Back to School – a busy and eventful year ahead
Back to school tips for parents
Parents and guardians looking for information on preparing their kids for back to school have access to a variety of online resources, including things to consider before the first day of school, study tips, managing homework and safe Internet use. Other valuable online information for parents and students includes learning resources, tips on time management and being a successful student, and curriculum handbooks and summaries, which provide both in-depth and grade-at-a-glance information on what students are expected to learn at each grade level.
What’s new this school year?
H1N1 Communications Toolkit for schools
H1N1 has been reported throughout the world. An Alberta Education toolkit will answer questions from students, parents, school-based staff and jurisdiction administrators regarding the H1N1 virus. This comprehensive toolkit includes updates and information from Alberta Health Services and Alberta Health and Wellness. For more information, visit www.education.alberta.ca/admin/healthandsafety/h1n1.aspx.
Arts Days School Challenge
Arts Days, September 18-20, are an opportunity for all Albertans to celebrate our artists and demonstrate our strong community spirit. In honour of Arts Days 2009, Minister Dave Hancock has issued a challenge to all schools to find innovative and creative ways to celebrate the arts in our classrooms or schools on September 18. More information about Arts Days, as well as resources and ideas to help you plan your Arts Days event, are available here: www.education.alberta.ca/artsdays.
Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games is just six months away and students across the country are encouraged to get involved. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Education Program has developed excellent teacher resources to help our children live the Olympic values. To share in the spirit of the 2010 Olympics and see details of the many educational resources available, visit www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/events/olympics.aspx.
Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans
Inspiring Education continues to engage Albertans from across the province. Share your thoughts and ideas by posting comments to the blogs or sign up for the online discussion forums leading up to the provincial conversation in Edmonton on October 18 to 20, 2009. Through this unique process, participants are changing relationships and improving how we work together. Share your comments and get more information at www.inspiringeducation.alberta.ca.
Guide to Education 2009/2010
The Guide to Education: ECS to Grade 12 (Guide) is a “one-stop shopping” document for school programming. It contains several requirements that are anchored in other Alberta Education documents, and many requirements for schools that exist only in the Guide. The Guide and a Summary of Key Changes can be accessed here: www.education.alberta.ca/admin/resources/guidetoed.aspx.
Role of parents and curriculum handbooks
Parents play an important role in the education of their children. Their involvement and encouragement can help a child excel. Alberta Education encourages parents to take an active role in the education of their children and provides resources to support their involvement. Please visit www.education.alberta.ca/parents/role.aspx to access a number of informational brochures. Parents can also tap into what their child is learning in the classroom through the Curriculum Handbooks for Parents series, which offers in-depth information about what students are expected to learn at each grade level of the curriculum. To view the curriculum support documents, visit www.education.alberta.ca/parents/resources/handbook.aspx.
Certificate of School Completion
The Certificate of School Completion will be awarded in October to students with significant cognitive disabilities who completed at least 12 years of schooling in June 2009. Nomination by the school principal is required. Please see the Special Education website at www.education.alberta.ca/admin/special/certificate.aspx.
WorldSkills Calgary 2009
As the new school year approaches, so does the biggest international event of its kind in the world. The WorldSkills Competition, happening from September 1 to 7 in Calgary, hosts more than 900 skilled young people age 17 to 22 from skilled trades and technology programs in 51 member regions/countries. About 50,000 students from all over Alberta are expected to attend the event at Stampede Park. Visit www.worldskills2009.com for more details about the event.
Career and Technology Studies (CTS)
Students exploring opportunities and discovering their passions is the focus of the revised CTS program of studies, which begins implementation this fall. Courses contained in the new program align with industry and post-secondary institutions to provide meaningful career pathways. Additional information about the revisions to the CTS curriculum, implementation schedule, and implementation supports are available: www.education.alberta.ca/cts.
New and improved Alberta Education Français website
The French section of the Alberta Education website now offers a What's New section (Quoi de neuf?) with news of the latest events and/or resources of interest to various stakeholders. Visit www.education.alberta.ca/francais.aspx.
Speak Out – Alberta Student Engagement Initiative
Speak Out, now into its second year, will continue to engage thousands of students from across Alberta through small focus group discussions at Speak Out forums and through the Minister’s Student Advisory Council. The second annual Student Conference will be held on May 14-16, 2010, in Edmonton. On the fully moderated and interactive website, www.speakout.alberta.ca, students are driving the conversation by talking about issues that are important to them and their education.
Alberta’s International Space Station event
Students from Palliser Regional Schools will have the opportunity to communicate in real time with astronauts aboard the International Space Station in September. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk will be the first Canadian to spend six months in space and will speak to students in Vulcan from the International Space Station. Click here for more information: www.education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/csa.aspx.
Teacher recognition – Excellence in Teaching Awards
More than 400 teachers have been recognized through the Excellence in Teaching Awards program since 1989. Presented by Alberta Education, with support from its partners, the program gives Albertans an opportunity to say thank you and acknowledge the importance of the work being done by teachers and principals in schools across the province. Nominations for the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Awards open the week of October 20, 2009.
Implementation schedule for programs of study and related activities (2009/2010)
The Implementation Schedule for Programs of Study and Related Activities (2009/2010) is updated in both English and French. The schedule provides information about optional and mandatory implementation dates, as well as proposed availability of learning and teaching resources, revised provincial assessments and distance learning materials. Quick reference charts for provincial implementation are also available and posted on the Alberta Education website at www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program.aspx (English) and
www.education.alberta.ca/francais/admin/franco.aspx (French).
Defining Success: A Team Approach to Supporting Students with FASD (2009)
This guide offers ideas, actions and strategies for mentors, community support workers and coaches who work with school-aged children and youth affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. It is available online at www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/resources/fasd.aspx, or for purchase from the Learning Resources Centre, www.lrc.education.gov.ab.ca/pro/default.html .
Addressing English as a Second Language (ESL) needs
Alberta Education has developed draft Kindergarten to Grade 12 English as a Second Language Proficiency Benchmarks to provide the foundation for developing a common understanding of English language proficiency levels and ESL programming needs across the province. The benchmarks provide descriptions of the English language abilities that students typically demonstrate at each of five proficiency levels. The ESL Proficiency Benchmarks will be available to school jurisdictions this September so that they can field test them in a draft format. More information about English as a Second Language is available at www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/esl.aspx .
Resources and curriculum updates
