BCeSIS

From the Superintendent's report to the Board of School Trustees (December 8th, 2009).

• $3,000 = amount spent on training new teachers since September (9.6 days)
• 4 after school sessions (2 in Fernie, 2 in Parkland) for previously trained teachers wishing refresher time. (37 teachers have taken part)
• Similar sessions in February
• Marks program costs in 2004 (various providers) $24,549 plus support/up-grades, etc.
• Report Writer = $1,500 / year
• BCeSIS costs $10 per FTE, or approximately $52,000 including upgrades per year.
  

School Twinning with a School in Namibia

Imagine a classroom where the students sit on a log from a lack of chairs and write using their thighs for support of a notebook. This is the situation of the Omutwewomhedi Primary School (Grades 1 to 7) in the north of Namibia.

Namibia has made significant improvements since it became independent from South Africa in 1989. However, it still has serious problems, some of them carryovers from the apartheid system of segregation imposed by South Africa.

Many of the improvements have been uneven. New facilities in the urban areas are considerably better than those in rural areas. The Omutwewomhedhi school is in one of the isolated rural schools.

Most of the classrooms are still made of sticks with a thatch roof. It is too isolated to have electricity. Some students walk up to 10 km to get to school and many are orphans in a country with high rates of HIV/AIDS.

This school is looking for a twin (or twins) that can help with improving the material resources of the school and make a connection with the students.

If you are interested, you can get more information from Larry Kuehn (lkuehn@bctf.ca).

Online Wellness newsletter - check it out!

Welcome to WELL. Its main goal is a commitment to helping you become well. Wellness, in all its different forms, is a complex topic but at the end of the day we want to be able to join with you, our readers, and say, “Life may not always be easy but it is good and I am joyful in spite of my circumstances, not because of them."

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Their address:
1110 Maple Road | North Saanich, British Columbia | Canada | V8L 5P5

Health and wellness course....

The Living With Balance program information can now be found on the BCTF website here:

http://www.bctf.ca/SalaryAndBenefits.aspx?id=20266

There is a link to a current schedule of courses booked for January, an online application, as well as the ability to download a print application.

Superintendent Salaries

The Ministry is required to disclose all salaries over $125,000. Can you say "superintendent salaries"?

The district reports are located here (http://www.aved.gov.bc.c/psec/disclosure.htm#education)

Janet Steffenhagen references this data on her blog.

Bills 27 and 38 update - our Collective Agreement!

On the morning of Dec ember 3rd, 2009, lawyers for BCTF and Government appeared in BC Supreme Court before Chief Justice Robert J. Bauman for a case management meeting regarding the BCTF Charter Challenge to Bill 27 - Education Services Collective Agreement Act and Bill 28 - Public Education Flexibility and Choice Act - legislation in 2002 that imposed a collective agreement, stripped that agreement of crucial learning and working conditions provisions and severely restricted the scope of bargaining.

The purpose of the appearance was to determine the schedule for exchange of documents, written argument and reply. As well, court dates to actually hear the case were established.

The schedule, as it now stands, is as follows:

· January 29, 2010 - BCTF affidavit evidence to be finalized and submitted.

· February 28, 2010 – Government affidavit evidence to be finalized and submitted.

· March 31, 2010 – BCTF reply to affidavit evidence of Government.

· April 30, 2010 – BCTF written argument submitted.

· May 14, 2010 – Government written argument submitted.

· May 28, 2010 – BCTF reply to written argument of Government.

· June 14 – 18, 2010 – Court dates. (five days currently scheduled).