Fostering Resilience in our Learners: Teachers DO matter! Supportive learning environments that build caring relationships, maintain high expectations and develop opportunities for belonging are most effective in building students’ abilities to adapt to life’s challenges.

Tips for bolstering resilience in your students: 1. Get to know your primary, junior, intermediate and senior

students beyond the classroom environment. 2. Always build from students’ individual strengths. An asset based

approach and Growth Mindset is key. 3. Set high expectations while acknowledging student challenges. 4. Use explicit “I care” statements to students to demonstrate

support. 5. Ensure opportunities for students to participate in meaningful

learning experiences. Children’s literature can be powerful in reinforcing concepts about resilience.

Fall Newsletter-September/October

POSITIVE CLIMATES FOR LEARNING NEWSLETTER VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

This Issue Tribes Learning Communities Resiliency Eco Schools Character Grandfather Teachings Creating Caring Classrooms Upcoming Events

October 8th

,9th

, 10th

, & 16th

Healthy Schools and Workplaces Networks

October 10th

Equity and Inclusivity Symposium

October 17th

, 29th

, & November 5

th Educators Equity Designate

Workshops

October 24th

Juniors on the Move (JOM) Launch with Larry Swartz

October 21st

– 25th

Character Education Week

November 18th

– 24th Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Helpful Resources: Growing Up Resilient: Ways to Build Resilience in Children and Youth The Resiliency Quiz Building Resiliency in Children and Teens Respect, Resilience and LGBT Students Educational Leadership

Descriptive Text Source: Nan Henderson, et al. Schoolwide Approaches for Fostering Resiliency. San Diego, CA: Resiliency in Action, 2000.

Are you a PC4L lead or an active member of your PC4L team wanting to meet with other PC4L supporters share ideas, help provide direction for your school community? Please join us after school from 4:15-6:00 on Monday, October 21st at a CENTRAL location for a casual "meet up" to chat, learn with and from

each other, share ideas and resources together. For further details, contact Barbara.Klerer-Goldenberg.

Character Counts! October 21st – 25th is Character Week. Visit the Character Community website and print off the Monthly Attribute Card to use all year long. How will you encourage students to stand up for their beliefs and principles and face challenges, fears and difficulties with fortitude?

TRIBES® Learning Communities Friendship and a feeling of belonging are essential elements for academic success. Tribes ® activities help build community and connectedness while strengthening relationships in the class and around the school. Consider some of these activities to start off the year, and even continue throughout the course of the year.

Community Circle (p. 226) I like my neighbor who… (p. 392) 1-ball pass (p. 383) Partner Introduction (p. 305) Name Wave (p. 388) Extended Nametag (p. 237)

Tribes® Training begins October 16th, register on Connect2Learn. Contact Barbara Harold for details.

Tribes Learning Communities(Gibbs) *K-12

Creating Caring Classrooms (Lundy and Swartz) Creating Caring Classrooms will introduce you to simple but profound strategies that promote respectful dialogue, collaboration, and tackling difficult issues such as exclusions in the classroom. Larry Swartz will be speaking to this book at the JOM launch, at Bill Crothers Secondary School on October 24th. Please register on Connect2Learn.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings and Criteria for A Positive Learning Environment (Adapted from the Seven Grandfather Teachers)

These posters are intended to support staff in fostering safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments that affirm pride in cultural identity among First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students. Each school has received 1 copy of the poster. Additional copies can be ordered from media library resources.

Certifying as an EcoSchool is a great way to engage the whole school. It is a program that provides opportunities for students of all ages and abilities to participate in becoming more environmentally responsible. For ideas on how to get involved and engage your students this year, visit the Ontario EcoSchool Website. Registration for EcoSchool certification opened September 27th, 2013. For more information, contact Nathalie Rudner