Every Thursday morning in the fall, all the Grade 4 students from Hampstead School gathered with their teachers to excitedly trek through the leaves, and eventually snow, and make their way to nearby Elmwood Kildonans Pool.

These students were the first participants in the school’s new swimming program, which was a long time in the making, according to

Hampstead principal Elizabeth Linton.

“It took us four years,” she says.

“Co-ordinating things with the City of

Winnipeg took some time and then,

unfortunately, the pool had a large fire

and was closed for a year. It was a long

wait and we were really happy to finally

get started!”

A second session of lessons began in

January for the Grade 5 students. Each session lasts 10 weeks, and the aim is for each student to get 40 swimming lessons over the course of attending Grade 4 and 5 at Hampstead.

All the students, including those with special needs, are in the pool for one hour every week. This includes a half hour of instruction by certified City of Winnipeg instructors and a half-hour

of free swim time, supervised by their teachers and educational assistants, who get in the water right alongside them.

It’s a big commitment from the school, but both parents and students have been thrilled with the program and it has a 100 per cent participation rate. Only two of the 34 students who took part in the fall session had ever taken swimming lessons.

“Some of the families in the community may not have had the opportunity to participate in swimming lessons and community club sports,” says Ms. Linton. “We’re trying to fill a need in one small way.”

And it’s not just about learning how to swim, she says. The students are gaining confidence and improving their self-esteem, while taking part in a new experience and having a great time doing it.

A few students were nervous at first, but they’re splashing around like otters in the water now.

“One little girl just sat on the edge the first time and was too anxious to get into the pool,” says Ms. Linton. “Now she’s always the first one running to the water! It’s just great.”

RETSD focuses on mental health

If you’re not quite feeling yourself this month, you’re not alone.

February is recognized as one of the months with the highest occurrence of SADD (seasonal affective depressive disorder). Short daylight, cold weather and post-holiday blues contribute to emotional lows that impact many of us.

Mental illness affects every family, directly or indirectly, with 20 per cent of Canadians experiencing a mental disorder in their lifetime. Despite this high frequency, there is still a stigma

associated with mental illness which discourages people from seeking

appropriate treatment.

River East Transcona recognizes

that schools are important settings

for mental health promotion and

intervention.

Like other divisions, RETSD has looked

to external resources when students

experience mental health issues.

“Schools have done a good job of

accessing community resources,

but there aren’t a lot of them,” says

Dr. Connie Boutet, manager of the

student services unit at RETSD. “Unfortunately the information they provide us with isn’t tailored to a school setting. It doesn’t include strategies for how to handle situations in the classroom.”

So, Dr. Boutet says River East Transcona decided to build its own capacity to respond to students with mental health needs.

The division created a mental health steering committee that will focus on educating staff about mental health/mental illness, and promoting student resiliency using existing resources from

the health curriculum.

This year, staff look forward to regular

“Spotlight on Mental Health” emails,

and social-emotional lesson plans

are being developed to enhance the

curriculum.

“We’re very excited about our new

mental health initiative because now

we have another avenue to address

the needs of our students,” says Joan

Trubyk, assistant superintendent of

student services. “The support from

staff has been extremely encouraging.

We look forward to this new journey.”

NEW SWIM PROGRAM MAKES A SPLASH

FEBRUARY 2016

Some happy swimmers from Hampstead after their lesson at Elmwood Kildonans Pool on Jan. 21.

Superintendent’s message

Between just the ages of seven and 14, Canadian students spend an average of over 7,000 hours in school. RETSD recognizes the opportunities this gives us to positively influence our students and contribute to their success. We’re always looking for ways to do this by further developing our programming, services and facilities.

In this issue of The Torch, you’ll find several stories that touch on the ways we strive to meet our students’ needs, whether through enhanced mental

health services (front cover), the caring connections made by dedicated volunteers (below) a confidence- building swim program (front cover), or through the renovation and expansion of a school that’s about to experience population growth (facing page).

As well, this issue highlights some hands-on learning provided for our students in a wide array of subjects such as fly fishing, banking, music and positive self-image. We believe that everyone is unique and can achieve

individual success—providing diverse activities such as these helps us find what sparks the imagination of each student. We want to make the most of those 7,000-plus hours.

Also, be sure to check out our story about the Transcona boundary changes on the back page. With input from the community, the RETSD Board of Trustees is hard at work to make the necessary transitions go well for all involved.

Kelly Barkman Superintendent/CEO

We’re very thankful for volunteers like Marie Virtue from Donwood Elementary School. For the past three years, Ms. Virtue has cheerfully served hot breakfast to students twice a week, doing all the cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping required. And she makes sure to personally connect with each of the students, welcoming them each by name with a warm smile. For more about volunteering in RETSD, visit: www.retsd.mb.ca/Community/Volunteer

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

REC student organizes TEDx conference

Cole Lazaruk, a Grade 10 student

from River East Collegiate, organized

a speakers’ conference that was held

at the Cohen Auditorium in the St.

Boniface Research Centre on Dec. 5,

2015. It was called TEDxKildonan—

TEDx conferences are youth-organized

versions of the popular TED talks.

Here, he shares his impressions of

the successful event, which he began

planning midway through his Grade 9

year.

An amazing group of attendees,

speakers and volunteers gathered to

form TEDxKildonan, the latest renewed

vision of TED within Winnipeg.

TEDx is a non-profit organization that allows events to be locally organized to spread ideas within a community. Local organizers envision, organize and execute a conference in the hopes of inspiring all who attend or watch online.

TEDxKildonan was hosted by local comedian Heather Witherden and gathered some incredible speakers: Cassie Hawrysh, a Canadian Olympic skeleton racer; Kevin Lamoureux, MP for Winnipeg North; River East Colligate’s very own Kris Moroski and Jayda Hope (teacher and student, respectively); Insp. Doug Roxburgh and Sgt. Nick Paulet from the Winnipeg Police Service; Todd Scott, artist and communicator; and Joseph Darcel,

aviation instructor. The talented speakers shared their ideas about everything from education and leadership to creativity and stories of kayaking across Canada.

Among all the positive feedback and inspiring talks, there was a fantastic, hard-working team of volunteers that formed a “force on the 5th.” This group of over 20 individuals volunteered their time to make sure everything was absolutely perfect. This included volunteers for welcoming attendees, and for technical and creative work.

Providing the guidance and vision since the very start of the planning for TEDxKildonan was the leadership team, who helped me, as the project lead, make everything leading up to the event happen—creative director James Pither, volunteer co-ordinator Luke Lazaruk, and finance co-ordinator Jorge Cabral.

Something remarkable happened that day. Something profound, something that can only be described by the smiles and laughs on people’s faces throughout the day. TEDxKildonan sparked a newborn enthusiasm for Winnipeg and everyone who makes up this amazing city.

TEDxKildonan organizer Cole Lazaruk. Photo by Kevin Wood.

Miles Mac to get new gym and renovations

Miles Macdonell Collegiate is about

to expand to meet the needs of its

growing population of students.

On Jan. 13, Education Minister James

Allum made an announcement at

Miles Mac that more than 12 gyms in elementary and high schools across Manitoba will be upgraded, including a new gym and classroom expansion at Miles Mac itself.

A new, 13,000-sq.-ft. gym addition, a new art room and the renovation of existing gym space into four classrooms

at Miles Macdonell Collegiate will be

the first project supported under this

funding, said Allum.

“We’re really pleased to hear this

announcement,” said Colleen Carswell,

board chair. “Getting a new gym for

Miles Mac has been a priority of the

board’s for several years and it comes at the perfect time.”

In September 2016, Miles Macdonell Collegiate will be welcoming Grade 9 students for the first time, becoming a Grade 9 to 12 high school and growing the student population to 1,136 from 913. This new gym will help ensure that students have access to physical education programing, while the new art room and classroom space will help accommodate the increased enrolment, the minister said.

The previous $50-million Active Living Fund launched in 2011 resulted in 16 schools receiving new or upgraded gyms. Intake for the new $50-million fund will start immediately.

“There are people in RETSD who’ve worked tirelessly to make this a reality and their efforts are greatly appreciated by the board of trustees,” says Ms. Carswell. “The construction of a new gym will be a tremendous benefit to our students.”

Titan Credit Union provides hands-on experience

Students at Transcona Collegiate

certainly don’t have to go far if they

need to visit the bank.

Since 1997, a student-run credit union

has made its home at the school, giving

students a leg up in learning about

money management through hands-on

experience and providing a convenient

way for everyone to do their personal banking.

Titan Credit Union, a partnership between Transcona Collegiate and Casera Credit Union, is the longest-running accredited collaboration of its kind in Manitoba and was the brainchild of former teacher Geoff Tuckwell and retired principal Jim Beveridge.

The credit union is open from October to June and offers savings and chequing accounts, sells GICs and even provides small interest-free loans. Grade 10–12 students work there as part of a course called Life/Work Transitions 40S and receive training from Casera.

“We’ve had hundreds of students go through the program and many have gone on to work in financial

institutions,” says Transcona Collegiate teacher Kelly Wilde.

The experience gives them a working knowledge of the banking system in Canada and helps them develop skills in decision making, money, business organization, office work and time management, as well as contracts and the corporate world.

Stay tuned for the March 23 issue of

The Herald!It will contain our next

issue of The Torch, which will feature information

about the 2016–17 RETSD budget.

Transcona Collegiate students provide service with a smile as they work behind the counter at Titan Credit Union.

After the announcement on Jan. 13, students sat for a photo with (front row, l–r) trustee Peter Kotyk, Miles Mac teacher Nadia Melon, MLA Matt Wiebe, board chair Colleen Carswell, Education Minister James Allum, MLA Jim Maloway, trustees Eva Prysizney and Michael West, superintendent Kelly Barkman, Miles Mac principal Mark Bruce; (back row, l–r) trustees Rod Giesbrecht and Jerry Sodomlak.

Catchment areas changing in Transcona

The catchment boundaries for Harold

Hatcher, Wayoata, Westview and

Radisson schools have changed

following a decision by the RETSD

Board of Trustees.

All new students moving into the

area, as well as all new kindergarten

students, must adhere to the changes,

which came into effect Jan. 12, 2016.

Children currently in kindergarten

and Grade 1 have until September

2017 to move to their new catchment

school. Children in grades 2 to 5 are

grandfathered and do not have to

change schools.

“We know our decision may cause

disruptions in some families’ lives,

but we’re working hard to make the

transition as smooth as possible,” says

Colleen Carswell, board chair.

Rapid growth in the area has put

Harold Hatcher Elementary School at

capacity and the board knew it had to

create a plan to address the situation.

Ms. Carswell said Manitoba Education

and Advanced Learning told school

divisions that it wouldn’t consider

adding on to or building new schools

until divisions conducted a review of

school catchment areas. Following

the board’s review of the catchment

areas it was evident adjustments to the

boundaries were needed to relieve the

pressure at Harold Hatcher and even

out enrolment among the four schools.

The changes to the boundaries mean

some Harold Hatcher students will

be moving to Radisson and Wayoata

schools, while some Wayoata students

will be moving to Harold Hatcher,

Radisson and Westview schools.

Families affected by the changes were

informed by letter.

“We’ve had two public meetings with

our parents but I would encourage

anyone who has questions to talk

to their school principal and to refer

to the information we have on the

division website,” says Ms. Carswell.

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Two River East Collegiate students get lessons from Mike Corrigan in tying fishing knots during a fly fishing workshop held at the school on Jan. 15. Members of the Manitoba Fly Fishers Association also taught the group of students how to cast and make fishing lures (flies).

Students explore their goody bags as they take part in “New Year’s Revolution—Girl Style” on Jan. 9. It’s one of several “Goddess events” that have been held for RETSD girls in grades 6–12 to promote positive self-image through group discussions about important topics, along with crafts and activities.

Teachers Terrence Hoorman (left) and Cam Sheppard (right) jam with a student at John G. Stewart School where they’ve begun a new music program. It started with guitars and has grown to include percussion instruments. The teachers also use mobile technology to help the students learn different notes and chords.