Superintendent’s Update

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

We have acknowledged war veterans on Remembrance Day and National Indigenous Veterans Day this past week. We also lowered flags to recognize former BC Premier John Horgan who passed away from a courageous battle against cancer at the age of 65 on November 12, 2024. These celebrations reflected our commitment to living a core value of Relationships and Connections, and the Grandfather’s Teaching of love in the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan.

Kamloops-Thompson Provincial Online Learning – November 4, 2024

Principal Hembling is leading the District’s Provincial Online Learning School (POLS), which was selected to be one of only 21 such schools provincially. They offer a full range of K-12 courses to students inside and outside of the District in elementary (K-7), middle school (8-9), high school (10-12), and adult learning programs (graduated and non-graduated adults). He is supported by a wonderful office team, Ms. Smith and Ms. Wright, and Ms. Hurtgen.

I met one student, Xavier, who is currently taking all Grade 11 courses online, and he said, “I am looking forward to returning to school for Grade 12.” When I asked him why, he shared, “For graduation and all of the activities leading up to it.” Ms. Goodrich shared that students like Xavier choose to come into the school on a scheduled basis to ensure that they get the help they need. Xavier added, “It helps me keep up because I have to get my work done to have it checked.”

Mr. Hembling explained that some students, like Xavier, prefer online education as their main approach to K-12 education. He added, “It just fits the lifestyle for some students who have speciality programs like academies and they could not otherwise get the courses they want.” He also said, “Since we have become a POLS, we collaborate with multiple districts and other POLS from around the province.” 

For example, Principal Hembling described how our POLS is working with SD27 to provide courses to Grade 8 and 9 students living in remote communities, for whom the hiring of subject specialist teachers has been a challenge. Our POLS is also offering opportunities for middle school teachers to work with a cohort of Grade 8/9 students twice per week via Zoom and Brightspace to teach Math, Science, Social Studies, and English. 

Our POLS is also collaborating with SD74 (Goldtrail) to offer Grade 10-12 students one or more courses to supplement the offerings available at their face-to-face schools. One example is that students from Lytton are cross-enrolled to @KOOL for Career Life Education, Foods, Anatomy and Physiology, and Career Life Connections. These students are provided with support from their SD74 teachers on site, while they are simultaneously provided with curriculum and a fully qualified teacher from @KOOL.

We continue to work with students who are ordinarily residents in BC, but temporarily living elsewhere while they compete at an elite level of sport. WHL players playing in Red Deer, Seattle, Victoria, Spokane, Regina, Everett, Kamloops, Calgary, and Saskatoon have taken courses with @KOOL in the 2023-2024 school year. @KOOL also has students who are training and competing in swimming, basketball, rodeo, skiing, and mountain biking. These students are able to successfully continue their studies with @KOOL while temporarily living in Florida, Alberta, Switzerland, New Zealand, and many other countries.

We have witnessed a steady increase in students due to the breadth and depth of coursework available and the expertise of staff who offer synchronous and asynchronous learning to meet students’ learning preferences. Our enrolment has more than doubled over seven years, so many students choose POLS because it is another pathway to graduation that fits their schedules, course requirements, and ways of blending speciality programs or interests.

Kamloops School of the Arts – November 8, 2024

Principal Lloyd and I started our school visit with Mateo, a student who is known as the “office business manager” who visits the office and shares the joy of doing tasks for the principal and school secretaries. Mr. Lloyd emphasized, “It is interesting to see how Mateo has grown in his comfort level and verbal skills as he makes it a routine to come to the office. Mateo has also helped students’ leadership skills in Grade 12 because they work with him in their teaching assistance blocks.”

Principal Lloyd and Vice Principal Jeanine Traudt and I continued on our visit by stopping at the “wall of belonging” where staff share their pictures and fun facts about themselves. “This helps students and parents get to know our staff, and it’s fun.”

We visited Ms. Richmond’s Grade 2-3 class who were taste testing brownies. Ms. Norman’s Grade 2 class is reading “Stink in the Bank” while individuals practice reading one-on-one.

Mr. Crummey’s Foods class was just finishing their meal planning and preparations. I learned that Dylan, a Grade 11 student, had completed a project of a 100 day cooking video that shared what he had made for meals for 100 days for his family. This was a significant accomplishment and a testament to the importance of Foods classes to translate into real life competencies.

I then met Mrs. Coates, a Grade 1-2 teacher, and she shared a reading resource that she and Ms. Woods and Ms. Richmond had created for parents to learn the basics of how to support their children to learn how to read. This program is so well received that they had over 40 parents attend the evening before to learn these home reading strategies.

Mr. Sadik was preparing Grade 6-7 students for how to support transition times in school. Ms. Kubin, LART, was supporting a small group of students with literacy.

Mr. McCaugherty’s Grade 11-12 Physics class was working independently on completing problems. Mr. Stella’s Gr. 10 Art class was practicing origami.

Remembrance Day Ceremony

We then took part in the Remembrance Day and National Indigenous Veterans Day Ceremony.

Mr. Lloyd offered opening remarks and reminded everyone, “Remembrance Day Ceremonies have a sombre seriousness to them as we pay our respects to the men and women who have lost their lives in service of our country and the resulting freedom that we enjoy today.”

A student, Myla McGarry, shared the land acknowledgement and then we sang “O Canada” while students faced the audience and engaged in sign language for “O Canada”. This led us into hearing the choir sing, “Hands United in Peace”, followed by a drama performance, “The Paint Box”, and the secondary band played, “All Things”.

The Senior Dance students shared a dance, “Harry Patch”, in memory of Harry Patch who was the last survivor of World War One. He was 111 years old when he died. Students danced to a Radiohead song in a performance they created in his memory. We then witnessed a beautiful drama, choir, dance piece called “Reconcile” while Grade 8 students shared a speech drama.

Ms. Traudt shared remarks about the National Indigenous Veterans Day, “It is an important day of remembrance that honours the contributions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people who participated in Canada’s military efforts.”

She explained, “People gather on November 11 to honour the courage and devotion of the many brave men, women and children who lost their lives in two world wars, The Great War (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945).” She added, “But it is also to show recognition to the families that still have loved ones fighting in wars overseas and who have lost loved ones on the battlefields. The hostilities of the First World War ceased on November 11, 1918, at 11:00 a.m. the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”

Following her remarks, secondary students presented their drama speech of “In Flanders Fields” followed by senior dance students expressing thoughts of war with a piece entitled, “All We Do”.

Principal Lloyd then shared, “You will now hear a piece called ‘The Last Post’. People will often take time to think of friends that fought in the war. Others may remember grandparents, great grandparents that fought in the war. Some people will just be quiet to show thanks and gratitude for soldiers that are still fighting in wars. After the one minute of silence, you will hear a second piece called, “Rouse”. This signals that the war is over and is a symbol of the new chance that we have to live in peace.”

They concluded the ceremony with each class placing wreaths at a cenotaph and the Junior Dance Majors performed “Awake my Soul”, followed by the Secondary Choir and a Creative Writing / Media Arts collaboration sharing, “Wanting Memories”.

This was a truly moving experience to take part in multi-modal presentations of reflections and interpretations of the history and lived experiences of those who have been in world wars and those who suffered loss. I am grateful to have ended my visit with this commemorative school-wide and school community recognition of loss, love, and the commitment to peace and hope for future generations.

Sníne Elementary Community Engagement

With the District’s newest school, Sníne Elementary, currently being built and anticipated to be opened in the Fall 2026, we are engaging with school communities who would be sending students to the new school. We’ve enjoyed connecting with Sa-Hali, Aberdeen, McGowan, and Dufferin staff and parents so far. To learn more, please go here.

Disposition of Property Community Engagement

The potential sale of three properties are a focus of broad consultation. Over the past few weeks, we have hosted a community webinar (watch it here) and gathered feedback through a community survey. The survey is now closed and the feedback collected will be presented to the Board at the Regular Public Board Meeting on November 18, 2024. To stay up to date on this consultation process, go here.

Board Notes

To learn more about the Inaugural Board Meeting and Regular Public Board Meeting on November 4, 2024, please feel free to read the Board Notes here.

Take time to do what you enjoy this weekend and to spend time with those who inspire you.

Rhonda Nixon, PhD
Superintendent