As we near the end of 2024 and the beginning of winter break throughout BC, Minister Beare would like to wish everyone in the education system a wonderful holiday season. Please ask your principals to share this end of year letter from the Minister with their staff and school communities.
Friday December 20, 2024
Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care
Hi everyone,
Today is the last school day for most students before the hoildays. Like them, I hope you get to enjoy some much-deserved time off to relax with your loved ones, whether you’re celebrating Yalda, the winter solstice, Christmas, Chanukah or the new year ahead.
This week’s Deputy Minister’s Bulletin includes several updates, so please take the time to read below. Among the updates, you will find year-end letters from Minister Beare that I encourage you to read and distribute to your staff and to parents and caregivers. Further clarification on the move of the Capital Management Branch to the new Ministry of Infrastructure and its impact on your working relationship with us is also included.
Like you, we will be taking a pause for the holidays. Look for the next DM Bulletin in your inbox on Friday, January 10.
Season’s Greetings!
Kaye
For Action
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EDX 1701 Training for Superintendents and Secretary-Treasurers
The ministry is hosting webinars for superintendents and secretary-treasurers on the new 1701 submission and sign-off process using the Education Data Exchange (EDX). Four sessions are scheduled in January to prepare for the first 1701 collection through EDX in February. To register, email educationdataexchange@gov.bc.ca with your name, district and preferred date and time.
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For Information
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Follow-up on Capital Management Branch Move to Ministry of Infrastructure
Earlier this week, you received a letter from Ministers Lisa Beare and Bowinn Ma, sharing the news that the Capital Management Branch is moving to the new Ministry of Infrastructure. As noted in the letter, the Ministry of Infrastructure is responsible for overseeing major capital project planning, procurement and delivery for schools, hospitals and health facilities, post-secondary institutions, court houses, correctional facilities, and other important social infrastructure that BC communities need. The new ministry will help ensure that the government is coordinating the delivery of important infrastructure projects for people throughout the province as efficiently as possible.
These changes are internal to the organization of our government ministries and do not change the services that are provided to school districts. Support with capital planning will continue when Capital Management Branch staff move to the Ministry of Infrastructure in the new year, while operating funding that supports the delivery of your services will continue to come from the Ministry of Education and Child Care.
We are actively working with the other impacted ministries to ensure this transition is done with consideration for the needs of our partners like you. We appreciate your patience, and we will share more information with you as it becomes available.
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Crisis Supports During the Holiday Season
While the holiday season is a time for celebrations, it can also be a time of year when people may feel lonely, stressed or triggered. Crisis supports and resources are available online, over the phone and in-person for youth and adults. Learn more about the mental-health, substance-use supports available during holiday season and on the erase mental health and substance use web page.
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BC Black Excellence Day 2025 Virtual Event
School districts are invited to join the SD41 (Burnaby) and the Ninandotoo Society to celebrate Black Excellence Day, a virtual event on Wednesday, January 15, from 10:30 am-12 pm.
Black Excellence Day is a day to stand in solidarity with Black Canadians and honour the rich history, contributions, achievements, resilience and joy of Black people. This live online event is suitable for students in Grades 5-12.
School districts may host their own celebrations or register for this paid event. Please note that the Ninandotoo Society will not be selling Black Excellence Day T-shirts this year.
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K-12 Literacy Supports Professional Learning Grants
As part of the K-12 Literacy Supports Initiative, professional learning grants will be distributed to all school districts over the next few weeks. School districts are expected to use these grants to provide professional learning opportunities for classroom teachers and support staff on evidence-based approaches to literacy instruction; screening for K-3 students; interventions for K-12 students; and information and resources to parents and caregivers.
More information on grant funding parameters will be included in the grant letters to school districts, which will be accompanied by additional guidance documentation to support planning.
If you have questions about the professional learning grants or accompanying documents, please contact the ministry at literacy.supports@gov.bc.ca.
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Provincial Outreach Programs (POP) Conference 2024 Recordings
Recordings from the virtual day of professional learning curated and delivered by the Provincial Outreach Programs (POPs) on October 25, 2024, are now available on the POP Conference website.
Additional information about the day was shared in the October 18, 2024, DM Bulletin.
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2024/2025 Student Learning Survey
The 2024/25 Student Learning Survey (SLS) will be open from January 6, 2025, to May 2, 2025.
In addition to Grades 4, 7, 10 and 12, the SLS will now include Grade 11 students. This will help provide a more comprehensive understanding of the student experience in secondary schools. Grade 11 results will be included in all standard reports for districts and schools when reports are released. Surveys for parents, staff and principals/vice-principals will also be available in the same time period.
For information on how to prepare for the survey, refer to the SLS Administration Manual. For technical and administrative support, contact AWIS at 1-866-558-5339 or email support@awinfosys.com. For any questions about the survey, contact EDUC.ReportingUnit@gov.bc.ca.
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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, an outcome was posted about a teacher whose certificate was suspended for five days, and another outcome was posted about a teacher who agreed to a reprimand. The outcomes have been anonymized to protect the identity of students who were harmed, abused or exploited by the teacher.
