Created in 2001, the Capital Educators’ Awards honour educators currently employed by ten partner institutions (visit www.edugala.ca for the list of education partners.) In support of whole spectrum of education, educators from kindergarten to PhD are honoured together. Award recipients are chosen based on two criteria: 1) demonstrated excellence in teaching and 2) acting as a positive role model and/or making a difference in someone’s life. Anyone can nominate an educator. We receive nominations from current students (some as young as six years old), parents, colleagues, family and friends … anyone who has seen the positive impact a truly great educator makes.

Now you might be asking yourself why you should even consider nominating an educator. The truth is that educators are seldom recognized for the important work they do in making our city a great place to live. They help shape our future leaders in so many fields, whether their students end up being doctors, police officers, carpenters, entrepreneurs, caregivers, or even future educators. Somewhere in the past of any successful person is an educator who helped them get over a hurdle, pushed them to challenge themself, had confidence in their abilities when no one else seemed to.

Nominations are being accepted at www.edugala.ca until March 1, 2011. Finalists will be notified in early April and award recipients will be announced at the 10^th Annual EduGala on Thursday, May 19, 2011. Take a few minutes to submit a nomination and let an educator know how truly exceptional and appreciated they are.

From left to right - Aaron Turner (The WORKS), Andy O'Brien (The WORKS), Thom Van Eeghen and Fay Armitage (The Elk Ranch), Angela Swann (The WORKS). Holding cheque - Suzanne de Abreu and Christine Lauzon Foley (both of OCRI)

Research shows that students who are fed a nutritious breakfast make significant improvements in learning, school attendance, behaviour and self-esteem. By providing breakfast we are helping students achieve success in the classroom. Over 11,000 students in 148 schools benefit from the support of the School Breakfast Program every school day. That equals 2,178,000 meals per year.

The School Breakfast Program is successful because of the tremendous support it receives from the community. Thank you to The Elk Ranch, The WORKS and its customers for their generous support. Because of your support 10,000 students will start their day with a full stomach and the fuel they need to succeed!

If any of you have gone through a long, mentally challenging day without kick starting it with something to eat you will know how hard it is to concentrate, pay attention, learn something new or even try.  The School Breakfast Program is a fantastic initiative that makes a huge impact.  By filling empty stomachs we are able to feed growing minds.  With the help of our volunteers and the cooperation of many schools, together we are able to make it much easier for students to listen and learn.  We can all take pride in knowing that this valuable program has a long term impact and has the potential to change lives.  Together we are helping to build the foundation for the future of Ottawa!

20 years ago, 1,000 kids in 25 schools participated in the School Breakfast Program. Today, demand has grown over 10 times in 20 years. In 2010 alone, 11,000 kids in 145 schools partook. This translates into 2 million meals served. Add that all together and over a twenty year span and over 19,600,000 breakfasts have been provided. That’s over NINETEEN MILLION! Pretty impressive!

Sadly, demand continues to grow. If you want to support the School Breakfast Program here are some ways you can make a difference:

• Volunteer! We are always looking for energetic individuals to volunteer with the program. Duties range from pre-baking food, to assisting with fundraising, to volunteering every day. Let us know your availability and we will make it work.
• Ask friends and family to donate to the program in lieu of gifts for a special occasion (i.e. birthday, wedding, anniversary, etc.)
• Hold your own unique fundraising event.  Every dollar raised provides a breakfast to a child or youth in-need.
• Donate to the program either directly or through United Way designations.

Any dollar and every hour can make all the difference.

Recent surveys of CEOs from a broad range of sectors – public and private – have concluded that most CEOs expect fundamental changes in their organizations over the next few years.  These changes will drastically affect business models and indeed have already begun a constant cycle of budget shortfalls, painful restructurings and change initiatives. 

Only recently has the importance of imagination, creativity and innovation as the fuel to drive our organizations and economy become more clearly understood and accepted. Workers at all levels of an organization will need to become creative leaders in order to drive creativity and innovation.  As organizations realize the enduring value that comes from creativity and innovation and leaders notice that creativity cannot be coerced from people, there is a growing need for a new leadership approach. 

The third annual Creative Leadership Conference has been developed in response to these needs and provides much needed balance to our organizations’ obsessive reliance on left-brain pursuits such as efficiency, change management, measurement, metrics, and risk management.  The event will provide a unique approach, drawing on improvisational theatre, to identify and develop the ideas and practices that are vital to developing our capacity for creative leadership and innovation.

Working in small groups with peers from various sectors, you will learn how to: develop a mindset that is open to change; harness diversity and be able to welcome ideas and styles from all generations, ranks and disciplines; enable and encourage a culture of collaboration; create a reward system that recognizes innovation and creative risk-taking; and increase your tolerance of failure. All of this is possible if you can learn to foster a creative style of thinking.

Join us on November 4 for a very interesting and dynamic day that will challenge your approach to change, expand your ability to create and show you how to encourage others to do the same.

 … watch this video…it will get you thinking about the possibilities…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzCQ219bxl8&feature=fvw

OttawaReads absolutely took off this spring thanks to the involvement of various individuals and organizations including: Marc Hurtubise, principal of École Rose-des-Vents; Pauline Laneville, literacy resource teacher; the five generous volunteers who were supported by Andre Charlebois, director of the Charles-Emile Claude Multipurpose Centre for Seniors; and Linda Newman, Program Manager OttawaReads, OCRI.  This initiative was made possible through the development of a special project, led by the Charles-Emile Claude Multipurpose Centre for Seniors, which received federal funding to bring OttawaReads to Cornwall.

This first season is just the beginning of a great adventure in reading. Students in the first and second grades of Rose-des-Vents School were delighted to mingle with volunteers who helped them read for a predetermined period, two times a week, during the month of May. Our volunteers, Aline Fleury, Madeleine Laflamme, Jeannine and Robert Lemire were completely dedicated to guiding the children through entertaining reading exercises and the students reciprocated by trying hard and having fun!

We mustn’t forget to thank our team seamstress who crafted custom book bags for all our volunteers. It added a personal touch to a program that will be remembered for a long time!

Congratulations to all and good luck with Cornwall’s new community project.

If you are interested in learning more about OttawaReads (which is available in both official languages), becoming a volunteer or introducing the program to your community, please contact Sheila Jenkins, Program Manager, OttawaReads , (613) 828-6274 ext. 237, sjenkins@ocri.ca.

LectureOttawa a pris son envol ce printemps grâce à la participation de diverses personnes et organisations y compris : Marc Hurtubise, directeur de l’école Rose-des-vents, Pauline Laneline, enseignante-ressources d’alphabétisation, les cinq généreux bénévoles qui ont été soutenus par André Charlebois, directeur du Centre Charles-Émile Claude, centre polyvalent des aînés et Linda Newman, gestionnaire du programme LectureOttawa, OCRI.  Cette initiative a été rendu possible grâce à l’élaboration d’un projet spécial, dirigé par le centre Charles-Émile Claude, centre polyvalent des aînés qui a reçu un financement fédéral pour mettre Lecture Ottawa à Cornwall.

Cette première saison est  le début d’une grande aventure de la lecture.  Les élèves de première et deuxième année de l’École Rose-des-vents ont été ravis de se mêler aux bénévoles qui ont aidé à lire pour une période prédéterminée, deux fois par semaine durant le mois de mai.  Nos bénévoles; Aline Fleury, Madeleine Laflamme, Jeannine et Robert Lemire, Aline Roy ont consacrés leur dévouement à l’orientation des enfants dans leur lecture en effectuant des exercices et réciproquement les élèves ont pris plaisir à travailler avec ardeur et joie.

Nous ne devons pas oublier notre équipe de couturière qui ont préparé des sacs de lecture personnalisé pour tous nos bénévoles.  Cette initiative a ajouté une touche personnelle à un programme dont on se souviendra pendant longtemps!

Félicitations à tous et bonne chance à ce nouveau projet communautaire à Cornwall.

Si vous êtes intéressés à en apprendre plus au sujet de LectureOttawa (qui est disponible dans les deux langues officielles), devenir bénévole ou introduire un programme dans votre communauté, s’il-vous-plaît communiquez avec Linda Newman, Gestionnaire des bénévoles dans l’éducation et LectureOttawa au 613-828-6274 poste 135 ou par courriel lnewman@ocri.ca.

In celebration of the program’s 20^th anniversary, the School Breakfast Program team has been presenting recognition certificates to individuals and businesses who have had a significant impact on the program. Over 20 certificates have been handed out to volunteers, principals and program coordinators, many of whom have been with the program for over ten years.

On Thursday, June 17^th our final certificate was be presented at our 20^th Anniversary Fundraiser Cocktail Reception. The event was held at Gowlings and honoured the support that the late Gordon Henderson provided in the creation of the program and the support Gowlings continues to provide the program 20 years later. 

In other SBP news, the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine Class of 2013 held their annual MedShow and chose our program as the recipient of funds raised over the three nights of the event. The Class of 2013 not only wrote and performed an original show they also recruited sponsors and raised $15,600 for the program! It is amazing that the class was able to find the time in their very hectic schedules to organize the event. To view the trailer of the show visit: http://uottawamedshow.com.

Looking for ways to support the School Breakfast Program? Here are some ways you can make a difference:

• Volunteer! We are always looking for energetic individuals to volunteer with the program. Your commitment can range from volunteering once or twice a month, pre-baking food for the program to assisting with fundraising to volunteering everyday. Just let us know what your availability is and we will make it work.
• Donate to the program either directly (www.ocri.ca/sbp) or through United Way designations. Every dollar makes a difference.
• Hold your own fundraising event (i.e. golf tournament, garage or bake sale, loonie or toonie drive, etc.). Every dollar raised provides a breakfast to a child or youth in-need.
• Ask friends and family to donate to the program in lieu of gifts for a special occasion (i.e. birthday, wedding, anniversary, etc.). A very unselfish young man recently asked guests invited to his Bar Mitzvah to donate to the SBP in lieu of gifts. This single act resulted in $11,700 being donated to the SBP.

As our 20^th anniversary year comes to a close we are grateful for the tremendous support we receive from the community and our corporate supporters. You are all making a difference in the lives of the students who benefit from the program.

This will be the second event of this kind organized by OCRI and the four Ottawa school boards. Over 400 people attended the first conference in October 2008 at Tudor Hall. Sir Ken Robinson, author of “The Element” and “Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative”, was our keynote speaker. He was outstanding – one of the best speakers I’ve ever seen – on any topic. It was an inspiring day.

I believe that John Sweeney will be equally outstanding. In addition to being a keynote speaker, John is also an author, improviser, and comedic performer. He left a successful career in corporate real estate to buy the Brave New Workshop (BNW), the oldest satirical comedy theatre in the U.S.

John combined his instinct for business with his understanding of improvisation to write “Innovation at the Speed of Laughter”, a book which launched a speaking and training career that serves more than 100 clients each year. John, and a troupe of actors from the BNW, will lead us through the conference agenda on November 4th at the Centurion Conference Centre.

The theme of the day will be “Creative Leadership – Making Innovation Happen”. It promises to be a very practical, “how to” approach to making innovation happen. John’s message and methods are based on the simple core belief that everyone has unlimited creativity locked inside them but rarely express this “best self” in the workplace. This day promises to be informative, entertaining, and relevant.

Save the date and stay tuned for more details.

On June 10^th during the Student Showcase of computer learning games developed by young, talented programmers from the High School Technology Program, we hosted over 130 guests at Earl of March Secondary School.  This year-end celebration of student teamwork and hands-on learning in software development was a resounding success with attendees sharing stories and student accomplishments including Grade 10 students programming in Java.

I was truly amazed at the enthusiasm and expertise demonstrated by the participating industry mentors during their weekly visits to the classrooms throughout this year’s High School Technology Program which involved approximately 100 students from five high schools in the Ottawa region including:  All Saints Catholic High School, Earl of March Secondary School, Ecole secondaire catholique Garneau, Mother Teresa Catholic High School, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School.

This program’s outstanding experiential learning opportunities would not be possible without the ongoing commitment and passion to this program from our industry and academic partners including:  Algonquin College, Carleton University, University of Ottawa, IBM Canada, Macadamian, RIM, Nortel, Avaya, Apption, Nakina Systems, and others.

The eyes of participating students popped when they had a chance to explore on field trips to industry and post-secondary institutions both career possibilities and post-secondary pathways toward realizing their dreams for a future in Ottawa’s ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and other sectors by visiting animation, gaming and multimedia environments, software development facilities, virtual simulation research and advanced aviation technologies and training simulation labs. 

The students’ excitement was especially evident during industry site visits. They were totally engaged in a competitive robotics exercise and unique development experience in interactive multimedia and design labs at the universities as well as tours within the College’s advanced technology and media and design schools. The chance to interact with prestigious professors and talk to senior students already pursuing studies on campus was an extremely valuable experience for all judging from the feedback from the high school students.

Want to get involved?  Contact Nancy Côté at ncote@ocri.ca or 613 828 6274 ext. 211 for more details on the awesome rewards of mentorship and student experiential learning that is planned for next year’s program in 2010-2011!