Latest news with #CRPS
Calgary Herald
14-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Indigenous Services Canada renews commitment to fully fund Stoney Nakoda students attending Canadian Rockies school
A 'renewed commitment' from Indigenous Services Canada has resolved a funding issue that had threatened to halve the number of Stoney Nakoda Nation students able to attend a school in the Canadian Rockies school division. Article content Article content Without full and sustained funding from the ISC, the Canadian Rockies Public Schools board of trustees had made the 'difficult decision' April 30 to cut about 150 seats — from the current 306 — dedicated to Stoney Nakoda Nation students beginning in September, a decision that would have affected students at the kindergarten to Grade 8 Exshaw School. The Canmore-based school division had warned that further reductions were possible in future years unless the situation was resolved. Article content Article content But a Wednesday news release announced that Stoney Nakoda Nation students will continue to have access to Exshaw School, due to ISC committing to fully fund 'into the foreseeable future' an educational services agreement between the school division and Stoney Education Authority, which is responsible for administering the funding received from the federal government. Article content Article content All tuition costs for Stoney Nakoda Nation students attending CRPS will now be provided at the start of the federal government's fiscal year on April 1, providing 'much-needed consistency and reliability to support uninterrupted educational services.' Article content 'This is the news our families, staff, board, and community have been hoping for,' said Canadian Rockies Public Schools superintendent Christopher MacPhee in a Wednesday statement. Article content 'Our students and staff deserve stability, and this new commitment gives us the ability to move forward.' Article content Partnership successful, but financial uncertainty remains Article content Article content CRPS says its partnership with Stoney Education Authority stretches back over 50 years, supporting students in Exshaw, about 75 kilometres west of Calgary, and Canmore, and achieving graduation rates among Indigenous students that exceeded provincial averages. Last year, 84 per cent of Stoney Nakoda Nation students attending Canmore Collegiate High School graduated within five years, a significantly higher rate than the Alberta average of 69.4 per cent, said Canadian Rockies in an April 30 news release. Article content Article content 'CRPS' model of service to Indigenous students had been cited by ISC itself as an example for other divisions to follow,' it said. Article content Despite the ISC's new commitment, MacPhee said financial uncertainty remains. That's due to the school division having no direct funding relationship with ISC, leaving the division with 'limited ability to respond to unforeseen changes — as was experienced earlier this year when federal monies were delayed for the 2024/25 school year.'
Hamilton Spectator
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
‘True, honest voices': Banff students create song dedicated to G7 Summit leaders
BANFF – The voices of more than 300 Banff Elementary School students rang loud and clear as students performed the official recording of a heartfelt song that will be presented to G7 Summit leaders. In collaboration with Banff's poet laureate, Heather Jean Jordan, kindergarten to Grade 8 Banff Elementary School students spent a week creating a song that expresses their hopes and concerns for the future to leaders on a global stage. 'They were very excited to share the kind of world they want to see with leaders where they could affect real change,' said Jordan of the Monday (May 5) performance. Filmed by local videographer Brian White, a final music video showcasing the student's performance will be shared on Canadian Rockies Public School (CRPS) platforms and eventually presented to G7 Summit leaders. 'Something that was very important to me, and I think to the project in general, was that everyone felt like they had a chance to have their voice heard,' said Jordan. 'This song should reflect them.' With the initial idea of creating a poetry book with each class, the project evolved into an initiative that brought together the entire student body to create one song, according to Jordan. She then met with each grade, guiding students through the process of writing lyrics, rhyming words, composing music and expressing how they felt about current global challenges. 'I asked them … what things they thought were working in their world, what things they wanted to see change and what things were most important to them.' Bringing the project to life during election week, many local and global issues were top of mind for students. 'At the end of the week, that's when the kids started going, 'Wait, so Donald Trump is going to hear this? So, the prime minister of Canada is going to hear this?'' said Jordan. Working with students to discuss themes they wanted incorporated into the song, Jordan said it became clear that wildfires and the environment were issues that hit close to home for many. On a global scale, students shared concerns about caring for people in other countries and addressing poverty. 'They were thinking globally because they knew they had a chance to have the ear of very powerful leaders,' said Jordan. Students voted on the song's official title 'A Single Seed,' which references a line from the song: 'The mightiest forest begins with a single seed,' according to Jordan. As they shared concerns, Jordan also prompted students to come up with possible solutions. 'I was impressed by how open the kids really were. I was asking them questions that speak to the heart, and they shared,' she said. 'We couldn't have written a great song without them really digging deep there.' Tailoring the process based on the kids' age groups, Jordan tasked younger grades with coming up with rhyming words while older grades would string together entire lines of lyrics. With Jordan on the piano, students also made all the musical decisions, deciding whether to repeat lyrics or when the song's key should change. 'Heather orchestrated it, but they created it,' said Banff Elementary School teacher Joanne Indovina-Duncan. Indovina-Duncan hopes the student-led initiative will resonate with the greater community and that the impact of a younger generation's voice will be felt on a broad scale. 'That's the thing when you hear kids singing or speaking. These are true, honest voices. It does strike a chord,' said Indovina-Duncan. 'I don't know what adult could hear that song and not feel something.' Jordan is hopeful students will also come away from the project having learned that songwriting can be an outlet for them going forward. '[Kids] are thinking about these big topics, they're not able to be completely ambivalent to it and they do have thoughts, they do have feelings about it,' said Indovina-Duncan. The G7 Leaders' Summit will be held in Kananaskis Country from June 15-17. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
Irish Independent
23-04-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Alarm over 64pc surge in teachers on sick leave as a result of assaults in schools
The stark revelation came as Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) members overwhelmingly voted to conduct a detailed national survey to clarify the full extent of physical aggression in Irish schools - and the need for enhanced sick/assault leave, financial support programmes and counselling for teachers and special needs assistants impacted. ASTI general secretary Kieran Christie warned that it was no longer acceptable for a teacher to have to display actual bruises to qualify for assault leave. Teachers also called for a relaxing of the requirement to describe physical aggression as assault - with many teachers reluctant to describe incidents where youngsters unintentionally cause physical harm as 'assaults.' ASTI members also backed a review of sick leave arrangements as one teacher, Julianne Butler of Limerick North ASTI, revealed she had to deliberately delay her family and time her pregnancies because of a medical condition and the limitations of her allowable sick leave. Ms Butler suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum which causes acute nausea. Sick leave entitlements are calculated on a rolling four year basis. Despite having a serious pregnancy-related illness, she faced being put on half-pay. Under the ordinary illness entitlement, a teacher is allowed 183 days of paid sick leave in a four year period including both full and half pay. Other teachers highlighted how verbal assaults can cause severe trauma. Geraldine O'Brien of Clare ASTI revealed one young female educator suffered a breakdown following a verbal assault and being required to engage with a parent by her principal. ADVERTISEMENT She warned what the young woman suffered was "horrendous" and left her inconsolable. "She suffered a physical and mental breakdown as a result of this situation. One year later, she is somewhat recovered." The union warned that those who suffer psychological trauma in the workplace need to be supported in the same manner as those who endure physical assaults and aggression. One health and welfare study found that, over recent years, the number of teachers taking sick leave after physical assaults in Ireland had soared by 64pc. It found the number of teachers taking sick leave after physical assaults had soared from 260 to 404. The vast majority of incidents occurred in primary schools and involved 106 primary school teachers and 285 special needs assistants. Ray Nolan of ASTI Drogheda branch said the survey on the true extent of physical assaults in school settings should be a matter of utmost priority. He cited one person, Sophie Cole from Cork, who had to be hospitalised after a school assault. Sophie - from Carrigaline - had her arm slammed down onto a steel-reinforced cable in 2022 and suffered permanent nerve damage. She suffers from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) which has been described as the world's most painful condition. Sophie now campaigns to raise awareness of teachers and special needs assistants who suffer assaults and physical aggression in the workplace. The Cork educator warned that children are not to blame - but rather the entire system. "I have taken a lot of kicks, headbutts and even been thrown across the room - but I always loved my job and loved helping the children," she said in a 2022 interview. Mr Nolan warned that such stories are "heart-breaking" with major concern over the lack of support provided for such teachers. The education sector now suffers from the second highest rate of workplace assaults and physical aggression in Ireland. "There has been a significant number of teachers and SNAs having to take leave after these assaults," he added. Natalie Doyle-Brady of Dublin ASTI said it was critical that preventative steps be taken to protect teachers from such acts of physical aggression. "There are not enough supports in place," she warned. Barry Hazel of ASTI Dublin queried whether any legal cases had been taken as a result of such incidents. "It is only when money comes into play that things change. Have there been cases against schools?" Mr Christie said the issue of workplace safety was of enormous importance to everyone involved in the education sector. "One issue that the ASTI has been active and vocal on for many years is the safety, health and welfare of teachers and wider school communities alike," he said. "Thankfully, while schools are generally great places to work, from time-to-time difficult situations can and do arise." "It is infrequent but unfortunately, on rare occasions, teachers get assaulted in their school. As I say, it is a very small number of instances and a sad fact of life." "The ASTI has been demanding that the Department of Education broaden the definition of assault in its circular letter for quite some time now." "It is no longer acceptable that assault is so narrowly defined that you nearly have to have to show the bruises to qualify for assault leave." "The concept of psychosocial injury hasn't yet arrived in the consciousness of the Department of Education. The psychological effects of an assault in the course of the teacher's duties and during approved school activities can be devastating. This must change."
NDTV
23-04-2025
- Health
- NDTV
UK Woman Undergoes Two Amputations After Minor Injuries Due To Rare Pain Disorder
A woman in the UK had to undergo the amputation of both her leg and hand following minor injuries that triggered a rare and severely painful neurological condition. Gill Haddington, 48, from Morecambe, England, was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a disorder that causes prolonged and intense pain disproportionate to the initial injury, the People reported. Her ordeal began in 2017 after she accidentally dropped a perfume bottle on her right foot. While scans showed no fracture, her condition quickly deteriorated. "My foot began to twist at a 90-degree angle. I had blisters and ulcers that eventually exposed bone," she told The Daily Mail. Despite being on 30 different pain medications a day, nothing alleviated her suffering. Eventually diagnosed with CRPS-a poorly understood disorder that can develop after even minor injuries-Haddington made the difficult decision to have her right leg amputated below the knee in May 2017. "When I woke up from surgery, it felt like I had my life back," she said. Her partner, Pete, remarked, "We've got the old Gill back." But her struggles didn't end there. In 2020, a tiny scratch from her dog triggered another CRPS flare-up in her left hand. "I knew what was coming as soon as the blisters appeared," she said. Despite therapy, she lost mobility and eventually chose to have her hand amputated in May 2021, exactly four years after her leg surgery. Now an advocate for CRPS awareness, Haddington is raising funds for Enable, a support group she credits with helping her through her darkest moments. "The pain of CRPS is excruciating," she said. "I'm lucky I had the option to choose elective amputation. Others are still suffering in silence." CRPS is a rare condition with no clear cause, according to the Mayo Clinic. It typically follows injury or surgery, but the resulting pain is often far more intense than the initial trauma.
Daily Mirror
22-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'I chose to have my hand amputated after dog scratch left me with 'suicide disease'
Gill Haddington, 48, from Lancashire, became a double amputee after being diagnosed with a chronic pain condition. She got her hand amputated after her dog scratched her A brave woman chose to have her hand amputated after a tiny scratch triggered a major reaction to "suicide disease" - an "excruciating" condition which had already taken away one of her legs. Gill Haddington, 48, from Morecambe, Lancashire, was initially diagnosed with the condition, also known as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in 2016. The disease, which causes chronic pain in the limbs, can worsen if there is an injury. Gill had already had her right leg amputated below the knee in May 2017 after she dropped a perfume bottle on her foot the year before. Years later in 2021, she opted to have her right hand amputated after her dog, springer spaniel-pug-beagle crossbreed Bella, gave her a one-inch scratch. Speaking about the ordeal, Gill, who is unemployed due to her disabilities, said: "The pain of CRPS is excruciating - I've had so many ups and downs. I'm incredibly lucky things have turned out the way they did, though. "Once I was fully awake after my first amputation - I'd gone from quiet and in pain to laughing and joking. My partner looked at me, and said: 'We've got the old Gill back.' And I feel like I am - as normal as I can be with this condition, anyway." Gill had her first accident in September 2015 - in which she dropped a perfume bottle on the top of her right foot. Having suffered from back pain for 16 years prior, Gill had started to walk on crutches for the first time that year - after being in a wheelchair since July. Thinking she'd broken her foot, her partner, intumescent salesman Pete, 67, drove her to A&E at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Lancaster. But an x-ray confirmed her foot was "fine," and she was sent home. "Over the next six to nine months, my foot began to twist at a 90-degree angle," Gill said. "It got to the point where you could actually see bone coming through. "I was getting a lot of blisters and ulcers which started to spread up to my ankle. I was on 30 different pain medications a day - but they didn't even touch the sides." Gill was diagnosed with CRPS in 2016, after undergoing an MRI at the Westmorland General Hospital, Morecambe. In 2017, Gill elected to have her right leg amputated below the knee - at the Royal Preston Hospital, Lancashire. She now walks with a prosthetic leg, and occasionally uses a wheelchair. But just three years later, in March 2020, her CRPS flared up again - after her dog, Bella, gave her a mild scratch on her right hand. "She just got excited to see me, bless her," Gill added. "It was the tiniest scratch, literally an inch long. But I knew, as soon as the blisters started, it was going to be the same as my leg." Despite undergoing physiotherapy for eight months, Gill became unable to open her right hand beyond a fist. She says the pain was so bad, she couldn't focus on anything - and she was in constant agony. On May 11, 2021, exactly four years after her first amputation, Gill opted to get her right hand amputated as well. She said: "I felt immediately afterwards like I got my life back. I just feel sorry for people having to live through this pain, who haven't had the opportunity to undergo an elective amputation yet." Throughout her recovery journey, Gill credits her support group, Enable, with "saving her life." She's been able to make friends with like-minded people with limb differences and other disabilities - and the group meets five days a week. On June 14, 2025, she's aiming to complete the one mile Great North Swim, in Lake Windermere, in order to raise money for the group. She added: "I love being in the water, it makes me feel good. It's going to be very challenging, but worth it."
