Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Friday, February 23, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Merril Dean, principal of Weledeh Catholic School, presented her school's report to the board last Wednesday.

Dean had Gail Klassen, a core French teacher at the school, give a presentation to the board on the use of the Accelerative Integrated Method (AIM) in class.

Klassen has been using the AIM method to teach French. The AIM approach encourages students to use gestures to make it easier to recall words.

For example, Klassen has applied the method to the story of the Three Little Pigs. The students use signs to help them follow the story in French. Klassen showed the board a video of the students using the method.

Then two of Klassen's students, Kleinberg Fernandez, 11, and Alice Storrie, 10, led the board through an exercise in the AIM approach, to show them how the method works.

Dean also presented the board with fleece vests, created after a school design competition. The school had hoped to sell at least 100 shirts, but the clothing proved popular, and more than 200 shirts were purchased. Klassen, organized the clothing sales.

Push to centralize family services

Superintendent Kern Von Hagen said he is pushing to centralize family services.

"It's one of the goals I have before I leave here," said VonHagen.

Hagen was responding to a presentation by Ruth Adamchick on the progress of the Yellowknife Family Centre.

Located on the second floor of the SideDoor Youth Centre, 96 families hold full memberships to the drop-in centre which provides activities and resources, such as a toy lending library, to families.

The family centre is funded primarily by Health Canada, and receives additional funding from the United Way.

New head at trades centre

Larry Connelly will be the new director of the Kimberlite Career and Technical Centre, said superintendent Kern Von Hagen.

Originally from Newfoundland, but currently living in Edmonton, Connelly will move to Yellowknife to replace Allyson Stroeder, who has served as director since the KCTC's inception in August 2003.

Connelly brings to the position experience in apprenticeship training and co-operative learning programs as an administrator, assistant principal and principal as well as experience in fundraising, said Von Hagen.

Heating controls need replacing

The computerized system controlling the temperature at St. Patrick high school will soon need to be replaced, said Mike Huvenaars, assistant superintendent-business.

Although the two computer boards that failed last year have been fixed, Huvenaars warned that system is no longer in production. If the boards fail beyond repair they can't be replaced.

"It's just a matter of time one will fail and we won't be able to fix it at all," said Huvenaars. He said the board should look at budgeting to replace the system, which could cost between $100,000 and $150,000.