** Additional updates related to COVID-19 can be found on our district website here.
Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL)
Intellectual Development
* A summary of some Spring achievement data is attached to the Regular Agenda.
Family Summer Literacy Boost
SD60 is pleased to announce a free program for parents with children in the primary grades. In collaboration with School District No. 91, Dr. Mort from Joyful Literacy and funding from the Federal government, these resources are free and can be viewed/downloaded from our District website. Please click on the image below or access the program from any school website under “Programs.”
Digmore
Resources for teachers, parents and students. A safe way to access resources and websites that have been vetted by our local educators. Click on the image below to check it out!
or click on this link.
Human & Social Development
Relay for Life
Relay for Life activities at Upper Pine on June 10th. The video below was prepared by a parent, Madison Hiebert, and was part of a number of activities to commemorate those lost to cancer as well as the survivors.
Foundry App
There is a new app that can be downloaded and gives access to supports in our community. Please click on the link below to get to the website.
Visit the Foundry Virtual BC web page to download the app or to access the web portal online.
Career & Skill Development
The “advanced” bag pick up is for SWIS families, to give them an opportunity to participate in case the day of the walks, the bags are taken. We will reserve 10 bags for SWIS families to pick up in advance, first come first serve. If they are all picked up in advance, the remaining families will have to go the day of the walk and hope to get a bag.
That being said, 60 bags will be created and we think that will be more than enough for the community to participate (1 bag per family). SWIS will also get one of each of the bags to keep in our office and use next year for our “Multicultural Books In Schools” program for elementary schools. Kind of a two-fold use! – Jane Drew, SD60 Settlement Program Coordinator
Bert Bowes Middle School (BBMS) Careers Class Visits Northern Lights College
On March 9th, 2021, students visited NLC to talk about post-secondary and career planning. The students wanted to expand on their knowledge and learn about the many different programs provided by NLC. Students interviewed different administrators, instructors and department co-ordinators throughout the day.
Below is a video submitted by their teacher,Ted Sloan, with highlights from the day.
Operations / HR
Reliable Technology Infrastructure in 2021-2022
As noted in the graphic below, the “uptime” for our technology infrastructure has been consistent and reliable throughout the school year. Several upgrades and renewals over the last few years has resulted in a much-improved service.
Playgrounds Coming to Life!
The 360º image below shows the work being done at Duncan Cran Elementary. Alwin Holland Elementary, Bert Ambrose Elementary and Robert Ogilvie Elementary are also benefitting from playground enhancements due to the Before and After School Care Program.
https://kuula.co/share/7tzqg?fs=1&vr=1&sd=1&initload=0&thumbs=1&info=0&logo=-1
Truth & Reconciliation
Many activities and lessons are taking place around the District in remembrance of the children found at a Residential School in Kamloops.
Additionally, we are celebrating Indigenous Day today – June 21st!
Backgrounder #12 – Reconciliation and Indigenous Rights and Title
“Take 3”
ELC (Energetic Learning Campus)
ELC students had the opportunity to participate in an Indigenous Map of Canada activity put on by Carmen Dennis (Indigenous Youth Care Worker) and Crystal Anielewicz (Indigenous Transition Coach). Students were able to walk around the map to explore and learn about Residential Schools.
Bert Ambrose Elementary
“This spring, the Grade 3/4 cohort with Mr. Cairns and Miss Cronin designed and built computer interfaces in an 8-week project titled “Designing with People in Mind.” Students were challenged to build a computer interface, in most cases a video-game controller, for a person with a specific physical impairment. Students developed their critical and imaginative thinking to plan, design and build. All of the students left the experience with a more robust and active understanding of how electrical circuits work in conjunction with computer code.
The 8 ADST sessions for this project were coupled with 8 growth mindset lessons to nurture student resilience. While it was great to see students succeed early in the project, many of the most rewarding learning experiences were won by students who triumphed after working through multiple setbacks.”
Laurie Wright, Principal
ADST Video #1 – (above)
ADST Video #2 – Students presenting their projects
ADST Video #3 – Students presenting their projects
Key Learning Centre – Primary Blended Program
This year again, the Key offered a blended Kindergarten and Grade 1 program to local students.
In this blended program, small groups of students have been attending sessions twice a week for 1½ hours where core academic skills are introduced by the teacher. Materials are provided for parents to support in-class learning at home. As well, parents will be introducing and facilitating additional areas of learning. Student learning is further supported through technology, which bridges learning activities between school and home.
In the Fall, we are looking to include blended programs in Grade 1, 2 & 3.
If you are interested in learning more about this very successful program, please reach out to the Key Learning Centre. 250-261-5660
Buick Creek’s Blended Learning Program
This year saw the district piloting a form of blended learning at Buick Creek School. The program supported learners from Kindergarten through Grade 9. The program started with 24 students and has grown to 29 currently and those numbers look to increase next year.
The Key Learning Centre was involved with Buick School by providing instruction (both face-to-face and remotely) that offered a well-rounded and dynamic learning experience to the students. Technology played a key role in delivering a robust program to the students while at school and also promoted the learning connection between the school and home.
While collaborating with the Key Learning Centre and using technology to facilitate a full program for the learners at Buick was an exciting pilot, the real credit belongs to the teachers (both local and remote) and the EA’s whose creativity in working outside the standard brick and mortar model made this program successful.
My sincere thanks to all of the staff involved for being flexible and creative in ensuring that the learner’s needs were always first and foremost.
Norbert Kaspar, Principal, & Sean Thomas, Vice-Principal
