OACS News Service

OACS offers ongoing opportunities for professional development
Upcoming Learning Conference one of four annual sessions
Monday February 25, 2008 -- Michelle Strutzenberger
The Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools (OACS) continues to provide opportunities for professional learning and development for those in leadership positions. Next on the agenda is the Learning Conference, which will take place March 29 this year.

The plenary session for this year’s Learning Conference is on Internet safety and is to be presented by a member of the Waterloo Regional police force.

John Vanasselt, director of communications, says the presentation will have application for both home and school.

“I think that it should be of high interest and very valuable to the people who are attending,” says the director.

As in past years, the topics to be addressed at the Learning Conference have been selected based on evident need and feedback from member schools.

“The conference doesn’t really hammer in one theme so much as it does respond to general needs that are out there,” says Vanasselt.

This is reflected in the broad range of courses available throughout the day long event.

Options range from a session on developing an effective business plan for the Christian school to the unveiling of a new mediation protocol to deal with difficult employment situations that have reached an impasse.

Other topics to be addressed include: implementing the new governance model, creating a capable board, the new science curriculum, student assessment and evaluation, the OACS leadership review for principals program, and a practical workshop on how schools can become ongoing and valuable contributors to community.

Participants will be able to choose three out of the nine options available. Those working on their Board Leadership Diplomas (BLD) can also select from the three BLD workshops to be offered.

Vanasselt notes all of the courses are informative and educational and offer valuable opportunities for professional development.

Attendance at the Learning Conference, which is geared to board members and administrators, generally ranges from 90 to 110 participants from across the province.

In addition to the Learning Conference, the OACS puts on three other conferences each year: the Advancement Conference in October, the Governance Conference in November, and the Leadership Conference, which is primarily for principals, in late November.

For more information about the Learning Conference, including registration details, contact conferences@oacs.org.