SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 53
(Okanagan Similkameen)
REPORT FROM ADMINISTRATION
to the Board of Education
Superintendent’s Blog: In order to generate a forum for educational discussion, share thinking and ideas and bring more transparency to our practice, I have set up a blog. At this time it is a ‘work in progress’ but I hope educators, trustees, parents and community members will find interest in the blog and contribute to discussions. It can be accessed athttp://b.sd53.bc.ca
Student Achievement
New Curriculum Coming: A group of 56 teachers, administrators, parents, trustees and district staff had an opportunity to spend a day on January 15th with Rod Allen, Superintendent of Learning and Maureen Dockendorf, Superintendent of Reading with the Ministry of Education. Extensive consultations have identified some positive changes that will transform and modernize the B.C. education system. Transformation in curriculum and assessment will foster learning environments that are both engaging and personalized for students. We were able to glean a clearer understanding of the changes in curriculum standards and curriculum organizers being developed as well as the competencies which will take front stage in the new curriculum. Core competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need to develop in order to engage in deeper learning. The core competencies of thinking, communication, and social and personal competencies support lifelong learning.
Kindergarten Registration: Kindergarten registration for SD 53 will take place from January 13th to March 14th in all schools. Children who will be five years old by December 31, 2014, may begin their first year of kindergarten (full day) in September 2014. These will be children who are born in 2009. Parents registering students will need their cild’s birth certificate and medical card. We encourage all parents to register their children during this time as it assists the district with staffing, budgeting and class planning for September. Also kindergarten spaces may be limited in some cases and placement is done on a first come, first serve basis. Advertisements have gone out and will be repeated.
Innovation / Initiatives
Innovation in the Thompson-Okanagan: 24 teachers and administrators attended this regional forum where participants had the opportunity to hear about the many innovative practices, strategies and structures occurring in classrooms around the Thompson-Okanagan, including School District No. 53.
February Learning Forum: is titled Social Emotional Learning – A School Community Approach. Parents, students and community members are invited to join us at our February 12th learning forum from 7:00 to 8:00 pm to hear how Okanagan Falls Elementary School is providing students with the skills and connections they need to be successful learners. Come out and see how their total school approach to social emotional learning is making a difference!
Career Programs
Rebuilding Shop Class in British Columbia: The Construction Foundation of BC is taking action to rebuild shop classes in BC in order to encourage young British Columbians to pursue a career in the trades. The Tech and Career teachers met on January 13 to discuss and will meet again on January 20 at SOSS to put together a district application.
YES-2-IT: Parents and community members are invited to join us to observe the YES-2-IT program. This program is a hands-on experience for students in grades 6 and 7. A $4,000 grant from the Industry Training Association supports this program. This year the program will focus on the culinary industry. Sessions are from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm as follows:
Monday, January 27 SESS, Keremeos
Tuesday, January 28 SOSS, Oliver and Okanagan Falls
Thursday, January 30 SOSS, Oliver and Tuc-el-Nuit
Friday, January 31 OSS, Osoyoos
Before the event, Mr. Turnbull will visit all grades 6 and 7 classrooms to introduce the program to students and teachers and to do safety training.
Gateway to the Trades will be offered at Southern Okanagan Secondary School in semester 2 of this year. This joint program with Okanagan College is designed to give secondary students the opportunity to explore potential careers in the trades. Successful students will receive credit for four high school graduation courses (16 credits), develop documented skills that will support employment in a trades related occupation, and be eligible to participate in a Trades Apprenticeship Foundation Program either as a secondary student through the ACE IT initiative or through direct entry at the Okanagan College. It will be full-time, Monday to Friday for 12 weeks starting February 10 and ending on May 16. It will be taught in the wood shop by a fully qualified Okanagan College instructor. This program will be open to all students in the district. As we hope to draw in disengaged (students who have left school) and alternate students, YouLearn.ca will work closely with career teachers to register students.
Community Literacy:
Plain Language Workshop: Literacy Now South Okanagan Similkameen is hosting a free Plain Language Workshop in Oliver at Okanagan College, Room 112, 339 Fairview Road, on February 26th from 9:00 am – 12:00pm. Learn how you can use plain language to help your readers understand your message, ask fewer questions, and make fewer mistakes. Email and web communication in plain language is covered as well. Come and learn the skills that would make your communication easy to read and understand. All are welcome: members of the business community, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and the general public. RSVP by February 18th to literacynowsos@gmail.com or phone 250-462-0636.
Family Literacy Week: Is January 20 – 26, 2014. Our Family Literacy Event is on Saturday, January 25th at the Cherry Lane Shopping Centre in Penticton from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. We invite the community to come out and see all the wonderful displays and enjoy the entertainment. Ms. Samantha James and our StrongStart BC facilitators will be collaborating with their School District No. 67 counterparts to highlight their programs and our very own Ms. Lisa McCall will be the master of ceremonies. Our theme again this year is “Unplug and Play”. Schools are being asked to encourage families to pledge to “unplug” and play together each day for 15 minutes. Last year, most of elementary schools participated in this program.
SCHOOL-BASED INITIATIVES
Pink Shirt Day: Schools will once again participate in “Pink Shirt Day” on February 26th. In our area, this event is sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club and people are asked to wear pink to make a statement against bullying.
Fieldtrips: February 9 to 12, Alyssa Hait, music teacher at SESS, will be taking 17 grades 11 and 12 students to Seattle to participate in the “Experience Music Project” and attend high school performances at the University of Washington.
Operations
December 2013 Enrolment
As indicated in the attached report, student enrolment is 2,357.50 which is an overall decrease from September 2013 of 2.0625 FTE. Elementary school enrolment decreased by 3.0 FTE, secondary school enrolment decreased by 20.6875 FTE and YouLearn enrolment increased by 21.625 FTE.
Frank Venables Theatre
Representatives of the school district, Town of Oliver and the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) continue to meet to discuss the operations of the new Frank Venables Theatre which is tentatively scheduled to have its first community performance on February 28. District staff is currently taking the bookings for the theatre, however, the proposed governance structure envisions a non-profit society managing the on-going operations of the theatre. The governance and operating agreements are currently being reviewed by all parties with the goal of finalizing the discussions by June 2014.
2013/14 Recalculated Funding Allocation
On December 12, 2013, the Ministry released the 2013/14 Recalculated Funding Allocations based on actual September 30 enrolment and educator salary data. If spring 2014 enrolment counts are as projected, the district will receive a total revenue amount of $23,524,959; an increase of $679,146 from preliminary projections. As $350,000 of surplus dollars were used to balance the 2013/14 budget, a portion of the additional revenue supports this year’s expenses. The increased revenue will be reflected in the annual budget which the Board is required to adopt by the end of February.
District Calendar: We have begun the process of developing the district calendar for 2014/15. The Board of Education will decide which draft calendar will be put forward for public consultation. SOSTU is proposing to add 2 professional days inside the September to June bookends while maintaining the 2 week spring break. The consultation process should begin in February. The Board must declare their calendar by the end of March.
ConnectEDBC: School District No. 53 has applied to be part of Wave 1 for implementing the new student information system (Aspen) adopted by the province. As part of the process, we will be forming a district steering committee to plan and lead the implementation. This committee will be made up of our two technicians, two teachers, two school administrators, two CUPE secretarial staff and district administration. A timeline for implementation will be determined once we have a clear understanding of the process and support available from the providers, Fujitsu Consulting (Canada) Inc. and Follet. We believe that our data is in good shape and that this transition will be fairly smooth and less problematic than it was previously with BCeSIS. Again, if you wish to view information on the Aspen program, go to http://sisimplementation.ca/. When you go to the training site, link below, you’ll find some useful information with video demos.