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Trustee race: Given poor EQAO scores, Anita Gibson plans to hold math workshop for parents so they can help their kids

Parents and caregivers don’t recognize the math from their schooling days, she says
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Rainbow District School Board office. (File)

Rainbow District School Board Area 2 trustee Anita Gibson has sent us her position on a number of different issues that are contentious when it comes to education in Ontario these days.

That includes the government's pausing of the Parents Reaching Out grants, introducing Ward Information Nights to help parents share their concerns and poor EQAO scores at both the provincial and Rainbow board level, and some ideas on how to tackle that problem.

“Parents and caregivers don’t recognize the math from their schooling days and they don’t know how to help with the homework,” she said in a news release.

“In my role as chair of school council, I heard often from parents who were feeling frustrated and helpless. 

“So much so that we held a math workshop event a few years back to try and demystify and inform and assist parents/guardians about the math curriculum and how they can help their students. I would like to implement something similar on a board-wide basis."

In case you don't remember, Anita Gibson and her husband Dylan Gibson, who's running for trustee in Area 5, are taking their second stab at running for Rainbow board trustee — they were unsuccessful in 2014.

The couple, who are outspoken about board politics, were banned by the Rainbow board from certain property in 2012 up until this September — when the ban was fully dropped — over a seemingly innocuous incident.

Full text of Gibson's release is below:

The Minister of Education has said this morning during question time they will be pausing Parent Reaching Out grants until their current education consultation is finished. Please find included in this email links to my response to this news and excerpts from my previous related campaign announcements on increasing parent and community engagement. 

Response to PRO grant pause:  https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=319146575359272&id=311074059499857

Comments from previous announcements:

“One of the questions I have been asked is “How will things be different if you’re the Trustee?” -  In each ward in my area, I plan to introduce Ward Information Nights. I will be questioning the expensing of internet and fax services for trustees and I will not be claiming this as an expense. The current board of trustees expense thousands of dollars on means of communication (refer to Faxes and internet at https://www.rainbowschools.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Trustee-Expenses-2016-2017.pdf). 

I plan on reinvesting some of those funds into “Ward Information Nights” where I will facilitate a networking and meeting opportunity for parents, staff and community leaders and members to learn about and discuss issues and projects of interest in their wards. A community should never be blindsided with the announcement of major changes to community schooling – issues should be discussed on an ongoing basis and the school community should not be expected to solve the problems alone. It is time for the community to be invited to come together and work together for the betterment of our schools…I would provide a brief report of the meeting at a subsequent board meeting during trustee remarks to ensure your feedback reaches the board table. In the next four years there may be several areas where we will see a decrease in funding from the provincial government. We will need to examine every expenditure and ensure it is value for money and necessary and essential to the well-being and success of our students.”

Excerpted from: https://anitagibson.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/how-will-things-change-if-i-am-elected/


“Let’s talk about the “new” math - I have heard many concerns from parents about what is being called “the new Math”. EQAO scores in math are on a downward trend. Provincially, students have been performing below the standard in Grades 3 and 6 math and Grade 9 applied math since at least 2008/09 and the most recent scores reveal that less than half of the Rainbow DSB’s Grade 6 students are currently meeting the provincial standard. Parents and caregivers don’t recognise the math from their schooling days and they don’t know how to help with the homework…In my role as chair of school council, I heard often from parents who were feeling frustrated and helpless. So much so that we held a math workshop event a few years back to try and demystify and inform and assist parents/guardians about the math curriculum and how they can help their students.

I would like to implement something similar on a board-wide basis. The board, no doubt worried about the declining math scores, hastily implemented a new math homework policy where parents are encouraged to do more math practice at home, and yet the board did not consult with school councils or parents before doing so. In my experience, few parents know about the resources available from the board because of the board’s poor communication of them. I believe that if we want to engage parents and seek their continued support, we have to include them in the process, seek out their feedback and opinions, and find and implement the solutions to these problems together.”

Excerpted from:  https://anitagibson.wordpress.com/2018/09/25/objectives-innovation-in-math-and-enhanced-communication/

For more information on Gibson's candidacy, visit her Sudbury.com election page here.


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