Join us for the GEPIC Virtual Thursday Spring Speaker Series
Grand Erie's Parent Involvement Committee (GEPIC) is a great way to get involved in the education of your child. The Committee is a direct link to Grand Erie’s Trustees and Executive Council by providing important input. GEPIC is comprised of parents who wish to support school councils and other parents across the system.
As part of GEPIC’s focus on education from a system perspective, Grand Erie has partnered to develop the Spring Speaker Series, bringing together knowledgeable representatives from the fields of education and mental health to offer attendees helpful practical advice, industry insight and professional experience.
Featured below are the current virtual events for the month of April. Scroll to the bottom of the page to register online.
Click here to learn more about Grand Erie's Parent Involvement Committee (GEPIC).
Mental Health & Well-Being During COVID-19
Overview: The Mental Health Lead, a School Social Worker and a Child & Youth Worker will talk about mental health promotion, targeted prevention and intervention services within Grand Erie. There will also be a discussion of the roles of Security, Belonging and Hope in maintaining positive mental health. Finally, the speakers will highlight the 5 Ways to Well Being which will be introduced during Mental Health Week 2021. Q&A’s.
- Date: April 1st
- Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
- Presenter: Piyali Bagchee, Mental Health and Wellness Lead; Katie Boyle, School Social Worker; Rachel Gee, School Child & Youth Worker – Grand Erie District School Board.
How to be an Ally for Marginalized Students
Overview: Understanding our own identity, being willing to learn and unlearn, and uplifting the voices of others are some of the foundational aspects of becoming an ally. In this workshop, a panel of speakers will explore these themes through sharing reflections about how to be an ally, through both their lived experiences and their roles within Grand Erie.
Speakers will include Jean Samuel, Equity Educator; Joe Tice, Lead Teacher Consultant, Indigenous Education; Jeannie Martin, Native Advisor, Indigenous Education; Jeff Benner, Co-Chair of the Safe and Inclusive Schools Committee of Grand Erie and Secondary Principal; and Kathryn Cottrill, Secondary Teacher and Equity Champion.
Please join us for an engaging and meaningful discussion about equity and inclusion and the importance of allyship for our children, youth and communities. Q&A’s.
- Date: April 8th
- Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
- Presenter: Christine Bibby, Safe and Inclusive Schools Lead – Grand Erie District School Board
Parenting in a Pandemic
Overview: As pare
- Date: April 22
- Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
- Presenter: Ann Douglas
- Ann Douglas sparks conversations that matter about parenting and mental health. She is a regular contributor to CBC Radio and a bestselling parenting book author. Ann is the creator of The Mother of All Book series and the author, most recently, of Happy Parents, Happy Kids and Parenting Through the Storm.
“I believe that writers can change the world. We have the power to tell stories and share ideas that can fuel social change. It’s both an extraordinary privilege and a daunting responsibility.”
Indigenous Education and Reconciliation
- Date: April 29th
- Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
- Presenter: Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse, Full Professor & 3M National Teaching Fellow, Faculty of Education, Laurentian University.
Indigenous peoples have given an abundance of innovations and inventions to the world and in this presentation, Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse will address the need for these contributions to be highlighted and shared within the context of Education and Reconciliation. She will explain why such actions will boost the self-esteem and success of Indigenous students and foster stronger relationships between all peoples.
Registration
Use the form below to register for the GEPIC Virtual Thursday Speakers Series.
Once your invitation has been processed by Grand Erie you will recieve an email confirming your attendance along with a Microsoft Teams virtual event invite link.
You will need to install Microsoft Teams to watch the event live.
Download Microsoft Teams for free here.
Happy “new year”! I hope everyone had a pleasant summer holiday. It’s been nice to talk to students and parents this week about all the things you’ve done over the past two months. I’ve heard lots of stories of fun trips and relaxation. I’ve also heard a few about some more stressful experiences that life seems to always present. Whatever the past 2 months brought for you, I’m looking forward to working together again as a Boston School Family to support each other. September brings the opportunity for fresh starts and lots of reason for optimism. Each and every student is full of potential, and on a pathway that is their own unique success story (always in progress)!
This year you’ll notice that the
staff is mostly the same with a few exceptions.
Mrs. Huffman is off this year with her new baby. We would like to
welcome Ms. Agius, who has joined us to teach the 3/4 class. We are excited to have her back as part of
the Boston team! We would also like to
welcome Mrs. Trembley as our new custodian.
We are all in good hands with her making sure the building is in good shape!
On the first day, we had a
Welcome-Back Assembly in which we committed to two very simple things this
year: 1) We will always do our best
2) We will always be kind
I believe those two simple
statements can guide every decision we make every day, and I’ve asked every
Blazer to consider them when they are making choices.
Once again, welcome to a new school year. It’s good to be back!