Meeting of January 30, 2019
Administration reported that School District No. 53 has been awarded a grant from the Ministry of Education in the amount of $35,000 to support mental health and well-being promotion in our district. This funding will be used to support a number of initiatives in the district that supports creating infrastructure and evidence-based supports for our learners.
This year, Okanagan-Similkameen Days will be held on Wednesday, February 20th at Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School. All Grade 3 students in the district will participate in this event along with all other grades of students from the host, Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School. Additionally, the Board was informed that the annual School District Pow Wow will be held at SESS on April 26th and 27th. Helen Gallagher and our Indigenous Advocates have already organized two fundraisers to support this event, raising nearly $3000 at Indian Taco Night and Loonie Auctions.
As mentioned in previous reports, School District No. 53 has a Health Care Assistant dual credit program beginning this semester. We have 5 students from our district enrolled in the Health Care Assistant program offered by Okanagan College in Oliver. The original plan was to have the program housed in one of our buildings in Oliver, but we have managed to move the program to the Okanagan College Continuing Studies campus in Oliver. The program is full with 12 students, and we are looking forward to seeing our dual credit students demonstrate a high level of success.
Also, under the career education theme, the Board was informed that one of our students from Osoyoos Secondary is currently enrolled in an exciting dual credit program that is both challenging and rewarding. The student is currently enrolled in “Para 1050”, a course offered by the Justice Institute of BC as the first step towards becoming a paramedic and is halfway through the program and is the only high school student in this class.
In December, 12 students from SOSS and OSS went on a tour of the Penticton Regional Hospital. They had a great opportunity to see some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes on in the hospital with hopes that some of the careers they had a chance to experience will inspire some of them into a career in the Health Sector. We were restricted with space on the tour and SESS students will get the opportunity in the second semester.
The Board would like to remind parents that kindergarten registration is now open for parents to register children who will be five years old by December 31, 2019. These will be children born in 2014. Parents must bring their child’s birth certificate and medical card.
Rob Zandee, Chairperson
School District No. 53 (Okanagan Similkameen)