SNC grant to educate at Two Creeks Forest

The Champions for Kids Foundation (C4K) Country Hoedown, held on March 5, raised $9,500 to improve the lives of students in our communities. The annual charity ball, held at Seaway District High School, attracted 200 […]

 

When the Leader spoke to Kelty Grant, the principal of Iroquois Public School, Thursday, August 30, plumbing and construction work was still undergoing a few last minute tweaks in the school’s three newly renovated kindergarten classrooms, but “everything is going to be finished, everything set up in time for our opening day on September 4. This is going to be a very exciting time here at IPS.”

Tuesday, September 4, Iroquois Public School joins other area elementary schools in offering full day kindergarten every day.

Morrisburg Public School and Nationview already have full day kindergarten. Timothy Christian offers full day kindergarten on alternate days. St.Mary-St.Cecelia’s has two full day programs, kindergarten and their Ready to Learn program, which alternate.

 There are currently 25 children registered for each of the three classes at Iroquois Public School. There is a full time qualified teacher and a full time early childhood educator in each classroom.

The teacher and the ECE work in partnership. They plan lessons and do assessments together, combining their skills and areas of expertise. Teachers tend to be more trained in curriculum literacy and numeracy, while childhood educators are experienced in building play based learning and the creation of centres. 

“The combination is a powerful and dynamic one,” Grant said, “and the children reap the benefits.”

Additional specialized training was provided for every teacher and the school’s administrator.

“Our teachers and I received several days of fantastic training for the kindergarten program this spring, at Morrisburg Public school,” Grant said. “Our trainer was from the Upper Canada District School Board, but had himself been trained by the Ministry of Education. We all walked away feeling energized and positive.”

How do teachers approach the challenges of full day learning in kindergarten? 

“The key thing is that each teacher has to know the curriculum for kindergarten inside out and backwards and forwards,” Grant explained. “Children this age learn, not by sitting in place, but by moving, working at special centres. There can be several activities happening in the class room at once. Some whole group instruction will happen, perhaps in the form of an opening song, or a circle, but then the children are off to various, exciting activities.” 

In these situations, thorough knowledge of the curriculum allows the teacher to adapt to whatever activities seem to most engage the small children. Open ended questions such as “What if…?” or “What would happen if…” demand ongoing teacher  flexibility. 

The emphasis is on hands-on skills.

How does assessment work in the kindergarten curriculum? 

“Traditional evaluation me-thods, which require reading and writing skills, are just not possible in kindergarten,” Grant laughed. 

Instead, the Ministry has provided teachers with individual Ipads. 

Teachers video tape the children’s daily activities, then show the tapes later to allow them to reflect on what they were doing and learning.

“This kind of assessment is visible and learning apparent,” Grant explained. “We are documenting, and assessing the progress of the children’s problem solving skills, and how they are understanding new knowledge. This helps us to know where to go next to build on those growing strengths. The taping also allows us to share with parents.” 

The three new classrooms (four old rooms were combined) are self-contained. Each has its own washroom, and cubby areas. There are areas set up for naps for children who need them. Walls in the classrooms currently look a little bare, but that is deliberate. 

“The intent is that everything on the walls must be child activity centred,” Grant said. “Teachers will take photos of the children, and these will decorate the walls. Children will be able to look at  these displays and make connections with learning activities and their part in the creation of every picture.”

Are there likely to be some tears on Tuesday morning, the first day of school?

“We’re ready for some tears,” Kelty Grant laughed, “maybe even from our parents. The kids will recover fast. They may even find the routine of every day school easier to cope with than the every other day approach of the past. The children are certainly going to find school a very exciting place to be.”

[…]

 

“Dreams really do come true,” is actually inscribed on the inside of Hali Adair’s law school ring.

After 22 years of service with the OPP, this native of South Dundas is now a barrister, solicitor and notary, and has accepted a position with the law firm of Horner & Pietersma in Morrisburg. Her dream of practising law has taken her along exciting and challenging paths.

Raised  in “the big city of Iroquois”, where her parents still live in the same house, on the same street, Hali attended Iroquois Public School, and graduated from Seaway District High School. She then chose to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother, Helen Smith, “who was a real force in my life,” and attend McMaster University where she earned a degree in sociology, with minors in history and political science.

“I hadn’t completely made up my mind about a career when I graduated,” Hali laughed, “but I did know that eventually I would be a police officer, and, one day, a lawyer. Blame Miss Gibb’s Seaway law class for that decision: I got hooked then on the law and I stayed hooked. But I felt that I also needed to get out and taste the world.”

Policing, she felt, offered a combination of paper work and action that interested her. In her 22 years serving with the OPP, Hali experienced virtually every aspect of police work.

“I served as a motorcycle officer, and worked undercover to arrest drug dealers. I dealt with riots in Toronto where I was out on the streets with Molotov cocktails flying. I’ve worked everything from murder investigations to traffic citations, even to dealing with terrorists. I’ve run the gamut of experiences. My life definitely didn’t lack excitement,” she added.

Hali served in a platoon, then became a detective constable, a detective, a platoon sergeant and eventually a detective sergeant in the intelligence branch of the OPP.

“Yet I always knew that I wanted more. There was always that draw to go back to Law school, and meet new challenges.”

“Members of the platoon I supervised often saw me reading case law, and examining and tackling different scenarios and they finally said to me, you’ve got to go ahead and try. And I really did want to be a lawyer.”

In 2007, Hali applied to Western Michigan University, to the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, which offered an accelerated program where she could complete her law studies in two years rather than four. Her police background was also taken into consideration by the school. She rounded out her American education by becoming licensed in New York State (since 2011). She then returned to Ontario, taking a full year of law school at Queen’s University followed by articling in the Crown’s Kingston office, 2012-13.

“I truly believe that every person is entitled to the best legal defence he can get, whether he is guilty or innocent. I feel, if missteps have been made, well, I have seen the impact that can have on an innocent person’s life. I don’t believe the end justifies the means.”

During her time in Michigan, Hali took part for eight months in the Innocence Project, which works to free wrongly convicted persons under the DNA Act. The cases she examined with the Project have had an effect on her views.

“I realize that having been a cop gives me a unique perspective on a case. When I look at a criminal case, I walk through the investigation. What is missing? What may have been overlooked? I like to investigate a case thoroughly. I want to see all sides, and there are often three sides to every story.”

Her police training has taught her to be calm, to carefully set aside emotions, even in a situation of utter chaos, to deal with the reality of “death and pain and deep sorrow,” with professionalism. For every scenario in law, Hali often has a corresponding real life experience upon which to draw. This allows her to listen to what people tell her, and not to leap to judgement.

“I love what I do now. I just love it,” Hali said. “The law is so interesting and challenging. And I am so fortunate to have Eldon and Eric here and acting as mentors too. I’ve only been here three weeks, but, boy,” she added laughing, “they’ve thrown a lot at me in those three weeks.”

Conversant in both civil and criminal law, Hali Adair brings a unique wealth of experiences to her new career in the legal profession. 

“I hope to be a good lawyer and a good litigator. Sometimes the art of being a good lawyer is knowing when to be on your feet in a courtroom, and when to sit down and negotiate.”

[…]