2024 CLC Conference: Go Further, Together
2024 CLC Conference: Go Further, Together
The Provincial Resource Team is thrilled to announce the return of the CLC Conference! After 7 years, we are excited to reconnect with colleagues and meet new CDAs and school staff in person. Join us for an inspiring journey where you’ll gain insight into the transformative power of community schools. Hear how community schools can nurture student success, foster community engagement, and build lasting partnerships. Discover innovative strategies, connect with like-minded educators, and leave with tools and inspiration to make a tangible difference. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a movement dedicated to creating vital communities through education. Register now for the Go Further, Together CLC Conference and be a catalyst for positive change!
Contact Dannielle Dyson at ddyson@learnquebec.ca to request late signup. Accommodations will depend on hotel availability
Speakers
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Kwesi RollinsSr. Vice President, Inst. for Ed. Leadership & Coalition for Community SchoolsKwesi Rollins guides IEL’s programs that support leaders with a particular emphasis on Family and Community Engagement, Early Childhood Education, and Community-based Leadership Development. Kwesi directs the District Leaders Network on Family and Community Engagement and Leaders for Today and Tomorrow, an initiative that delivers professional learning and support opportunities for educational leaders.
An experienced cross-collaborator, Mr. Rollins provided technical assistance and training to a range of government agencies, school/school districts, and community-based organizations in projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Passionate about working with young people, Kwesi received the Big Brother of the Year award in Washington, DC, and is an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the National Capitol Area. Kwesi holds an MSW degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work. -
Dr. Ryan HurleyRegional Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community SchoolsRyan brings a wealth of experience to the table, having served as a community organizer, Community School Coordinator, and the Director of a regional Community Schools initiative. In his role as Director, Ryan played a key role in fostering the establishment and expansion of a network of Community Schools. He actively cultivated cross-sector partnerships, and, through collaborative efforts, formulated a transformative strategy that organizes relationships and resources around student success. Ryan has been a staunch advocate for Community Schools policies at various levels—local, regional, and national. Prior to joining the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), he successfully developed an organizational and financial structure that supported ongoing growth and sustainability. This included securing a highly competitive multi-year Department of Education grant and influencing the passage of a Community Schools policy by the local school board. Furthermore, Ryan has been actively involved in leadership roles, serving as the co-chair of the Coalition for Community Schools United Way Network. He also co-founded a state Community Schools Coalition and is a member of the Coalition’s Community Schools Leadership Network.
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Dr. Debbie PushorProfessor Emerita, Dept. of Curriculum Studies, U. of SaskatchewanDebbie Pushor, PhD, embodies a multitude of identities and roles that span over two decades in public education. Her diverse experience includes serving as a teacher, consultant, principal, and Board administrator. In the realm of higher education, Debbie has excelled as a teacher educator, researcher, and community services provider.
Despite being an educator long before becoming a mother, the lens of parenthood significantly influences Debbie’s work and fuels her mission.
Currently, Debbie is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Her teachings and research have given rise to a ground-breaking concept known as the “curriculum of parents”, an innovative approach that encourages everyone to view educational landscapes through the dual perspectives of both a parent and an educator.
Debbie is dedicated to unveiling the transformative power of parent engagement, emphasizing its monumental impact on a child’s education, a parent’s role in their child’s life, and a teacher’s role in the family dynamic. In her advocacy for dismantling the marginalization of parents within the school landscape, Debbie advocates for empowering students, teachers, and parents to collaborate meaningfully and impactfully. She champions a vision where everyone involved plays an active and valued role in the educational journey.
Hourly Schedule
Day 1 - April 23, Theme: Mental Wellness and the Community School Approach
- 9:00 - 9:15
- Words of Welcome
- Michael Canuel Ed.D., LEARN CEO, Marie-Josée Blais, Sous-ministre adjointe, Secteur de la Diversité, des relations extérieures, des anglophones et des Autochtones, Ministère de l’Éducation & Kandy Mackey, Director General, ETSB
- 9:15 - 10:00
- Keynote: Community Schools: A Vehicle to Take Us Further, Together
- This keynote will discuss how Community Schools can be a unifying strategy to engage families, and organize relationships and resources around the success and well-being of students, families, and communities
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Speakers:
Dr. Ryan Hurley, Kwesi Rollins
- 10:00 - 10:40
- Flowers to Seeds Exchange
- Participants will be invited to share a CLC project that has been sustained over multiple years and could be adapted for use by other CLC schools. We'll reflect on the collective garden of ideas that emerges and encourage people to pick up plantable seeds!
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Speakers:
Christie Huff
- 10:40 - 11:00
- Health Break
- 11:00 - 12:00
- Achieving Results through the Community School Strategy
- This session will provide an overview of the key elements of the Community Schools strategy, share examples of impact, and facilitate a discussion that will accelerate strategic planning process for your own school community.
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Speakers:
Dr. Ryan Hurley, Kwesi Rollins
- 11:00 - 12:00
- Building Anti-Racist Futures: Imagining and Creating a Just Society
- The "Building Anti-Racist Futures" workshop is designed for school community workers to engage in meaningful conversations, critical reflections, and collaborative actions aimed at fostering an anti-racist culture within the educational environment. This workshop recognizes the pivotal role that school community workers play in shaping the experiences of students, and it seeks to empower them with the knowledge and tools necessary to contribute to a more just and inclusive society.
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Speakers:
Kemba Mitchell
- 11:00 - 12:00
- Wellness Innovation Lab - youth voice in mental health initiatives
- The Wellness Innovation Lab was born out of a big idea - to see what happens when youth voices can be heard in the room, along with those of adults who work in schools and in the community. How can we build upon the mental health initiatives that are already working at the school/centre, and come up with new and innovative ideas that can be tried out? Join us as we learn how we can give youth the opportunity to talk about what’s already happening in their school, how it is serving them, and how it can be even better if … Come learn about this innovative design thinking approach, it can be applied in any youth setting.
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Speakers:
Bobbie Variantzas
- 12:00 - 1:00
- Lunch
- 1:00 - 2:00
- Aligning Leadership in the CLC Community School Approach
- Our panel of experienced CLC leaders will inspire School teams to engage in planning for their next year of achieving meaningful impact through clarifying their roles in aligned leadership. The session will provide a framework for understanding your individual and collective ‘What, Who, Why?’, so that school teams can engage in productive dialogue to identify the ‘How?’ strategies that will lead to vision and goal realization. Partner organizations will benefit from understanding the CLC schools’ leadership priorities and what leads to aligned collaboration and co-creation.
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Speakers:
Christie Huff
- 2:00 - 3:00
- Taking it to the Next Level: Integrated, Systemic Approaches to Family Engagement
- Systemic family engagement doesn’t just occur. It’s cultivated by leadership and is sustained by policy and practice. Join us as we unpack the organizational conditions identified in the Dual Capacity Building Framework. By the end of this interactive session, participants will leave with an understanding of the key elements necessary for systemic engagement to take place, as well as some tips and best practices for implementation.
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Speakers:
Dr. Ryan Hurley, Kwesi Rollins
- 2:00 - 3:00
- Sustaining a long-term relationship with Partners - 17 Years and still growing strong
- 17 years ago, Ed Sweeney was hired as the CLC Coordinator at Quebec High School. 7 days after getting hired, Ed found himself sitting in the office of Richard Walling, Executive Director of the Jeffery Hale Community Partners, pitching the Quebec High School CLC vision. With over 40 projects accomplished, these two community leaders are still seeking ways to increase the capacity of their respective organizations to bring more services to the English-speaking community of the greater Quebec City Region. Join them as they share testimonies of the successes and challenges that have solidified this healthy CLC relationship.
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Speakers:
Ed Sweeney, Richard Walling
- 2:00 - 3:00
- Making Your Classroom a 2SLGBTQIA+ Safer Space with the SILK Workshop
- Looking to do something about the homo/queer/transphobia that you’ve witnessed at your school or in your classroom? Come and participate in a LIVE demonstration of CAEO Québec’s SILK workshop where workshop facilitators will share their personal testimonials, animate interactive activities that teach about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and lead a discussion on how to make your school a safer space for 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
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Speakers:
Canadian Association for Education and Outreach
- 3:00 - 3:15
- Health Break
- 3:15 - 4:30
- Supporting Student Success by Addressing Social Determinants of Health
- This workshop is hosted by the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) and will draw on over 10 years of experience in collaborating with LEARN and the CLC network in bridging health and education sectors to support student success.
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Speakers:
Jenn Cooke, Russ Kueber - CHSSN
- 3:15 - 4:30
- Connected Learning that Matters for Kids and their Communities
- "Children learn best in an environment that embraces meaningful learning that matters! Can a fresh approach in our schools help to revitalize our neighbourhoods? Can seeking to create strong partnerships with community transform the learning experience and resonate more deeply with our kids? Can we create those healthier, active, positive, solution-minded young people we need now for a sustainable future. Let’s explore the path -taking our kids outdoors for learning and into their communities.
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Speakers:
Pamela Gibson - Learning for a Sustainable Future
- 3:15 - 4:30
- Active Listening
- In the midst of the many global challenges we face, it’s important that we collectively work to improve our listening skills and create an inclusive and empathetic community. This workshop will demonstrate the difference between passive and active listening, techniques for asking questions that encourage individuals to share more openly, and the challenge of withholding judgment when you have differing opinions. The session will combine theoretical learning with practical exercises to provide participants with fundamental knowledge and skills related to active listening. As a result, you will gain a clear understanding of when and how to apply active listening.
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Speakers:
Vent over Tea
- 4:30 - 4:45
- Wrap-Up
Day 2 - April 24, Theme: Family Engagement
- 8:45 - 9:00
- Words of Welcome
- Mr. William Floch, Sous-ministre adjoint Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d'expression anglaise
- 9:00 - 9:45
- Keynote: Parent and Family Engagement - Exploring Our Locus of Control
- Using the conceptualization of “looking out, looking in” (Pushor & Ruitenberg, 2005), Debbie will examine what is within our control when we are working to establish strong relationships and engagement with parents and families: our beliefs and assumptions, the language we use, our school environment, and our practices. How is what we say we believe reflected in our actions? In what ways are we honoring parents as holders of knowledge of teaching, learning, and children? Debbie will share her understanding of authentic and meaningful parent engagement as a philosophy and pedagogy of “walking alongside” (Pushor, 2015).
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Speakers:
Dr. Debbie Pushor
- 9:45 - 10:25
- Flowers to Seeds Exchange
- Participants will be invited to share a CLC project that has been sustained over multiple years and could be adapted for use by other CLC schools. We'll reflect on the collective garden of ideas that emerges and encourage people to pick up plantable seeds!
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Speakers:
Christie Huff
- 10:25 - 10:45
- Health Break
- 10:45 - 11:45
- Learning With and From Families
- There are many reasons parents do not engage in relationships with us as educators, CDAs, and school personnel. Given the historically hierarchical nature of schools and the formalized roles we hold on school landscapes, the onus is on US to do the reaching out. What practices might we engage in to get to know our families, and to learn with and from them, in order to provide richer and more successful schooling experiences for their children? In this interactive workshop, Debbie will invite you to explore your current practices in light of the effort they take and the impact they have. As she shares new possibilities for practice, you will have the opportunity to engage with these ideas and to develop one or two practices that hold promise in your context.
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Speakers:
Dr. Debbie Pushor
- 10:45 - 11:45
- Engaging Families in the First School Transition
- The first school transition is the first opportunity for school teams to welcome families as collaborators in their child’s educational journey. Get inspired by examples from the ETSB that place families at the center of their first transition initiatives. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on and explore evidence-based practices to enrich their plan for a successful first school transition.
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Speakers:
Geneviève Manseau - Early Years Pedagogical Consultant, Eastern Townships School Board
- 10:45 - 11:45
- Exploring Maker Spaces, Open Creative Spaces and Hands-On Activities as Leverages for Family and Community Engagement
- Open creative spaces are a great way to invite community members, parents, and local crafts people to bring their skills sets into the school as a family engagement strategy. The overarching goal is to engage community members and provide a space for people to connect. During this hour, we will explore the strategies in the guide Makerspaces for Learning, Living & Sharing and actively engage participants in activities to develop a space or ideas to excite their community.
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Speakers:
LEARN Pedagogical Services Team
- 11:45 - 12:45
- Lunch
- 12:45 - 1:45
- Bringing Parent Knowledge into Teaching and Learning
- Parent knowledge is different from, but complementary to, teacher knowledge. How might we use parent knowledge alongside our own knowledge to enrich curriculum planning and implementation on the school landscape? This may involve using what we have learned from parents and families in our relationship building processes and bringing that into the teaching and learning processes. It could also involve having parents alongside us in aspects of our work. Debbie Pushor will provide examples of engaging parents in both of these distinct ways, with emphasis on engaging parents who are unable to come onto the school landscape. You will be active throughout the workshop in examining your current practices and exploring new possibilities.
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Speakers:
Dr. Debbie Pushor
- 12:45 - 1:45
- How to Work with and Engage Fathers in Our Schools and Programs
- Why is paternal engagement so important? How do our practices engage or exclude fathers when planning and promoting family engagement in our schools? This workshop is an excerpt from the Atelier PAPPa offered by the Regroupement pour la valorisation de la paternité. Participants will gain a better understanding of paternal realities, draw up a portrait of the place of fathers and the way we interact with them in our schools, and identify courses of action to adapt services and practices to fathers' realities.
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Speakers:
Mardoché Mertilus - Chargé de programme PAPPa
- 12:45 - 1:45
- Community Nights
- Community nights are public events organized by New Frontier School Board CDA's alongside their community partners with a goal of bringing citizens together to share a meal and learn about different organizations, health and social service providers that are available to them in their own backyard. The goal: bring people together and strengthen our community!
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Speakers:
New Frontiers School Board CLC Team
- 1:45 - 2:00
- Health Break
- 2:00 - 3:15
- PLAY to LEARN to “Move into Literacy” - Family literacy resources and activity ideas
- Incorporating movement and action activities into family literacy learning opportunities can be a fun and effective way for families to engage children and enhance their learning experience. Learn about successful family literacy initiatives and programs created by the team at The Learning Exchange. Discover resources and ideas you can use and share. Be inspired!
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Speakers:
Darlene Brown - The Learning Exchange
- 2:00 - 3:15
- Connected Learning that Matters for Kids and their Communities
- "Children learn best in an environment that embraces meaningful learning that matters! Can a fresh approach in our schools help to revitalize our neighbourhoods? Can seeking to create strong partnerships with community transform the learning experience and resonate more deeply with our kids? Can we create those healthier, active, positive, solution-minded young people we need now for a sustainable future. Let’s explore the path -taking our kids outdoors for learning and into their communities.
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Speakers:
Pamela Gibson - Learning for a Sustainable Future
- 2:00 - 3:15
- Rethinking Resilience to Support Community and Family Mental Health & Wellbeing
- Resilience is often viewed as a highly individual process, the ability of a person to possess “grit” or to “bounce back” following adversity. The work of renowned resilience expert Michael Ungar challenges this notion of resilience simply residing within the individual and paints a refreshing picture of the complexity of resilience and how it is fostered and sustained. Through Ungar’s work, this session will shift the notion of resilience from the individual concept to one that unpacks the specific and concrete ways we can create a more relational and negotiated understanding of resilience and how it serves to co-create lasting wellbeing within the communities we serve.
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Speakers:
Janna Gillis - Centre of Excellence for Mental Health (CEMH)
- 3:15 - 3:45
- Wrap-Up - Plenary
Location
Website
https://hotelcheribourg.com/With a breathtaking view of Mount Orford, the Chéribourg will certainly charm you with its extraordinary infrastructure and its many attractions. Take advantage of one of our 124 rooms and suites to let yourself be seduced by the Eastern Townships region and discover the beauty of nature.
