Hi, everyone – tonight at long last are the 2022 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education. The winners will be announced tonight and a news release will follow tomorrow; thank you to everyone who submitted nominations and please join me in wishing all the nominees good luck this evening!
Please also find below a number of updates, including information on Equity in Action regional sessions, the 2023 Provincial Scholarship Awards, and resources related to disability inclusion, French SOGI-inclusive education, and FASD.
And for those who didn’t make it to advanced polls, don’t forget to vote this weekend!
Due October 15
Pursuant to section 80 of the Teachers Act, employers are required to make a report to the Director of Certification on all B.C. certificate holders who were employed from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022. If you haven’t already submitted your list, upload it now through the Employers’ Area. If you have any questions, please email the Teacher Regulation Branch at trb.employers@gov.bc.ca or call 236-455-1872.
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and the Ministry of Education and Child Care and invite you to attend this year’s final drop-in session on October 17 to ask any Nominal Roll or Joint Verification Process (JVP) questions. Details and the Zoom link (no registration required) are available in this event backgrounder.
Each year theMinistry of Education and Child Care provides over 13,500 scholarships to eligible graduating students. Please review this program summary and use the new Provincial Scholarships Program infographic to start conversations with your students about the BC Achievement, District/Authority, BC Excellence, or Pathway to Teacher Education scholarships. Contact scholarships@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions.
The Ministry is planning three Equity Regional Sessions (Northern Vancouver Island/Sunshine Coast, Northern BC, and Fraser Valley) for the 2022/23 school year. The purpose of these gatherings is to assess the outcomes and effectiveness of ongoing Equity Action plans. Each school district in the participating regions will be invited to one in-person session, with dates and locations to be announced. Districts will receive a letter with more information. School districts from the remaining regions will be invited to future sessions. Please send any questions to EDUC.IndigenousEducation@gov.bc.ca.
Districts can now access the unmasked 2021/2022 SLS results in the Power BI dashboard which has been refreshed to include provincial, district, and school level data. School administrators can directly access their school-level reports from the AWIS website; AWIS can be contacted at 1-866-558-5339 or support@awinfosys.com. Public reports have been updated with the 2021/2022 SLS data and are available on the Data BC Catalogue. As changes were made to SLS in 2021/2022, please contact educ.reportingunit@gov.bc.ca with any questions.
Registration for a free new online course by the Provincial Outreach Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (POPFASD) is now open. FASD 101 On-Demand is a 6-module, self-paced course that provides B.C. educators and support staff with the foundational information they need to better support students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Educators who complete the 3-hour course will receive a certificate of completion.
Registration is now open for the Livestream presentation, Using an FASD-informed Approach, on October 21 from 9:00-11:30am PT. Based on current research and recommendations and using an FASD-Informed Approach, the presentation will provide an introduction to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and its educational implications. Available to all staff, parents/caregivers, community supports, and others involved in supporting youth with FASD, the presentation will focus on the importance of relationships while implementing strategies and accommodations to support students with complex needs, including those with FASD.
The Ministry of Education and Child Care, ARC Foundation, and the K-12 SOGI Collaborative are excited to share the launch of the French SOGI-Inclusive Education Resource Guide. Both the French and English Resource Guides are available on the SOGI123 website. The guides include promising practises for educators to use in schools and classrooms as supports for SOGI-inclusive education. The English SOGI-Inclusive Resource Guide was launched in 2021.
The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) has released the first theme in a 3-theme series of free educator resources titled Create an Inclusive School Year. Intended for both educators and youth community leaders, each theme includes RHF Ambassador virtual presentations, pre-and-post activities, additional resources, videos, and activities to teach youth the benefits of diversity, cooperation, and consideration of others. Each theme will inform students about disability inclusion and motivate them to become the next generation of accessibility champions.
