EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NEWS
The hard working gang at the Education Department hope all of you have had a fabulous season of patrolling,assisting our fellow skiers,enjoying the camaraderie of the Patrol and,of course,skiing like crazy. After the great performances at all of the courses and the requalification events last Fall,you have earned every bit of patrolling fun and service to the public that came your way!!!
The purpose of this Article is to introduce the Zone Education Team for 2011/2012 to all of you and to provide you the first glimpse of the projected Education Event and Activity Calendar. The Aim is to ensure that all of you have ample “warning” of all the events that are programmed for you for the upcoming 2011/2012 Patrol Season……yup….already!!!!
First,CONGRATULATIONS to our First Aid teams for their outstanding performances at the Quebec Division First Aid Competition. Yep,yet AGAIN,we dominated the Division and our performances by all the teams showed Gatineau Zones’ dedication to excellence. Congratulations to the Edelweiss Team for placing 1st and the Vorlage Team for placing 2nd. The Fortune Team also acquitted itself well and are ready to take their place on the podium next year,no doubt. WELL DONE to all.
Your Education Team has already been busy planning next season. This is the time of the year that we need plan,coordinate and get ready to execute all of our events in order to get you all ready for next season. We always want to give you all as much warning as possible so you can plan your Spring,Summer and Fall ……………….so be warned!!!! Pens and calendars out gang………….whether you are a regular returning patroller,instructor or assistant instructor (ALL disciplines) get ready to block off the patrol dates and events that apply to you for Spring and Fall 2011!!!!
The Education Team
Your Education Team for this coming season is made up of a great bunch of enthusiastic and excellent patrollers. The Coordinator line up is:
Maggi McLeod and Kelly Roberts: Instructor Trainers and Coordinators for the Instructor Certification Program (ICP),with the responsibility to ensure that current Instructors complete the ICP course.
John Simpson: Instructor Trainer and Coordinator for the “Instructor and AI Certification Course”,with the responsibility to plan,coordinate,and exectue the Instructor/Assistant Instructor Certification Course for patrollers who want to become AIs or who are currently AIs and want to expand their teaching skills to bring them up to the level of Instructor as part of the ICP program.
Bill Mooney: Recruit Course Coordinator,with the responsibility to plan,coordinate and execute (with ALL you instructors and AIs helping him) all of the Recruit Courses that we plan to run this coming season (Spring and Fall 2011).
JR Arsenault: Returning Patroller Requalification Coordinator,with the responsibility to plan,coordinate and execute (again,with ALL you instructors and AIs helping out) all of the Returnee weekends requalification sessions. This includes the written and diagnostic sessions as well.
Chantal Ferland: On Snow Coordinator,with the responsibility to plan,coordinate and execute (yep,again with the help of instructors and AIs) Zone Lift Evacuation Training,Zone Recruit Ski Evaluation and On Snow Instructor Courses (Nordic and Alpine). Chantal also helps with the First Aid Competition from an On Snow perspective.
Ryan Falls: First Aid Competition Coordinator,with the responsibility to plan,coordinate and conduct the Zone First Aid Competition.
The Education Team is also backed up by the Zone Instructor Trainer Team (ITs) of 13 advisors,mentors and themselves very high quality instructors. Their role is to support the Zone to ensure that all the education programs are delivered in accordance with National Standards,our Zone Instructors are well trained and the Coordinators are provided with any and all mentor support and advice. They really are the sage conscience of the Zone.
Zone Education Calendar of Events
Below are some of the key events that you will find on the Calendar:
- Spring Recruit Course: (30 April – 12 June 2011)
Instructors will be needed for this course. Please contact Bill Mooney or John Simpson if you would like to help out in teaching the course. The more the merrier and they are YOUR recruits for your Areas that you are educating!!! - Instructor Requalification Weekend (28-29 August 2011)
All Instructors and AIs this is for you to get your requal for 2011/2012 done and complete in preparation for you helping in getting us to get the Fall recruits trained and your fellow returnees requalified. Do your written the Tuesday and Thursday before the weekend and your diagnostic the week after. THEN enjoy Labour Day weekend!!! We promise it will be an interesting and educational time. More details as the summer progresses. - Instructor and Assistant Instructor Courses (16 April and 7 May)
All you patrollers who want to join the instructor ranks or current AIs who want to become instructors,this is your one opportunity to qualify or upgrade and contribute to the delivery of our programs. Location TBA. We always need and want more instructors to help your fellow patrollers and be part of the Education Department Team. Contact John Simpson to register. - Instructor Certification Program
All instructors (not AIs) must recertify this year to retain your certification and be able to teach for us. There will be 2 day-long courses (7 May and 16 Oct) and all will have to attend one of the sessions. Instructor Trainers Kelly Roberts and Maggi McLeod will be the instructors and coordinations. Contact them for information and details. Remember: ALL of you (us) will have to do one or the other to retain your national certification.
All of the Fall events are in the Calendar Document and are being added to the online Events Calendar,including Lift Evacs and the Returnee Weekends. We will again have one set of events on the Ontario side and one set at Areas in Gatineau. More information will be forthcoming from JR Arsenault and Chatal Ferland when we get closer to the Fall period.
One of my major goals this year is to deliver the BEST bilingual program that we can to all of you. To do that we always need both bilingual and Francophone instructor and AIs who can help us achieve that aim. Please come out and get engaged if you can in assisting us to deliver recruit courses,returnee requalifications,lift evacuations etc in both official languages. Without your help we remain challenged to deliver that goal.
One final point for all returnees: 15 November 2011 will be the cut-off day for ALL Returnee requalification,so don’t leave things to the end folks and suddenly find out you cannot requalify in time. We must have all returning patroller information to National no later than 16 Nov,so help us out and get your requalification completed early!!!! THANKS FOLKS!!!!!
The Education Department gang is a dedication bunch and our goal is to ensure we adhere to the highest of National Standards,exceed them where we can and ensure that the learning environment for all Gatineau Zone patrollers and recruits is of the highest standard and quality possible. We owe that to you all and our performance throughout the year in all of our events and at Division and National level reflect the proud and outstanding competencies that you all display each and every day!!!! Keep up the good work and more importantly,your engagement…..we NEED you all to help teach the rest.
THANKS AND ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!!!!
Don Grant,CSP 638
VP Education,Gatineau Zone
