To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:

Help her flourish by developing the tools that boost well-being.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of the factors that enable individuals and communities to flourish and achieve well-being. Well-being not only feels good: it has been proven to make people happier, healthier and more successful in all aspects of life.

Dr. Martin P. Seligman, the founder of positive psychology and author of the book Flourish, discovered, through scientific research, the five building blocks that enable flourishing:

1. Positive Emotion: Increase positive emotions by feeling grateful about the past, savouring the present and being hopeful about the future.

 

2. Engagement: Do things that you enjoy and that bring you satisfaction.

 

3. Relationships: Develop healthy relationships and social connections.

 

4. Meaning: Get actively involved in something that makes a positive difference in your community or in the world.

 

5. Accomplishment: Pursue activities that give you a sense of accomplishment, whether it be work, sports, games or hobbies.

 

Introduce yourself and the courses you teach. What, in your opinion, is the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial Academy?

My name is Mr. De Vito, I teach middle school math and science.  The best thing about being a teacher at Centennial Academy is helping students achieve success and meet their potential by becoming better learners.  To do this we use many different strategies and tools that meet the universal design for learning (UDL).[/row]

What are the top 3 things that you think make Centennial Academy unique?

1. Our unique UDL approach to teaching.
2. The high level of structure and routine that we provide in class.
3. Our continuing commitment to help students overcome the barriers to learning.

Tell me about one of your favorite teaching memories/story?

I come from a sports background, so I really enjoy coaching soccer at Centennial because it allows me to get to know the students better in a non-class environment while having fun on the field.  Students often call me coach when they see me in the school.  I also enjoy having the privilege of teaching students in grade 7 and 8 and then watching them grow as learners.  I have fond memories of students thanking me for helping them reach their learning goals when they were younger.

What do you think your students like the most about you?

I feel like they appreciate my patience and understanding when it comes to their learning needs.  I always encourage them to give me feedback so that I can become a better teacher.  I think they appreciate that.

Describe a typical classroom experience or a typical day at Centennial?

A typical math class in middle school usually begins by the teacher taking attendance while making sure that each student is prepared and sitting in the appropriate learning position.  Next, go over reminders such as upcoming assessments.  Then, students do a warmup activity such as a warm-up question, memory aid builder or weekly assignment.  Afterwards, correct homework by having students come to the white board and explain to the rest of class what to do.  Following this, students copy notes in course pack by viewing a Power Point and filling in the blanks.  Students then do an exit card by answering a specific question and seeking feedback from teacher.  Finally, they start new homework by completing questions in course pack which has a model of what to do.  Students end class by getting ready for the next period.

Describe in your own words the Centennial Academy Approach and how UDL really works.

The Centennial Academy approach involves a common framework in the class that involves using strategies and structure that helps all students.  For example, chair slippers reduce the number of distractions that a normal chair would make.  Binders are color coded which makes it easier for students to get prepared.  Scaffolding techniques are used when teaching, for example, the first question is shown step by step what to do while the next questions have less and less support.

To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:

Boost her sense of well-being by using positive language when you speak to her.

Your child’s well-being is undoubtedly one of your top priorities: you want your child to be happy, confident, content, fulfilled, balanced, kind, healthy, and satisfied.

In his book Flourish, positive psychology expert Martin E. P. Seligman provides examples, from his own research, of the power of positive talk on the well-being of individuals.

In the corporate world, his research showed that companies thrive when there is at least a 2.9 to 1 ratio of positive to negative statements. For couples, the same research showed that a 2.9 to 1 positivity ratio was not nearly high enough to ensure happiness. In fact, couples whose communication contained a 2.9 to 1 ratio of positive to negative statements were headed toward divorce! A ratio of 5 positive statements for every negative statement was shown to be the minimum to predict conjugal stability.

Think of what this means in terms of how you should communicate with your child. You can play a big role in your child’s well-being by noticing her strengths, appreciating her gifts and focusing on speaking positively to her.

Introduce yourself and the courses you teach. What, in your opinion, is the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial Academy?

My name is Marco Palmieri, I teach grade 11 chemistry and physics. I am also the staff’s teacher coach. The best thing about teaching at Centennial is the team approach in coming up with strategies to improve student success. As a team, we often re-evaluate these strategies and everyone is responsible for taking an active role in proposing solutions.

What are the top 3 things that you think make Centennial Academy unique?

The structures that are in place to help student success are unique.  Before looking at grades, we focus on learning behaviours, which often guides our discussions with students about their success in school. We have a level coach who follows up with student work while working in partnership with the teachers. Teacher’s lessons are structured in a very similar way, regardless of the subject they are teaching. Teachers believe that students need routine and predictability and all teachers at Centennial share this value. Teachers also have level meetings where teachers of that level get together in collaboration with the Director of student growth in order to problem solve student issues.

Tell me about one of your favorite teaching memories/story?

In grades 7-8-9, students must create a science fair project and if they choose to, can participate in the school’s science fair and Regional science fair. I remember a student who was motivated by his project and he was always looking to find ways to make his project better. He always responded well to my feedback and in the end, not only did he win the school’s science fair for his level, but also won a gold medal at the Regional science fair.

What do you think your students like the most about you?

I believe students know that I’m a fair teacher that treats everyone equally. I don’t make deals with students or offer special treatment and I know they appreciate this of me.

Describe a typical classroom experience or a typical day at Centennial?

Centennial prides itself in making sure teachers are delivering effective and engaging lessons. This means that we minimize teacher talk and students spend more doing instead of listening. All classes at Centennial follow a routine and predictable structure, regardless of the subject taught.

Describe in your own words the Centennial Academy Approach and how UDL really works?

Centennial’s approach is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that helps give all students opportunities to be successful. We believe that it’s important to shape our lessons to fit our students. This means, for example, presenting concepts in a variety of ways. In science classes, we have various tools to help us do this: PowerPoint presentations, course pack questions and notes, online simulations, hands on labs and online lab activities. We also focus on study strategies and organization. In science, we have students create memory aids before quizzes and tests. Even if they aren’t allowed to use them for tests, it is a requirement for them to create one in order to show that they’ve gone through their notes and reviewed.

Introduce yourself and the courses you teach. What, in your opinion, is the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial Academy?

Ms. Fiori Head of the Mathematics department, teach grade 10 Math Science option and grade 11 Math CST option. The best thing about working at Centennial is the learning experience. We use many different strategies and are encouraged to try to different things to see what works. Also, the collaboration between teachers. We work as a unit across all subjects.[/row]

What are the top 3 things that you think make Centennial Academy unique?

1. The way we break down the material so the students have a model to follow.
2. The different UDL strategies that we use in class.
3. A study hall period to allow students the opportunity to complete their homework during the school day and seek out teacher support.

Tell me about one of your favorite teaching memories/story?

One of my favorite memories is the grade 11 New York trip. It was great to see how the students interact outside of the classroom. The students really enjoyed the Broadway shows that we saw and ended up doing karaoke on the bus.

Students always seem hesitant at the beginning of the trip, but by the end of the trip they are grateful that they went on the trip.

What do you think your students like the most about you?

I think what the students like most about me is that I am willing to help them at lunch, afterschool or whenever they may need to provide extra support.

Describe a typical classroom experience or a typical day at Centennial?

A typical classroom experience would be the students come in there is some sort of warm up activity on their desks to get them started for the day. We then fill in the notes and I explain the concepts that we are learning for the day. I “cold call” on students to give their input and answer any questions I may have. Students ask questions on things that are unclear or confusing. Once the notes portion of the lesson is complete, the students work on individual work with a model shown at the front of the class. There are times where students can work in groups. When the lesson is complete, the students pack up their math material and get ready for their next class.

Describe in your own words the Centennial Academy Approach and how UDL really works.

At Centennial we do not try to fit the students into a box. We provide strategies in the classroom that would benefit all learners. For example, in math, we break down the procedure on how to answer a problem which is very helpful for those that struggle with knowing the correct steps and for those that are stronger it ensures they are on the right path. We use online tools so students can view and review notes and PowerPoints at a pace that works for them.

 

Introduce yourself and the courses you teach. What, in your opinion, is the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial Academy?

My name is Mary Byron and I teach grade 7 and 8 English Language Arts.

In my opinion, the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial Academy is getting to work with our students every day.[/row]

What are the top 3 things that you think make Centennial Academy unique?

One thing that makes Centennial Academy unique is our teaching approach. We recognize and know that every student learns differently and we provide them with many different pathways to learning in order for them to succeed.

Another thing that makes Centennial Academy unique is how we teach students to do things that other schools expect students to do naturally. Other schools expect students to be autonomous and to be able to advocate for themselves as learners. At Centennial we recognize that these skills don’t come naturally to everyone, so we provide students with many opportunities to learn and practice these skills.

Lastly, another thing that makes Centennial Academy unique is our approach with essays in English Language Arts. At other schools, essays are introduced and produced all at once. At Centennial we break the essays down into manageable chunks. We work on one paragraph per class with highlighted models. We scaffold the process so that students are supported in their learning. This allows them to not only learn the content but acquire learning strategies along the way.

Tell me about one of your favorite teaching memories/story?

My favourite teaching memory at Centennial is when I used an audiobook in the classroom for the first time back in 2015. I was reading “A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park with my grade 7 class. I played an audio reading of the chapter instead of reading it out loud. They immediately lit up and were so engaged because they loved the reader’s voice. She had a New York accent and they thought it was the greatest thing in the world. I will never forget the smiles on all of their faces.

What do you think your students like the most about you?

I think they like that I’m patient and helpful. They can come to me if they don’t understand the way I taught something and I’ll find another way to teach it to them until they understand it.

Describe a typical classroom experience or a typical day at Centennial?

A typical classroom experience at Centennial is all about routine and predictability.

A classroom starts with a routine and is followed by minimal teacher instruction, usually no more than 10 minutes. The bulk of our time in the classroom is spent doing an activity or assignment where the students can practice their newly acquired knowledge or demonstrate their understanding of it. Then at the end, we clean up our materials and prepare for the next class.

Describe in your own words the Centennial Academy Approach and how UDL really works.

As I said earlier, we provide our students with many different pathways to learning because we recognize that every student learns differently. We provide our students with various ways of learning and acquiring information as well as demonstrating their understanding of a given concept. By using the UDL approach, we reach and engage all of our students. We remove barriers to learning with our tools like graphic organizers, Word Q, reading strategies, course pack, and more.  We make learning accessible to all of our students.

 

Introduce yourself and the courses you teach. What, in your opinion, is the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial Academy?

My name is Rezkia Robai and I teach French language classes.

As far as I can remember, my dream of helping students with learning difficulties has been very important to me. Now that I have the opportunity to work at Centennial Academy, I feel that my dream is becoming a reality. Having the privilege of making a significant difference in my students’ success is an extremely gratifying and fulfilling feeling.[/row]

What are the top 3 things that you think make Centennial Academy unique?

In my opinion the top 3 things that make Centennial Academy unique are:

1. Our concern for the well-being of all our students
2. The emphasis on staff collaboration in coaching the students
3. The diversity of all those who help our students learn

Tell me about one of your favorite teaching memories/story?

One of the most significant moments I experienced as a new teacher was when a student, who almost never communicated verbally, raised his hand in class to answer a question. It was very rewarding.

What do you think your students like the most about you?

I think they appreciate the fact that

• I am patient
• I make efforts to understand their needs
• I am attentive

Describe a typical classroom experience or a typical day at Centennial?

The day often begins with supervision. Before I’m scheduled to teach, I make sure to get everything ready for my class.

After welcoming my students, I begin by explaining the lesson’s content. We start with a routine to validate previous knowledge or with questions as a way to introduce new concepts.

I then present the concept itself with a Power Point presentation or a video. I ask a lot of questions and make sure that the students find the answers themselves while guiding them to formulate the correct one. During this activity, there’s a lot of interaction with students.

Then there is a learning activity where students practice what they’ve just learned by using group / class and individual exercises. The exercises are then corrected.

At the end of the day the students are often asked to give examples of the concepts they’ve just learned or to use interactive educational computer games in a way that relates to the content.

When my classes are finished, I take a moment to rest while I’m eating, then I complete my lesson plans, and I correct or plan my next classes.

Describe in your own words the Centennial Academy Approach and how UDL really works.

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a very inclusive approach that allows each student to have the same opportunity to succeed as anyone else. At Centennial, we’re honestly committed to doing this and I believe that everything we do really makes a difference in our students’ lives. Teachers put a lot of time and energy in making sure that our teaching methods and strategies are inclusive and give everyone the opportunity to thrive.