GENERAL CONVENTION INFORMATION

Please note that we have a Pool System for Thursday morning only. We are giving the teachers of NETCA more choice over their professional development. We have three Opening Keynote Speakers scheduled for Thursday morning.

The three Opening Keynote Speakers will present two sessions back to back. Teachers from Pool A may chose from any of the three Opening Keynote Speakers from 9:00 a.m. until 10:10 a.m. Teachers from Pool B will be in regular sessions during this time and not attending one of the three Opening Keynote Speakers. From 10:45 a.m. until 11:55 a.m. teachers from Pool B will be in one of the Opening Keynote Speakers and Pool A will be in the regular sessions scheduled from 10:45 a.m. until 11:55 a.m. Hopefully you are not too confused. Please ask your Convention Representative if you need more clarification!

Pool A- Opening Keynote 9:00 – 10:10Pool B – Opening Keynote 10:45 – 11:55

Aspen ViewLakeland Catholic

Fort VermilionNorthland

Greater St. Paul Northern Lights

THURSDAY, February 17th, 2011

Opening Address / Pool A / 9:00 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.
Opening Address / Pool B / 10:45 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.
Small Group Session / Pool B / 9:00 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.
Small Group Session / Pool A / 10:45 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.
First Afternoon Session / All Delegates / 1:30 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.
Second Afternoon Session / All Delegates / 2:55 p.m. to 4:05 p.m.
Half-Day Afternoon Workshops / All Delegates / 1:30 p.m. to 4:05 p.m.

FRIDAY, February 18th, 2011

Morning – First Session / All Delegates / 9:00 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.
Morning – Second Session / All Delegates / 10:40 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Morning - Half-Day Workshops / All Delegates / 9:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Closing Keynote Address / All Delegates / 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

REGISTRATION and INFORMATION CENTRE

All sessions and events will be held at the MAYFIELD INN (16615 – 109 Ave.) The information and registration centre will be located in the Front Lobby of the Mayfield Inn. Please pick up the program at this location by showing your lanyard and identification card.

All teachers employed by one of the six locals do NOT have to sign in or register. If you are not a teacher with one of the six locals you must register to pick up your pass.These six locals include Aspen View, Fort Vermilion, Greater St. Paul, Lakeland Catholic, Northland, Northern Lights. Teachers from these locals are registered and do not have to sign in.

REGISTRATION FEES

The Northeast Teachers’ Convention is a closed convention only open to registered delegates and invited guests. ALL REGISTERED DELEGATES MUST HAVE A NETCA LANYARD TO GET INTO SESSIONS. There will be a $5.00 fee for those teachers who need to purchase a lanyard because they lost the one that they were given. New teachers will receive a lanyard from their convention representatives. Fees are $90 including GST for ATA members within the Northeast Convention Zone; $5 for substitute teachers from the locals of the Northeast Convention zone; $5 for university students; and $`185.00 for delegates who are not members of the Northeast Convention Zone. GST is included in all fees. Note: All cheques should be made payable to: Northeast Teachers’ Convention Association

Vince Spila, Treasurer

Box 5188

Bonnyville, AB T9N 2G4

NON-REGISTERED PERSONS IN SESSIONS

Non-registered individuals and children should NOT be attending sessions. Many sessions are crowded and seats are reserved for our registered delegates and invited guests. Anyone attending a NETCA session who is not wearing a NETCA Lanyard will be asked to leave the session.

MAYFIELD HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

The Northeast Teachers’ Convention Association negotiates Mayfield Hotel Rooms for the delegates during convention. Please contact the Mayfield Inn and Suites at 1 780 484 0821

The room rates for Convention 2011 are:

$126.00 Deluxe Courtyard 2 Queen beds or 1 Queen Bed and a pull out sofa (no breakfast coupons), $136.00 Deluxe Courtyard King and a pull out sofa (no breakfast coupons),

$166.00 Junior Suite (no breakfast coupons),

$176.00 Business Suite (no breakfast coupons)

Please make sure to ask for the NETCA Rate when you make your reservations.

SESSION FULL SIGNS

Please respect these signs. Entering late disrupts those in attendance. Also, speakers may request a maximum number of delegates for their sessions and bring materials for that number. Please arrive early to secure a seat. Popular sessions will be invited back in the following year!

EXHIBITS

Exhibits will be located in Halls A, B, C of the Trade Centre. The exhibit area will open from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Thursday and from 8:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. on Friday.

EXHIBITS DOOR PRIZES

Please check the Door Prize Bulletin Board at the NETCA Booth in the Exhibits’ Hall to see if you are a lucky winner of a door prize. Be sure to write your name on a piece of paper and put it in the door prize box to be eligible to win a door prize. Good luck to everyone who remembers to enter!

CONVENTION EVALUATION

Next year's convention will be influenced by your evaluation. Please complete your evaluation form and drop it into the EVALUATION BOX located outside the Amethyst room on Friday. The Program Booklet Evaluations will be collected as well at the end of the final keynote speaker. You must fill out and hand in the Program Booklet Evaluation form to be eligible to win one of the three Grand Prizes drawn immediately after the final Keynote Address.

ATA SPECIALIST COUNCILS INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION

At Convention 2011, we are pleased to offer our delegates a chance to visit an exhibits booth that will be organized and run by the Specialists Council of the ATA. There are 21 different ATA Specialist Councils. Therewillbe abooth in the Exhibits Hall where the delegates will have the chance to register for a Specialist Council and see what planned for Conferences in the upcoming year. The president of the ATA Mathematics Council, Marj Farris, will be in charge of the Specialist's Booth. The booth will be open during the Convention Exhibits from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and from 8:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Please bring your Alberta Teacher Certificate # if you would like to register for a Specialist Council Membership!

CELL PHONES

Please be courteous. Turn off your cell phone during sessions. Thank-you!

CONVENTION ATTENDANCE

In addition to having a professional obligation to attend conventions, Alberta teachers also have a legal obligation. School boards have the right to deduct pay from teachers absent from convention without legitimate reason, and, in fact, have done so. A charge of unprofessional conduct under Association discipline bylaws may also be lodged against a teacher who fails to attend the teachers' convention. The Association's Discipline Committee has returned verdicts of guilty in several such cases. Convention boards are responsible for conventions and all teachers are expected to attend. Alternate professional development activities require permission from the Convention Board. Permission should be requested by January 1st, 2011. ALL requests must be accompanied by a copy of the alternate PD program. School visits and athletic field trips do not qualify as professional development activities. All requests to attend alternative professional development activities must be submitted, in writing, to:

Myrna McLean, Alternate PD Chairperson,

Box 626, La Crete, AB T0H 2H0

Phone: 780 841 8546

Email:

Three Opening Keynote Presenters

9:00 a.m. to 10:10 a.m. - Group A

Aspen View, Fort Vermilion, Greater St. Paul

10:45 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. – Group B

Lakeland Catholic, Northland, Northern Lights

Dr. Marcia Tate

Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites

If students don’t learn the way we teach them, then we must teach them the way they learn. Experience 20 brain compatible strategies that maximize understanding and memory. Use music, metaphor and movement to increase academic achievement for all students. Explore research that shows why these strategies are preferable to others. Ensure that brains retain key concepts, not only for tests, but for life! This Opening Keynote session repeats at 10:45.

Marcia is currently an educational consultant and has taught over 250,000 administrators, teachers, parents, and business and community leaders throughout the world. She is the author of the following five best-sellers: (1) Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Instructional Strategies that Engage the Brain; (2) Sit & Get Won’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Professional Learning Strategies that Engage the Adult Brain; (3) Reading and Language Arts Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Literacy Strategies that Engage the Brain; (4) Shouting Won’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Techniques for Managing a Brain-compatible Classroom; and her latest, Mathematics Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites: 20 Numeracy Strategies That Engage the Brain. Participants in her workshops refer to them as the best ones they have ever experienced since Marcia uses the 20 strategies outlined in her books to actively engage her audiences.

Speaker: Dr. Marcia Tate

Room: Palisades

1st Chairperson: Cindy Kotelko, Greater St. Paul Local

2nd Chairperson: Julie Chorney, Lakeland Catholic Local

Dr. Jim Parsons

When Schools Work Well!

Great Schools – schools where students are learning and where teachers love their work – share similar attributes. At least that is what Jim Parson’s research says. As Jim notes, “All the great schools in our study did the same things differently.” Jim’s presentation will share those “same things – the findings of recent research of instructional leadership at some of Alberta’s best schools. As part of this talk, Jim will outline and discuss the five best practices of highly-effective schools, with suggestions about how these can be implemented more widely. This Opening Keynote session repeats at 10:45.heir jobs." We need people who will pull together to get the job done." -Brenda Robinson

Jim Parsons received both a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Kentucky. His Ph.D. was from The University of Texas, 1976, with a major in All Level - General Curriculum and areas of specialty in Social Studies, Literature, and Reading.

Jim has been a professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton since 1976, and has taught courses in curriculum and instruction in secondary social studies, reading, general curriculum, writing and publishing in education, and research design.

Currently, Jim works with the Government of Alberta as the Director of the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. Jim has taught at other Canadian and U.S. universities, including The University of New Brunswick, St. Bonaventure University, The University of Lethbridge, Royal Roads University, North American Baptist College and Seminary, Concordia Lutheran Seminary, among others. Jim has worked globally – including throughout Scotland, China, and New Zealand. He also worked throughout northern Scotland with the University of Aberdeen.

Jim has written more than 80 books – including a soon to be released book on Instructional Leadership in Alberta from a research project of highly-effective elementary schools.

Speaker: Dr. Jim Parsons

Room: Robson/Rundle

1st Chairperson: Teri Zimmerman, Aspen View Local

2nd Chairperson: Donna Wesley, Aspen View Local

Bill Belsey

Cyberbullying: An Emerging Threat to the Always-on Generation

Cyberbullying has become a concern with the increasing use of technology by youth. Bill Belsey will address the issue of Cyberbullying and ways to decrease it. Bill Belsey is a father, a multiple award-winning teacher and founder of Bullying.org Canada. He is the creator of the world’s most visited and referenced Website about bullying. Mr. Belsey conceived of Canada’s annual National Bullying Awareness Week and which offers Canada’s first online courses and Webinars about bullying and Cyberbullying for parents and educators. Often is credited with being the first person to introduce the term “Cyberbullying” and created, the world’s first Website about this issue. During this session Bill will help educators understand how this issue is affecting our youth and what can be done about it. This session will repeat at 10:45.

Mr. Belsey is a winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Technology. Mr. Belsey was named as a Fellow of the World Technology Network in the Education category at a gala event at San Francisco’s City Hall. His print interviews have appeared in Parenting Magazine, the Globe and Mail, and the Christian Science Monitor. He has appeared numerous times on the CTV and CBC National News. He has been a consultant to “The Dr. Phil Show” and ABC News 20/20 with Diane Sawyer and “Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN. In an interview with Mr. Belsey on CBC TV’s “The National”, Peter Mansbridge referred to as “One of the best Web sites in the world for children”. Mr. Belsey has presented at many conferences across Canada and around the world.

Speaker: Bill Belsey

Room: Logan

1st Chairperson: Timothy Crabbe, Greater St. Paul Local

2nd Chairperson: April Koziol, Northern Lights Local

FIRST SMALL GROUP SESSIONS – Thursday morning

Pool B - Lakeland Catholic, Northland, Northern Lights

Pool A – Other delegates are in one of the opening keynote sessions

9:00 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.

SECOND SMALL GROUP SESSIONS – Thursday morning

Pool A – Aspen View, Fort Vermilion, Greater St. Paul

Pool B – Other delegates are in one of the opening keynote sessions

10:45 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

SMART Board Introduction

This introductory session will focus on how SMART Boards and SMART Notebook software can be utilized to engage your students in their learning. Learn about the incredible resources in the Gallery Essentials, the interactive SMART notebook files you can download from SMART exchange and the interactive structures found in the Lesson Activity Tool Kit. This session repeats at 10:45.

Speaker: Robert Tymofichuk

Room: Emerald

1st Chairperson: Mike Rondeau, Greater St. Paul Local

2nd Chairperson: John Borges, Fort Vermilion Local

Current Issues in Education - President of the ATA

The president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, Carol Henderson, will present a review of current issues in education. Issues that are likely to affect teachers and schools as a result of government decisions and actions will be discussed. This session repeats at 10:45.

Speaker: Carol Henderson

Room Amethyst

1st Chairperson: Randy Proskiw, District Representative NE

2nd Chairperson: Randy Proskiw, District Representative NE

Effective Assessment Practices for First Nations, Metis and Inuit Students

As with any group of students, great variations in how individual Frist Nations, Metis and Inuit students demonstrate their learning exists. There are, however, some common cultural traits that FNMI students often share. This workshop draws on current research to identity approaches to ensure that assessments for FNMI students truly represent their learning, that is fair and that considers their cultural differences. Specific ideas for culturally sensitive assessment will be provided. This session repeats at 10:45.

Speaker: Patrick Loyer

Room Maligne

1st Chairperson: Jason MacDonald, Fort Vermilion Local

2nd Chairperson: Randy Chernipeski, Northland Local

Using SMART Response to Assess Reading Comprehension

2008 Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching winner, and SMART Exemplary Educator, Milissa Gavel will speak on her experience integrating SMART products into her classroom, becoming a designated SMART Showcase School. This workshop will provide a brief introduction to the SMART Response System and model how it can transform student learning and increase engagement in the area of assessment. Participants will engage in a model lesson focused on collecting instantaneous data representing reading comprehension. Educators will observe ease of use and the impact of engagement. Participants will learn that reading assessments can be quick, interactive and enjoyable.This session repeats at 10:45.

Speaker: Milissa Gavel

Room: Morraine

1st Chairperson: Marina Powell, Lakeland Catholic Local

2nd Chairperson: Lenore Lemouche, Aspen View Local

Supporting Struggling Writers using Assistive Technology

Do you have students who struggle with writing? In this session, we will discuss how technology can be used to support students of all ages with the writing process. We will demonstrate how computer hardware and software, iPod touch/iPads, digital recorders and other common low tech technology can be used to support students who may have weak spelling skills, difficulty getting information down or who have difficulty using conventional writing tools (pen/paper). This session is applicable to all grade levels. This session repeats at 10:45.

Speaker: Bonnie-Lynn David/ Sharan de Waal

Room Banff

1st Chairperson: Rochelle Kendoussi, Northland Local

2nd Chairperson: Jodi Rebkowich, Northern Lights Local

Collaborating to Enhance Mathematics Performance

By working collaboratively, teachers and researchers are engaged in conducting research around Aboriginal student performance in mathematics. These presenters will share what they have learned, how they have learned about it, and the ways our learning have impacted our practices. Our professional colleagues, Dwayne Donald, Gladys Sternberg, and Florence Glanfield were recently awarded the 2009/10 ATA Educational Research Award and they are very excited to share their research about this topic. This session repeats at 10:45.

Speaker: Dwayne Donald and Crystal Poitras John

Room Jasper

1st Chairperson: Diane Hennig, Great St. Paul Local

2nd Chairperson: Marj Farris, Fort Vermilion Local

Educating for Democratic Citizenship in an Oil-Dependent Economy

This presentation will provide an overview of recent new events of oil sands, the public understanding of energy, followed by a critical assessment of the kinds of messages students and educators are receiving through professional development activities and curriculum currently being promoted in the K-12 school system. A hands-on activity that has been field tested by educators is then used to show how educators can successfully develop energy and environmental literacy programs that promote democratic citizen ship while simultaneously fulfilling components of the curriculum. This session repeats at 10:45.

Speaker: Andrew Hodgkins (University of Alberta)

Room: 2201/2203

1st Chairperson: TBA

2nd Chairperson: Tim Urlacher, Northern Lights Local

Box Cars - Dice and Dominoes (K- Gr. 3)