The union representing teachers in New Brunswick says the province should halt any plans to make changes for the rest of the school year.
High school students in the province were set to return to in-person learning full-time Monday, but that plan was put on hold Saturday as concerning variants of <a href="https://globalnews.ca/tag/covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19</a> spread.
Minister of Health Dorothy Shephard said the plan would be revisited in two weeks, but the New Brunswick Teachers Association (NBTA) says the 2020-2021 school year has seen enough flip-flopping already.
“We’ve been on the yo-yo of changes long enough,” says union boss Rick Cuming.
“The system definitely needs some stability.”
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7751413/nb-in-class-learning-delayed/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="N.B. parents, students, minister ‘relieved’ full-time classroom learning delayed">
				N.B. parents, students, minister ‘relieved’ full-time classroom learning delayed			</a>
		
	
Depending on the public health zone, schools of all grade levels have had to alter operational plans numerous times since the fall as recovery levels change.
For the most part, that’s seen high school students spend some days in class and others participating in online learning in a blended learning method.
Elementary and middle school students have physically been in school full-time when in the Orange or Yellow recovery phases — and recently in the Red, too.
			
				
						
												
						
						
		
			
				<h4>Some relief as N.B. delays full-time high school classroom return</h4>
				
					
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Cuming says he recognizes face-to-face learning as the optimal option, but the NBTA supports putting the brakes on getting teens back in class.
“It’s been absolutely crucial since the beginning that safety was the number one priority and, with the variants now present in our community, teachers were questioning the safety of schools.”
The plan to bring all highschoolers back full-time was announced March 19, and initially supported by the union.
It has been recent that attitudes in the halls have changed.
“I would say that in the last week or so I could sense that the feeling in our schools was changing,” says Zoë Watson, superintendent of the Anglophone South School District.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7748885/covid-n-b-high-school-in-class-learning-parents/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Some parents feeling anxious as N.B. high schoolers prepare to return to class full-time">
				Some parents feeling anxious as N.B. high schoolers prepare to return to class full-time			</a>
		
	
Watson says she learned of the about-face about 45 minutes before the province publicly announced it this past weekend — and a lot of work ensued to scrap nearly a month, adjusting everything from seating plans to school bus routes.
“This is a pandemic,” she says, “and it’s an evolving situation.”
The province has stated its intention to revisit the paused return to high school in the last week of April.
Watson won’t place bets on what that re-visitation might look like, but Cuming says to call the whole thing off.
“To consider doing yet another transition in this year of multiple changes, where the end of the school year is right on the horizon, it just doesn’t seem like an efficient use of the energy that’s left in this system,” he says.
Most schools are expected to break for the summer June 25, two months after the province will make its decision.

With a little over two months left before summer, New Brunswick’s teachers’ union says there have been enough changes already this school year Watch video →

New Brunswick teachers union says province should stick with hybrid high school

Flying Eze

With highly-transmissible variants circulating in B.C. and a surge in <a href="https://globalnews.ca/tag/covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">COVID-19</a> exposures at Kelowna, B.C., schools, teachers and parents are renewing calls for greater transparency of infection data related to schools.
Susan Bauhart, president of the Central Okanagan Teachers&#8217; Association, is calling on the provincial government to release specific case counts at schools with exposures, as well as the number of students and staff in isolation.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/ontario-education-covid-coronavirus-virtual-learning-stephen-lecce" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Ontario students move to virtual learning indefinitely amid record-high COVID-19 cases" target="_blank">
				Ontario students move to virtual learning indefinitely amid record-high COVID-19 cases			</a>
		
	
“I’ve heard from parents across the district, I’ve heard from teachers asking me questions. I have been pushing for more transparency of data so that people would know what the actual situations are like in the schools,&#8221; Bauhart told Global News on Monday.
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Bauhart said health officials have been hesitant to release specific school data due to privacy concerns, but she believes privacy issues could be mitigated.
“I know there are privacy issues, there is a stigma attached if names were to be released, but that was never the intent of asking for the data, the data can be given in a general way and it allows people to make informed decisions,&#8221; she said.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/covid-19-bc-outdoor-log-classrooms" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Log boom: B.C. school board builds 20 outdoor classrooms amid COVID-19 pandemic" target="_blank">
				Log boom: B.C. school board builds 20 outdoor classrooms amid COVID-19 pandemic			</a>
		
	
Bauhart called the emergence of the highly-transmissible variants circulating in the community a &#8220;game-changer.&#8221;
“The variants have been a game-changer in terms of COVID in our schools. The fear of the unknown is taking hold. I’m not trying to propagate fear — there are safety plans in our schools, there are protocols that are being followed. The variants, though, are the things that have changed.”
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There are 16 Kelowna-area public and independent schools listed on<a href="https://news.interiorhealth.ca/news/school-exposures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> Interior Health&#8217;s website</a> with potential exposure events since students returned from spring break.
The Okanagan&#8217;s largest school, Kelowna Secondary, has exposure dates listed as Mar. 29, 30, and April 6.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/coronavirus-schools-kids-safety-protest" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="B.C. parents to protest school COVID-19 safety measures at health authorities&#8217; offices on Monday" target="_blank">
				B.C. parents to protest school COVID-19 safety measures at health authorities&#8217; offices on Monday			</a>
		
	
KSS parents who contacted Global News expressed concern that COVID-19 transmission could be more widespread at the school, but only two exposure notices have been sent out to parents.
&#8220;Shouldn’t the parents be made aware of every positive case involving school-aged children? There are large numbers of students isolating and getting tested,&#8221; said one parent, who asked to remain anonymous.
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&#8220;A member of the École Kelowna Secondary school community has tested positive for COVID-19. They are self-isolating at home with support from local public health teams. To ensure personal privacy rights are maintained, we will not be providing additional details,&#8221; said the latest notice, issued April 5, by superintendent Kevin Kaardal.
Data related to COVID-19 in the Interior Health region is available on the <a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/a6f23959a8b14bfa989e3cda29297ded" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">BC Centre for Disease Control&#8217;s COVID-19 dashboard. </a>
It shows there are 833 active cases of COVID-19 across the B.C. Interior, and 23 people are currently hospitalized.
Global News is tracking active school exposures across B.C. <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7554236/bc-new-covid-19-school-exposures-2021-april/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here.</a>

Health officials have been hesitant to release specific school data due to privacy concerns. Continue reading →

Education

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Renewed calls for greater data transparency as COVID-19 school exposures soar in Kelowna, B.C.

Students will be staying in remote learning indefinitely following the April Break as the province continues to see record breaking <a href="https://globalnews.ca/tag/covid-19/" target="_blank">COVID-19</a> case and ICU numbers, the Ontario government says.
Ontario students were supposed to return to in-person learning after taking the week off for their delayed March Break.
Students in the hot spot regions of Peel, Toronto and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, were already moved to virtual learning the week before the break.
Peel Region moved its students online the Tuesday after Easter Monday, while Toronto and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph followed suit on Wednesday.
Schools will reopen pending the monitoring of public health data.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/toronto-guelph-schools-close-online-learning" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Schools in Toronto, Guelph move to online learning" target="_blank">
				Schools in Toronto, Guelph move to online learning			</a>
		
	
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement alongside Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, Minister of Health Christine Elliott and Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health at Queen&#8217;s Park Monday afternoon.

&#8220;It&#8217;s a risk I won&#8217;t take,&#8221; Ford said about the decision. &#8220;No one wants their kids in school more than I do but with covid spreading like wildfire &#8230; we simply can&#8217;t be too cautious right now.&#8221;
Lecce repeatedly reassured parents and Ontarians that the government was focused on keeping schools open, as recent as a letter sent to parents Sunday.
&#8220;During the provincial emergency brake and the provincial stay-at-home order, all publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools will remain open for in-person learning with strict health and safety measures in place, except in those regions where local public health units have directed schools in their areas to pivot to remote learning,&#8221; Lecce wrote in the letter.
Premier Doug Ford issued a <a href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/ontario-covid-stay-at-home-order" target="_blank">four-week stay-at-home order and declared a third state of emergency</a> provincewide, which came into effect Thursday at 12:01 a.m.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/covid-19-ontario-cases-april-12-coronavirus" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Ontario reports 4,401 COVID-19 cases, another record of ICU patients" target="_blank">
				Ontario reports 4,401 COVID-19 cases, another record of ICU patients			</a>
		
	
On Monday, the province reported 4,401 new COVID-19 cases, the second highest single-day increase to date. There are currently 1,646 people hospitalized, with 619 patients in intensive care units &#8212; an all-time high, and 408 patients in the ICU on a ventilator.
The Ontario government has said repeatedly they want to keep schools open amid the third wave to help with students&#8217; mental health.
Numerous health officials have said schools should be the last to close and the first to open.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Remain vigilant this April Break. 
Please read and share my letter to parents outlining Ontario’s plan to keep students and staff safe. <a href="https://t.co/hd0u9V1ZrH" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/hd0u9V1ZrH</a>
&mdash; Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sflecce/status/1381290247305191424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Dr. de Villa says there are other communities with similar community transmission levels seen in Toronto. Alludes to waiting for a decision coming from the province for a decision on extending school closures.
&mdash; Matthew Bingley (@mattybing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattybing/status/1381627060020506628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

Education Minister Stephen Lecce repeatedly reassured Ontarians that the government was focused on keeping schools open, as recently as a letter sent to parents on Sunday. Continue reading →

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Ontario students move to virtual learning indefinitely amid record-high COVID-19 cases

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University has announced plans to resuscitated the insitution&#8217;s Students&#8217; Union.
This was made known in a release by the institution&#8217;s Dean, Division of Student Affairs, Prof Isiaka Aransi, on Monday.
The release read in part, &#8220;It has come to the knowledge if the University Management that the National Association of Nigerian students Zone D is plannin to stage a protest in respect of &#8220;resuscitation of Students&#8217; Union in OAU.
&#8220;The university management wishes to inform all students that prior to the commencement of COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, OAU had taken steps to ensure that Students&#8217; Union was resuscitated on two diferent occassions but the processes were truncated due to the activities of some group of students on our university campus. 
&#8220;Meanwhile, protest or no protest, the university management has already determined to reinstate the suspended Students&#8217; Union before the end of this current 2019/2020 academic session.
&#8220;In recognition of the right of freedom of association and assemmbly as well as the right to ensure that students play their roles actively in decision-making processes as one of the major stakeholders in the university, the management, through the Dean of Student Affairs, took another step in January this year 2021 to present another proposal to the university senate with a view to ensuring that the students union was resuscitated.
&#8220;Accordingly, the University Senate considered the proposal at its virtual meeting in January 2021, and in its wisdom advised that resuscitation of students union being an exclusive preserve of students should not be executed virtually while the students were not on ground in the university.
								
									
										
										
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&#8220;The University management hereby wishes to inform all students (and other stakeholders) that as soon as all students return to campus fully during the Rain Semester of the current academic session, machinery will be put in place to set the ball rolling concerning the resuscitation ofthe students union in OAU.&#8221;

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University has announced plans to resuscitated the insitution’s Students’ Union. This was made known in a release by the institution’s Dean, Division of Student Affairs, Prof Isiaka Aransi, on Monday. The release read in part, “It has come to the knowledge if the University Management that the National Association of…

OAU announces plans to reinstate suspended students’ union

A Nova Scotia high school student suspended for bringing attention to someone wearing a shirt at her school that she found offensive, says the disciplinary penalty has since been revoked.
Kenzie Thornhill says she returned to class at West Kings District High School in Auburn, N.S., on Friday, following a conversation with the school&#8217;s principal who told her the local school board had reversed its decision.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7386131/sexual-assault-post-secondary-schools/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="‘It’s an access to education issue’: Why more needs to be done about sexual assaults at schools" target="_blank">
				‘It’s an access to education issue’: Why more needs to be done about sexual assaults at schools			</a>
		
	
The 17-year-old Grade 12 student says she was suspended last week after posting a photo online of someone wearing a shirt with lyrics on the back that mimicked the style of &#8220;Deck the Halls,&#8221; with one line reading: &#8220;&#8217;tis the season to be rapey.&#8221;
Kenzie says she was upset because she knows people who have been victims of sexual assault.
She says although the image only showed the shirt, and not the student, the school board suspended her for five days for posting the photo in violation of school rules.
In an emailed statement sent Friday, Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education executive director Dave Jones would not discuss specific details, citing privacy, saying only that &#8220;the school has revisited the decisions made in recent days related to discipline.&#8221;

A student suspended for bringing attention to someone wearing a shirt at her school that she found offensive, says the disciplinary penalty has since been revoked. Continue reading →

Annapolis Valley Regional Centre For Education

Auburn Ns

Offensive T-shirt

Sexual Assault

West Kings District High School

Nova Scotia student suspended after posting photo online says she’s back in class

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Saturday announced the commencement of registration of candidates for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry to tertiary education institutions in Nigeria.
The decision came barely 48 hours after it had stopped the exercise over technical challenges of the National Identification Number.
READ ALSO: <a href="https://punchng.com/ogun-cobbler-electrocuted-while-reconnecting-neighbours-electricity/" target="_blank">Ogun cobbler electrocuted while reconnecting neighbours’ electricity</a>
But a terse statement issued by the spokesperson for JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said registration for the examination had now commenced in full swing as all the issues had been resolved.

How to apply for the 2021 UTME:
1. VALID, FUNCTIONAL E-MAIL, PHONE NUMBER
It is important that get a valid and functional e-mail account. You also need an a five phone number.  This is because you will need this for registration and to  send and receive information from JAMB.
								
									
										
										
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Your e-mail is also a form of identity for you.

2. NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER GET
JAMB will be making use of the National Identification Number for registration this year.  Being a compulsory requirement, you will need it for your enrollment.
3. VISIT JAMB WEBSITE
After having your email address a d NIN ready, you can proceed to the JAMB website.
When you get there, create a JAMB profile, preferably before purchasing the form.
4. CHECK JAMB iBass
						
							
								
								
									
									
								
								
								
							
						
					
After creating a profile, it is recommended that you check JAMB iBass to be sure of your eligibility to take this year&#8217;s examination. The information is provided on the official website of the exam body.
5. JAMB e-pin 
After your eligibilty has been confirmed, then you can proceed to purchase your 2021 JAMB e-pin registration from banks and other accredited outlets.
6. CBT CENTRE 
Then, proceed to any accredited computer-based test centre with your personal details and your profile code.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Saturday announced the commencement of registration of candidates for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry to tertiary education institutions in Nigeria. The decision came barely 48 hours after it had stopped the exercise over technical challenges of the National Identification Number. READ ALSO: Ogun cobbler…

2021 Utme

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JAMB: How to register for 2021 UTME

The Calgary Board of Education is the latest Alberta school board that won&#8217;t pilot the province&#8217;s new draft K-6 curriculum this fall, and Alberta&#8217;s education minister is warning that school districts that don&#8217;t participate won&#8217;t be able to provide the same kind of feedback that other districts will.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/calgary-board-of-education-alberta-draft-curriculum" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Calgary Board of Education won&#8217;t pilot Alberta&#8217;s draft K-6 curriculum" target="_blank">
				Calgary Board of Education won&#8217;t pilot Alberta&#8217;s draft K-6 curriculum			</a>
		
	
The Calgary Board of Education released a statement on Friday: &#8220;While we appreciate the government&#8217;s intention to redesign the curriculum for the benefit of student learning, we have concerns similar to those expressed by educators, academic staff, parents and community members.&#8221;
The board said the decision was also made in part due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to focus on the current needs of students.
Other major districts, including Edmonton Public Schools and the Lethbridge School District, have also said they won&#8217;t pilot the curriculum this fall.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/ata-ucp-draft-curriculum-survey" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="ATA says 91% of Alberta teachers against draft curriculum, doubts UCP will listen to critics" target="_blank">
				ATA says 91% of Alberta teachers against draft curriculum, doubts UCP will listen to critics			</a>
		
	
The chief superintendent of the Calgary Catholic School District said on Saturday the district won&#8217;t force any of its teachers to pilot the new curriculum.
&#8220;If you want to have a great curriculum in Alberta, we have to step up participation of our teachers to help improve something that we know right now has some critical flaws in it,&#8221; said Bryan Szumlas.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/alberta-school-curriculum-social-studies-criticism" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Social studies, religion, Indigenous history sections of proposed Alberta curriculum under fire" target="_blank">
				Social studies, religion, Indigenous history sections of proposed Alberta curriculum under fire			</a>
		
	
Szumlas said that he wants to be part of the solution to make the draft better.
&#8220;This is like a six-course meal, and social studies is one of the servings, and obviously, it’s not tasting very good to anybody,&#8221; Szumlas said. He said that CCSD officials will be meeting this week to determine to what degree the district will participate.
On Friday, the Alberta Teachers&#8217; Association said a recent survey showed that 91 per cent of teachers are unhappy with the draft. The feedback shows that teachers strongly believe that the new curriculum is both age and developmentally inappropriate.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/ata-ucp-draft-curriculum-survey" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="ATA says 91% of Alberta teachers against draft curriculum, doubts UCP will listen to critics" target="_blank">
				ATA says 91% of Alberta teachers against draft curriculum, doubts UCP will listen to critics			</a>
		
	
ATA president Jason Schilling said the draft curriculum is &#8220;fatally flawed.&#8221;
&#8220;This curriculum is not age- or grade-appropriate, there are several problems with the content, and it doesn&#8217;t push students to deeper-level thinking or higher-level thinking or engage them in their learning,&#8221; Schilling said, &#8220;which is something that teachers would want to see in a curriculum as we move forward in Alberta with something that is a little more modern.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/alberta-proposed-k-6-curriculum-basic-skills" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Alberta&#8217;s proposed K-6 school curriculum focuses on basics, practical skills" target="_blank">
				Alberta&#8217;s proposed K-6 school curriculum focuses on basics, practical skills			</a>
		
	
Alberta&#8217;s education minister said on Saturday that if some school divisions do not wish to pilot, they won&#8217;t be able to provide the same kind of feedback on potential changes.
&#8220;Those school divisions that are going to pilot it, they will be able to provide us that rich feedback. While we will get feedback from CBE and others who do not choose to pilot, the actual rich feedback that we will get from teachers on the ground actually putting it into practice will be indispensable to us,&#8221; Adriana LaGrange said.
&#8220;We will gather that information from those who choose not to pilot but the ones who choose to pilot will be leaders and they will be able to give us that rich feedback that we are looking for.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/alberta-curriculum-plagiarism-allegation" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Parts of Alberta&#8217;s draft school curriculum plagiarized, academic finds" target="_blank">
				Parts of Alberta&#8217;s draft school curriculum plagiarized, academic finds			</a>
		
	
Medeana Moussa, executive director of the Support Our Students Alberta advocacy group, said the growing pushback shows the government should go back to the drawing board with the draft curriculum.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s surprising that the CBE doesn&#8217;t support it. I think they recognize that it is not in the best interest of children to pilot this regressive draft curriculum. It misses the mark on so many points. Lots of experts have spoken out against it,&#8221; Moussa said.

Alberta’s education minister is warning school districts that don’t participate in the review won’t be able to provide the same kind of feedback that other districts will. Continue reading →

Adriana Lagrange

Alberta Curriculum

Alberta Draft Curriculum

Alberta Education

Calgary Board Of Education

Curriculum

Curriculum Alberta

Education Minister

Alberta education minister warns districts that opt out of curriculum pilot won’t give ‘rich feedback’

Pandemic-fuelled frustration has some teens expressing anger in unhealthy ways after a year of missed social connections that would typically help them mature and regulate their emotions, says a psychiatrist calling for more education on coping skills as part of the school curriculum.
Dr. Shimi Kaur Kang said that while anger is a normal reaction to chronic stress for everyone, she is troubled by some teens expressing their frustration through addiction to pornography and gaming as well as increased use of alcohol and drugs.
Some teens are also lashing out more at parents, or engaging in cyberbullying as pandemic restrictions prevent them from going out with friends and establishing new relationships, Kang said from Vancouver where she has her own practice and is also a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia&#8217;s psychiatry department.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7612403/mental-health-challenges-coronavirus/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="&#8216;Stay in touch,&#8217; exercise, breathe: Combating mental health challenges during COVID-19" target="_blank">
				&#8216;Stay in touch,&#8217; exercise, breathe: Combating mental health challenges during COVID-19			</a>
		
	
&#8220;Psychologically, they&#8217;re meant to differentiate some of their identity from their home, the nest, and explore,&#8221; she said of teens who are craving independence as part of their normal development apart from parents.
Teens are biologically driven to connect with peers, take risks and seek novelty as the part of their brain that helps with planning, impulse control and emotional regulation is developing while they seek more autonomy. But over the past year, teens in many parts of the country haven&#8217;t gone much beyond their house.
More online learning at home without a teacher is boring for some students who find it challenging to sit for hours while they lack social contact with peers, Kang added.
Online learning away from the structured school environment is particularly difficult for students who need more stimulation, Kang noted.
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&#8220;If you&#8217;re someone with a learning issue, like my son, who has (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), and my daughter, who has dyslexia, that&#8217;s 25 per cent of teens. That&#8217;s additional stress.&#8221;
Extracurricular activities including sports, drama and music would normally satisfy some risk-taking needs but they&#8217;ve also been cancelled in areas with high COVID-19 cases, removing opportunities for teens to develop new skills or impress peers, Kang said.
&#8220;So they&#8217;re going online and they&#8217;re taking stupid risks. And I see kids who are posting things they never would have posted otherwise. It&#8217;s impacting their scholarships, their reputations, all kinds of stuff.&#8221;
The isolation, uncertainty and frustration are sometimes leading to angry outbursts that can get out of control, she said.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7403656/covid-19-mental-health-nb-family/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="&#8216;We&#8217;re at a breaking point&#8217;: Addressing mental health during COVID-19" target="_blank">
				&#8216;We&#8217;re at a breaking point&#8217;: Addressing mental health during COVID-19			</a>
		
	
&#8220;I have cases of parents who tried to limit screen time or shut the Xbox off and the kid trashed their bedroom, got violent with their parents, ran away from home because they&#8217;re addicted to technology. They don&#8217;t want the limits of their house and they turn to alcohol and drugs to kind of deal with their emotions.&#8221;
So-called social emotional learning, which highlights the importance of mental health and resilience in the face of challenges through mindfulness, for example, is already part of the curriculum in many jurisdictions across Canada but such programs often take a back seat to academics, Kang said.
&#8220;I&#8217;m hoping the pandemic will push this through further and faster because we have been going way too slow,&#8221; she said, adding a more formal approach is needed to train teachers on ways to impart self-care and social-emotional tips to students and create lifelong healthy habits.
&#8220;We need to really focus on child and youth well-being. But we need to get more serious about giving teachers the skills that they need so they can translate information to the young people, and also take care of themselves.&#8221;
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While some children seem to be adjusting to online learning, parents say the lack of extracurricular activities at school and in the community is having a negative impact.
Rod Roodenburg of Vancouver said his 16-year-old daughter Rowan can no longer participate in soccer or badminton and seeing her school friends wearing masks isn&#8217;t ideal for reading social cues.
&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely hamstringing learning opportunities, and I think social opportunities as well,&#8221; Roodenburg said, adding Rowan is already wondering if she&#8217;ll be attending a normal graduation ceremony next year and partying with her friends to celebrate that milestone.
A hybrid of online and school learning will soon include classes that are three hours long at her school, he said.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/teens-growing-up-during-covid-19-pandemic-going-through-unique-struggle" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Teens growing up during COVID-19 pandemic going through unique struggle" target="_blank">
				Teens growing up during COVID-19 pandemic going through unique struggle			</a>
		
	
&#8220;Sitting down for three hours at a stretch to cover material is really going to be a challenge for her. That&#8217;s my understanding from her. I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s really good for anybody to be sitting down in one spot for three hours in a row.&#8221;
Roodenburg, who is chair of the parent advisory council at his daughter&#8217;s school, said parents regularly speak with him about various issues their children are dealing with during the pandemic, including more conflict in the home.
&#8220;I get emails, I get phone calls and I get stopped just in the street and talk to parents about all the issues they&#8217;re having. I know that there&#8217;s been a lot of struggle, and a lot of difficulty for a lot of students.&#8221;
In February, property damage at the east-side school known for its theatre and film program included broken windows, and that was concerning for many parents, he said.
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&#8220;I think that just comes out of some of the frustration. The neighbourhood came together, the parents came together, and the school came together to solve the problem. I definitely think that was an issue that was borne out of this COVID situation.&#8221;
Joanna Henderson, a psychologist and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said it&#8217;s important for teens to establish a predictable routine for sleeping, eating and exercise. They also need a supportive adult or mentor relationship, preferably with someone outside the home during the pandemic.
However, she said that may be a challenge for teens whose relationships with other family members or regular contacts such as coaches and teachers have been disrupted due to public health orders.
&#8220;That sense of &#8216;What&#8217;s the point of getting out of bed today or tomorrow or the next day?&#8217; is so profound in our current context,&#8221; said Henderson, who is executive director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario, which has been providing virtual mental health and addiction services at 10 locations in the province.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6667325/coronavirus-contagious-clinical-psychologist-advice/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="&#8216;Emotions can be contagious&#8217;: Advice on coping with coronavirus-related anxiety" target="_blank">
				&#8216;Emotions can be contagious&#8217;: Advice on coping with coronavirus-related anxiety			</a>
		
	
Many of the programs were designed with the involvement of youth and that should be a guiding principle of any initiatives that aim to address their needs coming out of the pandemic, including whether schools should continue providing some form of online learning for students who suffer from anxiety and have fared OK at home, she said.
Overall, it&#8217;s important for parents to model self care and coping skills that would include taking a breath before reacting to intense emotions during an overwhelming time for their children, Henderson said.
&#8220;That, of course, depends partly on knowing your child. There&#8217;s lots of time for consequences about destroying things and slamming doors and using (inappropriate) language. But in the moment it&#8217;s not the right time. You can process, you can talk about that the next day.&#8221;

Some teens are lashing out more at parents, or engaging in cyberbullying as pandemic restrictions prevent them from going out with friends and establishing new relationships. Continue reading →

Canada

Anger Children Education

Anger Childrens School Curriculum

Anger Coping Mechanisms Kids

Anger Curriculum Covid-19

Emotional Maturity Children

Schools Anger Children Coping Mechanisms

Teach Kids How To Cope With Anger

Doctors urge schools to make coping with anger part of curriculum amid COVID-19 pandemic

New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) has unveiled a $50,000 annual bursary program to eliminate tuition and fee barriers for former youth in care. The initiative is aimed at making higher education more accessible.
“I live off student loans, I’m a single mom. Not worrying about tuition is a really great thing,” said Veronica Roy, a former youth in care in New Brunswick.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/queens-university-in-person-classes-fall-semester" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Queen’s University aiming for in-person classes come fall 2021 semester" target="_blank">
				Queen’s University aiming for in-person classes come fall 2021 semester			</a>
		
	
Residents of New Brunswick regardless of age who have spent a year or more in foster or group home care are eligible. The criteria state candidates must be working towards completing their first post-secondary credential.
Zoe Bourgeois was adopted at 15 and says a bursary program like this one would have saved her tens of thousands in student loans.
“Take advantage of it, apply for a program that you’re passionate about,” said Bourgeois, a New Brunswick Youth in Care Network social worker.
Eligible students could receive up to a maximum of $5,000 annually.
“We have opportunities for people to do two years with us and then do two years of university so this may start a whole lifelong learning that they never even would have been able to get into without having this little bit of a bridge,” said Mary Ellen Kingston-Ritchie, the NBCC director of student development.
NBCC has partnered with the Child Welfare Political Action Committee. The not-for-profit organization has helped create more than 150 tuition-free opportunities at 13 schools in five provinces.
“Very few people who are raised in care have the opportunity to pursue post-secondary studies immediately after they age out because life is quite hard, so the critical thing is that there is no age restriction,” said Jane Kovarikova, the founder of the Child Welfare Political Action Committee.
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Full- and part-time students are eligible, and bursary application support and career counselling are available.
“We’re encouraging every institution in the country to consider allocating a designated set of places that would be tuition-free for this type of student so that we can level the playing field going forward and have some access to social mobility,” said Kovarikova.
Eligible students can apply now and the bursary program at NBCC will start in September.

New Brunswick Community College has become the first post-secondary institution in the province to create a former youth in care tuition bursary program. Continue reading →

Money

Bursary

Foster Care

Group Home

Nbcc

New Brunswick Community College

Post-secondary Education

Youth In Care

Youth In Care Bursary

NBCC unveils tuition program for former foster children

Farah Alibay is living her dream to unlock the mysteries of Mars. But the 28-year-old Canadian engineer is also helping to chart a new path in aviation history — and doing it on another world.
Alibay is part of a team of engineers that designed and tested a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-prepares-for-first-flighthttps:/www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-prepares-for-first-flight" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">space helicopter</a> — nicknamed &#8220;Ingenuity&#8221; — that is set to take off over the red planet in the next few days.
It is a major &#8220;first&#8221; in space exploration — namely, the first time an autonomous aircraft has ever taken flight on another planet.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/nasa-rover-mars-surface" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="NASA rover Perseverance takes first spin on surface of Mars" target="_blank">
				NASA rover Perseverance takes first spin on surface of Mars			</a>
		
	
“If we can demonstrate that we can fly on Mars, that opens all sorts of opportunities for future missions,” Alibay told Global News’ The New Reality.
“Right now, we&#8217;ve been limited to driving on Mars, which is still super cool, but it&#8217;s fairly slow,” she said.
Ingenuity was affixed to the <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Perseverance rover</a> that landed on the red planet on Feb. 18. Earlier this month, the chopper &#8220;emerged&#8221; from the belly of the rover, and is now operating on its own.
“I mean, we’re flying on another planet. Come on!” Alibay said.
“It’s kind of crazy because we’ve only been flying on Earth for about 100 years. And now we’re saying we’re going to go to another planet where gravity is different.”
Detached from the rover, the helicopter, which weighs less than two kilograms, has had to survive temperatures that dip to -90 Celsius, drawing upon enough of its own stored energy to remain functional. Mars receives only about half of the solar energy that reaches Earth during the daytime. Building a machine that can stay warm and power itself up enough to fly under those conditions — a mere 272 million kilometres from Earth — is not easy. That, and the fact that Mars’ atmosphere is just one per cent as dense as the Earth’s, makes it extremely challenging to build a flyable helicopter.
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<h2>Overcoming hurdles </h2>
If landing a rover, and flying a helicopter, on Mars came with plenty of twists and turns, so too did Alibay’s path to working on the mission.
Her job at NASA began with an internship — and an unlikely one at that. She submitted many applications before she landed the job. “I probably had like 50 of them rejected. And one day, someone … at a dinner, at a conference, took interest in my research and offered me an internship.”
The Montreal native moved to England at the age of 13, with what she describes as wobbly English. She says she “went to public school; I didn’t have access to privileged education,” and yet she was accepted to prestigious universities, first at the University of Cambridge, and then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she completed her PhD. Her parents were role models, but when it came to the field of space exploration, there were not many people she could look up to and identify with.
“I didn&#8217;t have someone who looked like me in this position,” she says. “I grew up in the ’90s so there was a lot of interest in space, but a lot of people in these positions were white men, and it took a while for me to even allow myself to dream that I could be part of these people.”
But she persevered, and, in <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/people/3065/farah-alibay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">her role</a> as a systems engineer at Nasa&#8217;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasizes that “it’s really important, now that I’m here, to show girls, to show minorities, that, hey, it doesn’t matter what you look like,” she says. “There’s a place for you here.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/mars-perseverance-rover-panorama-photos" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Take a look around Mars with Perseverance rover&#8217;s HD photo panorama" target="_blank">
				Take a look around Mars with Perseverance rover&#8217;s HD photo panorama			</a>
		
	
<h2>Bridging the arts &amp; sciences</h2>
That story resonates deeply with Chimira Andres, a planetary geologist from Barrie, Ont., who, like Farah Alibay, grew up feeling dismayed at the lack of representation in the field by women, and especially women of colour. That’s finally changing now, Andres said.
“It’s just great to see that diversity in mission control that wasn’t evident before,” she said. “There are a lot of inspirational people out there, but if you can’t really see them, you can’t see yourself in that position as well.”
Her path to space was also rather unusual. She began her career as a dancer — and has since come to discover the many parallels between dance and the world of space exploration.
“I wanted to pursue science and space, and dance, at the same time, and just didn’t know how,” she said. Dance, she says, has taught her “everything from discipline to resilience” — skills that are critical for success in space.
After nearly two years at the Canadian Space Agency, Andres has spread her wings to Europe.
Last September, she landed a job in the Netherlands at the European Space Agency, where she is a graduate trainee in the agency’s science and technology education program.
“I really want to spread the love for STEM, the love for space,” she says. “Space is contagious, I think. So once you’ve talked about space to someone &#8230; you’ve got them hooked.”
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/muon-particle-new-force-of-nature" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Wobbly muon particles hint at a new, secret force of nature" target="_blank">
				Wobbly muon particles hint at a new, secret force of nature			</a>
		
	
<h2>Homegrown talent </h2>
Though Alibay and Andres are both working abroad, there is no shortage of brainpower in Canada when it comes to aerospace engineering and space exploration. Where Canada excels is in education, and post-secondary programs here attract the best and brightest from all over the world.
That includes aerospace graduate Eitan Bulka, who came to Montreal from Boston a decade ago, and recently defended his PhD at McGill.
“There are a lot of opportunities here in Montreal, so I&#8217;m actually only looking to stay in Montreal,” he told Global News.
His work looks at increasing the autonomous capacities of unmanned aerial vehicles. These include everything from drones that deliver goods purchased online to helicopters and other aircraft that can fly autonomously on other planets — including Mars.
“It’s challenging enough to do this on Earth, and then there are extra challenges on Mars,” he says. “But, a lot of the tools that we develop on Earth are also applicable on Mars.”
He says that the idea that Canadians &#8220;go abroad&#8221; to pursue dreams in space — or that there is somehow a brain drain —no longer really holds.
“In the past, you kind of had to move to California. But now a lot of these (aerospace) companies are &#8230; in Canada and in Montreal, and they’re more open to having remote employees.”
And yet, the aerospace field in Canada is still “somewhat scattered,” says Inna Sharf, the director of McGill’s aerospace mechatronics lab. There are dozens of aerospace companies in Canada, from startups to large employers, and several university research groups working on everything from space engineering to self-driving cars, but “we don’t have NASA. &#8230; We don’t have anything uniting all this work, pulling it together.”
		
			Read more:<a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5478714/moon-landing-anniversary-2/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="How cigarettes, coffee and Canadian engineers helped put men on the moon (July 22, 2019)" target="_blank">
				How cigarettes, coffee and Canadian engineers helped put men on the moon (July 22, 2019)			</a>
		
	
<h2>Challenging terrain </h2>
There are definitely no shortcuts in getting to Mars, and the Perseverance mission is proof of that. NASA has landed the rover — and the Ingenuity helicopter with it — in one of the most inhospitable parts of the planet.
The area is known as <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/landing-site/" target="_blank">Jezero Crater</a>, and NASA chose the site because there is evidence of an ancient river delta that may have been able to support life more than 3.5 billion years ago. The crater has been shown to contain clay deposits, which can only form when there is water. Similar clay formations are found in the Mississippi River delta.
And making those connections with Earth is where Andres, the planetary geologist from Barrie, excels. She began her space career by learning about our planet. “I majored in Earth and environmental sciences,” she said, “because I heard that to be a good planetary scientist, you had to be an expert on Earth first.”
Of course, Mars is a &#8220;whole other world.&#8221; Yet, the parallels to science on Earth, whether it’s about engineering an autonomous aircraft or mapping ancient glaciers and streams, are remarkable.
“Space,” Andres says, “is not just rocket science. It’s not just biology. It’s all of them. It’s physics, math, combined with Earth sciences, and everything that you need, to help scientists bring a mission to Mars.”
See this and other original stories about our world on The New Reality airing Saturday nights on Global TV, and <a class="waffle-rich-text-link" href="https://globalnews.ca/tag/the-new-reality/" data-sheets-formula-bar-text-link="https://globalnews.ca/tag/the-new-reality/" data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style="font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline;font-family:'Arial';font-style:italic;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;" target="_blank">online at globalnews.ca.</a>

Their careers have taken twists and turns, but these young Canadians have landed jobs doing things that are literally out of this world. Continue reading →

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Education [Page 2 of 53]

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