Archive (2006/2007)

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Highlands Talent Show
Highlands Annual Talent Show took place on February 16th. Approximately seventy children took part in the thirty-three acts. The students did very well as they shared many individual and group talents with us. The show was appreciated by students and community visitors alike. Students also had key positions running the show as MCs and stage and sound crews.

Ministry of Education Literacy Innovations Grants 2006/2007

Twelve School District No. 5 schools have accessed funding through the Ministry of Education Literacy Innovations Grants. These schools will be involved in a variety of professional discussions to enhance student learning achievement. Several of the schools are utilizing the expertise of Erin Hay, our Intermediate Literacy Support Teacher. (Click for more details)

Video Modelling
Shown holding their ‘Grundy’ (Oscar) Awards are Student Services Teachers, Betty Gonsalvez and Sherrill Robertson, Education Assistants, Cindy McNeil and Carol Declercq and SLP, Pam Turyk. They recently consulted on a Video Modeling project and produced DVD’s to use with their students with autism in order to teach social-communication skills during play interactions with their peers. Video modeling involves a child watching a video of a task, game or behaviour and then copying what they have seen. Research has shown that while children with autism do not learn readily from typical educational environments, they can learn a great deal when the environment is appropriately constructed. Recent research shows that children with autism learned skills more quickly and generalized them better when they were taught by video than if they were taught using a real, live person.

This group plans to make more videos for a wider group of students, not just children with autism, who are experiencing difficulties socially and /or behaviourally.

Trash Pizza

Sinking their teeth into Trash Pizza are a group of students from Ms. Proctor's and Mr. Wilson's classes at Gordon Terrace. Both classes were treated to a variety of engaging activities centred round the 3 Rs planned by Fifth Year students in Dr. Blachet-Cohen's Environmental Education in the University of Victoria's Elementary Teacher Education Program. Other activities included Cookie in a Jar, The Recycling Song, A (Used Clothing) Fashion Show, storytelling (Dear Mother Earth), and Paper Making. It was a timely reminder for all involved about the importance of REDUCING, REUSING and RECYCLING with the Christmas holidays just around the corner.

Gordon Terrace & Parkland Students Make A Difference
Students at Gordon Terrace Elementary recently had a visit from Elaine Wilson, who had just returned from a six month International Internship in Kenya sponsored by the College of the Rockies. She was an HIV/AIDS education assistant while in Kenya, and asked her dad, Stewart Wilson, to get his school involved in supporting Muringato School in Nyeri, Kenya, to raise enough funds to be able to grow their own crops.

Many of the children at the school are orphans as a result of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic ravaging many parts of Africa. Stewart Wilson's grade 3 class helped to promote a joint fundraising appeal for UNICEF/ Muringato during late October. Students at Gordon Terrace helped to raise $1326 in total. Meanwhile Kari Duffy, who has a daughter in Wilson's class, enlisted the support of the Student Council at Parkland Middle School. This developed into a school-wide Penny Drive and raised $1332.

Shortly after sending a cheque for $2000, students at Gordon Terrace and Parkland learned how they had helped to make a difference through their efforts - Muringato School can begin to plant their "vegetable garden", which will allow them to become more self-sufficient, and they will also receive a milk cow. The significance of the milk cow to the students at Muringato became more meaningful when Wendy Gook, the librarian at Gordon Terrace, dropped off a copy of "Beatrice's Goat" by Page McBrier. It is a true story of what happened in a similar situation in neighbouring Uganda, and how lives can be enriched forever by simple acts of kindness. During Wilson's presentation about life in Kenya, students in Mrs. Parks', Ms. Proctor's and Mr. Wilson's classes learned how to "hip spell" Kenyan style.

26th Annual Cranbrook Elementary Schools Mass Choir

Student choirs from each elementary school in Cranbrook performed a wonderful assortment of Christmas music for a standing room only crowd at the College of The Rockies on December 6. This evening has become a family tradition over the years and is due to the dedication and hard work of our Music and Band teachers in School District No.5.

New District Student Advisory Council
The newly created District Student Advisory Council held their first face-to-face meeting in Jaffray on Friday, December 15. This District Committee is comprised of student representatives from all our Secondary Schools, our two Middle Schools and Jaffray Elementary Jr. Secondary School and its main function is to provide the student perspective on District issues and initiatives.

Emily Bryden Promotes “Right to Play” Program to FSS Students

Emily Brydon, a past graduate of Fernie Secondary School, a two time Olympian Alpine Skier, and a Right to Play Athlete Ambassador, attended Fernie Secondary School recently to promote the Right to Play program. Right to Play is an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as a tool for the development of youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Right to Play is built on the belief that sport has the power to help create happier, educated children and safer, more peaceful communities.

Board Approves Accountability Contract
At its November 14th meeting the Board of School Trustees, School District No.5 (Southeast Kootenay) approved the district’s 2006/07 Accountability Contract.
This document serves as the district’s guide to our efforts in supporting student learning School District No. 5.   The goals and objectives outlined in our contract come as the result of a thorough review of school plans and the district student achievement evidence we have available.

The district plan will be reviewed on a regular basis this year and remains a living document that guides, leads and responds to the learning needs of our students and district community.

To read the 06/07 Accountability Contract, please click here.

Press Release re: School Fees

The Board of School Trustees, School District No.5 (Southeast Kootenay) has announced a plan to deal with the recent Supreme Court decision regarding school fees. (More Information)

Space Camp

“Just because I can't see the stars, doesn't mean I can't reach for them” - Space Camp Alumni 

On September 21st, 2006, Alec Anonoson, Kyle Casault, Jordan Hirano, and Cheryl Knipe, traveled to Seattle, WA, where they met the rest of the BC group. The next day, the BC group left for Huntsville, AL, to attend Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students.

This is an international camp (Ireland, Australia, U.S.A and Canada attended this year) for visually impaired students. There were 182 students with visual impairments who participated in this year’s camp. Kyle and Jordan were on a Space Academy team while Alec was in Advanced Academy. Through simulations (1/6th chair, multi-axis, man-maneuvering unit, scuba diving, area 51 activities) the students experienced weightlessness, center of gravity, moving in space and working as a team. They also learned several science concepts through experiments.

The boys really enjoyed the camp and they are already fundraising to go again next year. The Kootenay group would like to thank the Military Police, Elkford Lions Club, Fernie Firefighters, Elk Valley Coal for their financial assistance. For more photos and information about SCIVIS visit www.tsbvi.edu/space/.

Remembrance Day Assemblies in SD#5
Assemblies commemorating Remembrance Day were held in each school throughout the district on Friday, November 10.

Students, teachers, parents and members of the communities, from Elkford to Cranbrook, gathered to honour the memory of those Canadians who went off to war in distant lands defending the values and beliefs enjoyed by Canadians. They truly believed that "Without freedom there can be no ensuring peace and without peace no enduring freedom."

By remembering their service and their sacrifice, we recognize the tradition of freedom these men and women fought to preserve. They believed that their actions in the present would make a significant difference for the future, but it is up to us to ensure that their dream of peace is realized. On Remembrance Day, we acknowledge in our schools the courage and sacrifice of those who served their country and acknowledge our responsibility to work for the peace they fought hard to achieve.

Leaf Drop Off

Stewart Wilson's Grade 3 Class at Gordon Terrace held a Leaf Drop Off for residents in the Gordon Terrace area right after Halloween.

Students had previously visited the Recycling Depot, Transfer Station and Regional Landfill with Shellie Proctor's Grade 2/3 Class at the beginning of October, where they learned that leaves and other garden waste can be turned into compost when kept separate from garbage. After contacting Loree Duczek, Education Officer at RDEK, and Joe McGowan, Superintendent of City Works, arrangements were made for a City dump truck to be at Gordon Terrace for a day. Thanks to the efforts of all involved two dump truck loads of leaves will be composted rather than being buried at the Landfill.

Board Announces Agreement To Build New Sparwood Secondary School

Board Chair Keith Nielson announced that School District No. 5 has signed an agreement for $15,473,447 with Vector Projects Group to build a new Sparwood Secondary School. The Board thanks our local MLA Bill Bennett and the Ministry of Education for the support provided to make this project a reality.

The agreement to build comes after a tender process in which Vector was the lowest bidder and was awarded the contract by the Board.

Nielson said: “The building of this new 350 student secondary school in Sparwood is a positive step forward for education in the community and one that the Board is excited about for the students, parents and residents of Sparwood”.

The new Sparwood Secondary will be built as a 350 student Grade 7 – 12 school and should be ready for occupancy in September 2008. The present Sparwood Secondary was built in 1954 and has served the community well, but is in dire need of replacement.

The Board looks forward to the completion of the new school and Trustee Bev Bellina from Sparwood echoes the Chair’s comments saying: “It’s a great day for education in the community of Sparwood and one that we all have been working toward for the past number of years”.

SD5 Transportation Department Delivers In Style!

Al King, one of the District's bus drivers, stands beside one of the district's busses after dropping off his passengers - Grade 12 graduates from Mt. Baker Secondary in Cranbrook.

Thank You Educators!

School District No.5 congratulates and thanks all our retiring educators for your dedication and contribution to the success and well-being of our students.

Please click on a photo for full-size image.

Premier Campbell Visits School District No.5

Premier Gordon Campbell stated "The Minister of Education thought it would be a great idea for me to come to meet in this school district, because it's got a great reputation. It's got a good reputation for working together, it's got a good reputation for results. I think it's one of the reasons they sent me here, because they're doing a good job." The Premier met with secondary students from Elkford, Fernie, and Cranbrook, followed by a meeting with representatives from the Board of School Trustees, District staff, Aboriginal Community, parents, school principals, students, support staff, and teachers.

e-Spirit Team Visits Quebec

Congratulations to our e-Spirit Team from Elkford Secondary School who attended the e-Spirit Aboriginal Youth Business Plan National Championships in Quebec City.

Provincial Recognition Award Presented to Mrs. Linda Abbott

Mr. Ron Allen, Superintendent of Schools for School District #5 and an executive member of the British Columbia School Superintendents’ Association, presented a Provincial Recognition Award on behalf of the BC Superintendents’ Association to Mrs. Linda Abbott at the June 6 School Board meeting. Mrs. Abbott was recognized for her tremendous support of our One to One Reading Program throughout our District. She has spent countless hours recruiting and training volunteers to be One to One readers and helping our students improve their reading skills.

Parkland Middle School Student To Represent Cranbrook At Computer Science Seminar

Karleigh Maag will join 95 other students from accross Canada this June to take part in the Imperial Oil Seminar in Computer Science for Young Women.  The week-long event takes place in Waterloo, Ontario and features a range of topics including artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, algorithm design, and hardware architecture.  Congratulations, Karleigh!  For more information on the seminar please click here.

District Review Report Released

School District No. 5 (Southeast Kootenay) is commended for the enthusiasm and passion of school staff for the improvement of instructional practices which will contribute to the success and well-being of students.

News Release

Full Report

Fernie Secondary Drama Production Presents: Annie Get Your Gun
Tickets are on sale now for Annie Get Your Gun, a production by Fernie Secondary Drama.  Shows are scheduled for June 6, 7, and 8 in the Traynor Hall at Fernie Secondary School.  Get your tickets at Mug Shots, Fernie Stop'n'Shop, or Fernie Secondary School.
Adults: $10
Students & Seniors: $8.
Production poster (coming soon)

Ready, Set, Learn!
School District #5 is inviting all three year olds to school!
Children who have their own books and are read to by their families get off to a flying start as learners!
More Information (pdf)

Opportunity For Students To Graduate With A Bilingual Dogwood Certificate
School District No. 5 is now accepting registrations for Early and Late French Immersion for the 2006/2007 school year.
More Information (pdf)

Important Information Concerning Health & Safety Issues at Mount Baker Secondary
As a result of environmental and medical tests and the subsequent conclusions presented by consultants, the District assures parents, students and staff that there is no current or ongoing health risk due to mercury exposure in Mount Baker Secondary School.
More Information