Agendas for the Feb. 9 All Superintendents Meeting and the Feb. 10 Partner Liaison Meeting are now available. Please review these agendas in advance of the meetings at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Vancouver to help ensure meaningful dialogue.
Friday February 3, 2023
Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care
Hi, everyone – lots of updates this week including information on Substance Use Decriminalization Information for Parents, Guardians and Caregivers; the BCTEA Annual (Virtual) Meeting on Transportation to Public Schools; how to nominate someone for the 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence; and the expansion of Integrated Child and Youth (ICY) Teams. I look forward to seeing many of you next week at the All Superintendents meeting as well as the Partner Liaison Meeting – please see below for links to the agendas. And finally, a reminder that February is Black History Month and an opportunity to recognize and honour the contributions of Black Canadians. Please see the joint statement in the News Releases section below for more details.
Have a great weekend!
Christina
For Action
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Save the Date: 4th Jointly Convened Annual Meeting, May 25, 2023
The fourth annual Jointly Convened Annual Meeting (JCAM) will take place in person from 8:30 – 4:30 on May 25, 2023 at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront in Vancouver. The purpose of this annual meeting of Superintendents and Chairs of Indigenous Education Councils is to share information and contribute to reconciliation between school districts and First Nations as referenced in Schedule H, 2.6 of the Tripartite Education Agreement (BCTEA). Registration information and an agenda will follow closer to the date.
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Notification of Certificate Cancellations
Pursuant to Section 34 of the Teachers Act, employers are being notified that teaching certificates were cancelled on January 13, 2023, because certificate holders did not comply with criminal record check requirements. Please review the notice posted in the Employers’ Area to ensure that the certificate holders you employ remain certified. If you have any questions, email trb.employers@gov.bc.ca.
For Information
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Call for Nominations For 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence
The ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals, organizations, and child care partners who help families and communities thrive by providing or supporting the delivery of quality child care in B.C. Award nominations can be made by individuals, parents, teams or programs across 15 categories and subcategories. New this year is a Partnership Awards subcategory recognizing a school district demonstrating excellence in partnering with the child care sector. The deadline to submit nominations is March 5.
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Workforce Information Reporting
Workforce absence reporting will not be required for the week of Monday February 20, 2023 due to the Family Day Statutory holiday on that day. Reporting will recommence on the following week of February 27, with reports continuing to be due by the end of day each Tuesday of the same week. Please contact Brett.Wilmer@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions on this or on the general workforce absence reporting process.
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Substance Use Decriminalization Information for Parents, Guardians and Caregivers
The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Child Care, has developed an information sheet on substance use decriminalization for parents, guardians, and caregivers. Talking to Children and Youth about Decriminalization and Substance Use: Resources for Parents/Guardians and Caregivers is now available on the erase website.
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Teachers and Excluded/Exempt Labour Settlement Funding
Following the recent ratification of the BCTF collective agreement BCTF labour settlement funding and funding for Excluded and Exempt staff wage increases has been added to the Summary of Grants to Date tables for 2022/23. Labour settlement funding for support staff, Classroom Enhancement Fund, and CommunityLINK will be announced later. Please contact Tim.Jah@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions.
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BCTEA Annual (Virtual) Meeting on Transportation to Public Schools (AMT)
The First Nations Education Steering Committee, the Ministry of Education and Child Care, and Indigenous Services Canada encourage registrants to review the participant package, and to remind those interested to register for the B.C. Tripartite Education Agreement’s AMT, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, 10:00 am ‑ 12:00 pm PT. Important details can be found in this backgrounder.
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Expansion of Integrated Child and Youth (ICY) Teams
As announced on February 2, 2023, seven new school district communities will begin implementation of ICY teams in 2023. Please visit B.C.’s Integrated Child & Youth Teams web page for details about team composition, service settings, access, Indigenous services, and other resources.
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Recent 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 regarding Brent Alexander Daniel, whose certificate was suspended for four weeks.
