{"id":3780479,"date":"2025-04-07T15:16:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T22:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/?p=3780479"},"modified":"2025-04-07T15:24:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T22:24:52","slug":"superintendents-report-to-the-board-april-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/superintendents-report-to-the-board-april-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Superintendent’s Report to the Board | April 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Superintendent's Report to the Board | April 2025<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This report highlights key updates and events from the past month, all grounded in our core values of learning, belonging, integrity, and equity.<\/strong><\/p>

National Indigenous Languages Day \u2013 Honouring Language Keepers<\/strong><\/p>

March 31 marks National Indigenous Languages Day\u2014a time to honour and uplift Indigenous languages and those who work to preserve them. More than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken across Canada. Here on the Sunshine Coast, we recognize and celebrate she shashishalhem and Skwxw\u00fa7mesh snichem, and acknowledge the language keepers in our schools\u2014Elders, teachers, youth, and community members\u2014who carry this work forward. Their efforts sustain cultural knowledge and offer hope for future generations.<\/p>

April is Earth Month \u2013 Honouring Earth Day on April 22<\/strong><\/p>

April is Earth Month, with Earth Day recognized on April 22. Nature-based learning, a key strand in our new Strategic Plan, is meaningfully integrated across the district. During April, schools engage in special Earth Month activities that deepen our shared commitment to ecological responsibility, care for our environment, and advocacy for the well-being of ourselves, others, and nature.<\/p>

Primary Literacy Assessment Tool<\/strong><\/p>

The Early Learning Profile (ELP) primary literacy assessment is currently being piloted by primary teacher teams at seven elementary schools.<\/p>

The ELP is accessible online, providing teachers with easy access to assessments across key literacy areas, including: oral language, phonological awareness, concepts of print, alphabet knowledge, phonics, and high-frequency words. PM Benchmarks are used to assess reading comprehension and fluency.<\/p>

The assessment also features a Writing Continuum, designed to help educators track a child’s progress on the developmental continuum. The software offers tools to assist teachers in forming small groups for targeted mini-lessons, asking students only the questions they haven’t yet mastered, and sending home letters and resources for families.<\/p>

Early Years Fair 2025<\/strong><\/p>

On March 8th<\/sup>, children and families across the coast gathered for the Early Years Fair 2025!\u00a0 Inspired by\u00a0What\u2019s My Superpower<\/em>\u00a0by Aviaq\u00a0Johnston, a young Inuk author from Igloolik, Nunavut, this year\u2019s theme celebrated every child’s unique strengths. Children made capes, wrist bands and masks, and families had fun with pony rides, the petting zoo, and connecting with district and local partners to learn about the programs and services offered in our community.\u00a0 Take a look at all of the people who worked together to make this day possible!\u00a0<\/p>

SPARK! to Secondary \u2013 Supporting the Move to High School<\/strong><\/p>

The SPARK! to Secondary program, in partnership with SD46, Community Schools and United Way BC, returns this spring with in-person sessions for parents and caregivers of students heading to high school. Sessions are held at Chatelech, Elphinstone, and Pender Harbour Secondary and will explore topics such as adolescent brain development, fostering independence, building healthy routines, and maintaining strong communication during the teen years.<\/p>

School\u2019s Out \u2013 Spring Programs for Grade 7 Students<\/strong><\/p>

This spring, Roberts Creek Community School, in partnership with SD46 and United Way BC, is offering a free<\/em> after-school program for all Grade 7 students across the Sunshine Coast. At Chatelech, students can join \u201cUltimate\u201d with Evan Kwantes and Glen Whitlock, while Elphinstone offers \u201cOn Location.\u201d These programs help students build confidence, connect with peers, and get excited about the transition to secondary school.<\/p>

Journeys to High School \u2013 Supporting Indigenous Learners<\/strong><\/p>

Journeys to High School is a collaborative program co-designed by School\u2019s Out United Way, Sunshine Coast Community Schools, and SD46 to support Indigenous Grade 7 students as they prepare for high school. Events include a Gathering and Feast at the sh\u00edsh\u00e1lh Nation Longhouse, school orientation events, and \u201cBring a Friend to High School\u201d activities\u2014each fostering a strong sense of belonging and connection.<\/p>

Elementary Basketball Play Days \u2013 Skill, Sportsmanship, and Spirit<\/strong><\/p>

This March, the energy was high as elementary students wrapped up the basketball season with exciting district Play Day tournaments. Chatelech Secondary hosted the Grade 4\/5 Junior event with 30 teams from all nine schools participating in a fun and fast-paced 3-on-3 format. At Elphinstone Secondary, Grade 6\/7 tournaments featured strong showings from teams across the district, with thrilling overtime finishes and standout performances from schools like West Sechelt, Cedar Grove, and Gibsons. These events celebrated teamwork, sportsmanship, and school spirit, thanks to the efforts of volunteer referees, high school helpers, coaches, and organizers.<\/p>

Capstone Showcase at Gibsons Public Market<\/strong><\/p>

On April 6, students from Elphinstone and Chatelech Secondary Schools presented their Capstone projects at a special event hosted at the Gibsons Public Market. Organized by Elphinstone teacher James Yamamura, this public showcase gave students the opportunity to share their learning journeys, passions, and future aspirations with the broader community\u2014highlighting the creativity, critical thinking, and personal growth achieved through their final high school projects.<\/p>

Chatelech Student Named 2025 Loran Scholar<\/strong><\/p>

Congratulations to Chatelech Secondary\u2019s Nardeen Ibrahim, who has been named a 2025 Loran Scholar\u2014one of only 36 students selected from over 6,000 applicants across Canada. A dedicated student leader, Nardeen is active in the Social Justice Club, grad council, yearbook team, and school athletics, and also volunteers in the community. This prestigious award recognizes young leaders who demonstrate integrity, courage, compassion, and a deep commitment to service. We are incredibly proud of Nardeen and this remarkable achievement.<\/p>

Toastmasters Youth Leadership \u2013 Pender Harbour Secondary<\/strong><\/p>

Beginning January 6, students in Pender Harbour Secondary\u2019s Grade 12 Workforce class participated in the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program. Facilitated by Laurel Sukkau and supported by Johanna Rzepa, the eight-week program focused on building communication and leadership skills through hands-on speaking practice. With over 500 youth Toastmasters certificates awarded on the Sunshine Coast to date, this program continues to empower young voices and future leaders.<\/p>

Fire Fighting Academy<\/strong><\/p>

The 4th Annual Fire Fighting Academy was another success, with 14 students participating in this intensive, hands-on training experience led by Sechelt Deputy Chief Steven Achterberg. The students\u2019 dedication\u2014and the community\u2019s support\u2014made this year\u2019s academy a standout.<\/p>

Work in Trade Reward <\/strong><\/p>

Congratulations to five past students who earned the Work in Trade Reward from the B.C. Government Ministry of Education and Child Care.<\/p>

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To earn this reward the students had to complete one of the four Work in Trades courses that involves theory work and 480 hours of work as an apprentice plus continue to work to a total of 900 hours. The hours worked must done before the student turns 19 years of age.<\/p>

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Congratulations to:<\/strong><\/p>

  • Bodhi Biggs-Culinary Arts<\/li>
  • Kiran Chauhan-Culinary Arts<\/li>
  • Renee Milligan-Culinary Arts<\/li>
  • Brandon Straw-Culinary Arts<\/li>
  • Carson Summers-Competed the Automotive Tech level one and changed to Electrical<\/li><\/ul>

    Spotlight on Resilience \u2013 Jingyi\u2019s Inspiring Journey<\/strong><\/p>

    Jingyi, a Grade 11 ELL student at Elphinstone Secondary, continues to inspire with her courage and determination since arriving as a beginner in English. From volunteering at the library to performing in the talent show and joining drama class, Jingyi pushes herself beyond comfort to learn and grow. Her academic dedication was recently recognized when she earned a certificate of distinction for her outstanding performance in the Global Fermat Mathematics Contest from the University of Waterloo, scoring in the top 25% of all participants! We are incredibly proud of Jingyi, and we celebrate her recent achievement.<\/p>

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    Superintendent’s Report to the Board | April 2025 This report highlights key updates and events from the past month, all grounded in our core values of learning, belonging, integrity, and equity. National Indigenous Languages Day \u2013 Honouring Language Keepers March 31 marks National Indigenous Languages Day\u2014a time to honour and uplift Indigenous languages and those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3778502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3780479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-superintendents-update"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3780479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3780479"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3780479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3780483,"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3780479\/revisions\/3780483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3778502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3780479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3780479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd46.bc.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3780479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}