Grand Erie Bids Fond Farewell to Long-Serving Superintendent and Educator

Grand Erie District School Board is wishing a fond farewell to Linda De Vos, Superintendent of Education, as she winds down a career in education spanning 35 years.

“Linda has provided Grand Erie with visionary leadership, exemplary administration, and an enduring commitment to staff and student success,” said JoAnna Roberto, Director of Education. “We will miss her tremendously but she leaves us better off for the wisdom and experience she brought to her role as Superintendent.”

De Vos’s career in education began in 1985 as an elementary teacher in what was then the Oxford County Board of Education, amalgamated into the Thames Valley District School Board in 1998. De Vos was promoted to vice-principal in 2003, and two years later, moved into the role of principal. She was an administrator at Maple Lane Public School, Elliott Fairbairn Public School, Algonquin Public School, and Otterville Public School. In 2013, she became Learning Supervisor, overseeing Math, Science, Technology, and Environmental Education for Kindergarten to Grade 12. She left Thames Valley for Grand Erie in 2015, where she’s been responsible for the Elementary Program, School Effectiveness, and Early Years portfolios as well as the Haldimand Elementary Family of Schools, in her position as Superintendent.

“Linda and I started our roles as Superintendents at the same time in Grand Erie, and it was the beginning of not only a fantastic working relationship, but also a very valuable friendship,” said Liana Thompson, Superintendent of Education, responsible for Special Education and the Brantford Elementary Family of Schools. “Linda’s approach has always been open, transparent, and collaborative, with a focus on building and sustaining positive relationships. She is highly respected and admired because of it.”

In addition to the portfolios she is accountable to, De Vos’s leadership has also involved monitoring and measuring student achievement in literacy and numeracy, supporting school administrators in School Achievement Plans, developing system professional learning for educators, and collaboration with Ministry and community partners in working towards a broad range of goals.

“Linda’s leadership style is one which inspires and motivates those around her,” said Marion Kline, Principal Leader, School Effectiveness, who has worked closely with De Vos. “She brings people together to work towards a common goal and a shared vision, listening to the voices of others and valuing their input when making decisions. It has been such a pleasure to work with her.”

De Vos should find no shortage of things to keep her busy in retirement; she and her husband Dwayne live on a working farm in Oxford County, which is a gathering spot for their two sons, daughter and their spouses, as well as two grandchildren (Cal and Emry). She also looks forward to travelling when it is safe to do so.

“I’ve been privileged to have a career that I’ve remained passionate about, one that has been both rewarding and filled with inspiration – both professionally and personally,” said De Vos. “I’ve been blessed with so many opportunities thanks to amazing mentors who have influenced my career at so many critical points. It’s been a professional dream come true to lead Grand Erie’s Elementary Program, including Early Years, as well as to collaborate with system leaders and my family of schools’ administrators. It’s been my privilege to serve the Grand Erie community for the past five years as well as the Thames Valley community before that.”

De Vos will retire from Grand Erie in the new year.

Good Food Adds Up to Good Learning at Courtland Pubic School

Evidence suggests that breakfast and snack programs in schools:

• Improves children’s school performance, memory and test grades
• Enhances students’ physical, emotional, social and intellectual development
• Increases attendance rates, particularly for nutritionally at risk children
• Provides additional time for children to eat and drink nutritious breakfasts and snacks
• Provides energy for students to be more physically
• Enhances nutritional status of students by replacing the consumption of foods with low nutritional value with more nutritious choices, such as more vegetables and fruit
• Promotes a sense of community by bringing people together to ensure all children are well-nourished
• Leads to better dietary habits by increasing the frequency of eating breakfast
• Reduces the prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiencies

With the generous support of the Child Nutrition Network and the Grand Erie District School Board, the school was able to renovate a room in the school into a nutrition program kitchen. Funds provided by the Child Nutrition Network and school fundraising monies purchase the good food and materials needed to run the program.

Every morning at 8 a.m., parent volunteers and their children arrive to prepare and distribute the food for the day. This program would not happen without their enthusiastic support.

Each serving of food includes a dairy product (i.e. yogurt, cheese string), a grain product (i.e. crackers, mixed cereal, muffin, whole wheat bun) and a fruit product (i.e. apple, banana, clementine orange, grapes, juice) or a vegetable product (i.e. cucumber slices, raw carrots). A container filled with food is delivered to each classroom and as children get settled for a day of learning, staff and students are encouraged to help themselves to a delicious and nutritious start to the day.

“Nutrition programs, such as the one at Courtland Public School, are happening in many schools within the Grand Erie District School Board. It’s a huge effort supported by the Board, volunteers and community agencies. Working together, it’s amazing what can be done. We feel most grateful to have this opportunity for our Courtland school community”, says principal Deb Opersko.

Roots of Empathy

Courtland Public School offers the Roots of Empathy program in our Kindergarten A classroom. Our Early Childhood Educator, Mrs. L. Wildman is a trained Roots of Empathy instructor. Our Roots of Empathy baby and her mom are welcome visitors to the classroom.

An explanation of program, from the Roots of Empathy website is included below:

Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among schoolchildren by raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. The program reaches elementary schoolchildren from Kindergarten to Grade 8. In Canada, the program is delivered in English and French and reaches rural, urban, and remote communities including Aboriginal communities. Roots of Empathy is also delivered in New Zealand, the United States, Isle of Man, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Emotional Literacy

At the heart of the program are a neighbourhood infant and parent who visit the classroom every three weeks over the school year. A trained Roots of Empathy Instructor coaches students to observe the baby's development and to label the baby's feelings. In this experiential learning, the baby is the "Teacher" and a lever, which the instructor uses to help children identify and reflect on their own feelings and the feelings of others. This "emotional literacy" taught in the program lays the foundation for more safe and caring classrooms, where children are the "Changers". They are more competent in understanding their own feelings and the feelings of others (empathy) and are therefore less likely to physically, psychologically and emotionally hurt each other through bullying and other cruelties. In the

Roots of Empathy program children learn how to challenge cruelty and injustice. Messages of social inclusion and activities that are consensus building contribute to a culture of caring that changes the tone of the classroom. The Instructor also visits before and after each family visit to prepare and reinforce teachings using a specialized lesson plan for each visit. Research results from national and international evaluations of Roots of Empathy indicate significant reductions in aggression and increases in pro-social behaviour.