Superintendent’s Update

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

It is the first of a new month, November, and we look forward to a focus on the core value of sustainability and love (Grandfather’s Teaching) in the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan.

Brocklehurst Secondary School – October 22, 2024

Last week, I began my update with the start of my visit to Brocklehurst Secondary School, which began with Principal Perry celebrating the work of Master Carver Frank Marchand and the five-year project he led carving cottonwood canoes with students. Read more.

We continued our visit by first stopping in the new Health Sciences Academy and met a student, Andrea, who took time to share that she wanted to be in the Academy because she said, “Everyone who is here really wants to be here, and it creates a healthy competition”. She also shared that she wants to become a nurse because she sees this as the right entry into a career of medicine to become a doctor and then a psychiatrist. When I asked her why she sees this career pathway as suitable for her, she explained, “A lot of doctors do not have training in bedside manor, and being a nurse will help me with that, and I will learn a lot with doctors and then I have a job to pay for medical school.” Ms. Busch was helping students and shared her passion for experiential learning, which is foundational to this academy. There are so many details about this program that are worth learning about, and Trustee Hickson wrote an article about it here.

We continued on our visit to Mr. Leclerc’s redesigned power tech and mechanics area which is now what he called a “mechatronics room”. He explained that this room provides planning, drafting, digital designing, access to smaller and larger tools, and opportunities for individual and collaborative projects. The door leading to the next door classroom with computers enables students to engage in all kinds of diverse activities to research careers and engage in planning and designing for their projects.

Ms. Banman’s Grade 9 French class were writing directions in French to well known locations in Kamloops. One student indicated that this would have been a very helpful exercise prior to going to Paris where asking for directions happens all of the time. Mr. Clare did not have his class when we stopped in, and he took time to share criteria that he uses in his Social 10 class.

Mr. Karpluk’s Grade 8 Art class designed a central outside area with decor that invited students into cozy spaces that were described as “feeling more like home than school”.

Mr. Naidu shared his vision of teaching digital literacy learning on a continuum including simple to complex programming and project work using micro bit coding. He offers students opportunities to take part in e-sports. He shared how he will be taking Grade 10-11-12 students to TRU to visit the Computer Science department to see what learning at that next step looks like and where it can lead.

Drop Everything and Read Day – October 28, 2024

In celebration of National School Library Day on Monday, October 28, 2024, over 13,000 District students and staff from 38 SD73 schools participated in the annual Drop Everything and Read Day (DEAR). In gyms, labs, school libraries, and classrooms across the District, students were invited to join the national movement by dropping everything and reading for 20 minutes. Read more.

Junior Innovators Design for YKA – October 2024

Mr Caputo and Mr Berezowski’s Grade 6/7 classes have been working with LEGO Robotics: Mindstorms EV3 or Spike Prime. In early October 2024, these two classes from Westmount and Westsyde Elementary schools, visited YKA Kamloops Airport for a tour. They were introduced to the maintenance units, the fire department, the terminal, arrivals, security, and more. Throughout their tour, students applied their design thinking skills to consider how the robotics platforms they were learning about could support different aspects of the airport. Read more.

Kamloops-Thompson School District Honour Band and Choir Concert – October 30, 2024

Thank you to District Coordinator of Fine Arts Education, Alanna Mounsey, for her work to prepare the Honour Band and Choir for a wonderful night of performing on October 30, 2024. Every year, students are invited to join from any high school in the District. This year, they have students from Kamloops School of the Arts, NorKam, Brocklehurst, Valleyview, South Kamloops, Westsyde, and Chase secondary schools. There are close to 60 band students and a small group of 12 choir students. These students are here by invitation and audition, and they are talented, hardworking, and persistent about learning complex music pieces. For this evening performance, they had only one month to prepare, meeting once a week in October (only four practices), and then for three intensive days of practices with the guest conductors before the concert. Thank you to Assistant Superintendent Lisa Carson and Curriculum and Instruction Director Carol DeFehr for supporting this event and sharing their excitement about how amazing the students were at how quickly they learned to perform such complicated music in such a short time.

Sníne Elementary Community Engagement

With the District’s newest school, Sníne Elementary, currently being built and anticipated to be opened in the Fall 2026, we are engaging with school communities who would be sending students to the new school. We enjoyed sharing with Sa-Hali teachers and Aberdeen staff so far. To learn more about Sníne Elementary, please go here.

Disposition of Property Community Engagement

The potential sale of three properties are a focus of broad consultation. Earlier this week, we hosted a community webinar, which is available to watch here. There is also a survey available until November 12 for you to share your views on whether the Board should consider selling these properties or other possible uses. To learn more and to provide feedback, go here.

Board Notes

To learn more about the Regular Public Board Meeting on October 21, 2024, please feel free to read the Board Notes here.

District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC)

Join DPAC for their 2nd annual PAC Workshop on November 14, 2024 at the Henry Grube Education Centre. This year, the workshop theme is Opening our Circle and the focus will be on the basics of running an inclusive, thoughtful, and effective parent group. You'll have a chance to connect with District mentors in treasury, fundraising, running meetings, setting up bylaws, and more. Tips will also be shared on volunteer recruitment and retention, goal setting, and school community building. The evening is open to up to four members of each PAC executive. You must RSVP to attend. Dinner, childminding, swag, and take-home tools are all included. Breakouts and info-sharing start at 5pm, followed by dinner and presentations at 630pm. Travel and hotel subsidies are provided for out-of-town schools. Please RSVP to sd73dpac@gmail.com.

This has been a busy Fall with a lot of learning, exciting extracurricular opportunities, and more to look forward to as we acknowledge Remembrance Day on National Indigenous Veterans Day on November 8, 2024.

Rhonda Nixon, PhD
Superintendent