Report cards
Two new report cards for students in kindergarten to Grade 7 in School District No. 46 (SD46) were approved by trustees at their Nov. 9 regular school board meeting.
Teachers had the option to choose format A or B this term.
Format B is similar to the traditional report cards parents are used to receiving, although they now include a section for a “developmental report” on applied design skills and technology, career education and core competencies, which will be reported in June only.
The option B report cards have the typical 1, 2, 3 reporting structure with 1 meaning “approaching expectations,” 2 meaning “meeting expectations” and 3 meaning “exceeding expectations.”
The option A format is more in line with the new FreshGrade online reporting option that is being piloted in some schools. It has a “developmental scale” that consists of three levels: “concerns/not yet,” “acquiring” and “accomplished.” It also provides the ability to include snapshots of student learning captured by teachers in the summary section under each subject.
Grades 8 to 12 received regular report cards this term, as the Ministry of Education’s move to try new reporting options more in line with the new curriculum hasn’t been extended to those grades yet.
Facilities
School board trustees approved the district’s updated long-range facilities plan on Nov. 9.
Chair Betty Baxter said there were two main priorities identified through the plan for SD46.
“We’re over capacity at West Sechelt Elementary,” Baxter said, adding there was a priority “to get some enhancement” there.
She also said there was “a priority to have some kind of alternative plan for the [Sunshine] building at the end of its useful life.”
The Sunshine building is the original Sechelt Elementary School building in downtown Sechelt that is currently being used by the Sunshine Coast Alternative School. The building is 80 years old.
Sustainability
SD46 has been making great strides in reducing its energy consumption this year, thanks in large part to grants it’s been receiving from the Ministry of Education.
Recently the school district announced it received another sustainability-inspired grant from the capital management branch of the Ministry of Education for up to $497,500.
The grant will be used to replace an aging boiler plant at Langdale Elem-entary School and add ventilation to the gymnasium.
“This funding comes at a great time for us,” said manager of facilities Rob Collison, noting Langdale Elementary also received new double-pane exterior windows and updated heating controls earlier this year.
“On an energy-per-square-metre basis, Lang-dale Elementary has historically been our worst performing facility. This upgrade, along with the window replacement and heating controls project, will bring the school in line with some of our higher performing facilities.”
During the Nov. 9 school board meeting, secretary treasurer Nicholas Weswick also noted SD46 is looking at the possibility of a geo-thermal heating system being put in at Pender Harbour Secondary School in the future.
“We’ve put in an application for that for a ministry capital grant and we’re hopeful that we’ll receive that,” Weswick said.
“And [we’re] looking at the potential for solar matching grants at a variety of schools across the district. So, exciting times for sustainability.”
TETT
Technology coordinator Sandra Magnussen spoke to the board on Nov. 9 about the Teachers Empowering Teachers through Tech-nology (TETT) program.
Magnussen said that with the new requirement for more technology in the classroom, some teachers need hands-on support, which is why TETT was created this year.
“The TETT project came from looking at research on technology and looking at how teachers are struggling with the changes so quickly and how can we bridge that to make it better for them and obviously better for our students,” Magnussen said.
Through her research she has found what supports technology integration into schools best is: support at the district level, giving teachers professional development opportunities and having leadership at the school level from principals and teacher leaders.
TETT seeks to create teacher leaders, comfortable with using technology in various schools, to pass on their knowledge and enthusiasm.
Magnussen said the hands-on help from peers has been “making the difference.”
There are nine elementary schools and 12 teachers currently involved in the TETT project.
In the future Magnussen said she would like to extend the TETT program into the high schools so more teachers and students can benefit.
