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Adult Education Program

Memorandum To: Adult Education Program Staff From: Hanna Cabaj (Coordinator) and Jaime Puentes (Admin Assistant) Adult Education Program

Vol. 2018/2019 No. 272 May 2019

In This Issue

Upcoming Events/Dates

Victoria Day Long Weekend 1

Canada Day Long Weekend 1

Adult Education Summer Dates 1

New/Important Information

LINC Activity Monitor 1-2

IRCC Submissions 2

Online Absence Notification 3

Outreach Report 4-5

AE Nursery Program 7-8

Tips for Classroom Instructors

Upcoming Webinars 5

Feature Resource of the Month 6

Employee Related News

Memorial 8

Upcoming Events/Dates Victoria Day Long Weekend: May 18-20, 2019

There will be no classes on those days; classes resume on Tuesday, May 21, 2019.

Canada Day Long Weekend

As indicated in the Payroll Calendar of the Staff Binder, the Canada Day long weekend extends from Saturday, June 29 to Monday, July 1. There will be NO CLASSES on those days. Classes resume on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. This extends to all programs and employee groups.

Adult Education Program Dates: Summer 2019

We ask that you review the following dates carefully:

Class end dates For the end day of your class, please review your current class register. Refer to your Program Consultant for any clarification. July program 2019 – daytime classes only The July program 2019 runs from Tuesday, July 2, 2019 to Friday, July 19, 2019. July leaves of absence July leaves of absence will be granted for the period of Tuesday, July 2, 2019 to Friday, July 19, 2019.

The application deadline for July leaves is Thursday, May 30, 2019.

LINC Activity Monitor

In April of this year, IRCC conducted the annual LINC Activity Monitor for our program. The activity took the entire day of meetings with program staff, instructors, learners, class visits and review of multiple documents. Overall, we were commended on the following:

The quality of the iCARE and APPR reports continue to be excellent - providing comprehensive information covering all aspects of the contribution agreement.

Submission to: Jaime Puentes

Adult Education Program

80 Sheppard Avenue East

416-222-8282 Ext. 2513

Fax: 416-512-4992 Email:

puentej@tcdsb.org

LINC Activity Monitor (continues from Page 1)

LINC Learners were providing positive feedback about the PBLA environment, and were able to provide insightful comments about their PBLA progress. It is also promising that PBLA was not a source of negative comments in the recent annual client feedback report.

The TCDSB has a strong and proactive client feedback policy that is comprehensive, and responsive to client needs.

The TCDSB has made a big improvement to their waitlist management process - significantly reducing the number of clients waiting 60+ days, since the issue was flagged in November 2018.

The ongoing concern continues to be low attendance, as the monitoring report noted the following attendance

average for each LINC site for the past year:

1. Finch@Warden site: 72% 2. Eglinton site: 67% 3. Mary Ward site: 67% 4. Lakeshore site: 63% 5. Victoria Park site: 58%

To that last point in the report, we provided the following response:

We offer our clients the most flexible class schedules, with a possibility to attend part time during the day, in the evening and on Saturdays. Our part-time day schedules can be combined by a client into a full-time schedule. We review class registrations and adjust class levels for each of the 3 semesters in every fiscal year.

We have instituted a practice of checking waitlists for all sites on a monthly basis to ensure clients are not waiting when space may be made available for them. We review class lists and learner progressions at each site, to maximize class loading. We make all attempts to do outreach for our programs, in the face of no budget allocation for promotion. In the current year, we secured $7000 from Toronto Region Partnerships for Adult Education Project. We printed 20,000 copies of our hardcopy Program Directory, which we distributed widely to Ontario Works and Employment Ontario offices, Toronto public libraries, community agency sites and centres.

We are in ongoing contact with the Language Assessment Centre to increase referrals of clients to our sites. We have a written attendance policy that is reviewed with staff and clients on a regular basis.

New/Important Information

IRCC Submissions

Following the 2019 Call for Proposals for Direct Delivery of programs, to which we submitted a proposal for the 2020-2025 LINC program delivery, referenced in April 2019 memo, IRCC issued an additional call for Indirect Delivery. Indirect delivery projects are aimed at national initiatives enhancing the direct delivery of settlement programming.

The Adult Education Program has submitted two proposals in response to the Indirect Delivery CFP. The first one is to develop enhancements, ensure sustainability and professional development for the National Curriculum Guidelines project that we are starting in the current fiscal year. The second proposal is to develop e-modules and e-courses for LINC, that will be housed in the new National Learning Management System that is currently being developed under IRCC funding.

If the proposals are accepted, the negotiations of the contracts will continue throughout the summer months.

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To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

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To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

ESS — Online Absence Notification Reminders

As part of the upcoming changes for the 2019-2020 year, we would like to remind you of some specific points related to creating an absence or updating your availability to supply in ESS.

Remember to update your supply availability. If you select only one or two areas of the city to supply, the area/s you did not check will not show your name in the list for that specific area. The same applies to the dates and times of the day that you are available. If you chose not to be available for assignments on Tues-days and Thursdays, your name will not be displayed in the list for those evenings. The permanent staff will have to add the name of the supply in the NOTE section.

You can always enter an absence, even after the day of your absence has passed. However, we recommend you create the notification within 48 hours if you did not do so prior to the absence.

If you create an absence, it is very important to ensure that under Action, you select New Absence. If you select Delete Absence and chose a supply instructor, that substitute will receive an email saying the assign-ment is cancelled. If you selected the wrong person to supply, you need to enter the information again and select Change Absence, with the correct substitute and resubmit to Human Resources.

The new changes will be explained later in the year. Stay tuned for more information in the next issues of the memorandum.

If you want to review the process of creating an absence or updating your supply availability, you can review our PowerPoint presentation, available in the For Staff section of our Adult Education program webpage at: https://www.tcdsb.org/FORCOMMUNITY/AdultEducationESL/Resources/Pages/ESS---Employee-Self-Service.aspx

Outreach Report for May 2019 Submitted by Kay Ham, Program Consultant

Toronto Newcomer Day

All adult classes are encouraged to plan a field trip to the 5th Annual Toronto Newcomer Day to welcome all newcomers to our city and celebrate our growing diversity:

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019

Time: 11:30 am to 3:30 pm

Location: Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West

Event Highlights

Art exhibit, City Hall tours, Entertaining performances, Citizenship ceremony, Colouring for children, Free Tim Hortons beverages, Food trucks

Gardening activity, Interactive activities, Information fair, Newcomer marketplace, Newcomer food fair, Prizes and giveaways, “Welcome Gesture”

Community Engagement:

1. St. Andrew Catholic School (Kipling and Finch area) hosted a ‘Newcomer Orientation Evening’ at the school on Wednesday, April 10, 2019. TCDSB Adult Education was present to promote our programs in the Northwest area (see image on right).

2. Naomi Paramanantham attended the “Welcoming Community for Newcomers” event organized by Toronto East Quadrant of Local Immigration Partnership (TEQ-LIP) on April 30, 2019. The goal of this event was to examine ways for local service providers and faith communities of the TEQ-LIP catchment area to work together in supporting newcomers (see images below).

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To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

Outreach Report for May 2019

Upcoming Engagements:

1. May is Asian Heritage Month. The Adult Education Program is participating in the “Health & Wellness Symposium” for the Chinese Community to be held at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School on June 8, 2019. The other event -“Proudly Pinoy” for the Pilipino Community- is still in progress.

2. Skills for Change has asked for a presentation on our program, especially our ‘ESL for Healthcare Professionals’ to their staff and clients. This is scheduled for Friday, May 24, 2019.

3. Abrigo and Mid-West Service Network of UHN is hosting their first community event at Dufferin/St. Clair Library on June 6, 2019. TCDSB Adult Ed Program has asked for a table for program promotion and is waiting for confirmation.

Social Media Posting:

Many thanks to the staff who have sent pictures from their class trips and guest speakers for posting:

A. Sylvia Lee sent photos of Worship Centre’s field trip to the Centre for Education & Training in which learners received information on employment services and resources they can access. B. Helen Kaluzhsky sent pictures of a presentation by the Toronto Police on their role and responsibilities in Canada and on individual personal safety.

We need and appreciate your strong support through encouraging your learners to “react & follow” on our platforms to reach the goal.

Our social media handles are:

Facebook: @TorontoAdultEducation Instagram: TorontoAdultEducation Twitter: @AdultEdTCDSB

Tips for Classroom Instructors

Upcoming Events and Webinars

June 8, 9-4:30: TESL Toronto Conference (TOSCON19), at Victoria College (91 Charles Street West, Toronto). To register or get information: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/toscon19-tesl-toronto-spring-conference-2019-tickets-54782111771

Visit Tutela to register for the webinars below. Webinars with a star are for TESL Ontario members, who also join the TESL Ontario group on Tutela.

*May 15, 7-8 pm: Timely Talk About Tobacco (Annie Levitan, Joanne Mercer)

May 28, 7-8 pm: L1 Literacy and Access to Social Services (Theresa Wall)

*May 30, 8-9 pm: Learning Tech Innovation in the Adult Settlement Language Training Sector (Rob McBride)

June 6, 7-8 pm: When ESL Meets Escape Rooms (Marlaina Riggio)

*June 27, 8-9 pm: Improving Pronunciation using Icebreakers, Warmups, and Short Activities (Mary Ritter)

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To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

Tips for Classroom Instructors

Resource of the Month Submitted by Anne-Marie Kaskens, Resources Consultant

English in Action Series - 3rd edition (levels 1-4)

Publisher: National Geographic Learning (US), distributed in Canada through Nelson. To order: Contact Tom Sepp at tom.sepp@nelson.com or the Nelson order desk: nelson.orderdesk@nelson.com (or 1-300-268-2222).

English in Action is a four-level adult ESL textbook series. It has been in circulation for years, but the third edition was published in 2019. It is American, but distributed in Canada through Nelson. For the most part, it can be used in Ca-nadian contexts. It is a theme-based, integrated skills series, with full-colour photos, common topics and themes, and related practise with grammar, reading, writing, speaking and listening. Each level has about 13 units, with clear learning goals listed in the table of contents.

FREE SAMPLE UNITS: In your browser search bar, type “English in Action third edition” to locate the National Geo-graphic Learning English in Action webpage. Then scroll down and click on the arrow beside “Look Inside”. You can view a sample unit for each level (below, underlined). Below are approximate CLB levels for each text.

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To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

English in Action Level 1 (CLB 1-2)

English in Action Level 2 (CLB 2-3)

English in Action Level 3 (CLB 4)

English in Action Level 4 (CLB 5-6)

1. The Classroom 2. The Family 3. At Home 4. What are you Doing? 5. My City 6. Downtown 7. Clothing 8. Transportation 9. Daily Life 10. Food 11. Jobs 12. Health 13. Weekend Plans

14. My School 15. The Family 16. Home 17. A Typical Day 18. Airport Jobs 19. Safety at Work 20. Eating out 21. Good/Bad Weekend 22. Last weekend 23. Growing Up 24. People and Places 25. Goals and Plans 26. Vacations Vacations

1. The First Week 2. Life in the US 3. Working and Saving 4. The States 5. Technology 6. A Healthy Lifestyle 7. Around the World 8. Moving 9. Natural Disasters 10. Wedding Plans 11. At Work 12. Working Parents 13. Crime 14. Careers

1. Education 2. Colonial Times 3. Changing Lifestyle 4. Driving 5. Leisure Activities 6. Travel 7. Sports 8. Life Events 9. Job Performance 10. Regrets & Possibilities 11. Business & Industry 12. Technology 13. Music 14. Becoming a Citizen

AE Nursery Program Tips to help your child learn to cooperate

Submitted by Veronica Lertora, Nursery Program Instructor at Mary Ward LINC & ESL Centre

It can take time for children to learn to cooperate with instructions and requests. These ideas might help things along:

Keep using the same, familiar words. For example, ‘Listen James’, ‘You need to’ and ‘Now please’. These words act as cues, and eventually your child will catch on to their meaning.

Give children praise and encouragement when they do cooperate. For example, ‘Great job, I couldn’t have done it without you’. This makes it more likely that your child will do what you ask next time.

Get into daily routines that can help your child get through repetitive daily tasks. Routines can also be particularly helpful for young children and children with special needs.

Why your child might not cooperate

If your child is not cooperating, it might be because you are expecting more than he can do. Think about your child’s age and level of understanding when you give instructions.

If your child has only just learned to talk or has special needs, he/she might not always reply or understand what you are saying. It can help to show him/her how to do what you are asking. You can also give examples of what you want your child to do, help follow the instructions the first few times or get the child to copy you as you do it together.

Also, there might be a good reason why your child won’t do what you are asking. Your child might not feel well, might feel tired, scared or not know what to do. Asking an over-tired and hungry child to clean up his room probably is not going to work.

If your child is not cooperating for a good reason, you could delay the start time of the instruction until your child is more likely to cooperate. For example, ‘After dinner, I want you to clean up your room’. Sometimes children go through phases of refusing to do their part at all. It is normal for children’s behaviour to change as they develops. It’s also normal for a child to be very uncooperative for a while.

If this sounds like your situation, you could try the following:

Give your child lots of affection when he/she is behaving in an appropriate way

Comment when your child does the right things

Ask rather than tell where possible, to avoid a battle of control

Try engaging your child in tasks by making them fun or part of a game

Make sure your child gets some quiet time alone with you

Try to be consistent, firm and loving and also focus on getting your child to cooperate on the important things, like safety issues. If your child has special needs, it is helpful to coach other people – older siblings, extended family members and neighbours – so they know how to give your child effective requests and instructions.

Most children love attention. Many do not mind whether it is positive or negative. If children are getting lots of nega-tive attention for refusing to cooperate, they might keep behaving this way. Instead, try to give them child more attention for cooperation. Respond in a low-key way when they do not cooperate.

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To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

AE Nursery Program Construction Zone Sensory Play

Submitted by Naomi Paramanantham, Nursery Program Consultant

This is a great way to explore touch, sight, and sound. Perfect for imagination and free play for the kids. This bin will get lots of playtime.

Materials: Play sand Rocks or pebbles Small construction vehicles Small pail of water

Acknowledgement:

frogsandsnailsandpuppydogstails.com

Employee Related News Memorial

Let us remember in our prayers the souls of:

Gliceria Torrato Biboso Poblacion who passed away on March 14, 2019 in her home in Iloilo City, Philip-pines. She was the sister of Rosalinda Baguioro, instructor at S.A.F.S.S.—Finch.

Valentino Raponi, who passed away on April 29, 2019 at the age of 92. He was the paternal uncle of Barbara Raponi, instructor at Worship Centre.

Lee Ming NG, who passed away on May 6, 2019 at the age of 83. He was the brother-in-law of Sylvia Lee, In-structor-in-charge at Worship Centre and Francis Libermann Catholic High School (Saturday).

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To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department