BCSSA Virtual Professional Learning Sessions

Multipliers

Presented by Mike McKay - Retired Superintendent, Consultant

Tuesday, November 29, from 8:00 - 9:00am via Zoom

While all of us strive to be positive leaders, there are times that our best intentions have a diminishing impact on our team and our organization. Liz Wizeman’s book Multipliers is an excellent resource for educational leaders.  It provides an interesting and revealing look at  our own previous experiences and helps us see where our leadership strategies fit: when and how have we been multipliers or (accidental) diminishers?  Wiseman shares research about the impact of various leadership approaches on an organization, individual and team dynamics and system outputs.   This brief session highlights Wiseman’s work to consider some approaches that can build individual and team capacity.

There is no charge for this session but you must register* in order to get the zoom link.

*BCSSA members only

REGISTER HERE for Multipliers

Financial Session for Education Leadership with Joan Axford

Friday, October 6, from 8:00am to 9:00am

This session will outline the key role and responsibilities of district leadership in financial and risk management in school districts.  The agenda will include:

  • Financial Cycle
  • Working with your Board
  • Financial Management and Reporting
  • Projections and Funding
  • Budget Planning
  • Actuals and Accountability
  • Key Questions You should be able to answer

There will be time for questions and discussion.

Joan Axford is a professional accountant (C.P.A.) with over 35 years of experience in public education finance.  Joan currently works under contract with individual district in Secretary-Treasurer recruitment and special projects.  She worked as the Executive Director of the BC Association of School Business Officials.  Joan retired from the position of Secretary-Treasurer with School District No. 63 (Saanich) in 2011. Previously, she held the positions of Director of School Finance with the Ministry of Education and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer in School District No. 62 (Sooke) and is currently a volunteer member of their Audit Committee.

Joan has governance experience as a trustee with the Teachers’ Pension Plan and is currently on the board of directors for the BC Lottery Corporation and Chair of their Audit Committee.

Mrs. Axford advised on the Finance Working Group following the review of the financial system of school districts, the Financial Health Working Group, Leadership Advisory Committee, Service Delivery Project and is the author of the report entitled Review of the Administration Costs and Operating Reserves for BC Public Schools

There is no charge for this session but you must register* in order to get the Zoom link.

*BCSSA members only

Board Orientation Workshop

Wednesday, October 12 via Zoom

Whether you have 1 or more new Trustees, or all incumbents, this is in important time for Superintendents as you plan for Board Orientation or Re-Orientation.  Anne Cooper, Manu Madhok, and Bev Rundell will host a session to support you with strategies and considerations for this important work.  We will offer a 90 minute session on Oct. 12 at 8:00-9:30 am and repeated at 4:00-5:30 pm, hoping you will be able to attend 1 of these.  All senior team members are welcome including Secretary Treasurers.

Upstreaming Approaches for School Mental Health with Cindy Finn

Thursday, October 20th, 2022, 8:00am - 9:00am

Much of the work in the area of youth mental health is reactive instead of proactive. This session will explore ways for educational leaders to best support the mental health needs of youth. The need to work together to address the social-emotional impacts of the last two years will also be addressed so we can find ways to learn from the pandemic.  This session is open to all BCSSA members.

Cindy Finn is the Director General of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, a school district that serves 24,000 students in the Montreal area. Prior to occupying her current post, Cindy was Director of Student Services at LBPSB for 14 years, responsible for overseeing complementary educational services in the board’s 55 schools and centres. A school psychologist by training, she holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from McGill University. Cindy was a founding member of the Centre of Excellence for Mental Health, a ministry of Quebec resource created to serve all 9 English boards in the province. She is currently the President of the Leadership Committee for English Education in Quebec and President of Montreal Hooked on Schools (Réseau réussite Montréal). She was also Past- President of the Canadian Association of School System Administrators. She is passionate about creating and supporting healthy learning environments for students and staff.

There is no charge for this session but you must register* in order to get the Zoom link.

*BCSSA members only