| Dragon's Tale - May 2010 | ||||
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May 10, 2010 April/May are the busiest times in any school. Our calendar “runneth over”. The high school has prompted two very successful trips: the Grade 10 Marine Biology trip to Roatan, Honduras in early April (Emily Watts and members of her Science Department) and to New York City last weekend (Tori Cattell and members of the Art and Performing Arts Department)...and, no, they were not affected by the Times Square bomber (they had been in Times Square the night before).
Last week we hosted the IPLC (International Professional Learning Community) sponsored by McGill University, Faculty of Education (Dr. Lynn Butler-Kisber) and MELS (Assistant Deputy Minister, Leo Lafrance) and the Dominican Government (represented by the Counsel General and former St. George’s parent, Mme Jacobo Cabral). Dr. Butler-Kisber thanked the school... "Your hospitality was wonderful as were the experiences we had visiting classrooms and talking to teachers. The Student Ambassadors added a lovely dimension to all that we did." Dr. Butler also thanked me directly..."Also, I wanted you to know how much everyone has appreciated your participation to date in the Quebec/Dominican Republic International Professional Learning Community Project. Your support for the concept and your enthusiastic participation in our learning community, have helped to develop our sense of a group. We have all benefited from your ideas about and understanding of both leadership and learning." I certainly appreciate Dr. Butler-Kisber’s kind and generous remarks. It was an honour to participate in and host this collaborative venture and specifically to be involved in the several school visits both the Dominican Republic and in the Montreal region. To visit a school is to learn something new. I have learned a great deal having visited the 10 plus schools during our two week engagement together. Dr. Butler-Kisber and I will be offering a report of our research to an upcoming Education Meeting. St. George’s recently participated in a QAIS “Downtown Schools” symposium, hosted by The Study and attended by close to 200 students, teachers, parents and recent alumni, including participation from St. George's (thank you Michel Lafrance for your amazing support of this important collaborative effort). This conference focused on the teaching of French at downtown English Independent Schools and highlighted the commitment of participating schools to ensuring that graduates are able to live and work in French while focusing on the need to continue to improve existing programs and initiatives. Our St. George's Board Chair, Louise Anne Poirier participated as one of the co-presidents and is given "top billing" in the subsequent press release (many thanks Louise Anne as well). Given that there will be 10 evening events in the next two weeks, including the Golf Tournament this Thursday at Le Diamant and the upcoming Alumni weekend events including the basketball tournament, I will have much to write about in my next Dragon’s Tale. Regards,
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Weeks two and three were particularly busy at St. George’s. The Grade 6 community service fair was enjoyed by one and all (Judy Berger). Our high school Annual Penny Wars raised some $2,600 to support the private tuition of the SBB girls in Jaipur, India (many thanks Bill Nevin, Leigh-Ann Malcolm and Mary Opalinsky) – the Grade 8 students won the right to an early dismissal. April 22nd was particularly noteworthy as various members of the St. George’s Community were invited to attend a St. G. Volunteer’s reception and our Art and Film Festival. “Graduating” Grade 11 parents were also feted at a reception and we “threw in” a Board meeting to complete this more than busy day. The annual Math Trail in Old Montreal involving Grade 11 students (as mentor/facilitator/guides) and Grade 8’s (as the “guided”) was a great success (always nice when the weather co-operates).
