2014/15 Leadership Class Legacy

Sullivan Leadership Legacies

At the beginning of the semester you were asked about how you’d like to be remembered as a Sullivan leader.  Over the past few months, our class has participated in a number of environmental stewardship initiatives (REleaf planting, Invasive species removal, Partners in Parks), humanitarian projects (Food Drive, Movember Stache N Dash, Food Bank volunteer, God's Little Acre Farm harvest, Xmas bureau family sponsorship, CPR certification) as well as acts of leadership (gr 8 retreat, school tours, Remembrance Day).  In-class activities have afforded a number of varied opportunities to work collaboratively and creatively to broaden and deepen your leadership skills. 

Furthermore, each of you has been engaged in hours of extra-curricular active citizenship as volunteers in the school and the larger community.  It has been said that receiving is in the giving and it is my hope that you have grown and become enriched as a result of your charity.  Believe it or not, you have made a difference in someone else’s life, so here is your chance to share and articulate those lessons inherent to your volunteer experiences.

Using the prompts below, along with samples taken from your journaling / portfolios, I invite you to document your legacy as a Sullivan Leader.  You may use any media of your choosing including: text, art, music, collage, poetry, multi-media, theatre, and comedy.  Because your learning is something very personal, not to mention complex and usually messy, this work is to be your own.   You have all worked to foster an inclusive and welcoming class environment in which all members feel safe in taking risks and sharing their ideas, so embrace the freedom of letting your heart continue to guide you now.

In the continued spirit of student empowerment and surrendering the control of your learning back to you, we will decide as a class the best format for our presentations.

Legacy presentations will be shared in late - January concurrently with your final exit interviews.  Experience tells me that students will need at least 5 minutes to share their learning along with another 5 to field questions.  I have every confidence in your abilities and trust that you will each invest in your work with the kind of quality that you and the group deserve as well as with the vigor that a senior level course warrants.  There is no such thing as a ‘B’ leader.

- Most powerful experience in the course…

- What I bring to the class dynamic…

- How I contribute to the class community…

- How I’ve grown…                           - New understandings about leadership…
- Something that I’ve been working towards improving…

- My goals for the class and the degree to which I achieved them…

- My most memorable moment as a teacher…  As a learner…

- My hero / mentor / icon (same or different now?)…          My "Issue"....

- Plans for continued growth as a leader…

Sullivan Heights Active Learning Department Semester - End Formal Report

Sullivan Heights Active Learning Department Semester - End Report

January 2014

_________________________________ has been invited to blog about their Active Learning journey; to reflect on new and emerging understandings related to their physical education.  At this point in the year we also need to co-construct a summative assessment by attaching a letter grade and work habit for the Ministry report card.  Support your suggested grade with evidence / artifacts and by elaborating on some of the themes / class-values listed below:

-      noteworthy changes in fitness (with documented evidence)
attendance and punctuality

-      contributions to the class social dynamic

-       factors that influence work ethic and effort

-       preparedness for class, leadership

-       comments on skill development

-       level of commitment to extra-curricular, daily physical activity (with examples)

-       dietary choices and their influence on health, energy levels, and performance

-       injury prevention, management, and rehabilitation

-       connections with community, active citizenship, volunteering

-       aspects of the course they are enjoying / like to see changed

-       identification of barriers / limitations to participation in physical activity

-       personal goals and plans for continued growth

You are invited to visit http//:____________________________________________ and please join in the conversation.

Mr. Vaughan

Sullivan Heights Active Learning Department

Welcome Leadership Class

Hi All.  As we work together to co- construct our first formal assessment, I thought it appropriate for you to be commenting on your learning with respect to the value statements that you created together.  Please use them to prompt not only a G, S, or N work habit but to launch a deeper and richer reflection.  Please also invite your peers and the people at home to comment on your thinking.  After all, the Latin root word for assessment is "assidere" which means to sit beside. Here are YOUR words:

As Sullivan Leaders We Value:


- respecting others, ourselves, and the opinions of everyone.

- individuality and being able to express ourselves freely.

- creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment.

- keeping a tenacious nature about our passions.

- providing others with similar opportunities as our own.

Summative Assessments

All year we have fostered a student-centered learning environment where you have been invited to construct and re-create your experiences.  I hope that your active learning journey has been a conscious one and that you've become a more reflective learner as a result.  To honour the personal and messy nature of learning, we believe that you need to be the primary authors of your assessment. The blog offers a forum where that assessment can be shared in its rich, complex, and whole state.   Here is your chance to reveal / make transparent your process by bringing attention and meaning to your emerging understandings.  When thoughtfully chosen, digital artifacts strengthen your posts because they not only serve as evidence but can crystalize a communication that words alone may not articulate. This learning is not limited to just your physical education but should consider all aspects of health.  Please invite your peers and parents to read and comment on your post. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to continuing our assessment conversation with each of you in person over the next two weeks.

If you are stuck, here are some guiding questions / themes to consider when writing your summative post.  These are meant to simply steer your conversation and not to limit it.

- Comment on your; attendance / punctuality / readiness to participate.

- Comment on any changes to your fitness.  Provide evidence of the change.  Reflect on why the change happened.

- Comment on how you contribute to our class dynamic?  What do you bring?  Give examples.

- Comment on what it means to you to be physically educated?  How are you ready for independence?

- Reflect on what barriers might be keeping you from succeeding a healthy, active lifestyle.  Troubleshoot those obstacles.

- Suggest a grade that attempts to reflect you learning / performance / understandings / contributions...

Interim Reports

Hi All.  Please use the template below when reflecting on your work habits to date.  Thanks for posting.

Sullivan Heights Active Learning Department Interim Report

Wednesday March 3^th 2014

_________________________________ has been invited to blog about their Active Learning journey; to reflect on new and emerging understandings related to their physical education.  Please also include a work habit (Good, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement) and it justification. Some themes for sharing might include:

-      -  noteworthy changes in fitness (with documented evidence)

-       - contributions to the class social dynamic

-      -  factors that influence work ethic and effort

-       - preparedness for class, leadership

-       - comments on skill development

-       - level of commitment to extra-curricular, daily physical activity (with examples)

-       - dietary choices and their influence on health, energy levels, and performance

-       - injury prevention, management, and rehabilitation

-       - connections with community, active citizenship, volunteering

-       - aspects of the course they are enjoying / like to see changed

-     -   identification of barriers / limitations to participation in physical activity

-    -    personal goals and plans for continued growth

You are invited to visit http//:____________________________________________ and please join in the conversation.

Sullivan Heights Active Learning Department

SunRun earlybird deadline

Hi All.  Our Sulli SunRun team is slowly growing.  I encourage you all to register by Friday Feb 15th to take advantage of the $17 fee.  Please visit sunrun.com to download your training plan as well.  Happy Training

Welcome Active Learners

I look forward to hearing from you all!