The parties to the BC Tripartite Education Agreement (Ministry of Education and Child Care, First Nations Education Steering Committee, and Indigenous Services Canada), and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, are interested in developing a provincial inventory of school districts that transport students to/from school and/or school-organized extracurricular activities via water vessel. Please have the appropriate school district contact respond to two survey questions (time commitment of less than one minute) by Wednesday, March 15.
Friday March 10, 2023
Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care
Hi, everyone – a lot of updates and information this week: please see an expression of interest for hosting a School Outreach Team as part of Budget 2023 commitments; hold the dates for the annual Mental Health in Schools conference, the All Superintendents meeting, and the Framework symposium; and a reminder that January assessment results are available. Please also see updated information related to consent education, and a note to watch for more information on updates and investment to the career development and dual credit program as part of government’s commitment to Future Ready.
For those starting Spring Break next week, enjoy! Everyone else, have a great weekend and remember clocks go forward an hour this weekend.
Christina
For Action
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Expression of Interest – School Outreach Teams
As part of new government investments to assist children and youth with support needs, the Ministry of Education and Child Care is collaborating with the Ministry of Children and Family Development to launch new provincial school outreach teams. Districts are invited to review and submit an expression of interest questionnaire by April 6 to be considered as the potential host district. Email inclusive.education@gov.bc.ca if you have questions.
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Registration for Jointly Convened Annual Meeting (JCAM)
Registration is open until April 24 for Superintendents and Indigenous Education Council Chairs for the fourth Jointly Convened Annual Meeting (JCAM). JCAM will be held on May 25 from 8:30am-4:30pm at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront in Vancouver. Agenda items include a keynote address, the new Indigenous-focused Graduation Requirement, and outcomes and attendance for First Nations learners attending public school. Please see this joint invitation for further details.
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Mental Health in Schools Conference (May 2-3)
Mental Health in Schools Conference (May 2-3)
A reminder that registration is still available for the 4th Mental Health in Schools Conference, which will take place in Richmond on May 2-3. This year’s theme is Connections, with a focus on how connections promote mental health and well-being. If you did not receive an email invitation, please contact bc.mentalhealthconference2023@gov.bc.ca.
For Information
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Consent Education
On March 6, the B.C. government introduced legislation to protect people whose intimate images are shared online without their consent. To support this legislation and to reflect feedback from educators, students, and the broader community, the Ministry of Education and Childcare, in consultation with BCTF teachers and partner Ministries, has updated the PHE curriculum and the Supporting Student Health Guide. This guide is available for both elementary and secondary schools.
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January 2023 Graduation Assessment Results
The January 2023 assessment session results are now available for the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment (LTE12), Évaluation de littératie de la 12e année – Français langue première (LTP12), Évaluation de littératie de la 12ᵉ année – Français langue seconde – immersion (LTF12), and Grade 10 numeracy and literacy assessments (NME10, NMF10, LTE10, and LTP10).
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Expanding K-12 Career Development and Dual Credit
Budget 2023 confirmed over $1.4B in investments in Future Ready and B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, which commits to implementing new career development initiatives and expanding dual credit programming. This work will complement and build on the Early Childhood Education Dual Credit project, under the ChildCareBC plan, which currently includes 30 participating school districts and will continue to expand over the next two years. More information on these initiatives, as well as further clarification from the Ministry on dual credit funding eligibility, will follow in the coming weeks. In the interim, questions about dual credit can be directed to Rob.Hicks@gov.bc.ca.
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Accessible British Columbia Act
Accessible British Columbia Act
Government has provided funding to Disability Alliance BC (DABC) to develop resources that will support school districts and independent school authorities to meet the legal requirements of the Accessible BC Regulation. DABC has created the BC Accessibility Hub website and an Accessibility Toolkit to support all prescribed organizations through the process of establishing an accessibility committee, an accessibility plan, and a feedback mechanism. Please send any questions or requests for support to aop@disabilityalliancebc.org.
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Hold the Dates: All Superintendents Meeting and Framework Symposium
Please hold May 17 (All Superintendents Meeting) and May 18 (Framework for Enhancing Student Learning sector symposium) in your calendars. Event details to follow. Both events will be held at the Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport.
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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 Edward Gerrit Timmermans.
