that meet the requirements of the Commissioner's recommended principal appraisal system in accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC) §21.3541. 1/2 day Rubric Update training was provided throughout the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. If you were not able to attend one of those sessions, you will need to attend one of the 1-day training listed below. 2021-2022 School Year and beyond - ONLY the updated T-PESS rubric meets the requirements of the commissioner's recommended principal appraisal system in accordance with (TEC). In addition, a T-PESS assistant principal rubric that is aligned to the updated principal rubric will be available for LEAs that choose to use this option. If you have any questions regarding T-PESS, please contact Derrick Spurlock T-PESS TRAINING NEW RUBRIC - 1 Day training New T-PESS Appraisers - Updated Rubric July 21, 2022 (9:00 AM - 4:30 PM) In-Person New T-PESS Appraisers - Updated Rubric August 11, 2022 (9:00 AM - 4:30 PM) In-Person New T-PESS Appraisers - Updated Rubric September 15, 2022 (9:00 AM - 4:30 PM) In-Person Administrators must be knowledgeable in curriculum and instruction, be skillful in data gathering and analysis, be able to set goals, be skillful in conducting effective conferences, have team-building skills and conflict resolution skills, and have mentoring and coaching skills. In order to meet these expectations, Advancing Educational Leadership (AEL) was developed. This three-day, research-based and engaging training is now required for teacher appraisers and is the co-requisite for the Texas-Teacher Evaluation Support System (T-TESS). Administrators who have an ILD Certification WILL NOT be required to take AEL. If you have any questions regarding AEL, please contact Derrick Spurlock AEL Training July 13, 14, & 15, 2022 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) In-Person AEL Training August 1, 2, & 3, 2022 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) In-Person AEL Training September 12, 13, & 14, 2022 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) In-Person The Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) supports instruction and student performance. This new system includes an evaluation rubric, goal-setting, and an embedded student growth measure. T-TESS is intended to promote a growth mindset among educators by providing tools for self-reflection as well as a system of continuous, purposeful feedback from appraisers and observers. If you have any questions regarding T-TESS, please contact Derrick Spurlock (An ILD or AEL Certificate is a co-requisite in order to be T-TESS certified.) T-TESS Appraiser Training July 18, 19, & 20, 2022 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) In-Person T-TESS Appraiser Training August 8, 9, & 10, 2022 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) In-Person T-TESS Appraiser TrainingSeptember 6, 7, & 8, 2022 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.) In-Person Impact Coaching for T-TESS & T-PESS This state-created training provides additional support to T-TESS and T-PESS appraisers/observers in the area of coaching. Participants will learn and practice coaching skills based on cognitive coaching, instructional coaching, and action-coaching research. If you have any questions regarding Impact Coaching for T-TESS & T-PESS, please contact Derrick Spurlock Impact Coaching for T-TESS & T-PESS June 29-30, 2022 (8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.) In-Person For additional information regarding Student Growth Measures, please contact Derrick Spurlock Student Learning Objectives (SLO) Review & Update June 14, 2022 (9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.) In-person

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Does New Jersey have Ieps? In New Jersey, as well as other states across the country, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is a written document that outlines a child’s (with a special need or disability) education, ages 3-21. The plan is tailored specifically to the individual student, so they receive maximum educational benefit. How do I get an IEP in NJ? 5 Steps for Getting an IEP - Referral for a Special Education Evaluation. A parent, teacher, or other school personnel must create this referral so that your child can be evaluated to determine whether he or she has a disability. - Determining Eligibility. - Writing the Individual Education Program. - The IEP Meeting. What does ERI mean in special education? By SKF Educational Services, LLC Introduction. Wright Group/McGraw-Hill’s Early Reading Intervention (ERI) is primarily a Tier 2 Response to Intervention (RtI) model of service delivery. Do autistic children go to mainstream schools? Autism and the education system Whilst there are specialist schools available, 71% of children with autism attend mainstream schools. Research has shown that mainstream schools are frequently neither fully educated nor equipped to deal with the needs of an autistic child and give them the necessary support. What are the best public schools in NJ? Millburn Township School District. What are the best schools for special education? Major Focus – How many resources a school devotes to special education students as compared to other majors. What are special needs schools? TIFFANY: AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO THE NEW YEAR, A STUDENT RUN UBCL AT DWYER HIGH SCHOOL HAS BIG PLANS RFO 2022. THE LOVE CLUB IS PLANNING A PROM FOR FELLOW STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. >> THE LOVE CLUB IS A CBLU CENTEDER ALL AROUND LEARNING HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF

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Many people try to calm their nerves before speaking in public. But as a performer, I know that being nervous before a performance actually keeps me focused. When I’m not nervous, I start to get careless and make mistakes. In my recent article for the Harvard Business Review, I decided to delve further into this topic: “In his book Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed, Daniel McGinn, an executive editor at Harvard Business Review, talks about pre-performance rituals for athletes, speakers, and surgeons who have to perform in high-stakes situations. There’s one quote in the book, by Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks, that really struck me: “The argument is that anxiety and excitement are actually very, very close, but … anxiety and calmness are too far apart.” According to Brooks, focusing on excitement rather than trying to calm down actually increases performance. So, when we tell people to calm down before a big speech, we’re actually suggesting something that’s incredibly difficult. We’re also inadvertently recommending something that could potentially inhibit a person’s performance.” Based on that logic, here is a pre-speech ritual to help you focus, prepare, and turn your anxiety into excitement: 1. Pause & Breathe Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Take a few minutes to center yourself. 2. Remind yourself why you care Ask yourself why this speech, this topic, or this audience is important to you. Tell yourself – out loud — how excited you are about this opportunity and the positive impact it will have on others. 3. Visualize the entire presentation Give the speech in your mind, from start to finish; imagine it going incredibly well. 4. Listen to a song that makes you smile Find a song that brings you positive energy; it could be something from your childhood or a recent song that you are playing on repeat. Don’t try to completely calm your nerves before your next virtual or in-person presentation. Use the above routine to get into the right mindset and reframe your nerves as excitement. Both you and your audience will enjoy the presentation.

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CONTACT THE COUNSELOR Phone: (205) 487-2305 Fax: (205) 487-8907. STUDENTS OF THE MONTH The Guidance and Counseling program is a comprehensive program which includes guidance curriculum, individual student planning, responsive service and system support. Classroom guidance activities are systematically implemented in all grade levels. Individual and small group counseling is available by parent, teacher, administrator or student self referral. Counseling is short-term, voluntary and confidential. Elementary school counselors are becoming more essential to the development of America’s youth and the future of our country with every passing year. Strengthening conceptual skills such as reinforcing the foundations of learning and adapting to varying environments is trumping the archaic ideas of teaching particular skills and tricks to develop behaviors that work in a static environment. The goal of elementary school counseling is to lay the foundation for our youth to grow and fill the positions of next generation citizens, parents and business leaders. Our strategies need to keep pace with a rapidly evolving economy and social networks. It is becoming more and more obvious that predicting the future is not only difficult, but impossible. Elementary school counselors have already begun to adjust their methodoligies and curriculum to adapt to America’s future demands of a more flexible and confident citizen. COUNSELOR CLASSROOM IS FOR INSTRUCTION AND TEACHING LIFE LESSONS AND HAVING FUN ACTIVITIES Guidance Curriculum is presented through classroom or group activities and provides students with assistance in: Values of Learning INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PLANNING Individual Student Planning assists students with: Personal and Career Development Responsive Service includes: System Support includes: Staff & Community Relations Student Support Teams WINFIELD CITY SCHOOLS COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Winfield City School System’s comprehensive school and guidance program is to prepare every student socially, academically, and emotionally for present and future challenges. Students are provided opportunities to gain an understanding of self and others, to participate in educational and occupational exploration, and to pursue career planning opportunities in an environment that is safe, caring, and encouraging. Counselors work in collaborative partnerships with students, educators, parents, and community members to empower students to reach their highest level as productive members of society.

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The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is inviting feedback on its recently published Senior Secondary Years Curriculum Position Paper (version 0.6). The paper proposes guidelines for national curriculum development in English, mathematics, history and science for the senior years of schooling. Comments will be received until 30 September 2009. Feedback can be sent via email to [email protected] or posted to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, PO Box 177, Carlton South, VIC 3053. See also article in the Sunday Herald-Sun 30 August 2009. The Australian Industry Group has launched a national project, with the support of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, to examine the impact on businesses of low literacy and numeracy and to 'road-test solutions'. See AIG media release and article in The Age both 31 August 2009. A nationwide campaign has been launched to make music classes compulsory in all primary schools. See article in The Sydney Morning Herald 3 September 2009 and earlier abstract in Curriculum Leadership 31 July 2009. The Australian Government's program for funding school infrastructure, part of its national economic stimulus package, has generated further public and media discussion this week. See transcripts of interviews with Minister for Education Julia Gillard, between 28 August and 3 September 2009; article in The Australian and report in The Brisbane Times, both 3 September 2009; and article in The Age 4 September 2009. The New South Wales Government has set up a website to cover its ongoing involvement in the program: see media release 30 August 2009 from Verity Firth, New South Wales Minister for Education. The 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is currently focusing attention on 900 of the best skills, trade and technologies professionals under the age of 23, from 51 countries/regions, competing against each other in 45 skill categories. The competition is run by WorldSkills International (WSI), a not-for-profit association open to agencies or bodies which have a responsibility for promoting vocational education and training in their respective countries/regions. See WSI media information pages for updated information. The New South Wales Government has moved to abolish a $55,000 fine on newspapers that publish school 'league tables'. See report in The Sydney Morning Herald 1 September 2009. A $7 million wireless access upgrade will improve the network capacity and coverage of Victorian primary schools. Part of the VicSmart initiative to equip students with 21st century skills, the upgrade will see up to 7,300 access points installed by 2010. See Victorian Government media release 1 September 2009. The minimum school leaving age in Victoria will be raised from 16 to 17 from 2010. The reform, designed to improve young people's eventual employment outcomes, will require all students to complete Year 10, and to remain in some form of education, training or employment until the age of 17. See Victorian Government media release 1 September 2009. Year 11 science teachers in South Australia are being encouraged to place more emphasis on the role of science in everyday life in their teaching, as a means to prepare young people for science-related jobs. The training is part of statewide preparation for the introduction of the new South Australian Certificate of Education. See article in The Advertiser (AdelaideNow) 3 September 2009. The Tasmanian Government is introducing a new education system, called the Polytechnic and Academy system, for the post-compulsory years. The government has reported that enrolments at schools which have already transferred to the new system have risen by 12 per cent. See report on ABC News 3 September 2009. Western Australia Education Minister Liz Constable has announced the release of two numeracy resources designed to help parents and carers in WA assist their children in learning mathematics. The booklets, Counting on you 2, aimed at K–3 children, and Helping your child with maths really adds up, for parents of children in Grades 4–7, are also available online. See Government of Western Australia media statement 3 September 2009. The Government of Western Australia has provided $1.4 million to train psychologists to implement a program designed to improve parenting skills. Part of a wider strategy to improve school behaviour, the Positive Parenting Program will be offered to parents of three- to five-year-olds in Western Australia. See Western Australia Government media release 29 August 2009. Queensland Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson has vigorously supported the Scripture Union Queensland's campaign to find more funding for school chaplains in the State's public schools. There are currently more than 500 chaplains in Queensland government schools. See Minister's media release 2 September 2009.

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Program Type:Careers & Workforce Development, Education & College, English, Enrichment, Library & Community, Virtual Age Group:Teens (Grades 7-12) Want to write a resume but not sure where to start? Join this interactive teen workshop where we'll review the key aspects of a resume, how to tailor your resume to best fit your application, and how to make your skills and talents stand out! Come prepared with a resume draft if you have one, and we'll guide you step by step to make your resume shine. *Advance registration required. This will be an in-person event with the option to partcipate remotely via Zoom. Free for teens ages 13-18. Presented in English. Instructor: Loreen Atallah. Advanced Registration Required - Virtual Advanced registration is required. Registered participants will receive the Zoom invite one hour prior to the scheduled event. Questions? Or if you need special accommodations, please let us know. Email: [email protected] or call your local library!

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During this writing assignment, you will investigate what has changed in your life, such as leaving home, the birth of a first child, retirement, divorce, moving houses or a changed work situation. We will discuss what your life was like before the change and what it looks like now. We will look at what has been lost and what feelings these losses evoke. You will write about everything you did before the change and which people played a role in this. Explanation of the writing assignment Writing about a situation sometimes makes it easier to list all your thoughts and to get a good overview. Find a quiet place, pick up a sheet, notebook, the NiceDay app or a computer, and try to answer the following questions as extensively as possible: - Which change has taken place? - What did your life look like before the change? Which activities did you do? Which people were important and why? - What does your life look like now? What has changed? Which activities do you do now? Which people are important and why? - What has changed? What has been lost? - Which feelings played a role in this?

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We have provided information and advice on the support available for a child or young person with Special Educational Needs and / or disability. You can click on the links below for to view further details: An Education, Health and Care needs assessment will find out what extra support you need in school, college or training Guide for young persons in having their say in decisions about their Education Health Care Plan Young people who need extra help for learning, may have an Education, Health and Care Plan, often known as an EHC plan Information on finance for additional needs students aged 19 – 25 in Further Education Education and training choices for young people with SEN after leaving school

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Services for Adult Students There are many services available to help non-traditional adult learners get admitted to and be successful at Murray State. An adult learner is any student, regardless of age, whose primary life roles and responsibilities exist independently from the institution and to take precedence over the role of student in times of crises or stress (Commission on Adult Learners of the National Academic Advising Association). When adults return to the classroom after an absence of several years, they may feel insecure, anxious, intimidated and uncomfortable. Often their basic skills are rusty. The goal of Murray State University is to help adult students overcome these feelings and other roadblocks which may make achieving educational goals difficult. The following services are available: - Pre-admission advising - Adult student orientations - Referral to other important campus services - Adult student organizations - Scholarships for part-time and full-time adult students

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Kiefer, Amy. “School Furniture by the Square Foot.” American School & University, 1 Feb. 2012. Gale OneFile: High School Edition, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A281854531/STOM?u=ndk12a_58078z114&sid=STOM&xid=78949ace. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020. Lei, Simon A. “Classroom Physical Design Influencing Student Learning and Evaluations of College Instructors: A Review of Literature.” Education, vol. 131, no. 1, Fall 2010, p. 128+. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A239813831/SUIC?u=ndk12a_58078z114&sid=SUIC&xid=272cc76e. Accessed 4 Feb. 2020. “Nearly All Teachers Say School Design Significantly Impacts Happiness and Effectiveness in the Workplace.” PR Newswire, 17 Sept. 2019. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599778702/SUIC?u=ndk12a_58078z114&sid=SUIC&xid=d483bcd8. Accessed 4 Feb. 2020. Order with us today for a quality custom paper on the above topic or any other topic! What Awaits you: • High Quality custom-written papers • Automatic plagiarism check • On-time delivery guarantee • Masters and PhD-level writers • 100% Privacy and Confidentiality

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Because of the restricted 알바 work market for high schooler laborers, youngsters would a piece of the time have the option to get to a more expansive degree of workplaces through contributing, temporary positions, or different assignments maintained by their schools, including a “shadow work” master or overview information. Understudies can get different essential limits at work, and tolerating that youngsters excuse business open entrances, they might miss many advantages. In this article, we incorporate the absolute best adolescent positions and see what makes these positions uncommon for early positions. Neighboring the typical side positions like bartending, pizza development, eatery association, or working at an unobtrusive request of things, coming up next are a few opposite side work insights for youngsters. All through the mid year or around Christmas there are reliably rare doorways where a few young people notice sort out supporting at parties and occasions. You can assist your kid with getting another calling through searching for a task. Doing different positions can assist you with getting cash for anything you really care about. Doing these circumstances as a youth can assist you with empowering the social limits you’ll have to prepare for school or a conventional occupation later on. You can in like way get huge work comprehension to list on your resume or school application. There are various spots that teens can fill reliant upon their program, interests and limits. A couple extremely close positions can assist you with getting client support limits, while other electronic positions can assist young people with acquiring explicit or framing limits. There are additionally ways that especially educated youngsters can utilize their electronic abilities to get positions. Work can assist youths with empowering their characters better, obtain opportunity, accomplish new achievements, gain work information, and become additional autonomous from their kin. Right when adolescents pick an endeavor, being involved shows them responsibility and unprecedented work affinities, further makes using time really and association, and assists them with setting aside cash. This work in addition permits young people the shocking an open door to orchestrate with grown-up administrators that can fill in as a partner for what’s to come. Right when youngsters share time occupations, they find concerning their capacities, what gathers sureness and boldness. Research shows that if all else fails, work fervently impacts the movement of an adolescent’s life. Different prepared experts, including individuals who serve on government sheets, for example, the National Youth Commission, acclaim low upkeep work and say it works with the headway from energy to adulthood. As shown by a review by the Hamilton Project and the Brookings Institution, youngsters are more against work low help during their assessments and besides less inclined to work all through the pre-summer. However working after school emits an impression of being a centuries-old custom, how much working youths has really decreased of late. No matter what the way that adolescents can work from the age of 13, how much youngsters chipping away at Saturdays has dropped from 40% during the 1990s to 20% today (UK Employment and Skills Commission). This low interest in work among young people is a disgrace since low help work shows constant attitude and social capacities with regards to for as far back as anybody can recollect. Youths who work since from the start are luckier to land a generously reimbursed area level work or a paid temporary spot that changes into a customary occupation than youngsters with no work information. without a doubt, any youngster can profit from working in assistant ordinary timetable they are permitted by rule. Guards and adolescents ought to surely believe fill in to be a positive extra-curricular experience, however without paltriness to the place where it prevents improvement. At long last, when young people work, it is fundamental that all included review that immaturity is a colossal heap of things and that occupation preparing, industrious demeanor movement and growing up are very critical for the end-all procedure. Taking into account this, youngsters are in an ideal situation finding a respectable by and large arrangement between work, extracurricular exercises, and school. Near work, youngsters can battle to change scholastics and extracurricular exercises. Drained or unready for school exercises can keep working adolescents away from going to class, and work can override extracurricular exercises. Moreover, studies have shown that working past what 20 hours can incite an increase in remedy and liquor misuse. Obviously, several educators cry that functioning adolescents contribute a wealth of energy on their work; they might come to school tired, have brief period to contribute time with their teachers after school for intriguing help, and keep away from extracurricular exercises (Bills, Helms and Ozcan, 1995). Different past assessments have suggested that work during energy upset family time. Our outcomes show that those youths who worked the entire year for the subtly run association between the ages of 14 and 15 had the best relationship with their kin, who kept on extra making when they were 16 to 17 years of age. While a minority of youngsters give their advantage obviously to their kin, pay from high schooler low upkeep work helps different families financially to the degree that their adolescents can purchase things for themselves that their kin would somehow give. Working youngsters have cash to spend on things they don’t like, similar to liquor or tobacco. An adolescent who gets one more calling first thing in assistant school might set aside satisfactory cash to be less requiring understudy progresses or parental assistance. Susan Zalupsky, a Northville-based psychotherapist, says a piece of the advantages of working low upkeep for adolescents join being dependable, working on using time usefully, securing instinctive limits by working with others, and figuring out some method for getting cash. Working after school can also give up created organization, particularly expecting you work longer than the customary school day. These positions can in like way permit adolescents the amazing chance to work flexible hours that fit their school and extracurricular exercises. At any rate, low upkeep occupation can give your youngster critical work experience that they can list on future requesting for business. Tolerating that your kid can work with others without fight or disappointment, they might be prepared for low help work. In the event that you haven’t picked now, welcome your childhood regardless a pre-summer position. On the off chance that pre-summer occupations are working out emphatically, your youngster might be prepared to work during the school year. Summer work is a psyche blowing decision as it doesn’t upset investigations and permits adolescents to utilize their extra energy advantageously. Essentially, this sort of low help work helps teenagers expecting to focus on figure out some method for working with young people, particularly in the event that they assist with schoolwork and action arranging. Different directors will work straightforwardly with youths to teach and set them up for low upkeep attempts. As well as having the entryway and status to figure out part-opportunity work, there are several extra attributes that might show that your childhood is prepared for work. Exactly when your young adult at first watches out for the subject of work, it’s essential for plunk down with them and review the up-sides and negatives that work can bring. Two or three teenagers need time use limits, so gatekeepers can step in with a few important treats; this will permit young people to contribute their energy considerably more productively, reducing their commitment and assisting them with feeling less overpowered by their responsibilities.

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What is PDHPE? Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) develops the knowledge, skills and attitudes important for students to make positive decisions to protect and enhance their own and other’s health, safety and wellbeing in varied and changing contexts. PDHPE at Winmalee High School provides students with the opportunity to enhance and develop resilience and connectedness and students learn to interact respectfully with others. Through a strength-based approach to teaching and learning, students are provided with opportunities to think critically, challenge assumptions and develop behaviours and attitudes which promote the development of empathy, respectful relationships, inclusivity and social justice. Students practise, develop and refine the physical, cognitive, social and emotional skills that are important for engaging in movement and the capacity to lead a healthy, safe and physically active life.

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Social Studies 5N1370 This online Social Studies module is a 15 credit module which makes up part of the QQI Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care & Education The purpose of this award is to equip the learner with the knowledge, skill and competence required for employment in a Social Care Setting. It will introduce learners to the area of sociology and social studies and to develop their understanding and awareness of social issues in their own lives and society in general. Learners will develop basic research skills and learn to recognise the complexity of social issues. On successful completion of this social studies module, learners will be able to: 1 Demonstrate an understanding of sociology and its relevance to understanding their position as an individual, a family member and as part of a community and wider society 2 Discuss the process of socialisation and the agents of socialisation by analysing family peer groups, education, media and how they impact on their lives 3 Examine the area of social stratification in Irish society and describe how this society can be divided into different social strata ie class, gender, race/ethnicity 4 Discuss the impact of discrimination on individuals in society by looking at discrimination and its impact on the following members of society – travellers, the socially marginalised, elderly people, immigrant and migrant workers of diverse racially and cultural backgrounds, minority religions and homosexuals and transsexuals 5 Explore the role and function of the family as a social unit, the changes that have taken place in the family within an Irish context taking into account the implications of martial breakdown 6 Acquire basic research skills by summarising the differences between primary and secondary research and qualitative and quantitative methods 7 Design appropriate survey methods e.g. questionnaires, interviews, observation as investigate strategies to unfamiliar social problems 8 Use a variety of media to access information e.g. new information technology, the library classification system 9 Explore the importance of documenting and acknowledging all relevant sources consulted by employing the Harvard system of referencing and identifying and applying skill of producing a well constructed bibliography 10 Exercise initiative and independence by investigating the experience of discrimination/discriminating practices encountered by one group in Irish society 11 Plan direct and manage time and work independently to provide evidence of research e.g. correspondence, note taking, interviews, tape recordings 12 Process and present findings from research and draw conclusions from their analysis that discusses possible strategies for alleviating discriminating practices for a number of groups in Irish society. Examination – Theory 50% Following completion of this module, you will be awarded a QQI Level 5 component certificate in Social Studies (5N1370). You will also have one of the 6 mandatory QQI Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care & Education modules completed. Other learners also viewed these modules: Child Health & Wellbeing 5N1765, Early Care & Education Practice (5N1770), Early Childhood Education & Play (5N1773), Communications (5N0690), Child Development.

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WATT is a non-profit dedicated to introducing girls to computer science at a young age. We aim to create a safe environment for learning and exploring at K-8 schools in the greater Seattle area. We provide strong female role models in the form of our student volunteers with a focus on girls empowering girls. How is covid-19 impacting watt? This Spring, we will be hosting both in-person and virtual classes via Zoom. Each school can choose if they prefer to have sessions online or in-person. Virtual sessions will be on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. beginning March 1st to April 26th. In-person sessions will be on Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. beginning March 2nd to April 27th. There will be no WATT classes the week of April 19th as schools are off for Spring Break. We will resume for the final class on April 26th/27th. We are so excited to see everyone!

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Purpose and Focus The Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) holds as its central mission the preparation and development of educators at all levels. The department ensures that its professional education programs are based on essential knowledge, established and current research findings, and sound professional practice. Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Academic Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure Programs Administered by Curriculum and Instruction Professional Development Initial Licensure Program (PD-ILP) and Graduate Licensure Program (PD-GLP) in Elementary Education or Secondary Education. For further information visit ci.unlv.edu or e-mail [email protected]. Elementary Education — Bachelor of Science in Education Elementary Education — Bachelor of Arts in Education Secondary Education — Bachelor of Science in Education Secondary Education — Bachelor of Arts in Education Secondary Education Major Secondary education majors must select, from the fields available, a major (first) teaching field (one of the secondary education areas of concentration) in which they wish to be licensed. For the approved areas of concentration for the first teaching field (required) and the second teaching field (optional), see the departmental listing. Admission to the elementary education program requires completion of the University General Education Core requirements; completion of EDU 201, EDU 214E, and EPY 303; a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA; and passing PPST scores. Admission to the secondary education program requires completion of the University General Education Core requirements, completion of EDU 202, a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA, and passing PPST scores. Program requirements and other relevant information are available in the College of Education Advising Center. Students are recommended to meet with an academic advisor every semester (appointment required). It is the responsibility of every student to maintain contact with advisors as changes in departmental policies, programs or licensure requirements may occur. Students are also responsible for all information in the UNLV Undergraduate Catalog. Students who are not in attendance the first day of class may be administratively dropped. Any substitution course(s) taken at another institution for a UNLV professional education course requirement must be approved on a substitution form (see the Advising Center). Elementary and secondary field experience courses require application, or fingerprinting, or both one semester prior to placement and daytime availability for experience in the public schools. Students will be expected to arrange their schedules accordingly. See the Advising Center or the Office of Field Experience for details.

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2017-18 National Military Youth of the Year 2017-18 Pacific Military Youth of the Year Exactly 10 days before Kaila turned 16, she hugged her dad goodbye as he set off on a yearlong deployment to Korea. Though she’d just moved to Utah that year, in the midst of a difficult farewell, Kaila found solidarity at her BGCA-affiliated Youth Center. While she struggled at times to make friends at school, Kaila made lasting friendships at the Youth Center, and found comfort in knowing others who understood her experiences as a military child. Before she knew it, her heart was invested in the Youth Center. She poured herself into Youth Center academic programs, tutoring younger kids with the Power Hour homework help program, and serving as a mentor through the SMART Girls program. As a Keystone Club member, Kaila and her peers used the popular game “Pokemon Go” to incentivize teens to clean up local trails. During a difficult time in her life, the Youth Center helped Kaila thrive academically and personally. Kaila plans to attend the University of Utah to study mechanical engineering and alternative energy specialization.

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On September 26, 2017, Mick was a panelist at the “Breaking the Sound Panel,” an event hosted by University of Connecticut. “Deaf individuals have struggled through a history of marginalization, with limited opportunities for employment and education among countless other barriers. We at the University of Connecticut are honored to host a vibrant community of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, faculty, and staff. Because the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community has grown, so has the community of ASL users on campus. In an effort to increase awareness across the board about the thriving Deaf and Hard of Hearing community here in Connecticut, this evening will offer you the opportunity to meet Deaf scientists, engineers, doctoral students, psychologists, mathematicians, medical providers, counselors, and just about any other professional field imaginable.” – UCIS University of Connecticut Interpreting Services (UCIS) Recently, Mick was identified as a Master Teacher for the New England New Teacher Seminar (NENTS, 2.0) in Greenfield, MA, where, drawing from 10+ years of experience, he was able to provide support, feedback and resources for newly hired ASL teachers in the New England region. After three weeks of being featured on CCADV’s Facebook page, the ASL video featuring Rachel reached almost 6,000 views and has been shared at least 130 times. This is a strong showing for an unique, local agency. Posner Inclusion, LLC partnered with CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence to produce informative videos in American Sign Language (ASL) so that important information can also be shared with the deaf community. Recently, Rachel gave an interview for NPR, discussing a broad range of topics, including the importance of giving deaf children all the tools possible to foster language skills. We were told that this will air sometimes in August 2017 as well as be featured as an article on NPR’s website. Once published, we’ll post the link here. This is a project Rachel has been working on in partnership with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She is working with the agency on meeting several objectives such as: 1 – providing American Sign Language translation so that information from the CCADV website is accessible for members of the Deaf community. 2 – strategically guiding the agency in improving outreach, allowing information/services to be accessed by a wider population, especially D/deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. For more information about what we can do for your agency or business, feel free to contact us. We’d love to hear your ideas. We are Rachel and Mick Posner, of Posner Inclusion, LLC. Our goal is to provide services to business to help them achieve growth in all directions by catering to diverse communities. After all, who wouldn’t want to unleash their inner potential?

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Search results for: Skaalvik Einar M. Page 1/1 3 items Teacher Job Satisfaction and Motivation to Leave the Teaching Profession: Relations with School Context, Feeling of Belonging, and Emotional Exhaustion The current study examines the relations between school context variables and teachers’ feeling of belonging, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and motivation to leave the teaching profession. Six aspects of the school context were measured: value consonance, supervisory support, relations with colleagues, relations with parents, time pressure, and discipline problems. Updated: Jun. 27, 2012 The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to test the factor structure of a recently developed Norwegian scale for measuring teacher self-efficacy, and (2) to explore relations between teachers' perception of the school context, teacher self-efficacy, collective teacher efficacy, teacher burnout, teacher job satisfaction, and teachers' beliefs that factors external to teaching puts limitations to what they can accomplish. Norwegian teachers in elementary school and middle school participated in this study. Updated: Aug. 24, 2010 This study examined relations between teachers' perception of the school context, teacher burnout, and teacher job satisfaction. 563 Norwegian teachers in elementary school and middle school participated in the study. Four aspects of teachers' perception of the school context (supervisory support, time pressure, relations to parents, and autonomy) and three dimensions of teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment) were measured. Updated: Apr. 01, 2009

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At a German lesson in a Hungarian school half of the students were missing and it wasn’t because of a flu bug. It was a response to a Facebook event called “I won’t go to school”. It was a solidarity day – students and teachers protested as one against the state education system. Hanna was one of those who didn’t attend school and her father stayed from the office. It their way of protesting. They say their problem with the education system is that there is too much unnecessary data to learn instead of teaching pupils how to think and how to create. “In school they show only a few examples and we don’t practice too much. Instead they quickly explain and tell us what we should learn and then we immediately switch to the next topic,” explained Hanna Gerse. “We heard that there is no chalk, no paper, no computer, the teachers’ work load is too much, they can’t teach the subject thoroughly as the educational system itself isn’t geared up for that, the curriculum is huge, the children can’t comprehend. At home Hanna says: “dad, I don’t understand, mum, I don’t understand”“ said her father Ferenc. This English communication club was held for students who didn’t want to go to school. There were several programs organised on Monday as around 30,000 people joined the event on Facebook. In another protest pupils donned checked shirts on Facebook show their solidarity with teachers. who have to teach 26 lessons per week with the same amount of time on administration and don’t have a say on what they teach. “The autonomy of the school has been totally abolished, we have to teach the children according to a centralized curriculum in which we can change only up to 10 per cent of it in certain parts, but this is very little,” István Pukli a teacher at Teleki Blanka Secondary School pointed out. The teachers union laid down a 25 point petition but it was dismissed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban in parliament as a simple wage demand. The government too is unhappy about the way the pupils are involved in the protests. It maintains the protests are politically motivated and children should not be involved. “The question of the content of the curriculum cannot be solved from one day to the next if that was the case, then it could have already been solved it in the last few decades, but it didn’t happen. We know it is a problem, but it is not a good solution to force the pupils into such an unpleasant situation,” opined Imre Sipos – Deputy State Secretary for Public Education. But the government says it has made mistakes so now it will attempt to change a few things after a series of talks with teachers. It plans to have new rules in place by the beginning of the next semester.

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(Haiti) Degeance is unique, and different from any of our other schools. Not all of the structures on this campus are made from permanent concrete walls yet; the classrooms have dirt floors and walls made from woven banana leaves. You can now drive to Degeance. Preschool through 6th grade students attend this school, and the majority of them walk long distances, sometimes even an hour or two, just to get to school each day. Their families live off the land and live in small one or two room homes. Degeance school was on the side of the mountain for years. Many who have visited in the past remember this view approaching the school’s old location.

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Welcome to a reflection based on the happenings in Florida and its dealings with merit pay and standardized testing. I have tried to present a little message I call “Forget Learning… Just Start Learn’en’ Them More!”. Please take a moment to read and I encourage your reply and thoughts! Remember, I also invite you to subscribe by email or RSS . As always, please give a follow on twitter (@mjgormans) and I will return the favor. Check out the video link provided at the bottom… it relates with this post! Have a great read and wonderful week! – Mike For those watching the educational news stories this week, Florida had to be a major place of interest. Governor Charles Crist crossed party lines and put the veto on controversial Senate Bill 6 that promoted a form of merit pay for teachers. While all could argue the assets and liabilities of merit pay for teachers, what stood out to me was the direct link of teacher pay to student standardized test scores. I am a believer in necessary educational transformation that puts students at the center of their learning, employs rigorous real world applications to facilitate curricular standards, integrates appropriate and engaging technology, and facilitates those important 21st Century skills. It is very difficult to comprehend how linking teacher effectiveness exclusively to standardized testing achieves results that prepare today’s students for their future. For this reason, I have started a list that I call Forget Learning… Just Start Learn’en Them More! Since “Learn’en Them” is my own phrase, I will define it as putting information in students’ heads. This process of teaching can be successfully spot measured on some standardized tests, but Learn’en Them is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Real Learning. While some may see my list as a tribute to Standardized Testing, I call it a look into the future… if all merits are based on the results of Standardized Testing. My List: Forget Learning, Just Start Learn’en Them More Forget about inquiry, problem solving, and reflection, it is not efficient… just start learn’en them more. Relationship building, where on the test is that?… just start learn’en them more. A “Whole New Mind”, the right brain takes too much time… just start learn’en them more. Children at the center of their learning, way too confusing and inexperienced… just start learn’en them more. Making connections with the real world, it’s all in the textbook… just start learn’en them more. Networking with parents and community, where are they on the test?… just start learn’en them more. Collaboration with other students, the teacher has the test knowledge… just start learn’en them more. Technology integration, a worksheet will do and it’s a lot easier.. just start learn’en them more. Listening to a student, takes valuable lecture time away… just start learn’en them more. No Bloom’s Taxonomy, Pavlov’s conditioning will do just fine… just start learn’en them more. Their future? what’s the matter with our past?… just start learn’en them more. I could continue on… but I invite you to join me with at least one reply. It would sure help my own learn’en! Merit pay based on standardized testing… Where’s the Merit? To me it seems like the easy way out. We can reward teachers for filling kids heads with stuff, and as more stuff is found we find ways to fill their heads even more. After stuffing their cognitive functions with all this stuff, we can then check our success by testing a fraction of a percent of that stuff. Or… we can transform education by providing professional development that puts students at the center of their learning, employs rigorous real world applications to facilitate curricular standards, integrates appropriate and engaging technology, and facilitates those important 21st Century skills. It will not be an easy way out, but our students may just pass the test of providing a successful and rewarding future for themselves and their own children. Thanks for joining me on yet another journey towards transforming education for the 21st Century! I also invite you to take a moment to view this video. It provides a great reflection on Standardized Testing! Please take a moment to share with others and if you are on twitter, give it an RT. Remember, I invite you to subscribe to this blog by RSS or email, and don’t forget to follow me on twitter at (@mjgormans). Feel free to explore the wealth of resources I have for you at my 21centuryedtech Wiki. Now take a moment to reply/share and then… forget learn’en them more, and just start learning! – Have a great week! – Mike

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Since 1993, Conscious Teaching’s books, workshops and online courses have been providing new and veteran K-12 teachers with “stuff they can use” to engage their students and structure safe, respectful learning environments. Take a look around to find out more about who we are, what we offer, and how we can help teachers and school leaders improve their craft and meet the ever-changing needs of their students. Founder | Education Consultant Over the past twenty years, Rick Smith has shared practical strategies to over a hundred thousand teachers and teacher trainers in fifteen countries on five continents. He is the author of the book, “Conscious Classroom Management,” which is now in the hands of over half a million educators. Rick was a classroom teacher for over fourteen years, focusing primarily on students-at-risk. He’s been a mentor and mentor coordinator for many years, and has taught in both elementary and secondary credential programs in Northern California. Rick loves to dance and to play ultimate frisbee (not usually at the same time). He also teaches workshops internationally on personal growth and development. Executive Director | Education Consultant Grace Dearborn is an author, instructional coach, award winning teacher, and international presenter on classroom management, student engagement, and trauma-informed teaching. She has been in education for 20+ years and for most of it she taught disadvantaged students in elementary and secondary schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to being a veteran classroom teacher, Grace has worked as a school-site mentor teacher, literacy coach, curriculum developer, and professional development coordinator. Currently, Grace is the Executive Director of Conscious Teaching, where she runs herself ragged facilitating workshops for teachers across the United States and internationally… but she loves every minute of it! In her free time Grace volunteers at local schools, reads voraciously, bakes emotionally, plays tennis and poker competently (or so she likes to believe), and spends as much time as possible with her family, where her skills at motivating and managing youth are daily put to their truest test by her two sons. Social Media Director | Teaching & Learning Consultant Katie Anderson is an award-winning National Board Certified Teacher and 15-year classroom veteran, teaching all grades K-12 through her work with the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina and Duke University’s Talent Identification Program. She has also served as a mentor teacher, teacher trainer, and curriculum designer within her state and district, including collaborations with NC State University and the NC Governor’s Teacher Network. As an educational consultant with Conscious Teaching, Katie brings her passion and enthusiasm for education and educators to schools and districts across the country. She specializes in providing teachers with research-based, easy-to-implement strategies that they can use to reach all students and improve the effectiveness of their teaching. When she’s not on the road, Katie can be found taking part in her favorite dare-devil hobbies, including blade-smithing, fire-eating, (yes, really!), and raising her two children. Educational Leadership Consultant Dr. Scott Sturgeon is an Associate Professor of Practice in Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Prior to his recent move to higher education, Scott spent more than 20 years in public education working in an urban, high poverty K-12 school district in the Midwest. During these two decades Scott held many positions including, but not limited to, paraprofessional, classroom teacher, school-site principal, and district administrator. In his district role as a Principal’s Supervisor, Scott directly supported a wide variety of elementary and secondary school settings, providing guidance to new and veteran principals and their leadership teams on all aspects of running their schools. As a consultant for Conscious Teaching, Scott leads workshops with administrators at schools across the country on leadership and school-wide change. He also does 1-on-1 and small group mentoring with school-site administrators and advises district administrators on implementing new discipline systems and making policy changes that lead to sustainable long-term change. In his free moments, Scott enjoys time with his two sons, his wife, his wife’s dogs, and every soccer game and practice that can be fit into a busy family’s life.

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While learning any language is going to be beneficial for your career and your personal life, some are more important than others. Aspects of what determines how important a language is globally include: - Number of potential speakers - Growth of native speakers - Economic power of countries that speak the language Today, I’m going to share with you the best languages to learn to stay competitive in the job market. More than a billion people can be reached once you learn how to speak Mandarin. It’s not the easiest language for English speakers to learn, but the upside is worth the effort. The number of multinational companies that are looking for executives who speak Mandarin has risen by 35% from previous years. Most importantly, China is set to be the world’s #1 economic powerhouse. Beyond the major benefits, learning Mandarin could provide for your professional life, it’s likely that wherever you go, there will be native Mandarin speakers you can build relationships with. Germany has the highest GDP in Europe, and many are flocking to the country seeking new careers. According to The Economist, knowing how to speak German will offer the highest reward in bonuses compared to learning how to speak Spanish or French. - Spanish — 1.5 percent bonus - French — 2.3 percent bonus - German — 3.8 percent bonus Portuguese is not only spoken in Portugal but also in Brazil, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Not only that, it’s spoken in 10 countries from South America to Africa, making it a handy language to know by 2020. Because Portuguese is the 5th most spoken language in the world, you can be reassured that there will be plenty of people you can practice with once you get going. We should note that Portuguese skills aren’t in demand as much as Spanish skills are, but the demand is definitely growing. Depending on where you plan to travel or the reason for learning it, you should make note of the difference between Portuguese from Portugal versus Portuguese from Brazil. If you live in the United States, then you’ll know that learning how to speak Spanish is not only a “nice-to-have,” but a “must-have” skill. From entertainment to the number of native speakers and career demands, learning Spanish is one of the best investments you can make as an English speaker. Today, more than 400 million people speak the language. This number is expected to rise to 500 million or more shortly. It’s up to you to take advantage of the opportunity. Arabic is spoken by over 300 million people throughout 57 countries around the world. What makes Arabic especially important is the economic wealth that Arabic countries hold, with over $600 billion in GDP. Knowing how to speak Arabic is the golden key to entering the Middle Eastern economy, which has increased by over 120% in the past five years, an enormous growth rate. Fair warning though, Arabic is known to be one of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers. Russia may appear to be isolated from the rest of the world at first glance, but it does have one of the largest economies in the world. It’s a major economic player in Eastern Europe, and you’ll be able to find many people speaking the language wherever you go around the world, including the United States. Even if you don’t have the desire to go live in India, the number of speakers alone (500 million plus) should convince you to learn the language. More importantly, we’ll see a surge in economic growth as more and more jobs are outsourced to India and as Hindi entertainment (like Bollywood) catches on in western countries. This is a language you’ll want to acquire as an investment in the future of India. However, since many people in India also speak English, it’s not a completely necessary language to learn, unlike Russian, because most people in Russia don’t speak English. Published by Lifehack.

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pathfinder society character creation state champs ohio STAR tests are designed to be as efficient as possible. On average, students will complete the STAR Math test in about 20 minutes, the STAR Reading test in about 15 minutes, the STAR Early Literacy test in 15-20 minutes, and the STAR Reading Spanish test in about 10 minutes. However, some students may require more time. They're based on expected student growth toward SAT benchmarks at each grade. Benchmark Indicators. Score reports use colors to show how students' section scores relate to the SAT or grade-level benchmark. Green: The section score meets or exceeds the benchmark. Yellow: The section score is within 1 year's academic growth of the benchmark. 2021-2022 Physical Science Pacing Guide Options. Chemistry. Chemistry Pacing Guide. Human Anatomy and Physiology. Human A&P Pacing Guide. Middle/High Math Pacing Guides. 6th Grade Math. 6th Grade Math Pacing Guide. 7th Grade Math. where is hypixel located 2021

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Each EduExcellence campus is managed by a Principal and functions semi-autonomously. Principals take responsibility for the day to day operations on their campus but function within the policies as determined by Eduexcellence Group. EduExcellence Group also function as a Head Office providing support services to each campus. These support services include: - Financial management – learner accounts - Financial management – supplier accounts - Uniform acquisition and distribution - HR functions EduExcellence provides the following services to parents on each campus. EduExcellence Schools is our mainstream educational offering. Focus on personal education of no more than 12 learners per class and making use of the Cambridge Curriculum. This personal approach to education allows us to support mainstream learners that struggle to function within a typical mainstream school. Please use the menus above to learn more about our EduExcellence Schools offering. EduExcellence Skills is our ‘Special Needs Education’ offering focussing on learners with learning difficulties that do not allow them to attain mainstream academic outcomes. Our special needs focus is on learning difficulties and we do not have the facilities to support learners with most types of physical difficulties. As a school with an inclusivity policy we support both our Schools Service and our EduSkills Service on the same campus. EduExcellence makes use of a unique scientific approach called neurodevelopment to assisting learners with learning difficulties. This approach is based on many years research in ‘brain development’ as well as sensory and learning functions. Dr Beulah van der Westhuizen, the Eduexcellence founder, has adapted the science of neurodevelopment to focus on supporting learners in an approach we call TheraEd. Read more about TheraEd here.

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Instead of relaxing at home for a few extra days, eight Ithaca College students spent the week before classes organizing stacks of books, cleaning a playground and painting walls at the Waldorf School in Ithaca. Their service was a part of Jumpstart, a pre-semester program intended to introduce new students to the Ithaca community. For over 18 years, the college has hosted Jumpstart as a way to ease the transition into college life for freshmen. Students chose from three different programs based on what type of experience they hoped to have: Community Plunge, Lead-In or the Gardening, Recycling, Eating, Enjoying Nature Tour. Each has its own focus and activities based on a specific theme: Community Plunge focuses on local volunteer activities; Lead-In focuses on team-building and leadership training; and GREEN Tour focuses on participation in the local agricultural community. This year, Experiencing Connections by Heading Outdoors was not offered because there were not enough professional staff members for the program, Theresa Radley, assistant director of student leadership and involvement in the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs, said. Sophomore Marieme Foote served as a student leader for Community Plunge this year after enjoying her time as a participant last year. Student leaders are upperclassmen who work with freshmen to help them feel welcome in their first few days at the college. Foote, who led her group at the Waldorf School, said in addition to moving in early, Jumpstart offers many benefits to students. “Jumpstart is so important because it helps to introduce first–years into the Ithaca College area and encourages them to seek out other opportunities to volunteer in the community long after the program is over,” Foote said. “This program really gives new students a better look at Ithaca and helps them get acquainted to the new experiences they will be receiving at Ithaca College.” The Waldorf School is a private school offering pre-K–12 in Ithaca. Foote and her group learned about the philosophy of the Waldorf School and about the alternative education it provides. Foote said the Waldorf School staff was friendly, which made the work more enjoyable. From selecting activities to reserving rooms to choosing student leaders, Jumpstart organizers spend the entire year planning the program, Radley said. Having worked with Jumpstart in some capacity since her second day at the college five years ago, Radley said she is a big supporter of the program and the opportunities it provides. “From the participants’ perspective, it’s that first opportunity to make [a] real connection with people and the campus,” she said. “No matter what program they are participating in, they are learning something about themselves — learning about the Ithaca area. They get that quick sense of home.” Students taking part in the Lead-In program participated in team-building and leadership activities, including the Hoffman Challenge Course, a series of low and high ropes activities, through the Cornell Team and Leadership Center. The goal of Lead-In is meant to provide students with the resources and confidence they need to become leaders on campus, and Radley said it also leads to new friendships. Sophomore Dakota Collina, a student leader for Lead-In, said the Hoffman Challenge Course is a crucial part of the program. “The challenges work to build trust in oneself and those around you that you may have only known for a few days,” he said. “With the ropes course welcoming many different groups of people throughout the year, Lead-In truly stands out in being a group in which every participant wants to gain something.” Radley pointed to a group of students who participated in the Lead-In program four years ago who are still friends today as an example of how Jumpstart can be an early, comforting space for freshmen. “That’s the goal right there — that is what Jumpstart is,” Radley said. “Four people who never knew each other came into Jumpstart, and all are highly involved in the college in their own way.” GREEN Tour students learn about sustainability by exploring local food traditions such as the Farmers Market. The goal of the program is for students to make connections with one another as well as discuss their connection to the community when it comes to food systems. Similarly, Community Plunge, the original Jumpstart program, allows students to explore the community through a variety of volunteer-based activities, such as cleaning up the Waldorf School. Don Austin, assistant director of community service and leadership development, has been involved with Jumpstart for five years and is the organizer for Community Plunge. Austin said he believes Community Plunge benefits the students and community organizations. “Fifty percent of why it’s important to me is that first-year students are coming back to campus early and learning what resources are available at the college and in the community,” Austin said. As for the other 50 percent, he said Community Plunge also allows local organizations to complete projects they would have otherwise not have had the volunteers for. When it comes to what volunteer activities are chosen for Community Plunge, Austin said it’s a combination of his reaching out to community organizations and community organizations hearing about the program and then contacting him. Organizations have to meet certain criteria, provide supervision and host some type of project for eight to 12 students. Oftentimes, organizations that have partnered with Community Plunge in the past do so again. The Family Reading Partnership, Tompkins County Public Library, Ithaca Youth Bureau, and a mosaic mural on the wall of the City of Ithaca’s Water and Sewer Division are just a few examples of sites that have hosted Community Plunge volunteers. Austin also highlighted other forms of service that students can become involved with throughout the year, such as Service Saturday programs, alternative break programs and service immersion programs. He said there are between 40 and 50 service-oriented organizations at the college during the year that students can join. Senior Sean Themea participated in Community Plunge as a freshman and wanted to return as a leader for his sophomore and junior years but could not because of resident assistant training. He said he was very excited to have the opportunity this year to take part as a leader. “I had such a good experience my freshman year,” Themea said. “I felt acclimated to the campus and the community. During my first day of doing Community Plunge as a freshman, I referred to my dorm as home, and it was just a really special experience.”

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|Course Name:||Introductory Sociology (UNO SOC 1010) |Provided Through:||University of Nebraska High School |Entity:||University of Nebraska - Omaha |Description:||3.0 UNO credits An introduction to the study of human societies. The course presents the fundamental concepts and theories that make up the sociological perspective. These serve as tools for the analysis of social inequality, social institutions and social change. Students that take this course as dual enrollment through UNO will register for both SOC 1010 at UNO along with SSTH 003 at UNHS. More information about taking UNHS courses for college credit at UNO can be found at https://highschool.nebraska.edu/courses/dual-enrollment. |Grade Levels:||11 - 12 |Comments:||Need enrollment instructions? Visit: http://highschool.nebraska.edu or contact UNHS Customer Service for more information. UNHS Customer Service can also assist with questions about UNO Dual Enrollment credit. Toll Free: 866-700-4747

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