Partnerships amongst OCDSB schools provide a best practices model for international study tours
Earl of March Principal Jon Harris demonstrates his impressive skills in using chopsticks at the Japanese Cultural Showcase were the exchange students hosted games and cultural activities, including music and dance
In April, four OCDSB high schools - Bell HS, Earl of March SS, Sir Robert Borden HS and West Carleton SS - hosted more than 80 students from Yamate Gakuin School in Yokohama, Japan, on its second exchange to Ottawa. Students from OCDSB schools will have the opportunity to travel to Japan for the reciprocal part of this cultural exchange program this coming summer.
Woodroffe works for inclusion on international study tours
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Woodroffe HS teacher Ms. Holly Newsome with students during a past trip to Costa Rica
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Several innovative international initiatives that embody the spirit of collaboration are taking place at Woodroffe High School. For a decade now, Special Education teacher Mr. Jamie Hughson has taken students with cognitive challenges from the General Learning Program (GLP) on various study tours throughout North America. These travel experiences heighten student curiosity in the world and increase self-esteem in these students. As Jamie also pointed out, the OCENET bursaries are critical in supporting these students and “make the difference in some of these students going or not going.” This May, the GLP students, along with Woodroffe students from other programs, will travel to Barbados and deliver backpacks of school supplies during part of their visit.
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Woodroffe HS students including students in the GLP classes on a study tour to California in 2017
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Next year Woodroffe teacher Ms. Holly Newsome along with Mr. Jamie Hughson will be leading a study tour to Costa Rica that will include GLP students, Sports Leadership SHSM students, and credit program students, along with students from other OCDSB schools, to experience many aspects of Costa Rican ecology and culture, including the Arenal Volcano, and visits to an animal rescue centre, a butterfly garden, chocolate production facility, and tree planting. By leading groups of students from different school programs and collaborating with other schools, these teachers are fulfilling their goals of supporting the values of “Equity, diversity, and experiential education.”
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Board-wide study tour set to travel to Iceland in June 2018
For the first time a board-wide study tour initiative has been organized for students in OCDSB secondary schools. A group of 40 OCDSB students and teachers from 10 different schools are heading to Iceland for a week of exploration in late June following the examinations. The trip is intended for students who are keen about Geography and Earth Sciences and was developed to promote interest in both the Grade 11 Physical Geography (Forces of Nature) course as well as the Grade 12 Earth and Space Science course. Students will have the opportunity to stand with a foot on two tectonic plates, hike up a glacier, visit volcanoes and see beautiful waterfalls and geothermal geysers. The study tour leaders are Mr. Barter of A.Y. Jackson SS and Ms. Hughes from Longfields-Davidson Heights SS. It is hoped that this study tour be the beginning of annual board-wide geography/geology themed trips.
Check out @OCENETOttawa "A Guide to Best Practices for Developing Global Competencies through Sustainable Partnership Schools Abroad, Grades 7-12" #globallyaware #globalcompetence #globaled @OCDSB
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