Professional Development Weekend - Nov. 17-18

This weekend the PEISTA is hosting a professional development weekend at the Loyalist Lakeview Resort on Harbour Drive in Summerside. On Friday evening we will open with dinner (salmon or chicken), followed by private meetings for all three Island boards, and then an evening of entertainment. (Bring your singing voices - we have karaoke!)

On Saturday morning, Linda Lowther from the Department of Education will present a report card on the recent Provincial Task Force on Education. The presentation will begin at 9:00 a.m., following a buffet breakfast.

Hope to see you all there!

Oh, and take note of the PD weekend password: Rockets. The first trustee to provide the password, when asked (not before!), will win a prize.

Atlantic Conference 2007 in Charlottetown!

On January 25, 26 and 27, 2007, the PEISTA will be hosting the annual Atlantic Conference of School Board Trustees. The event will be held at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel, and our keynote speaker is Lt.Col. Dave Grossman, expert in media violence and its effects on children.

If you wish to read more about the event, we now have a number of information documents available online. We apologize in advance for the ads and popups that may appear when you click on the links, but that's the price you pay for free webspace!

For the introduction letter, click here for English, and click here for French.

For the conference highlights, click here for English, and click here for French.

For an overview of the schedule of events, click here.

And for the registration form, click here.

We look forward to seeing you in January!

Special Meeting of the PEISTA

A Special Meeting of the PEISTA will be held on Monday, September 25th, 2006 at the Eastern School District offices in Stratford, starting at 7:30 p.m. We will be deciding if we wish to remain a member of the CSBA. The president of the CSBA, Mr. Lance Bean, will be available for questions or comments on the telephone.
Mark you calendar, this date is important. Our future with CSBA depends on your presence. Please, ensure your vote is counted.

Atlantic Conference 2007: Here we come!

Lots of information regarding the upcoming event has been sent to boards in PEI, NB, NS and NL. Please, register early! We want you with us, sharing in our success! Book your calendar: January 25 to 27, 2007. Come on over to the Island! More detailed programming will be out in the Fall: watch for it.

AGM News

Last June 6th, the PEISTA held its 2005-06 AGM in Summerside. The turn-out was good, and we had a good chance to discuss some important issues. The President presented the Blog to all trustees present. Also, it was a great opportunity to look at the draft program of the Atlantic Conference 2007 being hosted by the STA. Another general meeting of the Association will likely occur in September regarding our status with the CSBA. Thanks to all who came! You are the Association!

CSBA Congress 2006: Thanks Montreal! Hello Calgary in 2007!

The CSBA/QESBA Congress 2006 held in Montreal last week-end was a success. All PEI delegates were delighted with the content, format and delivery of the conference. Speakers and presenters were A+, the entertainment was super, and the facilities, location and the food were exactly what was needed to ease the exchange and sharing that took place between about 400 trustees from across Canada. School visits, town hall exchange, plenaries with humour and significance to all... that is what Montreal offered the rest of the country during Congress 2006.

The PEISTA wishes to thank all organizers in this event. It takes a lot of work to come up with this kind of product. And Montreal took up the challenge and succeeded.

We look forward to our next Congress in 2007: Calgary, here we come!

In memory of J. Albert Wallace

On May 30th, Mr. J. Albert Wallace of O'Leary, died in hospital after a lengthy illness. He was the father of Nancy Wallace, secretary-treasurer of the PEISTA and WSB Trustee. We offer our sincere condolences to Nancy and her family.

CSBA's consultation paper on second language learning

Please take a few minutes to read the consultation paper. If you have any comments, questions, or would like to see changes in the paper, do not hesitate to contact the PEISTA or the CSBA at www.cdnsba.org

Thanks.

Bill Allen brings fresh ideas to PEI

Saturday morning, May 13th, Bill Allen, enrichment coordinator at the Western School District in CornerBrook, NL, took the stage and presented trustees, parents, principals, board directors and Department of Education staff his many different ideas for providing enrichment opportunities to students from the elementary levels to secondary levels.

The session was well-attended, it made us aware of the importance of thinking about the higher achiever students and the ones that have particular talents and affinities in certain areas more than others. We now can start thinking of clusters and mini courses for our PEI students, just to name a few.

Thank you to all who came. Thanks to Bill. And thanks to our president who baked and prepared all the goodies!

PEISTA AGM

Our AGM is coming up. This year, why don't you come join us at the Centre Belle-Alliance in Summerside for an evening you'll really enjoy. We'll have an update on the Atlantic Conference 2007 for you, and you can view our weblog! We'll navigate it together! Come chat with fellow trustees, decide on our logo, talk about our future with the CSBA, plan our upcoming year with us, and enjoy some munchies!
Looking forward to seeing you there on June 6th 2006 at 7 p.m.

Dr. David Booth: A success

If you attended Dr. David Booth's presentation on April 8th, you'll understand why I dub it a success. Parents, educators and trustees were gathered at the Charlottetown hotel on April 8th to hear the renowned Ontario professor and researcher talk about Boys and Literacy. The presentation was extremely informative, funny and thought-provoking. Dr. David Booth's research on male learning styles gave trustees something to go after. The PEISTA is pleased to have contributed to this event, and wishes to thank the PEI Home and School Federation for taking the lead on the issue.

AGM---AGM---AGM---

It's that time of year again: AGM! The PEISTA's AGM will be held at the Centre Belle-Alliance in Summerside on Tuesday, June 6th, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. Join us for a fun night!!! More details to come.

PEISTA welcomes Bill Allan

Bill Allan, educator in Newfoundland will be on the Island on Saturday, May 13th to present trustees many ideas and innovative techniques to involve and challenge children. Enrichment is necessary to many students, yet we rarely provide it in our schools. Let Mr. Allen show you how to make it happen. Join us on May 13th, from 9 to 1 at the Eastern School District in Startford. This PD is brought to you by your PEISTA. All welcome!

Pro D on April 8th

Trustees are invited to join the Home and School Federation of PEI for an afternoon of professional development. Dr. David Booth will present his latest research on Boys and Learning. This is brought to us by the PEIHSF and the PEISTA. Come join parents in learning more about this very hot topic. From 1 to 3 PM at the Charlottetown Hotel.

Special Meeting of the Association

Dear Fellow Trustees,

As you are aware, the PEISTA is holding a special meeting of the Association on Monday night, February 20th, at the Eastern School District Office in Stratford, starting at 7 PM.

I remind you that on the Agenda is CSBA membership and CSBA PD Grant to PEISTA.

We need your input; we need your participation in the voting process. The PEISTA is your Association, and your voice counts.

Please come to the meeting, and exercise your right to voice your concerns. You must be present at the meeting to vote, as no proxy or absentee ballots will be accepted.

I look forward to seeing you Monday night.

Marie Sullivan
President, PEISTA

The PEI Task Force Report on Student Achievement is out!

If you want access to the recommendations and to the whole report, please click on the following link: http://www.upei.ca/studentachievement

Atlantic Conference 2006: a Success

19 Trustees from PEI attended the Atlantic Conference this past week-end in Corner Brook, NL. Presentations were very informative and refreshing; we had lots of fun at Marble Mountain, and many of our trustees were "screeched"! Congratulations to NLSBA!

STA meets with Minister Dover

The PEISTA executive will be meeting with our Minister of Education, the Honourable Mildred Dover, on February 16th 2006. It's time for our yearly meeting with the Department of Education to talk about funding and plans for 06-07.

If you want a particular message to get to the minister, let your rep know, and we'll see if it can be incorporated in the discussions.

Chance to meet with CSBA

Trustees will have the opportunity to meet with CSBA President Gerri Gershon and CSBA National Director Patricia Parulekar while at the Atlantic Conference in Corner Brook. Watch for details about time and day. Your STA rep will have more info as we get closer to the Conference dates.

Come out and have a chat with our national partners.