1. small “p” politics in the New Frontiers School Board W. Goldthorp Director General New Frontiers School Board R. Buttars Assistant Director General New Frontiers School Board

2. Big “P” vs. small “p” Big “P” = Politics small “p”= Advocacy “p”eople, “p”articipation, “p”artnerships, “p”rocess, “p”rogress

3. Let’s have a quick look at 5 examples of: People participating in creating partnerships in a process that leads to progress. Community Connections Guidance Oriented Approach to Learning (GOAL) Community Learning Centres Governance-Model Results of participation across the spectrum

4. Community Connections While the Government and the Ministry of Education have professed the desire for a greater collaboration with the community, specific directives, guidelines and/or resources have never been articulated.

5. The New Frontiers School Board: Established a tradition of having annual events that provide the opportunity for “Governing Boards”, “Parents Committee” and syndical groups, employee-associations and community-groups partake in forward-looking and priority-setting sessions to ensure our communities are part of facilitating the School Board service its publics. Set “Community Connections” as a theme for the Board for two years. Ensured that community and community-connections became integral to the Board’s: Mission, Vision, “Strategic Plan” and part of the “Partnership Agreement”. Ensured student participation through the Educational Services Department holding annual “Student Focus Days”. Community Partnerships ~~ Advocacy

6. Guidance Oriented Approach to Learning (GOAL) The Ministry established funding for the implementation of the “Guidance Oriented Approach to Learning (GOAL)”. The Ministry subsequently folded the funding into the base. School boards made choices as to the continuation or modification of this programming and its funding.

7. The New Frontiers School Board in collaboration with administrators: Reviewed the options, Extracted the funding from the base, Added funding from the “Adult & Professional Ed. Services”, Twinned its adult centres with its high schools and their respective elementary feeder-schools, Hired an animator for each pole of activity, and Created “school / centre /community” partnership-tables that include representation from: The schools and centres Emploi Quebec Carrefour Jeunesse Etc. Community Partnerships ~~ Advocacy

8. Community Learning Centres (CLCs) The MELS, with support-funding for “Minority Languages”, implemented a program to develop and establish “Community Learning Centres (CLCs) in English-language School Boards. The objective included an expectation for the CLCs to become self- sufficient within four years. Across the school boards, there has been various levels of success and, for the most part, self-sufficiency has remained questionable.

9. The New Frontiers School Board: Established its initial allotment of two CLCs of which one was an alternative-model based out of a “Centre” with a community-base rather than being school-based. Implemented a process that would result in all schools and centres embracing Community Learning Centre “concepts”. While many boards worried about CLC animators gaining tenure, engaged a full-time board-level professional to develop and support the implementation of CLC concepts across the Board. Added two additional CLCs of which one is virtually-based and servicing a network of small rural schools. All CLCs have an active community-based steering committee. The CLCs are self-sufficient based on their value-added contribution rather than being based on an financial statement. Community Partnerships ~~ Advocacy

10. Gault CLC (Valleyfield) St. Willibrord CLC (Chateauguay) Centennial Park HSB High School Mary Gardner Harmony NOVA Ctr. Huntingdon Adult Education & Community Learning Centre (Huntingdon) Heritage “Community Learning Centre” - Concepts across the School Board CVR High School Ormstown Franklin Hemmingford Howick CVCEC

11. A Governance-model supporting development and success in the NFSB O New Frontiers School Board Standing-Committees include: Commissioners, Two Directors/Coordinators, Parent- representation and an Administrator from a school or centre,………………… all, with the power to vote.

12. “p”eople, “p”articipation, “p”artnerships, “p”rocess, has resulted in success for the New Frontiers School Board in establishing: O “Options Etude” – Collaborative joint bilingual programming for secondary cycle I with CS Grandes Seignieres, O 16-24 collaboration tables, O CLC concepts across the Board, O IB programming at the secondary level, O Off-campus full-time CEGEP programming cohort in Social Science in collaboration with Champlain CEGEP, O 15 options in vocational education, O Own our own fibre-optic network with video-conferencing available in all our schools and centres, O Partnership with “Free the Children” O And more.

13. The Key to Progress Commissioners are participative and supportive based on their commitment to: Small “p” politics – Advocacy rather than time and energy being focused on Big “P” Politics.

14. Wayne & Rob