Well-being hours: employees learn about honey and how to extract it
November 6th, 2024
As part of the College’s Well-Being for All initiative, the Sustainability department offered a Honey Extraction workshop Oct. 30. The initiative has been set up to allow employees to have a break from their work routine, to promote inclusivity, to build a sense of community, and to improve collaboration between employees as well as promoting learning and growth. Keeping in mind those goals, the Honey Extraction workshop really fit the bill.
Led by Jennifer De Vera, the workshop was chock full of interesting information and hands-on experience. The 12 employees in attendance learned about the life cycle of bees, jobs they do such as nurses, builders, cleaners, etc., and how honey is made and how it can be extracted. Besides all the interesting information Jennifer gave us, she also invited us to extract honey from the honeycombs. We uncapped a couple of frames then learned that the honey is extracted using a machine that uses centrifugal force. A few gave that honey a spin then a couple of people scraped the honey to the bottom, and we poured it into small jars. Each participant was able to take home one jar of honey.
Dawson recently began to raise and take care of our bees. We no longer have an outside company to do this. This means more work (for Jennifer) but the experience of doing this really has brought us closer to our bees.
It only took a mere one hour for all of us in attendance to have a newfound respect for what these small insects are able to accomplish in their short lives and really care about the thousands of bees we share our beautiful property with. A great way to learn about these amazing insects and form a strong bond with the world around us.
─Submitted by Carey-Ann Pawsey
Honey extraction workshop Oct. 30
October 24th, 2024
Did you know we have two honey beehives on Dawson's rooftop?
The Office of Sustainability recently led a honey extraction workshop with Brian Mader's Biology of Sustainability course and next week employees are invited to harvest their own honey.
Approximately 30 biology students came last week. They had to get their hands dirty, or should I say their fingers sticky, and help extract honey from our bee frames located in the 4H rooftop hives.
Our bees are still young, but still produced a lot of honey thanks to our many pollinating flower gardens on campus, which are all maintained by our very own Sustainabili-team student and employee volunteers.
We will be offering a honey extraction workshop to employees on Wednesday, October 30 from 11 AM to 12 PM in the Rose Lounge (7C.5) This can be a great use of well-being hours for employees! The fun-filled hour will include uncapping honeycomb cells, hand-spinning honeycombs in the centrifugal extractor, and filtering the raw honey before jarring and labelling it.
All employees will leave with a little sample jar of Dawson's honey. To sign up, please fill out this .
Space is limited. The Office of Sustainability will send you a confirmation email.
─Submitted by Jennifer de Vera
October 10th, 2024
To view all the activities planned for Fall 2024, open the pdf: Sexual Violence Prevention Activities Fall 2024
Reminder: Ped Day is Friday, Oct. 11
October 10th, 2024
All faculty and professional staff are warmly invited to come to the Dawson Pedagogical Day on Friday, Oct. 11. Even if you did not register already, you are welcome to attend. The catering orders have already been placed so those who missed the registration deadline cannot have lunch but are welcome to the sessions.
The keynote presentation by Eliana El Khoury, pictured, will start at 9 AM. Her presentation will be about enhancing student assessments to better focus on learning and support. This talk will explore the importance of appropriate assessments and introduce alternative and authentic methods in a variety of disciplines.
Workshops on a variety of topics will be given at 10:30 AM and 1:45 PM.
Ped Day Program information: Pedagogical Day 2024 Program (dawsoncollege.qc.ca) (OAD)
September 26th, 2024
This is a reminder of the mandatory Sexual Violence Prevention Training: Systems of Oppression and Intersectionality. All employees are required to complete this 15-minute module as part of our ongoing efforts to foster a respectful workplace. Please ensure you complete the training by following the instructions below: Video Training Link: Click here to access the…
September 26th, 2024
Starting October 1, 2024, all support staff, professionals and managers can use up to four hours of work time every month for well-being and building community. This is part of the College’s commitment to our core value of well-being for all. Faculty members are, of course, welcome to participate in any activity that takes place…
October Webinars offered by the AQPC
September 25th, 2024
A series of webinars with simultaneous translation is offered by the AQPC on various dates in October. Visit the links below for dates and details.
English site: Â French site:
Enhancing assessments subject of Ped Day keynote Eliana Elkhoury
September 12th, 2024
Assessment is on everyone’s mind, from teacher to student, and all who work to support the mission of student learning.
Join Ped Day’s keynote speaker Eliana Elkhoury on Friday, Oct. 11 at 9 AM for a talk and workshop on enhancing student assessments to better focus on learning and support. This talk will explore the importance of appropriate assessments and introduce alternative and authentic methods in a variety of disciplines.
Eliana will highlight the importance of assessing students appropriately, emphasizing the advantages for alternative and authentic assessment approaches at every competency level. These methods can provide a more comprehensive evaluation of student skills, knowledge and attitudes, and also foster a more supportive and engaging learning environment. She will deliver a hands-on workshop after the keynote talk, where you can work on your own assessment with feedback from your colleagues.
Dr. Eliana El Khoury is a recognized leader in the field of alternative assessment, whose work is dedicated to enhancing educational practices through more thoughtful and supportive assessment strategies. She serves as an assistant professor at Athabasca University, where she works closely with experts across different disciplines to improve how students are evaluated with a focus on ensuring quality and fairness in educational assessments, and she actively incorporates new ideas and technologies to achieve this goal.
Get ready for the full program and registration coming out at the end of September.
FAQ about Salary equity program
September 11th, 2024
The Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor (SCT) has created a new FAQ to answer questions related to a about the salary equity program rendered by the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) on September 28, 2023.
The SCT would like all employees of the College to be aware of the (only available in French).
Ped Day is Oct. 11
August 29th, 2024
The annual Dawson Pedagogical Day, also known as Ped Day, for faculty and professionals will take place Friday, Oct. 11.
Over a day of workshops and presentations, colleagues will share their pedagogical practices and experiences in the college-level classroom.
If you wish to animate a session on college pedagogy, please complete the call for proposals form by Sept. 9 at 12 PM. Discipline and program specific workshops will take place in the afternoon starting at 1:45 PM.
For further information, please contact Azra Khan, pedagogical counsellor, OAD.
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Last Modified: November 6, 2024
