staff – Page 16 – The Yorkie

September 3, 2015January 10, 2017

Head Lines: September 2015

Dear Parents,

I hope that you have had a truly memorable summer with friends and family. We are looking forward to welcoming your daughters to an exciting year full of discovery and learning at York House School. I am also looking forward to the opportunity to get to know everyone that much better throughout my second year at YHS. I have no doubt that this academic year will bring many rich opportunities for our community.

It has been a busy and productive summer for the Administration Team, and I am pleased to share with you a number of exciting new developments. Each of these new developments attests to our commitment to enhance communication and to provide an exceptional education where each girl is supported and challenged to reach her full potential. Our goal is to ensure that we prepare our girls to thrive now and in the future.

Yorkies need to be globally aware and able to network, collaborate and work effectively with others from around the world. We equip our students to be responsible global citizens by cultivating key capacities such as creativity, critical thinking and the ability to identify and solve complex problems. It is essential that we foster curiosity, open-mindedness, empathy, adaptability and resiliency in each girl.

We continue to strive to create unique learning opportunities that inspire our girls to flourish, while also providing the support necessary to ensure that each student has the guidance she needs to achieve both her academic and personal goals.

Throughout the school year, I will continue to share with you the tremendous work being done in the classroom and with our strategic planning process – York House School 2030. This is an exciting time for York House School as we plan for the future and beyond.

The York House Family Handbook
In an effort to provide greater clarity regarding policies, procedures, day-to-day activities and expectations, we will be introducing a new Family Handbook (previously known as the “Parent Handbook”) that will allow you to easily review the handbook online or print a downloadable pdf version.

The Learning and Guidance Centre
Recognizing the need to adopt a more integrated approach to how we support each girl to achieve her personal, academic and career goals, we have launched the new Learning and Guidance Centre that will be led by Anita Irani, Director of Guidance. Still located in the underground, the Learning and Guidance Centre consists of the Learning Support Team and three Guidance Counsellors. The goal is to better support the whole girl through social emotional and academic counselling, career planning and preparing for university admissions, as well as supporting students with a range of learning styles and individual education plans. We have expanded our Learning Support Team of four people and have added one new Guidance Counsellor.

Please join me in welcoming our new Learning and Guidance Centre team:

Anita Irani – Director of Guidance (Gr. 11 & 12)
Ly Hoang – Guidance Counsellor (Gr. 9 & 10)
Ann Downie – Guidance Counsellor (Gr. 8)
Junie Brayley – Learning Support Co-Ordinator
Christine Bernier – Learning Support Teacher
Angel Bajgoric – Learning Support Teacher
Natalie Bosco – Learning Support Teacher Assistant

Learning Commons Renovations in the Junior and Senior Schools
In the spirit of dynamic and engaging 21st Century learning, the libraries in the Junior and Senior School will now be called Learning Commons. Renovations, started this summer, will transform both of these multi-purpose rooms into inviting and adaptable collaboration spaces equipped with the latest technologies.

The Junior School Learning Commons, due for completion mid-September, will be a beautiful, inviting and dynamic space for students to enjoy reading, learning and working collaboratively together. Students will experience a seamless transition from their hallway to this new and exciting space, designed especially for our girls.

In the Senior School, there are flexible working spaces to allow for small and large group collaboration, including a newly designated high-tech workspace for students. There is also a new technology hub that houses two Technology Integration Specialists who will support students and faculty in exploring new resources and innovative ways to learn and network with others beyond our community.

I.D.8: Innovation and Leadership Development for Our Grade 8 Students
We are thrilled to announce that we are launching a new innovation and leadership program for our Grade 8 students, “I.D. 8”. Students will strengthen their self-knowledge as well as their foundation of collaborative and communication skills through a series of workshops. Through self-exploration, they will discover their voice, and how to listen and work collaboratively with others. They will realize their leadership potential and how they can make an impact on our community and beyond. We want to ensure that our Grade 8s are empowered to develop a growth mindset, cultivate an optimistic outlook and learn how to manage ambiguity as we prepare them to be active and engaged students in the Senior School.

This year’s Grade 8 students will be divided into two groups, Cohort 1 and Cohort 2, where they will be required to complete three, four-day modules over the course of the year. Kimberley Harvey, Director of Senior School, will be sharing more information with our community throughout the year.

Senior School Music Program
We are delighted to welcome Lia Wolfe to York House to lead our Music Program this year while Spencer Bach is away on leave. Lia is a dynamic teacher who brings 15 years of music education experience from the Delta School District. As an accomplished and talented musician herself, Lia believes that music and the arts have a great impact on the full development of students and provides authentic learning experiences. We are confident that Lia’s extensive background in directing musicals and choirs, conducting band tours and annual musical concerts, and competing in events such as the Kiwanis and Whistler Music Festivals, will be a tremendous asset for our girls throughout the 2015-16 academic year.

Heather Christensen, a teacher with over 17 years of music education experience, is taking over the choral component of our Music Program. Most recently, Heather led the Choral Program at Crofton House School and was also the Director of Zing Children’s Choir. Heather received the prestigious Don Wright Scholarship in Choral Music Education at UBC. Heather and Lia Wolfe both sing together in the Jubilate Vocal Ensemble directed by Larry Nickel.

Directing this year’s musical production is Shannon Harrigan, Head of the Fine Arts Department.

Faculty and Staff Update
The following is an update on staffing for the 2015-2016 academic year.

New Positions at YHS

Julie Rousseau, Director of Creativity, Learning and Innovation
I am pleased to announce that this summer Julie Rousseau joined York House School as the Director of Learning, Creativity and Innovation (JK to Grade 12). A passionate bilingual educator (French and English), Julie has 24 years of experience in education including K-12 classroom teaching as well as school-based and district level administration. Julie received her Bachelors of Education in TESL and Physical Education from McGill University, her post Baccalaureate Diploma in Education from Simon Fraser University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from City University of Seattle. She has taught French Immersion from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and has taught at the graduate level at City University of Seattle since 2008. As an experienced administrator, Julie held both Principal and Vice-Principal roles with a number of schools throughout the Abbotsford School District. Most recently, she held the position of Director of Instruction for the Abbotsford School District.

We are looking forward to her leadership in facilitating innovative and transformational programs at York House School.

Shelley Lammie, Director of Little School and Director of Academics (JK to Gr. 7)
Shelley will continue to lead the Little School. In collaboration with Julie Rousseau, Shelley will lead the implementation of current and new initiatives in the areas of curriculum design, instructional and assessment practices in the Little School and Junior School.

Anita Irani, Director of Guidance
Anita will oversee the Learning and Guidance Centre in the Senior School.

David Dallman, Technology Integration & Technical Operations Manager
David will manage the systems and technology that supports school operations in various departments. He will continue to support teachers and students in the integration of technology into the classroom to enhance learning.

Shannon White, Team Coordinator and Junior Kindergarten Teacher
Shannon will work closely with the Director of the Little School/Director of Academics (JK to Gr. 7) to provide leadership to the teachers and manage the daily operations of the Little School.

Kara McDonald, Global Programs Coordinator
Kara will continue to teach English and will work with colleagues to support enriched experiential learning opportunities. Kara will coordinate student exchanges, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program and assist in further developing educational partnerships and experiences to develop global competency.

Esther Kong, Graphic Design Intern
Esther will support the Communications & Marketing Department.

Emily Matthews, Science Lab Technician
Emily will assist the Science Department Head and Science Teachers with the day-to-day preparation for classes and maintenance of the science labs and equipment.

Returning Faculty
I am pleased to welcome back the following teachers:

Whitney Black, Stephanie Keating, Angel Bajgoric and Tara Avenia (returning from maternity leaves)
Charlene Brandt (returning from a personal leave)

New Faculty and Staff:
I would like to welcome the following teachers to our school community.

Little School

Tracey McCloy – Senior Kindergarten teacher
Angela Kingerlee – Senior Kindergarten teacher (former Little School Teacher Assistant)
Amy Higgins – Teacher Assistant and After School Care (former Junior School intern)

Junior School

Heather Korlak – Grade 2 teacher
Carly Trinder – Grade 3 teacher (former Junior School intern)
Laura Christensen – Grade 6 teacher
Amarens Matthiesen – After School Care
Jeannine Torrance – French teacher (part-time)
Esther Tung – Intern
Lauren Black – Intern
Aleesha Bird – Intern

Senior School

Tara Grant – Department Head of Social Studies and teacher
Ann Downie – Guidance Counsellor (new position)
Julia Fassezke – Science teacher
Melanie Cote-Chartrand – French and Social Studies teacher
Angela Jurgensen – Fine Arts teacher
Elizabeth Wong – Science teacher
Alexis Lum – French teacher
Heather Christiansen – Choral teacher
Lia Wolfe – Music and Band teacher

Many of these teachers are replacing faculty that are currently on a one-year leave of absence for maternity or personal reasons: Chris Britt, Megan Dalziel, Magali Forte, Myriam LeMay, Jennifer Lee, Danielle Neer, Monica Regan, Clint Robertson, Sandra Richardson, Lisa Tomlinson and Spencer Bach. We wish them all the best during their time away.

Although it is always difficult to say goodbye to faculty and staff, we are delighted that David Reindl and Trond Halle have moved on to pursue career opportunities of their choice. We thank Gordon Thrift, Min Kim, Maria Moreno and Megan Kwan for their contribution to York House School during their one-year contracts. We also wish Fiona Blackburn all the best as she will now have more time to spend with her grandchildren and family!

I am looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Warmest regards,

Chantal Gionet

July 14, 2015

High Tech High Comes to York House

This year, York House School embarked on a learning exchange of a different kind. In April, several teachers and administrators from York House School had an opportunity to visit acclaimed San Diego charter school High Tech High (HTH). Their visit was soon followed by the arrival of two enthusiastic HTH students, Sharon and Emily, who would be hosted by York House for a month-long internship.

The idea of HTH was initiated in 1996, by a group of approximately 40 civic and technology industry leaders in San Diego, California, who came together to address the continuous challenges they were facing in the US to find young graduates who were qualified to work in the technology sector. These leaders also shared a growing concern about the “digital divide” that resulted in low numbers of women and ethnic minority groups entering STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) related fields.

Their intent was clear: to create a school where students would be passionate about learning and would acquire the basic skills of work and citizenship needed to succeed in the 21st Century. With this in mind, they set the following goals for their school:

Serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local community;
Integrate technical and academic education to prepare students for post-secondary education in both high-tech and liberal arts fields;
Increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students in math and engineering who succeed in high school and post-secondary education;
Graduate students who will be thoughtful, engaged citizens.

In 1999, the founding group submitted their Charter application and in September of 2000 the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High opened its doors to 200 students in Grades 9 and 10. High Tech High now consists of 13 schools (five high schools, four middle schools and four elementary schools) in three locations in the San Diego area with approximately 5,000 students and 600 employees who are selected from a blind, zip code based lottery. 60% of the students are ethnic minorities and 42% qualify for a free reduced lunch. To date, 98% of graduates have gone on to college and 75% to four-year postsecondary institutions.

The school has garnered a great deal of attention in its relatively brief history and, on average, has 2000 visitors per year and just last year, was showcased by Tony Wagner, author of The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators, in the Sundance award-winning documentary “Most Likely to Succeed.”

Ensuring the success of High Tech High has required an innovative approach to both teaching and learning as new schools are introduced. New schools are “seeded” with a principal, teachers and even students who have already lived and worked in a High Tech High school. Through experienced leadership, they are able to ensure that their principles of reflective practice and peer learning are upheld in the interest of creating a shared sense of purpose.

It is their commitment to student centred learning, project-based learning and the spirit of innovation that captured the attention of York House School’s Head of School, Chantal Gionet. “I wanted to give our faculty the opportunity to experience new approaches to cross-disciplinary project-based learning and to look at alternative ways to foster creativity and collaboration among our students. Several faculty had the opportunity to visit High Tech High in the spring and, based on their experience, we decided to invite Sharon and Emily to visit us for a one month internship. It was a win-win for everyone, as we were able to carry our learning beyond the doors of High Tech High and share with the broader York House School community,” says Chantal.

As part of their enrollment at HTH, senior students are required to complete a one month internship in Grades 11 and 12. For Sharon and Emily, both in Grade 11, York House School presented the perfect opportunity for shared learning for their first internship experience. They could each focus on a project of their choice and be mentored along the way by YHS faculty. At the end of their internships, they each presented to the administration and faculty as well as to their mentors.

For Emily, deciding what she wanted to do for her internship was quite simple. At York House, she would be able to explore her desire to become a Junior School teacher. An eye-opening experience, this behind-the-scenes look at the world of a teacher left her appreciating the challenges of professional life and the level of exhaustion that parents must feel after a day’s work. She had the opportunity to spend time in both the Little School as well as with the Grade 2 and Grade 5 classes at the Junior School. In particular, Emily thoroughly enjoyed working with Erin Reindl’s Grade 5 class to create a mini-project where the girls were challenged to create an invention and explore the difference between invention versus innovation.

Commenting on her experience, Emily says, “I was so impressed by the inventions that the students came up with over two weeks. However, the one thing I would change, if I had to do it over again, is that I would give the students the opportunity to come up with their own ideas for the projects. That way, they would inject even more passion into their work.”

Grade 5 teacher Erin Reindl says, “It was truly a wonderful experience having Emily come to work in the Grade 5 class. She displayed a genuine passion for teaching and made strong connections with the students. It was an enriching and engaging opportunity for everyone.”

Sharon, an Ambassador at High Tech High, chose a different route for her internship and focused more on how she could interpret the pedagogy behind High Tech High, from a student’s perspective. As part of her project, she would work closely with her York House mentors as well as faculty, students and administration.

“At High Tech High we don’t have finals as such but presentations of work we have completed throughout the year. We are challenged to take what we have learned and present it to an audience in a way that is our own. We are taught that the understanding of content is significant but so is your ability to communicate, to work as a team, to adapt to new technologies and to solve multidimensional problems ,” says Sharon. “The focus is really on demonstrating our learning. Using math as an example: are you assessing my ability to recite a formula and plug in variables or are you testing my understanding of how this formula works and how it is derived?”

As part of her internship, Sharon attended department meetings to share feedback with faculty members regarding projects they are looking to implement. She also met with Grade 8 Social Studies and English teachers who are working on developing an interdisciplinary first term project.

York House Social Studies Teacher and one of Sharon’s mentors, Meredith Seymour, comments, “Working with Sharon gave me an opportunity to ask questions and gain first-hand insights about project-based learning, from one student’s perspective. Most notably, Sharon offered practical resources and implementation examples about the project-based process as it is conducted at High Tech High. After visiting High Tech High in April and seeing these projects in action, it was really valuable for me to have Sharon come here and engage in a dialogue imagining how certain elements of projects could be successfully incorporated into the work I am doing at York House.”

“Hosting students from High Tech High at YHS has provided opportunities to explore questions about projects that people are working on here. Through conversations with YHS staff and faculty, Sharon and Emily created helpful documents outlining tips for project-based learning initiatives and protocols. These will be made available to educators at the school and will provide a helpful resource and springboard for future conversations,” says York House English Teacher Kara McDonald.

Sharon and Emily also hosted lunches for YHS educators interested in learning more about project-based learning. They described the students’ perspectives on what is beneficial about this student driven model of learning and the challenges some students encounter. Emily described HTH as a school that prepares students for life and both Sharon and Emily agreed that if there is one thing that we could do more of at YHS, it would be peer critique. They shared tuning protocols with some of our faculty to give critical feedback on projects, and Sharon made documents for teachers outlining critiquing protocols they could use with their students.

Commenting on the similarities between HTH and York House School, Sharon says, “Both schools are quite passionate about projects, incorporating them into the curriculum and making learning applicable. I was so impressed with the Grade 7 civilization project that Mrs. Webb developed. She is so an intuitively project-based teacher.”

“This experience has been incredible. Emily and I both know how lucky we are to have been treated as young adults even though we are still high school students. Everybody has been amazing. It really was a fun community to be part of for a while,” reflects Sharon.

The girls left Vancouver, having not seen the rain (our unusually sunny weather only reminded them of San Diego) but grateful for the friendships that they made and the learning that they shared with the York House community. A special thank you to YHS Grade 10 student, Claire, and her family, who generously hosted Sharon and Emily for the duration of their visit. Claire is looking forward to visiting High Tech High next year.