Registration is now open for the All Superintendents and BCASBO association meetings (Feb. 8) and the annual Partner Liaison Meeting (Feb. 9). This year’s event will be held at the Radisson Vancouver Airport in Richmond, with agendas for both full days to be provided in January. Please book your accommodation as soon as possible to ensure availability. The hotel room block closes January 8.
Friday December 1, 2023
Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care
Hi everyone,
And just like that it’s December 1st! I feel like just last week it was December 2022, but here we are, already planning for the February 2024 Partner Liaison meeting! We have a number of updates this week, including anti-vaping resources; new suicide prevention and self-harm videos and resources available from our colleagues at the Ministry of Children and Family Development; and a link to the education partners’ Joint Statement on Safe, Caring and Inclusive Schools.
Have a read and enjoy your weekend.
Christina
Christina Zacharuk
Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care
For Action
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Call for Expressions of Interest: Health Career Experiential Learning Opportunities for Grades 6-9
The Ministry of Education and Child Care is seeking expressions of interest from school districts for the development and delivery of interactive, experiential learning activities for students in Grades 6-9 that showcase in-demand, public sector health careers. Read the backgrounder for more details on this opportunity.
For Information
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Anti-Vaping Resources
Print resources designed to help youth learn about the adverse effects of vaping and make educated decisions about vaping are available from the Ministry of Health. Information can be found on The A-Z of Vaping web page. Materials will be mailed to school district offices for further distribution to schools at your discretion. For downloadable PDF versions, visit the Tools for schools web page.
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New Suicide Prevention and Self-harm Videos and Resources Available
Building upon the success of the Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) initiative, the Ministry of Children and Family Development has developed new evidence-informed, culturally relevant, suicide prevention and early intervention resources. These resources support the Mental Health in Schools Strategy and aim to reduce stigma, increase mental health literacy, and build capacity of educators, parents/guardians and caregivers, and others who are supporting youth experiencing suicidal and self-harm behaviours. Visit the Suicide Prevention and Self Harm Video Series and Resources web page on the HealthyMindsBC website to access these resources.
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Half-Masting Notification
At the direction of the Province, Canadian flags on all B.C. government buildings will be flown at half-mast on December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, from sunrise until sunset. Where a Canadian flag and a British Columbia flag fly near to one other, both flags should be lowered to half-mast. The direction of the Province on half-masting protocols is provided in case school districts wish to follow a similar approach.
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Framework for Enhancing Student Learning: Annual Review Update
The Framework for Enhancing Student Learning Annual Review is almost complete. Composed of sector and ministry representatives and chaired by Kevin Godden, the review team has spent considerable time reading all 60 districts’ Enhancing Student Learning Reports. Through this process, the review team has generated formative feedback for each district in five focus areas and identified provincial themes, including promising practices in the sector with a focus on continuous improvement. Feedback will be communicated to each district shortly after the projected November 30 date.
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Find Your Path at EducationPlannerBC
Find Your Path is a personalized, interactive education and career planning tool that allows users to choose an area of interest and easily navigate different paths that connect post-secondary programs, skills training, and careers. Please share this resource with the contacts below.
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Joint Statement on Safe, Caring and Inclusive Schools
B.C.’s provincial education partners for K-12 schools, joined by Minister Rachna Singh and MLA Sonia Furstenau, have released a joint statement on safe, caring and inclusive schools. They are standing together in solidarity to ensure every school is a place where all students are welcomed, included, and respected in a safe learning environment. You can read the joint statement on the BC Gov News web page.
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Discipline Outcomes
Discipline outcomes are posted to enhance the transparency of the processes and decisions made with respect to complaints and reports about educators. Recently, outcomes were posted regarding Sharon Louise Heath, who agreed to a reprimand; Joseph Gregory Gerich, whose certificate was suspended for five days; and Curtis Alexandro Vizza, whose certificate was cancelled. A summary of another outcome was posted about a teacher whose certificate was previously cancelled but who agreed not to apply again for a K-12 teaching credential. This outcome has been anonymized to protect the identity of a student who was harmed, abused, or exploited by the teacher.
