Spring Break Update

As students prepare for their spring break (March 16th to April 1st), a number of items are worth mentioning.  While the impending passing of Bill 22 by the provincial legislature should bring some normalcy back to school working and learning conditions, further reaction from the BCTF is possible.  Bill 22 outlines a number of criteria that will have a fundamental impact on how classes are structured, requirements for consultation, and further steps to be taken as part of a process to finalize working conditions for BC teachers, principals and vice-principals and school district personnel.  Some of the key changes are outlined in a document found on the SD 51 website at http://www.sd51.bc.ca/PDF%20Files/An%20Overview%20Bill%2022.pdf
With the potential for further disruptions, we will keep parents up to date through our school and district websites.

After spring break, students in grades 10 and 12 will be completing the annual provincial satisfaction surveys.  These Ministry of Education surveys provide the school with useful information about how students and parents are feeling about many areas related to school functioning.  Some of the information is used for school planning as part of the yearly improvement plan.  Parents of students in grades 10 and 12 are also asked to complete a survey at the following link http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/sat_survey/access.htm
Parents can access the survey by obtaining a random code from the school either by phone or email (gfss@sd51.bc.ca)

Provincial exam grades have been released for the January examination period.  Students taking Apprenticeship and Workplace Math 10, Foundations Math 10, English 10, Science 10, Social Studies 11, English 12, and Communications 12 have now received their marks for first semester exams.  In all subject areas, students performed well with class averages at or above provincial levels.  Thanks to our teachers for preparing students in these areas.

A reminder also to parents to sign and send back their child's course selection sheets.  With timetabling for 2012-13 starting in early April, it is important for all students to have their confirmed selections in to the office to ensure they into the classes they have selected.  There is an incoming grade 8 parent information session scheduled for Monday, April 2nd at 7pm in room 101.  It is a good opportunity to see what courses your child will be taking in grade 8 with the available choices for electives.

For graduating students, they are reminded that deadlines for Grad Transitions are fast approaching.  Students are expected to have completed their packages and exit interviews by the end of May in order to meet the requirements for graduation.  All the package assignments and instructions are posted on the GFSS Moodle site and need to be completed before signing up for the final interview with Mr. Stewart.  Close to a dozen students have completed their Grad Transition requirements and have all had very good interviews.
More details around grad dates, etc will be posted for students after spring break.

A final congratulations to all the winter teams that have finished their seasons and a thanks to the coaches and parents who put in considerable hours supporting these opportunities for our kids.  While all of our teams finished well, a special congrats to the grade 8 girls basketball team who won the west Kootenay zone finals.....great job girls and coaches!

The winning grade 8 girls team at the West Kootenay finals

Semester 2 Update...Feb 29th

Course selections are well underway with all grade levels being completed by Thursday this week.  Students have been entering their course selections starting on Monday, through the BCesis Parent Assistant program.  Students meet with Mr. Lockhart, Mrs. Argue and Mrs. Webster to review their options and the necessary requirements for each grade.  Students can choose from a list of courses and can also browse the course handbook to look at descriptions of courses offered through the grades.  In most cases, students have a number of core course requirements they need to take depending on grade level, and then can select from a variety of elective options.  It is important that parents and students review their selections and return there course selection printout back to the office.  This helps minimize the number of changes that need to be made to students timetables and ensures students get the courses they are hoping for.  When changes take place in June or September, some options may be full and movement is limited.  

Once student course selections are over, we start to look at how many courses in each grade will be needed and begin to assign these classes to teachers depending on their expertise.  The goal is to have timetables in the hands of students by early June. With continued declining enrollment and School Board cutbacks, offering a wide range of courses is challenging, but with some online options and creativity, we have been able to maintain a decent variety of opportunities.  Thanks to Mr. Lockhart and the counselling staff for their hard work in making this process flow so smoothly.  As always, please give us a call or drop us an email at gfss@sd51.bc.ca if you have any questions.

Mr. McKaig's PE 10 class snowshoeing at Marshall lake last week!

On another note, our winter sport season is wrapping up.  Our senior basketball teams have completed their seasons with both groups earning respectable finishes.  The junior boys and girls have their zone finals this coming week and grade 8's next week.  Good luck to our remaining teams and thanks to all the coaches for their hard work and dedication.  I'd also like to thank Mr. McKaig, our athletic director, for his countless hours helping set up schedules, communicating with coaches, helping organize tournaments, etc.  Our spring sports are starting up with rugby, baseball, and girls soccer all now beginning their training sessions.  We also have a small group of drama members going to compete in the regional drama festival this coming weekend under the guidance of Mrs. Grootjes...good luck team!

As for job action, a lot of information is coming out quickly and things are changing on a daily basis.  The government is in the process of drafting new legislation, included in that is items designed to prevent further job action.  As things progress over the next few days, we will try and provide you with an update.  Until then, have a good week and don't forget to check your child's course selection sheet.

February Update

Having started the second semester, I thought I would give parents a quick update on a few items.  As we get closer to spring break, students will be going through their course selections for the 2012-13 school year.  For students, this is a chance to select courses in grades 10-12 as part of their graduation program and determine specific schedules for grades 11 and 12.  For those students interested in pursuing apprenticeship opportunities, it means looking for potential placements and scheduling ahead of time to accommodate a work setting.  Once students have completed their selections, they are asked to take home their record of selections to get parent input.  We also have a few different information sessions planned for parents should they want more information about the graduation program and access to more specific programming such as Secondary School Apprenticeship and Work Experience options.  The first parent information session will take place for all parents on Wednesday, February 22nd at 7pm in room 101 and a second session for incoming grade 8 parents on April 2nd at 7pm in room 101.  Student course selections will take place the week of Feb 27th to March 1st.

Regarding reporting for the first semester, as many of you may be aware, teacher job action has prevented us from sending home report cards for students in grades 8-11.  Parents wishing to access the grades of students at these levels are requested to contact their teachers directly for feedback.  Students in grade 12 will receive a mailed home record of marks that includes final grades from semester 1 without any comments.  These grades have been entered by teachers to ensure students are not prevented from accessing post-secondary entrance and/or scholarships.

Parents are reminded to continually refer to the school website at www.sd51.bc.ca/gfss for ongoing updates, information, and important links.

Before signing off, I thought I would share a piece of student work I had submitted as part of my student's end of semester project for Phys Ed 8/9.  The project involved the students doing some brainstorming about the components of a healthy lifestyle.  As part of their project, they were asked to present their ideas using one of a few different formats.  This example is from one of my grade 9 students who organized his thoughts using an online format called Prezi...he gave me permission to show his work, I hope you enjoy it as I did.
Jonathan's project

Yours in education
Mr. S.

Mantracker meets Outdoor Ed

This past Thursday, our Outdoor Education class went snowshoeing at Marshall Lake, where they participated in an activity based on the popular TV show "Mantracker".  I was asked to come out and help with the activity as one of the two mantrackers.  Myself and the Outdoor Ed teacher, Ken Deadmarsh, sent the students out in pairs with a task of reaching the Ski Dasha before being caught by one of the two mantrackers.  Each pair was connected by a rope around their wrists to make the travel a bit more difficult and to ensure they worked as a team.  The students were given a 10 minute headstart, a compass, a map, some directions, and then set off to evade the trackers.  The route took us through a wooded area with numerous trails and small lake.

With the trackers in hot pursuit, myself on snowshoes, and Ken on skis, the student teams made their way towards the final destination.  While we managed to capture several teams before they reached the cabin, a few teams evaded us, without being detected.

teams ready to start

Students putting on their snowshoes

Class at the final destination

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the activity was fun and great exercise.  With teams covering more than a few km of distance, we all gathered on the bus at the end of class tired and fulfilled.  It was a good opportunity to put some outdoor skills to the test and a chance for students to work together. 
All in all, a good day!  Thanks to Mr. D and his class for allowing me to participate with them...this was a great example of making learning fun.

Resiliency

Last week the Ministry of Education contacted our district to find out what we were doing to show a continued improvement in graduation rates.  When our superintendent called to find out what we thought, I told him that one of our staff's strengths was keeping our struggling students engaged by working through our School Based Team to implement a number of interventions designed to help our kids be successful.  I also indicated it was a reflection of continuing to offer a wide array of choices for students to help them find something and someone to connect them to their school.  For example, providing students with an opportunity for personalized fitness.  Although we received some criticism for moving our library and converting the space to a fitness facility, we are now able to provide students with an opportunity to engage in strength and conditioning activities throughout the day.  While some suggested this was a move that highlighted a focus on athletics, rather than academics, the impact has been to the contrary.  This was highlighted by a suspension meeting I attended last week. At the meeting, one of our students, who had previously struggled with attendance and had been out of school for periods of time, told the superintendent how this year, although he was living on his own, he was able to come to school on a regular basis and maintain good grades as he had one thing to look forward to every day: going to the school weight-room to work out.  In fact, numerous students using the facility are not participating on teams, but rather students that have previously lacked some engagement in school and have now found a common draw to be there on a daily basis.

Two weeks ago, after we attended a Board of Education meeting, we were asked by trustees to show more pictures of our fitness initiative so that people could see how the facility was being used.  To me, the true impact of what we have done is found in the stories such as the one above.

Really, in the end, our students who demonstrate resiliency are the ones who will make it, regardless of their personal struggles.  Our job is to continue to offer kids options and foster positive connections with people in the building, to provide opportunities to grow and develop and, ultimately, to graduate and become successful citizens.  Hopefully, in spite of challenges at school, students can make mistakes and learn to make better choices as they absorb some of life's real lessons.  After all, isn't the real definition of resiliency being able to get up after being knocked down?

If you want to witness a moving example of resiliency, watch the following clip:

Home on the Range

One of the more difficult things to do when faced with declining enrollment is to continue to offer students a wide range of choices, particularly in the elective areas.  This is an aspect that I feel our school has been successful with given our drop in numbers.  Changes to our Strength and Conditioning program have allowed students to progress at their own pace during scheduled and unscheduled times, which has enabled us to continue to offer options that would not have been accessible otherwise.

Students studying in library

New fitness room

Students working out after school

With the movement of the library books to a smaller room, we were able to organize the existing space into a new fitness facility where kids have access all through the day.  The library is now used more as a "Learning Commons" where students access courses through online delivery, complete paper-based coursework, and access books or use the site as a place to read/catch up on work during spare blocks.

Another success story would have to be our Outdoor Education class.  Initially, we looked at offering the course on Fridays where kids could go on expeditions or participate in activities for the entire day.  Unfortunately, due to restrictions on the workweek, we had to look at offering the class in the regular timetable Monday to Thursday.  While this put constraints on the activities we could do, it still enabled us to do extended activities during our double-block over the lunch period.  Our instructor, Mr. Deadmarsh has done a great job of organizing activities around this schedule.  Students have the opportunity to do hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, kayaking, and obstacle courses. Additionally they are working on components of their CORE course which allows them to gain a hunting license upon completion.
Just yesterday, I went with the class to help supervise on the shooting range.  Students were given the opportunity to shoot a variety of rifles in a controlled, safe setting.  With twenty two students in the program, we had three instructors working with the kids to ensure proper gun etiquette, safety procedures, and firing protocol.  The students were keen and, besides some cold temperatures, fun was had by all.  A special thanks to Peter from the Wildlife Hall who came out to help and the Gun Club for access to the range.

Taking aim on the firing range

Thanks goes out to Mrs. Grootjes and her drama and dance classes for organizing the Remembrance Day assembly.  Take a moment tomorrow to stop and remember those who have served their country. I know I will.  Have a good weekend.

Teaching Financial Literacy in Schools?

I was reading an article this morning in the Globe and Mail titled "To teach financial literacy, get 'em while their young" and was thinking about how much sense that makes.  Up until the past year or so with the introduction of Apprenticeship and Workplace Math, there has been limited attention paid to the value of teaching kids about money management.  Basically, these skills have been left to chance, and unless kids are learning it at home, they are moving out into the work world with a limited understanding related to credit, investing, saving, mortgages, etc.  Even with the inclusion of money matters within the AW Math curriculum, only a third of our students are getting exposure to the information.
Given the state of both our local, national and global economics, I believe it is essential that we equip students with a basic understanding of how to manage their own finances once they leave school.  With understanding some basic principles around money management, young adults can quickly create a sound financial plan whereby they can sustain themselves through times of highs and lows, and understand the perils of accessibility to increasing levels of personal debt.
Just this fall, at GFSS, we introduced a fourth component to our Grad Transitions package that outlines some key ideas around finacial literacy. 
In this section, students are expected to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of income to calculate gross and net pay
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to manage a personal budget including the purchase of large assets and managing credit
• Demonstrate an understanding of simple principles of money management

Although these criteria are not included as components in the Grad Transitions curriculum, we felt that it was a very important area for further work to create a greater understanding for our graduating students. 
For those parents who wish to know more about how they can support their child's understanding related to managing their own finances, check out
http://www.moneyexchange.net/library/money-lessons-for-children
for some helpful links.

I have also included a link to the article mentioned above if you wish to read more about the move to increase financial awareness in schools.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/education/learning/to-teach-financial-literacy-get-em-while-theyre-young/article1869269/?service=mobile#