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School District # 53 Report

Innovation / Initiatives

DISTRICT-BASED INITIATIVES

Christmas Festivities:  There are a lot of great things happening at the schools.  Please read your school newsletters for details.  As different activities come to our attention, Cindy is placing them in your First Class calendars.

Learning Empowered by Technology:  Representatives from Apple Canada including sales, technical, and educational staff were in the district December 5 – 9 to work with students, staff, and district staff to set up the iPad learning project and get us off to a successful start.  Bev Young, Cate Turner, and Tracy Harrington also hosted a parent evening on Wednesday, December 7th, which was well attended.  The purpose of this meeting was to outline the project, the applications teachers will be using in the school and to review expectations and responsibilities.  School District No. 53 grade 12 students enrolled in select courses received the iPad December 8th or 9th.  We would like to once again thank Apple Canada for lending us these iPads for the year and for supporting the students to deepen their understanding, facilitate choice, and engage them in their learning.  As well, a travelling cart of iPads has been set up for individual classes.  In the spring, we will be hosting another session to share how the students and teachers have been using the technology and how it has impacted student learning and achievement.

SOSS Open House:  School District No. 53 and SOSS hosted an Open House today from 4:00-7:00 pm.  This was an opportunity for parents and community members to view the sections of the school restored from the fire, meet school and district staff and trustees, and to view some drawings of what the district is working on.

PISA Program:  In 1998 provincial ministries and departments of education agreed to participate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Canada is one of over 60 countries and economies participating in PISA, an assessment of the competencies of 15 year-olds in mathematics, science and reading.  The PISA project is undertaken so that we know whether Canadian students are acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the challenges of the future.  The PISA project also provides valuable international indicators that describe the standards being achieved by students in various countries.  The first four PISA surveys each focused on a particular subject area:  reading (in 2000, 2009), mathematics (in 2003), and science (in 2006).  The results of PISA 2009 were released in December, 2010 and can be found on the Ministry of Education web site:   http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/nat_int_pubs.htm

 

The fifth cycle of the PISA survey will be conducted in April and May of 2012 and will have mathematics as a primary assessment domain.  In addition to measuring students’ knowledge and skills using a paper-based assessment, PISA 2012 will also measure problem-solving, reading and mathematics through a computer-based assessment.  Approximately 20,000 students from over 900 schools across Canada will be participating.  In BC 93 schools have been chosen to take part in the study.  Up to as many as 35 students will be randomly selected from each school to participate in the paper-based assessment and up to as many as 18 of these students selected to participate in the computer-based assessment.  Given that the purpose of PISA is to assess students at the provincial/territorial and national levels only, no results will be published at the level of the school district, school, or individual student.  Osoyoos Secondary School has been selected in our district.

SCHOOL-BASED INITIATIVES

Field Trips:  Approval in principle is recommended for a field trip to Vancouver to attend the following events hosted by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation:

• Wednesday, February 22, 2012 – Education Series Career Fair • Thursday, February 23, 2012 – Youth Day at the University of BC • Friday, February 24, 2012 – educational activities in Vancouver (to be planned) and attending the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in the evening.

The students would leave on Tuesday, February 21 and return on Saturday, February 25.  Chaperones would be Helen Gallagher with five support workers.  Costs would be covered by the Aboriginal targeted funds.  School District No. 53 has qualified for free rooms and free tickets for the Achievement Awards Ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.  Forty-five students in grades 9 to 11 will attend.  This fits our Enhancement Agreement goal around Career Education.

Operations

SOSS Minibuses:  We are pleased to report that the long process to restore the society and insure the minibuses is now complete.  The bussettes are now being used by the school.  To keep the society active, the school will need to submit a very simple annual report to verify address and directors.

Cawston Primary PAC Playground Equipment Reimbursement:  On December 7, the district was advised that Cawston Primary PAC is being reimbursed in the amount of $20,361 for their recent purchase of playground equipment.  The Board is required to pass a bylaw tonight in order to receive the funds. There is one final application process for 2012-13.  The district will review the criteria to determine if any schools qualify for further funding.

November 2011 Enrolment Report:  Attached is the November 2011 enrolment report. As indicated in the report, student enrolment is 2,376.5 FTE which is an overall decrease from September 2011 of 17.0 FTE.  Elementary schools have decreased by 4 FTE, secondary schools decreased by 27.25 FTE and YouLearn has increased by 14.25 FTE since September 2011.

Town of Oliver – SOSS Fire Protection:  The district received an invoice from the Town of Oliver for water usage at SOSS that included the month of September.  School district staff inquired as to whether the invoice included water used for fire protection.  Staff from the Town of Oliver advised the costs had been included in error.  The town confirmed their policy is individuals are not charged for fire protection and all water usage charges for the fire will be reversed.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will take place on January 25th, 2012 at 7:00 pm at the School Board Office.

Happy Holidays!