SD6LLDec2017

Learning Leadership Report Selkirk Aboriginal Program p. 14 We will care deeply, act wisely and find joy in each day! Metis Flag Raising Ceremony at Golden Secondary p. 17 December 2017 Every student in Rocky Mountain School District will graduate with dignity, purpose, and options. My very best wishes to everyone for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for everything you do for our students! Learning Leadership Report Learning Leadership Report We learn in Rocky Mountain School District. All of us. We learn so that our students grow and experience greater success every day. We learn the Core Competencies of Thinking, Communication, and Social and Personal competencies. Students develop curricular competencies in literacy and numeracy and the big ideas of content areas; educators continuously learn to improve pedagogy. We learn so that each day in Rocky Mountain School District brings us closer to every student graduating with dignity, purpose, and options. The Learning Leadership Report is a celebration of that learning. We hope you enjoy reading it and invite you to contribute your stories, ideas, and upcoming events and opportunities as a member of the learning community of Rocky Mountain School District. {{page}} Connection Paul Carriere Superintendent Rocky Mountain School District Our students experience environmental, outdoor and community based learning. District Directions Sense of Place Our students and staff feel safe, connected and valued. Learning Leadership Report The Board has set District Directions for 2013-2018. We will organize the Learning Leadership Report this year around these directions to share how we are bringing them to life across the district. Communication Our District Directions 2018 represent the hopes, dreams, and ideas of many staff, parents, community members, and students who contributed to a Thoughtstream process, multi-partner dialogue, and Board review to uncover these 5 key themes to guide our work and shape our culture. Collaboration 2018 Our communication results in common understanding. Our learning community is research based and collaborative. What are the ways you are already engaged in the work captured by these directions? What are the possibilities for future work inspired by these directions? We care deeply, act wisely and find joy in each day. Technology Our learning is empowered by technology. Connection {{page}} {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Our Improvement Story Connection Rocky Mountain School District has enjoyed a number of years of a positive trend in student achievement results. We achieved those results with redesigned school and district planning processes, use of data to inform practice, and intentional professional development. We are now in the midst of a provincial multi-year transformation of curriculum, assessment and reporting and a significant upgrade of our technology infrastructure in our district. This means our work will involve implementing those large-scale changes and turning our minds to how to use different information and tools to support continuous improvement of student success. We will continue to focus on the foundational skills of Literacy and Numeracy and on social-emotional learning. We will approach that learning through the lens of the Core Competencies of the new curriculum. We will target instruction and supports to 1. continue to raise the level of success for all students 2. close the gap between the achievement of specific groups of students and their peers, and 3. provide opportunities for personalization and challenge for all students. As we embed the Core Competencies across the redesigned K-9 curriculum we are introducing the new Applied Design Skills and Technology and Career Education curricula and preparing for the incoming graduation program. School teams will continue to set and plan in response to individual student literacy targets and progress. We have tremendous educator uptake with Literacy Book Club: Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools, learning series Kindergarten Literacy and Growing Into Grade One: Sharing Our Practice, and Changing Results for Intermediate Readers, and ongoing classroom-embedded professional development with our Literacy Support Teacher. We have a newly-formed Numeracy Leadership team and numeracy goals in some school plans. We are engaging our teachers and Aboriginal Education Support Workers with indigenizing learning; school Aboriginal Service Delivery Plans and the District Enhancement Agreement are keeping the success of Aboriginal students an important focus. Learning Services is creating capacity for trauma-informed practice with a number of learning opportunities, implementing the Fun Friends program across the District, and improving the use of technology to assist students accessing and communicating learning. We continue to provide specific over and above monitoring of Children In Care as a particularly vulnerable group. We are providing structured support for the influx of new specialist teachers. Throughout the District we are creating new and strengthening existing partnerships for the benefit of our learners. We once again have an active District Parent Advisory Council. We will be involving staff, parents, students, and community partners in setting the next 5 year District Directions. We have reviewed our budget planning for greater alignment of resource allocation with needs. We are continuing to upgrade our technology and to work closely with the Ministry of Education to plan to meet our information needs for continuous improvement. We are engaged in cross-department planning to enhance safety and wellness of staff and students and are working with our provincial partners to recruit staff to meet our evolving needs. A summary of this planning follows. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about specific improvement efforts and look forward to sharing our successes with you. Learning Leadership Report Connection {{page}} Social Emotional Learning at Alexander Park Connection There are two programs running at Alexander Park to support early social and emotional learning. Fun Friends has been growing over time and with support. New this year has been the addition of the Roots of Empathy Program for our kindergarten classes. Teaching empathy and kind gentle behaviours has never been more fun than when it involves three tiny new friends visiting the school regularly! We have learned that through Roots of Empathy the kindergarten students feel they are leaders and learners. They get a chance to feel like the “big” kids when their infant friend visits the class. I doing so we have seen our students step up their “adult” type behaviours to be considerate of their new friend. They certainly seem to naturally demonstrate empathy which provides a wonderful teaching opportunity for them to notice and learn about how they can apply the same principles to each other. The infant visits on a regular schedule, however, ROE is taught through a facilitator who come more frequently in order to teach the principles of the program to students in preparation for each visit with the infant.While the students are very excited for the baby visits, we have noticed also we must work in time for all of the adults at the school to have some baby time, too. After all these are future Alexander Park students, and we need to get to know them! Learning Leadership Report Our students and staff feel safe, connected and valued. Thank you Steve Wyer {{page}} Learning Leadership Report {{page}} Our students and staff feel safe, connected and valued. Connection Windermere Zone Elementary Jamboree Play Days: Volleyball & Basketball The WZ Elementary schools, over the last five years, have been bringing intermediate students together a couple times per year for friendly competition in the sports of Basketball and Volleyball. The elementary schools in the WZ are not only spread out geographically but have quite a range of student enrolment and talent within each school. The initial idea was a way to promote athletics within the zone giving students from all schools the opportunity to play and develop individual skills. The exposure to these sports and the opportunity to compete with others from neighboring schools would possibly peak the interest and at least maintain the numbers of students wanting to play on school teams when attending DTSS. The annual events are hosted in an afternoon at the DTSS gym, one for each Basketball and Volleyball. Each school submits names of players that will be participating and they are randomly put onto teams with a schedule, officials, and coaches organized. This jamboree format allows for student development in many other areas other than merely athletics. Initially these Jamboree’s were hoped to increase an interest in athletics but it was soon realized that the events provided many additional benefits for students. This non-threatening interactive environment gives all talent ranges of students the opportunity to participate and experience an athletic tournament and feel what it is like to play on a school team. During these Jamboree play-days the players have not only developed sport specific skills but many other intangibles like sportsmanship, friendship development, student risk-taking, social interaction, etc., etc., etc. You can be ‘Jenny the gymnast’ or ‘Kelvin the klutz’ and still be involved and enjoy a great day of fun and competition. After all, if these players go on to play at DTSS, they will be teammates. I have witnessed over the years a shift in athletics and how many students are starting to look at competition. I coached many sports at the high school level for many years. One of those sports happened to be golf. A few years ago, at West Kootenay Golf Provincial play downs many of the coaches were chatting about how the numbers have dropped off in the sport of golf. Some comments were made, and one coached emphatically expressed, that many students in his school played and loved the sport of golf. However, many of those students were not interested in coming out for the golf team or competing in any golf tournament. They just wanted to play golf for fun and the enjoyment of being with friends. Many of the coaches were not surprised by the comment as they all have witnessed a decline in participation in many sports at their own schools. The pressure in many sports is immense and challenges students. Many students are often pushed out of their comfort zone while they are still learning skills and developing a love of the game. Many end up quitting or changing to other activities. I personally feel, and I have coached competitive teams for a long time, that we need to provide the opportunity for young players to first develop a love of the game. Let the players have fun and enjoy playing before we increase the level of competition too much. I am sure we lose some potentially good athletes because they are not interested in intense competition at a young age. And, depending on the student’s level of interest, talent, and sport, maybe we never need to raise the competition level. Elementary school is about exposing students to many experiences. Athletics can provide experiences for many students and end up playing a part in who they eventually become. These Jamborees have become an integral part of the athletics currently being offered by WZ Elementary schools as they do their best to maximize the student’s exposure, interest and involvement to entry level competition and sport. Basketball is next up in February. Go ??? Future Lakers???Thanks to all the volunteers that support these play-days and elementary athletics; teachers, administrators, parents, and the DTSS Phys. Ed Department. {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Connection {{page}} Connection Thank you Darryl Turner Learning Leadership Report The Senior Art Class explored identity and Lakota culture with Selkirk’s Aboriginal Education team through the creation of Winter Counts. Students were encouraged to document their personal histories using written and drawn forms of communication. The activity ended with a Sharing Circle where students were able to share stories and learn about each other. The workshop was a great success and will continue with field trips planned in the coming months. Our students and staff feel safe, connected and valued. Connection Winter Counts at Selkirk Secondary Thank you Tegan Whitesel & Esther Sylvestre {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Blanket Exercise at Selkirk Secondary {{page}} Connection Thank you Jill Deeney & Esther Sylvestre Social Studies 11 students enjoy learning about indigenous perspectives of Canadian settlement through the Blanket Ceremony. Kids learn about the long lasting impact of settlement on aboriginals lands that ranged from, loss of territory, authority, identity, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop to how to repair and reconcile Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives. Learning Leadership Report Our students and staff feel safe, connected and valued. On November 6 and 8 the art classes and grade 8 social studies students got to enjoy a few hours out at Marlene Driscoll's farm. The students had the opportunity to learn about plants, trees, shrubs that grow there. They also got to learn how these plants were used for traditional medicines, how they were used to cook with and use these plants to make clothing such as using different berries to use as dyes for clothing. Thank you Esther Sylvestre Our students and staff feel safe, connected and valued. Students Learn About Traditional Use of Plants {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Connection Thank you Dana Setter & Iris Trask {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Connection Our students and staff feel safe, connected and valued. Metis Flag Raising Ceremony at Golden Secondary On November 14th, we had a very special ceremony in honour of Louis Riel and Metis Cultural Week at which time we raised a Metis Flag. We had a number of representatives from the Town, the Community as well as a number of Metis Elders. Speakers shared the history of the Metis people in this area and the importance of this historic ceremony. The whole school was in attendance at the ceremony. Sense of Place We have 52 teachers in SD 6 committed to take their classes outside for learning on at least one day per week for the whole school year! Learning Leadership Report {{page}} Need some inspiration? Click here for a great2 minute video with ideas & inspiration from other teachers like yourself from across the Kootenay-Boundary region. Want some help? Here are some great winter field studies you can book: Winter Wonder: Winter Wonder is part of Wildsight’s Education in the Wild programs. These are outdoor, winter ecology field trips that take primary classes outside to discover the awe of winter, how plants and animals adapt to it, and why it is so important for our local ecosystems in the Columbia Basin.Click here for more information and to book. What Can We Learn From Animals About Survival? Students will explore the various strategies animals use to survive in the wild, in particular, coping with temperature changes. This program is offered as a half-day field study for intermediate and middle school students. Click here for more information and to book. Looking for great resources for teaching in, about and for the outdoors? WildBC Resource Room Resources for Rethinking (R4R) Project Learning Tree Want to learn more? Book a Below Zero Workshop! Teachers at your school will be able to learn about winter adaptations of local plant and wildlife species, as well as winter ecology and responsible human actions, through the fun, interactive activities in the Below Zero Activity Guide. Only $400 for this 4 hour workshop. Click here for more information or click here for the workshop booking form. Our students experience environmental, outdoor and community based learning. Connection {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Telluride Mountainfilm On Tour is coming to Invermere for the first time in February. Mountainfilm on Tour brings a selection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and incredibly inspiring documentary films curated from the Mountainfilm festival held every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to change the world, or at least go play in it for a while. A presenter from Telluride will guide us through the program and provide insight on the films, filmmakers, and subjects. Friday Feb. 9th at David Thompson Secondary School Free student screenings: 10:15am - Grades 4-7 from JA Laird, Edgewater, and Martin Morigeau schools. 11:15am - Grades 8-12 from David Thompson Secondary Saturday Feb 10th at the Columbia Valley Centre 5:30pm - Reception, pizza and beer. 7:00pm - Screening starts Tickets for Saturday Night are $20 and can be purchased at www.tellurideinvermere.ca All proceeds go to the Westside Legacy Trail Get your class involved with the BC Green Games Our students experience environmental, outdoor and community based learning. {{page}} My name is Ashley and I am the project manager of Science World’s environmental story-telling program,BC Green Games. This is a unique opportunity to engage your class with our place-based, inquiry project contest. Participation is simple! Teams register online, and then create a short photo essay or a videothat explains the environmental projects that are happening at their school. Teams submit their work on the BC Green Games website between January 15-March 1. There is no limit to what a project can be: recycling endeavors, composting, litter cleanups, water conservation and school gardens are just a few of the project ideas that have come in over the years. BC Green Games is open to students in grades K-12. Through the BC Green Games program, we are able to offer classes and green teams free field trips, just for participating. And we have lots of exciting prizes, including ten $1000 Green Grants, two $2500 Battery Recycling prizes, a travel bursary prize, and much more. If you or a teacher you know would like more information about the program, I would love to chat, either through email (avanderpouwkraan@scienceworld.ca) or by phone (604-443-7499). Sincerely, Ashley van der Pouw Kraan Ashley Van Der Pouw Kraan| BC Green Games Program Specialist | Science World British Columbia t 604-443-7499 |f 604-443-7430 |avanderpouwkraan@scienceworld.ca   Sense of Place Learning Leadership Report Recently, at Alexander Park, we were lucky to have a number of guests who were larger than usual! We welcomed a group of international secondary students from India to our school. Ms. Bains, and the group of students from India, from Golden Secondary School visited the Aboriginal Education Room and Ms. Hein for a crafting session. It was a pleasure to meet such a polite and kind group of students. Ms. Hein and Ms. Bains worked with the teenage students to create woven ornaments out of yarn. Students learned about the purpose of the Aboriginal Education Program at Alexander Park and the role of the Aboriginal Education Support Worker. We learned about all of the activities the group will experience in Golden and the surrounding parks. We are excited as the same group of students will be returning to participate in a buddy reading session with grade one students later this week! This has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn from other cultures as well as to see modeling of socially responsible behaviour from teens. Thanks to Ms. Bains and Ms. Hein for connecting and planning such great opportunities for students. Thank you Steve Wyer Our students experience environmental, outdoor and community based learning. {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Students from India Visit Alexander Park Elementary and Learn About Aboriginal Education Sense of Place {{page}} Collaboration Thank you for supporting literacy and CBAL! -Desneiges Profili, Executive Director Our learning community is research based and collaborative It is my sincere pleasure to introduce our latest newsletter. I hope that with every issue, you learn more about who we are, what we do and what is on the horizon for the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL). While it is impossible to share everything that is happening across the Basin and Boundary, the CBAL newsletter is one way to tell our story. As you read through this issue, you will learn about the Books for Kids 2017 campaign, a budding partnership in Nelson that will help bring our programming there to a new level, and the overall impact of CBAL in the communities we serve.   What's New at CBAL - Fall Newsletter Learning Leadership Report Read the Newsletter Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy Meghan O'Neill and Jill Jensen attended Canada's largest education career fair in Toronto to create awareness about Rocky Mountain School District and connect with potential applicants to current and upcoming employment opportunities. Our attendance at the Career Fair was made possible by Make A Future sponsorship of the registration and a rural recruitment initiative grant for the travel and materials. We are continuing to develop our recruitment program with strategies and materials to let potential future members of the School District 6 team know what we have to offer. Please feel free to share the link www.sd6.bc.ca/Careers with someone you think might be a great addition to our staff. Our learning community is research based and collaborative Recruitment {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Collaboration {{page}} Collaboration Learning Leadership Report PART-TIME GRADUATE COHORT PROGRAM MEd in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) For ESL or EFL teachers of K-12 and adult learners, curriculum designers, program administrators, educational consultants, and more. Begins: September 2018 Delivery: 100% Online Attend one of the online info sessions: ·Tuesday, January 16, 2018| 4:00 pm 5:30 pm ·Tuesday, February 6, 2018| 4:00 pm 5:30 pm Apply By: March 15, 2018 A part-time fully online graduate program, designed to develop outstanding professionals in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Our learning community is research based and collaborative Our learning community is research based and collaborative Learning Leadership Report Organization and Procedures for Instruction of English to Second Language Learners Start Date:Monday, Jan. 8, 2018 Format: Online Course Code: EDCI 448 The examination of current models for the organization and instruction of ESL students at the elementary and secondary levels. The integration of language and content instruction within the regular classroom is emphasized. {{page}} Collaboration {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Technology Professional Learning About Applied Design Skills & Technology On the November 10th professional development day, a group teachers in Golden looked at the ADST curriculum and went over some deep concepts: Algorithms, Decomposition, Abstraction, Ideating, Prototyping, and Coding. For part of the morning, we played outside, developing our computational thinking skills with an unplugged activity on the playground. In the afternoon, we worked together to look at a variety of tech tools, such as Spheros, Kahoot and Twinery. Partners teamed up to learn how to connect and code the spheros, with some surprising results. Lessons learned will be shared in classrooms during the months of November, December and beyond. Thank you Laurie MacDougall Our learning is empowered by technology Core Competencies Overview of Competencies COMMUNICATION THINKING Creative Thinking Critical Thinking PERSONAL & SOCIAL Positive Personal & Cultural Identity Personal Awareness & Responsibility Social Responsibility SD 6 Guidelines for Reporting Student Self-Assessment of Competencies Our communication results in common understanding Learning Leadership Report Our students experience environmental, outdoor and community based learning. Communication In our implementation of the new curriculum a change that has had a significant learning curve is the introduction of the Core Competencies. We see the leadership role as NAMING, NAVIGATING, NOTICING, NURTURING, and NUDGING the Core Competencies in our schools. The role of teachers with the students involves the same elements. We have noticed the emphasis in many schools on communicating to all what the Core Competencies are and in using the language from the curriculum across their activities and assessments. The District Resource centre has seen a proliferation of laminating for posters for classrooms for recording and collecting examples of the Core Competencies in action that students will be able to reference when they reflect at the end of the year on their own growth in the competencies. We invite schools and educators to share how they are communicating about the Core Competencies with one another, students, and parents. Send your examples, pictures, ideas, and stories to learning.leadership@sd6.bc.ca {{page}} Features SOGI at School Educators talk about the policy and practice of creating inclusive learning environments to support LGBTQ students Get to Know BC’s Education Partners Profiles of the Federation of Independent School Associations in British Columbia and the Association of BC Deans of Education Alternative School Educator Promotes a Holistic Approach to Mental Health In Profile: At the Intersect School in Prince George, students with mental health issues find the support they need International Education Week 2017 Pride Prom for Surrey Students The British Columbia Teachers' Council Review of the Professional Standards In the Public Interest From the Office of the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation: Discipline Outcomes TRB News  {{page}} The winter 2017 issue of Learn Magazine is now available Communication Our communication results in common understanding Learning Leadership Report Read the current issue. Communication Ministry of Education Updates Come Explore French Bursary for Grade 11 & 12 Students The Explore Program is a five-week intensive French immersion program for students with any skill level in French, in Grade 11 or higher. The $2,200 bursary covers tuition fees for the course, instructional materials, meals, and accommodation, and students can receive four French elective credits to put towards their Dogwood Diploma. The application deadline is February 15, 2018. If you have any questions or would like to receive more information, please contact Marc Labelle, Coordinator Federal Programs, French Programs Branch, at Marc.Labelle@gov.bc.ca. Labour Market Outlook - Learn the occupations and skills that will be in demand The British Columbia Labour Outlook: 2017 Edition can help to support students, teachers and parents to get the most up-to-date information on the occupations and skills that will be in demand in BC over the next ten years. For more information about BC's labour market information, please visit WorkBC's webpage. If you have questions, please contact workbcinformation@gov.bc.ca.  New Career Lesson Plans – Grades 8 to 12 Do your teachers use Career Trek videos, Blueprint Builder, Career Compass or other WorkBC.ca resources with their students? New and updated WorkBC lesson plans are now online to support BC’s career education curriculum. WorkBC.ca provides career planning resources to help teachers deliver Career Education, Career Life Education and Career Life Connections curricula. Students thinking about future careers can use the activities in this suite of materials to learn about themselves, generate career ideas, explore occupations, investigate education and training, and more. Introduce them to these resources so they can: • learn about the world of employment and entrepreneurship • watch BC career videos and be inspired by success stories • explore post-secondary education options • browse BC’s most comprehensive job board and learn how to search for jobs •build a personal profile and find careers that match their profile      {{page}} Our communication results in common understanding Learning Leadership Report Communication {{page}} Our communication results in common understanding Read more Learning Leadership Report Read the Q & A {{page}} Communication Our communication results in common understanding Learning Leadership Report Q & A re: Graduation Program Curriculum Implementation Schedule Find out when the new curriculum will be implemented differences between 2004 and 2018 Grad Programs revisions to Board Authority Authorized (BAA) Courses impact on students already in the 2004 Grad Program Request to be on the LL Report Mailing List Read archived copies Contribute your stories & information about learning to learning.leadership @sd6.bc.ca Our communication results in common understanding Text Learning Leadership Report Board Meetings schedule Text @RMSD6 #SD6, #SD6learns, #SD6outside Communication www.sd6.bc.ca check out our new website! Be Connected to Rocky Mountain School District {{page}} tototo:cheryl.lenardon@sd6.bc.ca learning.leadership@sd6.bc.ca tototo:cheryl.lenardon@sd6.bc.ca learning.leadership@sd6.bc.ca Text LEARNING LEADERSHIP REPORT Rocky Mountain School District Learning Leadership Calendar 2016-2017 Our students experience environmental, outdoor and community based learning. {{page}} Dec 8 - Elem Report cards issued Dec 12 - Board Meeting Dec 18 - Jan 1 - Winter Break January Jan 2 - Back to school jan 9 - WZ admin meeting Jan 10 - GZ admin meeting Jan 11 - KZ admin meeting Jan 25-26 - Trauma Informed Practice Session Jan 31 - District Parent Advisory (DPAC) video meeting February Feb 12 - Family Day Feb 19 - Non-Instructional Day Feb 20 -District admin pro-d session Feb 21- District admin meeting Feb 22 - Winter Take Me Outside Day Feb 28 - District Parent Advisory (DPAC) video meeting March Mar 15 - Teacher Preference Forms due Mar 19-30 - Spring Break April Apr 2- Easter Monday Apr 3 - Back to School Apr 10 - Board Meeting Apr 16 - Non-Instructional Day (Regional Specialist Day) Apr 17 - District admin video meeting Apr 25- District Parent Advisory (DPAC) video meeting Apr 26 - Spring Take Me Outside Day May May 8 - Board Meeting May 15 -District admin pro-d session May 16- District admin meeting May 21 - Victoria Day May 30 - District Parent Advisory (DPAC) video meeting June Jun 5- WZ admin meeting Jun 6 - GZ admin meeting Jun 7 - KZ admin meeting Jun 28 - Last Day for students Jun 29 - Admin Day Rocky Mountain School District is a busy place. We do many things in threes by zones, we all travel for events held in one zone or another, and we also connect for some things by video conference. {{page}} December Learning Leadership Report Learning Leadership Report We will care deeply, act wisely, and find joy in each day! {{page}} See our one page calendar of instructional and non-instructional days and holidays: School District 2017-2018 Calendar PDF See our online calendar of events by month: School District 6 online calendar of events {{page}} Learning Leadership Report Learning Leadership Report