http://SSEN.ca Program for Spanish Speaking Education Network 6th Congress of Education Saturday November 8, 2014 at University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

1. Science - Technology – Engineering
Mathematics Building Our Children’s
Future Together
6th Congress of
Education 2014
Program

2. The science behind the Pan and ParaPan American Games
Program at a Glance
Time Activity Location
9:00 am – 9:30 am Registration starts
Breakfast and Networking
Atrium
Ground floor
9:30 am - 12:30 pm Opening Plenary:
See program details
Auditorium
BA 1160
BA 1130
BA 1170
BA 1180
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm LUNCH Atrium
Ground floor
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm Afternoon Plenary:
See program for details
Auditorium
BA 1160
BA 1130
BA 1170
BA 1180
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Concurrent workshop for students
English only
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm Concurrent workshops for Parents See flipchart to
select workshop
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Volunteer-hours letters and handed out;
Pan Am Games volunteer sign up; Visit
Omega Foundation for Education Bonus
for your child- FREE
Atrium
Ground floor
Don’t forget to complete the Evaluation for the opportunity to win a prize

3. Opening Plenary - 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
(Simultaneous interpretation provided EN/SP)
9:30 am Opening Ceremony: O Canada interpreted by Denise Montiel
9:35 am SSEN Vice President, Constable Scott Mills
9:45 am Welcome by Father Hernan Astudillo; Founder of San Lorenzo Latin American
Community Centre; Radio Voces Latinas CHHA
10:00 am Donna Quan; Director of Education TDSB
10:10 am Opening statement to the SSEN 6th Congress of Education by
Dean Cristina Amon; Faculty of Engineering University of Toronto
10:40 am Keynote Eva Martinez, Engineer,
Director at UTC Aerospace Systems Landing Systems
11:10 am Dr. Maurice Bitran; CEO of the Ontario Science Centre
11:40 am Victor Garcia; The Science Behind the Pan and ParaPan American Games
12:30 pm LUNCH
LUNCH 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm – distributed in the Atrium - ground level
Afternoon Plenary – 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm
1:00 pm Skit by Students and artistic performance
1:15 pm Constable Scott Mills; Social Media Advisor for the Toronto Police Services
1:45 pm Elvira Sanchez Maliki; Canadian Hispanic Congress
2:00 pm Angela Gauthier; Director of Education Toronto Catholic District School Board
(TCDSB)
2:10 pm Closing address
2:15 pm Announcements (complete survey for prize; pick up letter)
Break out – to workshops
Afternoon Parent Workshops – 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Facilitator Theme Location
Rocío Navarro;
Ontario Science Centre
Cómo ayudar a los hijos con las tareas
Overview of Elementary Science Curriculum
Room BA 1130
Dr. Gerardo Quintero
Behavioural Counsellor
Gimnasia Mental
Brain Gym
Room BA 1160
Michelle Munroe; TDSB
Central Coordinator - Parent
and Community Engagement
Parent Engagement – Navigating the system
Compromiso parental – Navegando el sistema
Room BA 1170

4. Speaker Biographies
Scott Mills, a police officer for 23 years, is currently assigned as Social Media Officer
working in the Toronto Police Corporate Communications office and volunteers as a social
media adviser for community led Crime Stoppers programs in partnership with police and
media nationally in Canada, in USA and internationally. Scott is a serving board member on
the Spanish Speaking Education Network, Communities Advancing Valued Environments
and the Ontario Gang Investigators Association.
“Community collaboration is the key to success and safety and social media tools are a must
to accomplish these goals using a relationships and technology strategy.” Currently working
to design a Real Time Crisis Centre, that envisions the use of technology strategies and
social media to save lives, especially for people experiencing mental health and
homelessness issues, and to reduce 911 calls and hospital emergency room visits. Scott’s
passion is working with youth on the theme of graffiti art and community building and BMX
bikes. He is also passionate about furthering investigations and prevention efforts for
missing and murdered indigenous women.
Father Hernan Astudillo came to Canada in 1992 as a political refugee. As a new immigrant,
he was faced with the struggle to survive in a culture foreign to his existence. Language
barrier; culture shock; lack of a viable livelihood; all forced him to do what was necessary to
survive in his adopted home. From playing music in the subway to playing in charitable
concerts and at street festivals, the Father experienced first-hand the life of an immigrant.
His struggles in Canada gave him a new perspective and sealed his desire to help all who
lived on the fringe. On June 6, 1999 he was ordained as the first Hispanic Anglican priest in
Canada and established the first Spanish-speaking congregation in the Anglican Diocese of
Toronto. His contributions to his community and society grow with every passing day. His
empathy for the neglected and his love for humanity were instrumental in creating, together
with his community, the Caravan of Hope and the San Lorenzo Latin American Community
Centre from which Radio Voces Latinas 1610 AM was born.
Donna Quan brings 30 years of education experience to her current role as Director of
Education and Secretary-Treasurer of the Toronto District School Board. She began her
education career with teaching roles in elementary schools, including experience in French
Immersion and Out-of-Province Native Reserve schools.
In 1985, Donna began her career at the Toronto District School Board, and she established
one of the first non-profit, school-based Early Years Childcare Centres. Since then, she has
held a number of progressively senior positions within the TDSB including Principal,
Families of Schools Superintendent, System and Executive Superintendent, with leadership
for Caring and Safe Schools, Alternative Programs and Schools, School Improvement, Inner
City Schools and Information Management. In addition, she has worked at the Ministry of
Education and has contributed as a presenter and speaker at International forums.

5. Cristina Amon has been the Dean of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science &
Engineering since 2006. She received her Mechanical Engineering diploma from Simón Bolívar
University (Venezuela), and her MS and ScD degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT). Prior to her leadership at the University of Toronto, she was the Raymond J.
Lane Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems at
Carnegie Mellon University.
Dean Amon serves on the Board of Directors of MKS Instruments Inc., and is chair of the
research committee of NCDEAS (National Council of Deans of Engineering and Applied
Science), and serves on advisory boards for several institutions including Stanford, UCLA, UIUC
and Waterloo.
Cristina Amon has received numerous awards, including the ASME Gustus Larson Memorial Award, ASEE
Westinghouse Medal, and the Society of Women Engineers' Achievement Award. In 2012 she was recognized as one of
Canada's most Influential Women. She was inducted to four academies: Canadian Academy of Engineering, Spanish
Royal Academy, Royal Society of Canada and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. She is an elected fellow of all
major professional societies in her field and has authored over 350 refereed articles in education and research
literature.
Eva Martinez is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and the Canadian Forces
School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering; she holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree
in Engineering Management with a specialty in Aerospace. Eva served in Royal Canadian Air
Force (1989 – 2002) as an Aeronautical Engineer, retiring at the rank of Major.
Eva helped the Chilean Air Force and the Guatemalan Army with the integration of women
into their respective militaries. Most notably, Eva participated in the United Nations Mission
to Guatemala (MINUGUA) as Canada’s first female military observer as part of an international
contingent responsible for overseeing a ceasefire following the end of a 36-year old civil war.
Eva is currently a Director at UTC Aerospace Systems Landing Systems. She participates on
several Boards including Women in Aerospace Canada, the Air Cadet League of Canada
(Ontario Provincial Committee), and the Spanish Speaking Education Network
Dr. Maurice Bitran joined the Ontario Science Centre as Chief Executive Officer on June 16th
2014. A seasoned executive with a passion for science education, before joining the Ontario
Science Centre, he was the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of the Integrated Environmental
Policy Division, Ministry of the Environment, where he was responsible for the environmental
policy agenda, including climate change, the great lakes, and air and water quality.
Maurice was also the ADM of Policy and Programs at the Ministry of Economic Development
and Trade, ADM of the Secretariat to the Premier’s Jobs and Prosperity Council, and the
Ontario chief negotiator for the trade negotiations with the European Union. Maurice has an
academic background in physics and astronomy, including a Ph.D. in Radio astronomy, and has
taught science at the grade-school, high-school, and university levels. During his tenure as the
2012 -13 Ontario Visiting Fellow at the University of Toronto, he taught a graduate course on
the role of science in public policy.

6. Victor Garcia is a member of the Board of Directors for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan
Am Games organization. He is a Senior Fellow at Bell Canada, Bell Business Markets, and an
Adjunct Professor at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Prior to this, he was the
Chief Technology Officer for Hewlett Packard Canada.
Garcia has been recognized by his peers for his business, technology and innovation work, his
corporate social responsibility and community involvement. He has been a member of several
trade missions, representing Canada and Ontario in business and export development ventures
with Latin American countries. Garcia’s experience also includes serving as director or advisor
for several boards and organizations in Canada, including Hispanic diaspora community
organizations.
Elvira Sanchez Maliki, MBA, Founding President of the Canadian Hispanic Congress, immigrated to
Canada from Ecuador as a young student. She is now the Business Administrator of the Malicki &
Malicki Law firm in Mississauga; Ontario. She is a recipient of the Citation for Citizenship, an
award that recognizes volunteer work in support of the values of freedom, justice, equality and
respect for diversity.
A child of the tropics, I was born in luxuriant Guayaquil. My infancy was spent amongst lush cocoa
trees where rich chocolate, "the drink of the gods" comes from; surrounded by elegant and ever
bountiful banana trees, the reason why Ecuador is also known as the "land of the green gold".
Glorious beaches, warm frothy surf were the playgrounds of my youth.
Angela Gauthier has been the Director of Education for the Toronto Catholic District School
Board (TCDSB) since August, 2013. The TCDSB is proud to be a significant part of the fabric of
publicly-funded Catholic education in the Province of Ontario, serving over 90,000 students in our
201 Catholic schools, and representing close to half a million Catholic school supporters in the
City of Toronto.
A highly respected and experienced educator with an extensive record of achievement, Ms.
Gauthier brings a wealth of leadership experience to the position, having served as the TCDSB’s
Associate Director of Academic Affairs since 2008. During her tenure, she has focused on the
Board’s 21st Century Learning strategy and improving access to technology for both students and
teachers. As a graduate of the TCDSB, Ms. Gauthier has a clear understanding of the gains already
made by this Board and is very passionate about how we can better support the academic
achievement and well-being of our students. A language specialist, Ms. Gauthier received her
Bachelor of Education from the Université d’Ottawa. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts degrees from the
University of Toronto, and is fluent in both of Canada’s official languages, as well as Italian.
Denise Montiel started taking violin lessons at Newark School of Arts (USA) in 1992 at the
age of 5 and piano at 9 yr. In 1998 she started taking voice lessons and by 1999, she was a
violinist with the New Jersey Chamber Orchestra (NJCO).
She has won scholarships for both piano and voice, winning voice scholarships till 2004. In
2003 Denise became a music teacher at the Woodbridge Fine & Performing Arts Program.
She furthered her teaching skills by enrolling in a Piano Pedagogy Certification course at the
Westminster Choir College of Rider University.