omlta/aoplv

46 Pages·2011·13.7 MB·English

SPECIAL EDITION
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
Volume 1, Issue 4
OMLTA/AOPLV
THE ROAD WE’VE TRAVELLED...THE ROAD AHEAD
SPRING CONFERENCE 2011

Inside this issue:
Chair of the 125th 2
Gala
Message from the 4
President
Student Inquiry 12
Concours Oratoire 15
International Lan- 17
guage Contests
Dégelis, Québec 25
Branchez-vous! 44
Special points of in-
terest:

 War Child Canada Spring Conference Chair, Karla Torrente-Lepage with President, Faten Hanna
 OMLTA and OSSTF-
Partnership in Action A GALA EVENT TO CELEBRATE OUR 125TH YEAR
 Springtime in Paris
 Projet à Québec- The OMLTA-AOPLV Celebrates!
Looking forward to
The 2011 Spring Conference held at the Double Tree International Hotel in To-
another sizzling sum-
mer ronto was the site of a special Gala Celebration on March 24th, 2011. A quaint and
classy setting was the hub of an evening that saw a series of past OMLTA presi-
dents highlight the illustrious past, present and future endeavors of our subject as-
sociation throughout the last 125 years!
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OMLTA/AOPLV
Volume 1, Issue 4
continued from page 1
125 years old and still counting…

The OMLTA-AOPLV Celebrates!
In attendance, an honoured list of second language acquisition gurus. Heartwarming reunions and jovial recollec-
tions were the toast of the night for over 60 guests that came to see „old acquaintances, should they be forgotten‟.
Not likely!!

From the early 1900s to 2011, the association has conquered obstacles and achieved some milestone changes that
have shaped today‟s second language teaching and learning. As stated by Mr. Anthony Mollica, Mr. Roy Schatz,
Mr. Robert McConnell, Ms. Georgette Bolger, Ms. Teresa Stewart, Ms. Dianne Pennock Mr. Bob Abrey and Mr.
Bryan Smith, OMLTA-AOPLV‟S history has accomplished much in advocacy issues through the decades, in cre-
ation of resources, in strategies and best practices as well as in fostering a special camaraderie between modern
language teachers, consultants and researchers. Comical recollections and anecdotes sprinkled the evening to
make it a complete success.

Many of the presenters referred to the reputation of the association and to the flourishing importance of the or-
ganization as a beacon of advocacy with the Ministry and other important stakeholders as well. WE have come a
long way… on a fait du chem in and the road will continue … as was attested in a special champagne toast, a
highlight of the Gala soirée.

Thanks to our special guests who created the overall feeling of celebration.

To the next 125 years! Longue vie à l’AOPLV!

Colette Fraser
Director, Chair of the 125th Anniversary Committee

“OMLTA is a beacon of
advocacy in the field of
second languages.”

Longue vie à OMLTA.

N.B. Anyone who took photos of the event are asked to send them to the attention of Heidi Locher, the associa-
tion‟s executive assistant, at the following e-mail address: [email protected]

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KEY NOTE SPEAKER:
DR. SAMANTHA NUTT,
WAR CHILD CANADA
In our celebratory year, we had a moment to stop and think about the significance of educators in
raising social awareness and bringing about social justice. In a passionate address, by Dr. Samantha
Nutt, founder of War Child Canada, we learned of the vital role of learning a second language, as
she shared her experiences and made connections to the importance of action in language educa-
tion. Her message to our members: ``If you cannot speak to them, you cannot help them.``
The mission of War Child Canada is to work with children and their families to overcome the
challenges of living with and recovering from conflict. In collaboration with local people, War
Child aims to increase access to education, lift families out of poverty, and to create a protective
environment for the rights of children. War Child is operational in Afghanistan, Sudan (Darfur),
Uganda, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Haiti. www.warchild.ca
The message of Dr. Nutt underscores the relevancy of our work in the field of education and
the possibilities of the impact that we can have on the future. From her example, we can learn to
make a difference.
Dr. Samantha Nutt is the Founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada. Committed to peace, human
rights and social justice, her humanitarian work has benefitted hundreds of thousands of war-affected children glob-
ally. She was recently awarded the Order of Canada. Dr. Nutt's first book, Damned Nations will be released by
McLelland & Stewart Ltd. on October 25th, 2011. Damned Nations is available for pre-order.
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OMLTA/AOPLV

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear members,

Grand merci à tous et toutes pour me permettre de continuer à vous servir comme Présidente de notre fameuse
association. It is an honour and a privilege which I take very seriously.
As I have learned over the years, the OMLTA functions very much as a team and it is amazing! The board of di-
rectors are talented, hard-working, enthusiastic professionals who believe in the importance of language educa-
tion. I am fortunate to be leading them in the coming year which promises new possibilities, great opportunities
and wonderful experiences. I will do my very best to keep real and alive our mandate of providing support and
opportunities for professional development to our members, creating multimedia teaching resources and students
activities that will support the anxiously awaited revised Ontario FSL curriculum, and using technology for com-
munication with members.
We welcome to the Board four new Directors: Geoffrey Collins (Durham DSB), France Dupuis (Catholic
DSB of Eastern Ontario), Linda Pletzer (Toronto Catholic DS), and Christina Schilling (Upper Grand
DSB). All members contribute on an on-going basis and we are fortunate to have returning members; Jayne Ev-
ans (Niagara Catholic DSB), who organised the Fall Conference 2010, Pina Visomi (Pickering College), Jimmy
Steele (Toronto DSB) – International Languages contest Coordinator, Jennifer Rochon (Toronto DSB) - Web
Master and who continues to work with CPF to organize the annual Concours d'art oratoire. Kim Lundquist
(Simcoe County DSB) - Editor of Communication. Kim is also working with Janet Smith (Lambton Kent DSB)
in order to coordinate Projet à Québec 2011. Some of the members have changed roles this year; Wanda West-
Gerber (Waterloo Region DSB) has plans underway for the next spring Conference, Sharon McNamara-
Trevisan (Algonguin and Lakeshore Catholic DSB) is now our Secretary and Karla Torrente-Lepage (Durham
DSB) becomes Vice-President after running a successful Spring Conference. Helen Griffin (Thames Valley
DSB) continues to be our Treasurer but is also the Chair for the Fall Conference. All Directors work on commit-
tees, volunteering their time throughout the year, working on the projects mentioned above, as well as on advoca-
cy, professional development, regional language competitions for students, and representing you at meetings with
various stakeholders. What a great team of dedicated, skilled and energetic professionals you have working for
you!
Our OMLTA/AOPLV Spring conference was always an excellent opportunity for language educators to renew
and re-energize. This year we celebrate our 125th anniversary so the Spring conference reflected our association's
development through the years as we commemorate the notion of The Road We've travelled ... nous croyons bien
qu'on a fait du chemin ... we take pride in our accomplishments and continue The Road Ahead ... et la route continue.
Our passion for languages and the communities they represent nous donnent le courage de continuer malgré tout.

On behalf of all who have benefited from the conference, I would like to thank conference chair, Karla Torrente-
Lepage and the 2011 conference committee along with our administrative assistant, Heidi Locher, for the hours
of work they devoted to making this a tremendous success and fabulous conference. We have heard very positive
comments from attendees who enjoyed the workshops and the wonderful décor! I would like also to
acknowledge Colette Fraser (Sudbury Catholic DSB) for her leadership in making the 125th an outstanding cele-
bration and I know she dedicated numerous hours to planning and organizing "Gala" night. I congratulate you all,
know that your hard work is much appreciated.
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OMLTA/AOPLV
Also, I would like to thank those of you who took time on Friday afternoon to attend the AGM. I encourage all
the members to become involved in the OMLTA/AOPLV as we are always looking for fresh ideas and views
from across the province.

Cet été, le Projet à Québec 2011 aura lieu du 18 au 29 juillet. C'est un stage de formation organisé par AOPLV/
OMLTA, et financé par le Ministère de l'éducation de l'Ontario à l'aide du Patrimoine canadien. Il consiste de
12 jours de formation continue dans la ville de Québec. Les participants assisteront à des ateliers de formation
professionnelle et s'amuseront en découvrant le patrimoine culturel du Québec. Je dois remercier tous et toutes
les candidats qui ont envoyé leur candidature, cette année, on a reçu une centaine. Le comité travaille très fort
pour prendre la décision définitive dans la sélection des lauréats. Bonne chance à tous et toutes!
We are excited about our annual Fall conference that will take place in the London, Ontario region this year on
October 14th and 15th. The theme is Pathway to Pluralism / La voie vers le pluralisme. Remember to check our
website frequently for news and information. Registration should open at the end of August
In closing, I would like to remind everyone of my challenge to each of you. Get involved and send an article,
lesson, favorite book with a review, student work, etc. to the Editor of Communication. The more we share,
the more we learn, the more we grow!
Je saisis cette occasion pour souhaiter à tout le monde une excellente fin d'année scolaire et de très bonnes va-
cances.

Bien à vous!
Faten Hanna

OMLTA/AOPLV
ONTARIO MODERN LANGUAGES’ TEACHER ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION ONTARIENNED DES PROFESSEURS DES LANGUES VIVANTES
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OMLTA/AOPLV
RECOGNIZING C OMMITTMENT
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OMLTA/AOPLV

DEDICATION
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OMLTA/AOPLV

REMEMBERING
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OMLTA/AOPLV
We sincerely
thank all past
presidents and
guests who
honoured us
with their
presence at the
gala.
A PASSION FOR LANGUAGES
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OMLTA/AOPLV
CELEBRATING
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