Circle Of Care: Students
- Kindergarten Registration begins February 14, 2022! This is a very exciting time for us all as we welcome new families in to our school communities. Families are encouraged to begin the process by filling out the online registration via MyEd. (1b)
- Just B4: We are pleased to announce the opening of the Just B4 early childhood education Child Care Program. This program is specifically designed for 4-year-old children to attend ‘Just B4’ Kindergarten, with the hope of inspiring and supporting the creation or rich, joyful early childhood spaces.This program provides an opportunity to strengthen early years to kindergarten transitions for young children and their families.Just B4 utilizes the StrongStart BC space in the afternoon, with the same StrongStart Educator who leads the StrongStart BC program in the morning. Parents pre-register for the Just B4 afternoon program and choose the days of the week they would like their children to attend. Just B4 is a licensed pre-school program and therefore parents do not need to attend.This program is offered for $10 a day. Families may qualify for child care subsidies through the Ministry of Children & Family Development. In addition, we gratefully acknowledge the financial contribution of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Education. This program is the third of its kind to open in the province and is intended to pilot a promising practice for strengthening early years to kindergarten transitions.Interested families can contact the Early Years registration desk at rwatson@sd46.bc.ca to express interest and request the registration package. Any questions can be sent to Kirsten Deasey, District Principal of Learning & Innovation at kdeasey@sd46.bc.ca. (1b)
- Family Literacy Week (January 24 to 28) was a huge success in School District 46! Through our partnership with the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts and a grant for the ‘Celebration of Authors, Books and Community’ we were able to have authors from across Canada zoom into classrooms to provide information and inspiration. These nationally recognized authors shared writing strategies and tips for budding young authors and highlighted the importance of celebrating Indigenous cultures, diversity, and inclusion. Over the five days, these authors inspired over 2000 Sunshine Coast students! (1d)
- Black History Month honours the legacy of Black Canadians: their contributions and their communities. The theme this year is: February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day. A new staff resource has been created on the internal staff Engage site: Black History; Black Lives; Black Excellence to support learning opportunities in this area. (1h)
- Dual credit registration is happening now! SD46 offers: Cook, Automotive Service Technician, Carpentry and Early Childhood Education programs in partnership with post-secondary schools. (1l)
- Find Your Fit: The WorkBC Find Your Fit tour is coming to three of the secondary schools in February. It is an interactive, educational event that offers students a hands-on way to experience skills that specific career areas need. Grade 6/7 classes have also been invited to participate in this opportunity. (1l)
Circle of Care: Staff
- SD46 Staff Wellness Leads have brought ideas and resources to each site to support staff wellness and connection from taking part in virtual friendly competition games of Wordle to virtual book clubs to getting outside together on walk, hikes, bike rides or snowshoeing. (2a)
- Engage Professional Development Site: A dedicated site has launched on Engage as a one stop resource for Pro D Day scheduling and resources. (2b)
Circle of Care: Community
- District and School Calendars: A more user-friendly online calendar is now available on all district and school sites. The district website now has all district public and staff meetings/events on the calendar for easy access and viewing. You can also subscribe to the calendars from the sites. (3a)
- Covid-19 Rapid Antigen At-Home Test Kits Update: The Ministry of Education has delivered the delayed shipment of rapid tests kits for staff. Repackaging, distribution of 2 tests per staff, and delivery to sites has occurred this week. The Ministry of Education has also planned a phased distribution of rapid antigen at-home tests for symptomatic students. SD46 will receive the kits for families of children aged 5-11 in phase 3 of the plan and allocation for secondary students in phase 4 of their 4-phase plan. In these phases, each family will receive one box of 5 tests for their school aged children. (3a)
- SD46 adopts a mask recycling program: SD46 schools received their boxes last week and students and staff will be encouraged to recycle their disposable masks (3-ply, KN95 and N95’s) through this program.(3d)
- International Students: For second semester, we welcomed six international students to our secondary schools. (3g)