Welcome back to the 2018/19 CALP year which will surely be filled with inspiration, innovation, meaningful connections and fulfillment!

I hope you all had a break and a chance to recharge. On this, my last letter in Connections newsletter, and my last year of service on the board, I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you that it has been a privilege to serve on the CLN board on your behalf. Connecting with CALP people, a mighty group, has been a continuous inspiration and revitalization. Let me share with you a picture taken in Yellowknife this summer where Brenda Adams met me at the Wildcat Café for supper. This image illustrates a friendship connection made while serving (six years) on the CLN board.

Serving the CLN board… adventures await!

Karen Plourde
Chair, CLN Board of Directors

Notice of CLN's Annual General Meeting

The CLN Board of Directors invites you to join us for our 31st Annual General Meeting

Tuesday, September 25th, 2018 at 3:30 pm

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
16615 - 109 Avenue NW, Edmonton

Our AGM will once again be hosted in conjunction with the annual Literacy & Learning Symposium, which will take place from September 25th - 28th.

Important Information About our AGM

• All organizations funded directly through the Government of Alberta's Community Adult Learning Program Grant are eligible to be member organizations of the Community Learning Network. There are no dues or fees associated with CLN membership.
  
  
• For your CALP to be considered a Member in Good Standing, your organization must be funded directly through the Government of Alberta's Community Adult Learning Program Grant as of July 1st, 2018, and must have had a representative complete CLN's membership renewal survey. If you are not sure if the membership renewal has been completed, or you have any additional questions, please contact the CLN at 1-877-485-4926 or email office@calp.ca
  
• Each member organization in good standing is entitled to one vote on matters that are put before the membership. Under CLN's bylaws, voting privileges are granted to member organizations, not to individuals.
  
  
• If more than one person from your CALP will be in attendance, please delegate one person to act on behalf of the organization for the purposes of voting.

AGM Package

Each CALP should receive the AGM package by direct email sent to the primary contact person we have listed in our membership records. If you have not received this email by the end of September 4th, please contact the CLN at office@calp.ca.

The following documents are also available on the CALP Portal for members to review prior to the Annual General Meeting:

• Meeting Agenda
• AGM Minutes (September 2017)
• Audited Financial Statements (2017-2018)
• Operational Budget (2018-2019)
• Proposed Bylaw Amendments
• Nominees for the CLN 2018-2019 Board of Directors

Literacy and Learning Symposium 2018 Attendee Survival Guide

The CLN Board and Staff are proud to be your hosts for this annual professional development event. We look forward to hosting approximately 300 people from across Alberta this year. 

This year, the theme for the event is “Creating Safe and Welcoming Spaces”. We know that CALP staff strive to offer literacy and foundational learning opportunities that are relevant, engaging and accessible for adult learners, and that you work hard to ensure that you are creating safe and welcoming spaces. 

We want you to feel that you are in a safe and welcoming space while you are at the Symposium. To help you get the most out of this event, please view the Survival Guide to make this a great experience.

 LLS 2018 will be a great time to connect and learn together –
We look forward to seeing you there!

System Consultation: Family Literacy Training

Are you working in the area of family literacy?  We want to hear from you!

In February 2018, Alberta Advanced Education announced the development of a new CALP PD opportunity, which will be required training for CALP practitioners who deliver programs using Family Literacy as the mode of delivery. The Community Learning Network has been designated as the lead for this project. The intent of the new training will be to focus on supporting CALPs to implement the principles and best practices of Family Literacy to deliver programs that help adult learners acquire foundational skills, and to:

• Maintain the integrity of CALP Family Literacy programs in the province by identifying Family Literacy theory, principles and best practices
• Build on the lessons from Introduction to Adult Foundational Learning
• Help CALPs to plan and deliver Family Literacy programs that focus on the achievement of adult literacy and foundational learning outcomes, in alignment with the CALP Guidelines.

The design, delivery, and evaluation of CALP family literacy programs use a whole-family approach, but with a clear focus on the adult learner. In the CALP context, Family Literacy is based on the understanding that focusing on the adult learners’ skill development promotes the value and benefits of increased literacy within the whole family.

To inform the development of this training, CLN has created a collaborative project plan, to maximize on the expertise and experiences of CALP staff.

Through the fall, CLN will be collecting feedback from Family Literacy Practitioners, Coordinators and PD providers.

As a starting point, we want to hear from you! If you have taken Family Literacy trainings, here in Alberta or elsewhere, we’d like to know what you found most helpful and relevant to providing Family Literacy programs in the CALP context.

Please take a few minutes to fill out this anonymous short survey: https://calp.ca/profile/calp-family-literacy-practitioner-survey.htm

We have convened a Working Group, composed of CALP system staff representing urban and rural communities, who bring knowledge and experience from a variety of perspectives, including:

• Experience and knowledge of family literacy programming and delivery
• Experience in curriculum development and training delivery
• Understanding and awareness of CALP system staff training needs specific to family literacy
• Understanding of the 2018 CALP Guidelines

While this PD opportunity is in development, the existing Introduction to Family Literacy will remain required training for those offering Family Literacy through CALP.

We look forward to working closely with the system over the next year, to create a PD opportunity that is relevant, useful and engaging for CALP staff. If you have any questions, or would like to know more about the project, please contact Lisa Dickner directly at ed@calp.ca or toll-free at 1-877-485-4926.

Regional Introduction to Adult Foundational Learnings Open for Registration!

We are happy to announce that due to high demand we are offering Introduction to Adult Foundational Learning (IAFL) in multiple regions this fall. Please click on the links below to register (make sure you are signed in so you are able to see the registration page).

North - Sexsmith - October 16 & 17 Click here to register.

South - High River - October 25 & 26 Click here to register. 

West-Central - Edson - November 1 & 2 Click here to register. 

East-Central and Central - Stettler - November 13 & 14 Click here to register. 

If you have any questions in regards to the trainings please contact your RSS or contact the CLN office at office@calp.ca or 877-485-4926.

Sample Human Resource Policies to Share!

The CLN Board of Directors has spent the last year overhauling the CLN’s HR policies as part of their regular review and in light of legislation changes (Employment Standards and Occupational Health and Safety). Their goal was to ensure that all policies and procedures reflect changes in legislation as well as promote promising practices for working respectfully and effectively with staff and volunteers. The Board worked closely with an HR consultant to ensure that each policy was reviewed and updated with relevant references and included enough detail to minimize risk and maximize understanding and compliance.

We invite you to share these policies with your organization and feel free to adopt/adapt any that interest you. 

If you have questions about the samples, please contact Lisa Dickner, Executive Director at ed@calp.ca.

Updates to the CALP Portal

This summer we made some changes to the CALP Portal!

If you haven't had a chance to log in and see for yourself yet, here are few of the key changes you will see:

We gave the CALP Directory a makeover, to make it easier for learners and partners to find their local CALP.

"Discussions" and "Documents" have been combined in the new CALP Forum, to make it easier for you to find what you are looking for, and share with your peers. You can start or join a discussion thread, and upload the Documents you want to share to the discussion posts.

And because you requested it, you can now add a photo to your profile!

We hope you like the changes!

2018 ATESL Conference

This year, the ATESL 2018 Conference is taking place on October 12th to the 13th in Edmonton at the Fantasyland Hotel. The theme of the conference will be Leaders and Learners: Integration and Inclusion, which aims to explore the roles ESL instructors and administrators have in cultivating and fostering an inclusive environment.

ATESL is pleased and excited to welcome Dr. Ingrid Johnston and Dr. Jennifer Foote from the University of Alberta, in addition to Michel Chikwanine, a human rights advocate and inspirational speaker, as the keynote speakers this year.

You can find out more about the conference via the website at https://www.atesl.ca/conference/welcome/.