Almost 2008!!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years Group 7!!!!

See you all soon....enjoy the time off while it lasts!!!

Sheila

January Social/Dinner

Hey everyone. There has been a change of date, due to the I/S strand having classes on Thursday evenings, so the new date for the social is being planned for January 15th, for 7:30pm at Stella's. This still includes pasta, salad and dessert.

I will have a list available for those who wish to purchase a ticket. Prices again are 20 dollars each or 35 dollars per couple. There will be no tickets, I will simply record your name, saying that you paid and that will grant you entry that evening. I will have the list with me on Thursday and again for the first week back in class.

Good luck with your last week before break and I will see you all Thursday!

Scott

By golly, you've done it! Congratulations to ALL!

I just wanted you ALL to know how proud we counsellors are with your progress this Fall and congratulations! You have completed the first half of your journey!

Just a reminder that we will probably be in a different room for our get-together on Thursday, December 20! Check the door to WH324 for directions !!

See ya then! We'll celebrate!
:-)
Candace

Portfolio

I just wanted to mention quickly that the portfolio seminar was of great benefit to me. I was already planning on creating one for the interview process and I feel that the guest speaker did a great job in terms of preparing us for what should be included. I would like to say thank you to the counsellors for getting the speakers that they have for us, because I know that not every group is as lucky to receive the same guests that we have.

I would like to encourage our counsellors to continue selecting speakers that will work to our benefit as we work towards the interview and application process because these issues are of great interest to me, and I am sure to others in the class as well.

Have a great week everyone and remember to check the social information posted earlier if it is of interest to you.

Scott

Federation Day

I have to agree with the portion of the class in saying that the morning presentation was less than beneficial for myself. I felt that I never took anything away from it and that the time could have been spent more wisely.

My ETFO presentation however, I felt was beneficial and we came away some some cool free stuff, and that is what these seminars should be all about! The presenters were very knowledgeable about the issue and even though I did not feel that I benefited greatly from the seminar, I enjoyed the free stuff as well as gaining some insight into the support system put in place for us as teachers in the Catholic Board.

Again, the afternoon seminars were very beneficial. My section was on what if you get an offer and I feel like I have really gained a deeper understanding of the hiring process and what is expected of me once hired, as well as the expectations we must hold in terms of what jobs are available. The section of the pay scale for teachers was also of great interest and I am glad to say that I understand the pay process and what I can expect once hired. In the end the day was beneficial because I did feel like I was able to come away with more knolwedge than I went into it with. The discipline portion was also a feature to be grateful for. The speakers of the day were fantastic and I am glad to have been there.

January Social

Hello everyone!
Sorry about the late notice, but I have just been informed that the January Social will occur January 10th at 7:30pm. Prices will be $20 per person or $35 per couple. This price includes

WELCOME BACK HOLIDAY DINNER.
tickets include salad pasta dessert and are priced at $20 per person and $35 for a couple.It will be Thursday January 10th at 7:30 at Stella's (James St. off of St. Paul, downtown St. Catharines. The dress code is business casual (no white athletic shoes or hats!!)

Tickets will be on sale next week tuesday and thursday from 7:35-7:55 in front of the IRC.

This is everything that I know for now, I will keep you all posted when new information becomes available.

Scott

Thursday Night!! (tomorrow)

Hey everyone! I'm sure everyone was successful in handing in all of the assignments, and hopefully by now everyone can breathe, relax, and get into holiday mode! I am assuming that by tomorrow night everyone will have their assignments handed in and would be ready for a well deserved break. So here's the thing...we need to go out! I realize it is last minute and some people may be headed home, but if you are around tomorrow night (Thursday, Dec. 13), then plan on going out with the best counselling group ever! There has been some suggestion of heading to London Arms. If anyone has any other suggestions then let us know. Not sure of the time yet, but everyone can come at their own leisure. We'll chat about it tomorrow in counselling group!
Smile :) We are almost done for the holidays!! 1 week left!

I would also like to add a few comments about federation day. I agree with everything that the previous post mentioned and I would like to add that the first 30 minutes of the ETFO presentation repeated what the OTF presentation had said including very similar if not the same graphics being used in the presentation. A little more coordination between the morning seminars would have been useful to help make the best use of the short one hour that these groups were given to share a lot of information.
On a much more positive note the afternoon workshop and the discipline speaker were both incredible. I was able to go to the 21st century tech in the classroom seminar and the speaker demonstrated how to use several new technologies in the classroom that I had only heard about, but never had the chance to see. I particularly liked the digital overhead, ELMO, that has so many uses in the classroom.
The discipline speaker had a lot of wonderful ideas to share about classroom management and the difference between discipline and punishment. The most important idea that I took from this speaker is that your frame of mind will determine what type of classroom you will have and it is very important to maintain a calm and assertive demeanour in the classroom.

Mr. F

Federation Day

I would not say that the day turned out poorly but I do not feel that I really came away with too much from the morning workshops. In the morning, what the spokespersons for the OTF and ETFO said did not provide me with information that I have yet to hear over my years in concurrent education. The information that I did find to be new and informative was QECO. This is something that I definitely feel there should be more discussion about. Without today, I would not have known that this existed.

As for the afternoon workshop, I did find this beneficial. I was part of the Classroom Routine and Management seminar. The presenter was great and I feel that I benefited from what she had to say. It was especially beneficial for me due to previous experience in older grades and with my lack of experience in the junior division (which I will have next block).

Overall, the presentation styles were good. Due to the lack of information they may have been given regarding what we have been taught over the years though, it made parts of the presentation seem repetitive.