Important Upcoming Dates
Good afternoon Parents/Guardians,
The Saanich Board of Education is working on a new Strategic Plan. The Board is committed to engaging with its communities to develop its 2022-2027 Strategic Plan for our district. It is critical that we hear from parents / guardians, students, staff and the broader community so that we can build a plan that reflects our community. A first step in this consultation process is an opportunity for you to provide feedback in a survey. You will find the link to the survey at the end of this email.
What
is a Strategic Plan?
A Strategic Plan is the school district’s road map for
action and future student success. The specific goals and strategies that
are central to the Plan are shaped by the district’s core values and beliefs,
vision, philosophy, mission, and guiding principles, all of which create the
framework for everything we do to support our learning community. The
Strategic Plan utilizes provincial and local student achievement evidence to
inform us about what needs to be prioritized. These priorities then help shape overall
district planning, budget priorities and district operations.
Successful organizations are laser focused in their
Strategic Plans, using a few core areas that are evidence-based – areas that
are critical when we are looking to improve student success throughout the
system.
What
are the Draft Focus Areas that have been Developed so far?
Using both provincial and local school district data, we have worked to identify three main focus areas over the last several months. They are:
The data shows that these are areas we likely need to spend more time on to ensure that students have the greatest opportunities here and in their futures. You can find some of the data we used in our review here:
We have created an e-survey where you can provide feedback on the draft focus areas – comment on just a few areas or all of them – the option is yours. There is also an opportunity to provide thoughts on other areas that the Board may want to consider.
Link: STRATEGIC PLAN 2022/2027 – CONSULTATION SURVEY
(Survey closes Sun Nov 7)
We hope that you can take a few minutes to provide us
with your thoughts – they are important. We anticipate that there will be
other opportunities for feedback after the Winter Break.
Sincerely,
Dave Eberwein
Superintendent & CEO, Saanich Schools
K-12 STUDENT REPORTING
Please complete this 15-minute survey to share your feedback on the proposed new K-12 Student Reporting Policy. Your participation in this survey is entirely voluntary and anonymous.
Your feedback will be used to refine and improve the draft and to assess its readiness for implementation. The Ministry of Education will release an updated policy in January 2022. Once approved, this final policy is projected to come into effect for the 2022/2023 school year.
Survey Link: K-12 Student Reporting (gov.bc.ca)
UPDATED COMMUNICABLE DISEASE GUIDELINES FOR K-12 SETTINGS - A MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT (OCT 1 2021)
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As you may have heard, the Provincial Health Officer (Dr. Bonnie Henry) provided an update today to the Provincial COVID-19 Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-12 Settings. You can find the announcement HERE.
Beginning on Mon Oct 4th, all students in B.C. schools will be required to wear a mask. This measure builds on the existing guidelines that currently apply to students in Gr 4-12. So, beginning on Monday students in K-Gr 3, like their peers in Gr 4-12, will now be required to wear a mask in classrooms, common areas and on the school bus. If you have a child in K-Gr 3, we would ask that you provide them with a mask beginning on Monday. However, we have been able to secure some disposable masks for young children and plan to have these available in our schools on Monday as well.
Dr. Henry has emphasized that schools continue to be very safe places for children. Transmission of the COVID-19 virus continues to primarily occur in the home or in social settings, not in schools. This enhanced mask mandate is part of the continuing evolution of health measures designed to help reduce the potential for transmission. The government has also indicated that beginning in October, the Provincial Health Office will be releasing a new monthly report that will provide British Columbians with current information about the virus and how it affects school-aged children. You can expect the October report around the middle of the month.
Thank you for your ongoing support during this time of increased precautions in our schools. We know that school is critical for children’s social-emotional health, and as such, we continue to place a high priority on both their safety and learning environment to ensure that we are providing an engaging and welcoming space.
Respectfully,
Dave Eberwein
Superintendent & CEO, Saanich Schools