LESTER B. PEARSON SCHOOL BOARD
LBPSB wins three QESBA Excellence in Education Awards

The Lester B. Pearson School Board is extremely proud to have won three QESBA Excellence in Education Awards. The awards were handed out on Friday May 10th at the AAESQ-QESBA conference, which was held in Bromont.

Two of the awards were for programs/initiatives introduced by the school board's Student Services Department (SSD). They are the Strong is Confident program and the installation of Communication Stations to improve quality of life of autistic youth. A third award was given in recognition of Thrive, an initiative of the school board's Continuing Education Department.

"I have often said that our school board is truly a leader when it comes to innovation in teaching and learning. I am especially proud that our school board was recognized with these three awards during what is a milestone year for us as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. Our commitment to promoting excellence in education is unwavering, and I thank our staff for providing students of all ages with such engaging and meaningful educational experiences," said Cindy Finn, Director General of the LBPSB.

The Board of Directors of QESBA created the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 with a view to celebrating the excellence, dedication and innovation demonstrated by teachers, administrators, parents, professionals and school board members at the nine English Boards across Quebec.

STRONG IS CONFIDENT

Strong Is Confident, a first in Quebec, was developed by staff at with Family School Support & Treatment Team (FSSTT); a specialized intervention team within the Student Services Department of the LBPSB dedicated to helping students experiencing significant social-emotional-behavioral difficulties and their families.

The program is specifically intended to help teenage girls who are dealing with issues of self-confidence, motivation, assertiveness, and/or disconnection from school increase their resilience and coping skills. The program incorporates the sport of CrossFit which relies on a variety of strength and conditioning workouts performed at high intensity levels to forge broad, general, and inclusive fitness.

COMMUNICATION STATIONS

The Centre of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorder, housed at the Lester B. Pearson School Board, in collaboration with LEARN (Leading English Education and Resource Network) is providing complementary Communication Stations to all English elementary and secondary public schools, and schools in specialized education settings across Quebec A Communication Station is a form of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). It includes all forms of communication that are used to express needs, wants, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. AAC includes facial expressions, gestures, symbols, pictures, and written language, as well as specialized communication apps and devices that provide speech output. The stations can also improve communication between students and staff.

These stations are designed to increase autonomy and self-confidence by providing a much needed outlet for communication, that can enhance students' participation in school life, whether it be in the classroom or on the playground.

THRIVE

Thrive is Sociovocational Integration Training Program at Place Cartier Adult Education Centre. All students in Thrive are aged between 16 and 26 and have either a mild intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, a physical disability, or a learning disability. Thrive has several goals, including preparing and empowering students to obtain full-time employment; upgrading students' English, Math, and French skills and providing students with opportunities to become leaders in their community, while also giving back to that same community. Last year, 16 students graduated from the program, many of whom were hired as paid employees by the organizations that had taken them on as interns (at locations such as veterinary clinics, department stores, and seniors' residences).