What is Outreach/

Outreach and Learning Stores are not traditional schools.

Outreach Programs are, by definition and practice, different from regular school programs. The differences are beneficial to and challenging for the students, school staff and school jurisdiction administration. Benefits for Students Benefits include: 
• Students are able to follow a customized education program. All students work toward obtaining their high school diplomas, but they are able, in consultation with teaching staff, to choose which courses they take and when they take them.
 • Students work at their own pace. Although the school may set minimum expectations for student progress (e.g., completion of two modules per week), students are given a great deal of flexibility to work at the best pace for their ability, their motivation and their personal, home and work situations. This flexibility attracts many students back to school and enables them to complete high school.
 • Attendance expectations are also flexible. In some Outreach Programs, students are required to be present for only one or two hours per week in order for teachers to monitor their progress and deal with the students’ personal needs. In other Outreach Programs, students may be required to attend school for 10 or more hours per week. Attendance also may be defined as the time that the student attends to studies off campus.
 • The Outreach Program may have extended hours. Some Outreach Programs serve students who have daytime work schedules or who attend another school during the day. They do so by extending the school day on one or more days of - 5 - the week. For example, the school may open later in the morning and stay open later in the afternoon, may be open one evening a week and/or may be open during the summer. 
• Students can take some high school courses while working. Although regular high schools may allow students to take a reduced workload, an Outreach Program may permit students to take as little as one course at a time, if that is all the student can manage. 
• The student/teacher relationship may be more meaningful as teachers have the opportunity to provide more personal attention thereby allowing them to get to know the individual needs of students including their personal lives as well as how they are performing in their school work. This results in students believing that teachers care about them as individuals.
 • Outreach Programs have low student/teacher ratios. Many Outreach Programs limit the number of students per certificated teacher. Flexible scheduling and attendance requirements provide for low student/teacher ratios during the school day. As a result, students have a learning environment that provides additional individualized assistance to meet their learning needs.
 • Students have access to specialized training and support services, such as parenting courses, personal and career counselling, conflict resolution, anger management, time management, study skills and learning strategies. 
• Students are able to complete coursework within flexible timelines. 
• Outreach Programs provide some students with a second chance to succeed in completing high school by giving students an opportunity to study in a more supportive environment designed to meet their individual learning needs.


I took this from the Outreach Handbook. Ater reading this I see why Learning Strategies courses exist. I nice little reminder of how we differ. We are not a traditional school. This year our students have accessed Counseling more than ever. We will continue to offer this as an option to our students in communities where mental health assistance is very hard to get. There are referral forms in each Learning Store.


Staffing

Anne- 
Monday -High Level Teaching- meeting pm- Complete budget- completing FNMI project supports template-chasing down students today
Tuesday- am High Level  pm- Rainbow
Wednesday- High Level- Plant Propagation Course
Thursday- Fort Am- La Crete pm
Friday- High Level- teaching

Bonnie is out Monday and Tuesday
Alex is out Friday and Monday of Next week
I am out Monday of next week for medical
Anyone else I'm missing???

If you are using up your days please let me know quickly we need to plan ahead for these absences. 



List of things to think about

# grade nine LA Part A writing should be taking place within the next two weeks.
#Grads have just four weeks to get to the 90% completion rate we expect of them
# Grad coaches should be meeting/touching base with each grad to ensure they know what is left to do. 
Diplomas- all teachers have thoroughly reviewed their students and have set students up for diploma sittings, if there are accommodations I need to know about them NOW please. You also know who is writing digitally. 
#CRM High Level Tuesday am
# Post Secondary and Health Expo is happening on May 23rd. A bus will pick up any La Crete or Fort Vermilion students. There will be an accident simulation. Health careers highlighted and over 11 Post secondary institutions will attend and have a speed dating style event. 
As we want all staff to take this in we will put up signs which let students know that we are all going on a field trip. I will make that sign today. Jenine I will talk to you about this tomorrow when I come in to meet with Danielle. Chad will drive the bus from La Crete and pick up the Fort Students if there are any. 
#May 9th our LA and Social teachers will meet at Northern Home Education in La Crete to go over course changes and make decisions about courses. We are moving forward with the updates to courses.
# if you have grads going on to post secondary see me for a bursary list for our region. 





Updates

Paris starts cheemo today. They had to wait because they saw something on his lungs. Today I will get another update from his Mom. He texted some great jokes like this one. 
Why did the man fall in the well?

He didn't see...... That...... well.             Ha ha ha

Yeah! High Level learning Stores Outdoor Classroom received a $1000 grant for our vegetable garden. It was a lovely thing to fill out a grant proposal one day and get an answer back two days later! I wish everything worked like that. 

Thanks to The La Crete crew for our CRM last week. We spoke about each student and had some frank conversations, which we so need, that's what CRM is for. we celebrated some very cool student successes thanks to staff making connections. 


Enjoy your week. I deem this catch up week. Catching up with kids, catching up with work, catching up in thinking about Momma's day and what I will do for my mom, catching up on vitamin D with that sun shining, catching up with the outdoors.

Just a note the Northern Lights Forestry Education Society is having a free BBQ on Wednesday, starting at 5:30. This will be at Spirit trails. Walk the trails, feed the chickadees from your hand, enjoy the outdoors. Everyone is welcome.