Creating a play structure at Thomas D’Arcy McGee

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Creating a play structure for all students at Thomas D’Arcy McGee

By Jacob Chouinard
Communications and Technology Officer

Recreational activity in elementary school is an important part of the day and it normally takes place at recess with other students. For many years Thomas D’Arcy McGee students have been playing on a large green field on school property at recess.

However, some students in the Developmental Education (DE) program use the assistance of wheelchairs or walkers and it is more difficult for them to play with other students in the school yard.

Former Thomas D’Arcy McGee Principal, Deborah Langdon and the school community decided that their school was in dire need of a play structure that would allow for all the students to play and socialize together on school premises. As a result, Thomas D’Arcy McGee Catholic school started to develop a plan to build an inclusive play structure on school property.

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Coding at your school

Guest writers
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Kindergarten students at St. William School

Kindergarten students at St. William School, WECDSB, dive into their inaugural coding experience.

Coding with Kinderkids!

By Carl Bull, Principal, St. Williams School

Sandwiched among the many responsibilities of administrators is the hope that innovation can be fostered at your site. Technology innovation can be a challenging minefield with multiple platforms (Apple, Microsoft, Google, etc), a formidable number of applications and wildly varying staff skill levels. My goal with this blog is to foster a conversation and provide some starter points for those elementary administrators who hope to push their school along the continuum of enriched technology experiences for their students.

There has been a significant amount of discussion in regards to coding. Jurisdictions as diverse as Estonia, Great Britain and here in Canada, British Columbia, have mandated the inclusion of this process in their curriculums. Although it can be very challenging to discern between what is a fad and what is “mission critical” for our students, I believe coding represents the latter. I love how it mimics the logic of STEM subjects, especially math, but in a fun and cleverly “masked” fashion for our pupils.

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Family Ties

Principal Connections
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Family Ties

Deirdre Kinsella Biss

 

By Deirdre Kinsella Biss
Editor, Principal Connections

With the release of the latest issue of Principal Connections, Editor Deirdre Kinsella Biss provides a sneak preview of what you can expect in our magazine this month.

The “family” is truly our first place of learning. Our parents and guardians are our first teachers. They teach us about love and kindness, they develop our faith, they instil our values and guide our formation. Families are our personal centre. They are made from the heart. They come in all shapes and sizes, they are there to support us and help us grow.

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CPCO Conference 2017

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CPCO Conference 2017 highlights

By Jacob Chouinard

Photography by Eric Choi (Edge Imaging), Hannah Yakobi (CPCO) and Jacob Chouinard (CPCO)

Our 2017 Conference at the Delta Hotel was a great success. From insightful presentations to informative breakout sessions and participation in social media contests — it was a busy and engaging day.

Thank you to everyone who helped plan the event and to those who participated.

We also thank our sponsors and vendors, who supported the event and set up creative and informative booths for everyone to enjoy.

To view the full gallery of photos from the conference, please visit our Facebook page.

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Tech Talk: Find Your Muse

Principal Connections,
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Find Your Muse
Bringing meditation to your life and classrooms

 

By Ania Czupajlo
Art Director, Principal Connections

 

Meditation has been shown to help refocus and calm the brain, reduce stress, depression and anxiety, and improve overall well-being and quality of life.

However, in today’s fast-paced world you may feel there is not enough time to meditate, and if you do, how do you know you’re getting it right? And what if your mind starts wandering?

Fortunately, there are a number of helpful apps and tools that can make meditation easier.

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