Minister Mike Bernier visited our school district this week. He only spent one afternoon with us so we visited classrooms in Oliver Elementary School and Southern Okanagan Secondary School. We were so impressed by the learning that was happening in the classrooms that we visited. We saw students engaged in their learning and we saw firsthand how TIM (Team Inquiry Model) time is paying off for our students and teachers. We can be proud of the many initiatives that are happening in classrooms in our district.
On December 11th, trustees, Superintendent Bev Young and the dean of Okanagan College, Donna Lomas, attended the completion celebration of students from the Gateway to the Trades program. Fourteen students successfully completed this program and presented their projects to us. It was encouraging to hear from these students how much they enjoyed this program and to see all the projects that they manufactured. This program exposed students to an introduction to a number of trades and most students are now keen to go back to the classroom to finish some of their academic requirements for graduation so that they can pursue a career in the trades. This provides a hands-on opportunity for students to earn credits toward graduation. We would like to thank Rod Kitt and Boyd Turnbull for all their hard work and commitment to our students to ensure success for all of our students.
The Aboriginal Education Advisory Council has met twice to work on the renewed Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement that will expire in June 2016. The council has been discussing the areas of focus for the new Enhancement Agreement and has decided to focus on the following goals:
1. Engaging Parents and Families
2. Sense of belonging and Social and Emotional Learning
3. Academic Success
4. Transitions and School Completion
The Pow wow will be held in Keremeos this school year on April 1st and 2nd. The district Aboriginal graduation will be held on June 16th in the OSS theatre. The district is also looking at sending a group of students and chaperones to the Indspire Awards in the spring. Okanagan Days will be hosted by Osoyoos Elementary School this year. There will be 5 stations for primary students and 7 different stations for intermediate students. It is still in the planning stage with more information coming in thenew year. Okanagan Days are scheduled to occur on February 5th. School District No. 53 started a strategic planning process in 2013 to establish a district vision, mission, core values and themes that will serve as a compass for our work. It has been two years and we feel that it is time to refresh that initiative to move forward with more clarity and purpose.
On February 4th, 2016 we will host a one-day workshop with representatives from staff, trustees, parents, and educational partners to review the strategic planning work that has been done to date, to confirm if our Vision, Mission, Core Values and Themes are still current and clear and to make adjustments as needed. A twoday workshop is being planned for March 9th and, if needed, March 10th for a smaller group of representatives where more concrete and detailed work plans will be co-created to support the identified themes (goals) and to ensure alignment with our overall strategic directions. We will also look at co-creating processes to monitor progress and celebrate success as part of the implementation journey. Please save the dates as more details will come in the new year.
The Board of Education has called a special Regular Board meeting for January 13th at 7:00 pm in the
school board office to discuss the updated facilities plan.
Please consult your school’s website or newsletter and be sure to attend your school’s Christmas concert! The Board of Education wishes all of our parents, staff and communities a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.
Should you have any questions, please contact me at 250-498-1333.
Marieze Tarr, Chairperson
School District No. 53 (Okanagan Similkameen)