Superintendent’s Update

Posted On Friday October 04, 2024

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

As we engage together in many activities throughout October, I will focus on stories about Equity and Courage and profile the Systems Development Priority which is about the operations side of the school district (Finance, Human Resources, IT, Facilities, Transportation) throughout the year. This priority and our core values are further explained in the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan.

World Teachers’ Day – October 5, 2024

This year’s World Teachers’ Day theme, Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education reminds me of the important voice that the KTTA Executive have in our district. President Darcy Martin and Vice President Laurel Macpherson meet with us regularly to share perspectives of teachers on all matters from the personal digital device survey, district administrative procedures, budget, and teacher’ needs and concerns, to name a few.Teachers’ voices and perspectives matter to ensure that students’ needs are met through high quality education provided by all educators.

Please take time to share your gratitude for all that teachers do for our children. They are there with welcoming smiles, encouraging words, and teaching lessons to advance students’ learning every day. Teachers ensure the wellbeing of each child and generations of educated citizens who strive to make the world a better place. Thank you, teachers, for everything you do!

South Kamloops Secondary School – October 2, 2024

Principal Preymak and I visited Ms. Richter’s English First Peoples Grade 12 class. Students had read a chapter about transformation of animals into humans and humans into animals. Evidence of the significance of transformation can be found in some origin or creation stories. These stories usually tell of an ancient time when people and animals could communicate and transform shape. Discussion centred around the meaning of this transformation theme and connection to Indigenous ways of knowing and being through story.

Mr. Wilson’s English First Peoples Grade 12 class was studying Secwepemctsín.

We then stopped to talk with Ms. Hefington and Ms. Hanson, Aboriginal Education Workers, and they were completing the 1701 process to ensure student enrolment is correct. When I asked what they are excited about, they each shared the projects that they do with student groups. For example, making a video or ribbon skirts, and participating in the Lahal tournaments were examples of learning opportunities that they found students appreciated for their cultural teachings, and they looked forward to doing them again. They also support a drumming group that includes students from Valleyview, one that is led by Ms. Thomas.

Ms. Spada, a Teacher Teaching On Call, was teaching Grade. 8 band. The students willingly played a couple of songs, and they were simply excellent – great energy, focus, rhythm, and timing. Thank you Grade 8 Band!

We then visited Ms. Yamaoka who was sharing how her Art class had taken part in a study of the grasslands by learning about them from a presenter who works for BC Grasslands Conservation Council. Students were sketching, painting, and writing about personal and societal connections to grasslands. What an inspiring study involving multi-literacies – reading, listening, viewing, writing, drawing, sketching, painting, and digital representations. They will be creating a calendar, and everyone is looking forward to it.

Ms. Hilaire’s French Social Studies 10 class was discussing and researching the locations of World War I on a map. Ms. Rusk’s Grade 11-12 20th Century World History Class was studying the Russian Revolution. Ms. Rusk stopped to share how enthusiastic she is about this year because of the students she gets to work with every day at SKSS.

Behavioural and Digital Threat Assessment Signing Ceremony – October 2, 2024

Thank you to District Principal Carmichael and Assistant Superintendent Mattes who invited me to join partners in signing our new Behavioural and Digital Threat Assessment Interagency Protocol, formerly known as the Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) Protocol. Thank you to the partners who came together at the Henry Grube Education Centre to pledge our collective commitment to working together to reduce safety risks and to respond in timely and trauma-informed ways when such events happen. Read more.

Leadership Development Program – October 2, 2024

Thank you To Assistant Superintendents Carson, Mattes, and Reilly for organizing and supporting the community of Leadership Development Program Candidates (LDP) to meet for the first time this year. This year’s LDP candidates are: Amanda Jensen, Elise Hrycan, Andrea Dwyer, Tory Cardinal, Morgan Whitehouse, Morgan Kolasa, Jessica Baker, Denise Underwood, David Lam, Christina Gauley, Cheryl Volkaert, Brian Badgero, Ashley Moore, and Amber Dixon. They will be engaging in a series of ongoing professional learning about instructional and operational aspects of leadership within our District. The professional learning topics the LDP cohort will be engaging in this year include: Safe and Caring Schools, Curriculum Implementation, Equity Transformation Cycle, Human Resources Strategies for Instructional Leaders, and Financial Planning for Educational Leaders.

National Principals’ Month (October) and Principal and Vice Principal Professional Learning – October 3, 2024

Thank you to principals, vice principals, and district leaders who engaged in reflection on employee wellbeing and recognition and how to continue this work in meaningful ways this year.

District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC)

Welcome back to all Parent Advisory Council (PAC) volunteers. PACs are open to everyone connected to a child in school so if you are interested in joining, please reach out. The District Parent Advisory Council is here to help – visit the DPAC page on sd73.bc.ca for DPAC’s contact information, meeting schedule, and meeting Zoom link.

Board Notes

For those who would like to keep track of major events discussed at Board meetings, I will reference Board Notes (summaries of board meetings), which are available on the District website under “Our District/Board” under “Board Communications”. See Board Notes for the Regular Public Board meeting on September 23, 2024.

Thank you for all that you do and please continue to recognize each other and to enjoy time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate this weekend.


Rhonda Nixon, PhD
Superintendent

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