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South Okanagan Photos

Administration Report to Trustees School District #53


Actual seating that was donated for local auditorium

Student Achievement

DISTRICT-BASED INITIATIVES

World Teacher Day – October 5, 2012:  In recognition of World Teacher Day, the Southern Okanagan-Similkameen Teachers’ Union and School District No. 53 made a joint donation to Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan.  This non-profit Canadian organization supports the improvement of quality, access, and relevance of education for Afghan women and girls.

Career Prep:  We have made a good start with our Secondary School Apprenticeships this year, with six students already registered and two more to come in the next couple of weeks. Planning for the grades 6 and 7 awareness presentations is underway and we are really excited about the new format. In January, grades 6 and 7 students from the various feeder schools will attend a workshop at their community’s secondary school and participate in hands-on activities led by community trades people. This initiative is being led by Mr. Boyd Turnbull, our new Career Prep teacher at SESS. Our first Apprenticeship Advisory Network meeting took place on October 23 in Osoyoos. This meeting allows our career department to meet with business people from all our communities to discuss trends.

Aboriginal Education: At this time, our department is holding fundraisers for this year’s Pow Wow, April 5 and 6, 2013 at SESS. The fundraisers are: • for Oliver: October 17 at the Osoyoos Indian Band Community Hall (raised over $1,200.00!) • for the Similkameen: November 14 at 5:00 pm at SESS • for Osoyoos: February 12 at 5:00 pm at the Nk’Mip Campsite clubhouse These involve dinner and a loonie auction and are great fun!

Remembrance Day Ceremonies:  We are in the process of collecting dates and times for ceremonies and will distribute a list to district staff and trustees.  Schools always appreciate our participation.

Oliver Family Hub: The grand opening of the Oliver Family Hub is on October 29 at 2:30 pm. Come out and join us for this exciting new program and meet the various service providers who will work out of the Hub. These include CAP-C (Community Action Program for Children) and Mother Goose. Other groups involved include Public Health, Mental Wellness Centre Family Support Peer Support, Supported Child Development Program, Okanagan Similkameen Neurological Society, South Okanagan Infant Support Program (Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs), South Okanagan Immigration and Community Services, and the Ministry of Children and Families. A Hub is a centre which provides “one-stop shopping” for families, with various agencies and support groups providing services there.

Changing Results for Young Readers: This exciting new provincial initiative uses an inquiry approach to research strategies to increase the number of BC children who are successful engaged readers and understand what fosters reading success. Sessions are being facilitated in our district by our two early reading advocates, Ms. Andrea Reichl and Ms. Heather Langley, and school administrator and Learner Support teacher, Ms. Shendah Benoit. Our first session went very well and the teachers are very excited about the opportunity to be part of this initiative to improve reading success and engage in professional development and collaboration around early reading. The teams of teachers from each school are:

Cawston Primary: Gwen Doi and Michael Lucich  Okanagan Falls: Jennifer Charlish and Jenna Keyes Oliver Elementary: Melia Dirk and Darla Svendsen Osoyoos Elementary: Heather Langley and Shendah Benoit Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary: Tania Marques and Marlene Kearsley YouLearn.ca: Will Eaton and a teacher to be hired

The next session will be at Osoyoos Elementary School from 8:30 am to 12:00 noon on Wednesday, November 7.

SCHOOL-BASED INITIATIVES

We Day: On Wednesday, October 18, 60 students from the district attended the We Day event in Vancouver at Roger’s Arena. There were 21 students attending from Osoyoos Elementary School with Mr. Richard Bayliss, Ms. Rebecca Bayda, and Mr. Ryan Miller. The school had 22 tickets donated and students were selected after writing letters saying why they should attend and how they contribute to the social well-being of the community/school. From the high schools, there were 20 students from Osoyoos Secondary’s Global Citizenship club sponsored by Ms. Natasha Schroeter and Ms. Catherine Scott and 19 students from Similkameen Elementary Secondary School’s leadership club sponsored by Mr. Marcus Toneatto and Ms. Cate Turner. Board of Education Chair, Marieze Tarr, also attended the event. They joined twenty thousand students from around BC. We Day is an educational event and the movement of our time – a movement of young people leading local and global change. We Day is tied to the year-long We Act program, which offers curricular resources, campaigns and materials to help turn the day’s inspiration into sustained activation throughout the year. Ready, Set, Learn:  Once again schools will be funded for Ready, Set, Learn (RSL) programs.  Schools will plan these occasions and advertise in the community.  Only part of the funding is required for RSL, allowing the rest to go to support of other early learning initiatives such as the Welcome to Kindergarten program.  All of the funds must be used to support early learning (0 – 6 years).  Principals collaboratively plan the use of these funds with ECE’s, community members, and Kindergarten teachers.

Operations

September 2012 Enrolment Report:  As indicated in the attached report, student enrolment is 2,362.5625 FTE which is an overall decrease from September 2011 of 30.9375 FTE.  Elementary schools have decreased by 47 FTE, secondary schools increased by 13.8125 FTE and YouLearn has increased by 2.25 FTE from September 2011.

IBM Donation of Equipment:  The district has received a generous donation from IBM of two Young Explorer kiosks for the StrongStart centres at OK Falls and Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary schools.  IBM previously donated kiosks to the StrongStarts at Oliver Elementary, Cawston Primary and Osoyoos Elementary schools.  A big thank you to IBM for their support of current and future Okanagan Similkameen students!

Okanagan Falls Joint Use meeting:  Representatives of the board met with representatives of the Okanagan Falls Parks and Recreation Commission and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) on October 12.  Participants discussed a draft lease proposed by the RDOS for continued use of the community centre and an updated agreement to support community use of the gymnasium. All parties expressed appreciation for the positive working relationship between community, school, regional district and school district.  The parties will meet again in May 2013.

South Okanagan Secondary School Project Update:  At the September Board of Education meeting district staff advised that costs were higher than projected with a budget shortfall of $2.1 million.  In reviewing the Project Identification Report (PIR) against tenders awarded, the following is noted:

-In addition to the re-building of the school, the PIR includes costs for clean-up and restoration, temporary accommodation, and additional staffing required due to the temporary nature of the school site.

Project shortfalls can be attributed to multiple factors including:  – market conditions at the time of the tender such as number of open tenders available for bidding; – the unit rate for the first PIR was higher than the unit rate used for the second PIR although existing conditions and standards and finishes of the first project were continued for the second project; – the same mechanical design had to be continued in the second project as intended for the first project.  Mechanical downsizing could not be contemplated based on the footprint of the existing equipment and school design; and – material costs have increased between projects.

School district staff, consultants and the general contractor are working diligently to bring the project within budget without compromising the design or the intent of the school’s use.  As of October 18, 2012, the project budget is within $250,000 of projected costs.  Based on a budget of $22 million, staff is confident the project will meet the budget and quality targets.  In addition, the project will be reviewed continually until completed.  Further details will be provided at the regular Board of Education meeting in November. In addition, the district has received a generous and appreciated donation from the closed Denman Theatre in Vancouver of four hundred and fifty theatre chairs in beautiful condition at no cost other than shipping.

Community Engagement Forums:  The Board of Education for School District No. 53 will be hosting public forums in Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos, and OK Falls.  The purpose of the community engagement forums is to share information regarding enrolment trends, finances, facilities and directions in education and engage participants in providing feedback or asking questions to increase transparency and open dialogue.  We hope staff, parents and community members will attend.  Meeting dates are as follows:

Wed November 07, 2012 in Keremeos at the SESS Library 7:00-8:30pm; Thu November 08, 2012 in Okanagan Falls at the OK Falls Elementary School library 7:00-8:30pm; Tue November 20, 2012 in Oliver at the SOSS atrium 7:00-8:30pm; and Wed November 28, 2012 in Osoyoos – location yet to be confirmed, 7:00-8:30pm.