SD5 "News"

At our last DPAC meeting we bid, "Thank you, good bye and good luck" to our retiring Superintendent, Bill Gook. DPAC has had the honour of working with him for the past five years and we wish him the very best in all his future endeavours.

We also had the honour of welcoming Superintendent Bendina Miller to our family. She has graciously stepped in for one year, to not only lead our district but to aid us in finding a suitable, permanent replacement.

Bendina retired from her nine year Superintendent position for School District #6 in 2010, and has been acting as a consultant on the BC Ministry of Education's 21st Century Learning and Special Needs initiative. She submitted a report on the Future of Special Education in BC, in which she travelled extensively to view other strategies and models for inclusion for special education.

We not only look forward to working with Superintendent Miller, we encourage all parents to check out her weekly postings on our District's website,

Superintendent Bendina Miller's "Reflections" click here



 

Ministry of Education "News"

The new Minister of Education is Don McRae, MLA for the Comox Valley Riding.

He was born and raised in the Comox Valley. For the past 14 years he has taught at GP Vanier Secondary School. Aside from teaching Social Studies, Military History, and Psychology, he has also served as a rugby coach, athletic director, department chair and Staff Leadership Committee Chair.

Two new positions have been added, Marc Dalton, a former Maple Ridge teacher,

has been appointed parliamentary secretary for independent schools and Jane

Thornthwaite, former North Vancouver school board chairwoman, is parliamentary secretary for student support and parent engagement.

Maureen Dockendorf is BC's first Superintendent of Reading. She's been teaching

since 1972 and is currently an assistant superintendent in Coquitlam.

Dede DeRose is the first Superintendent of Aboriginal achievement. She's been an educator and education advocate for 30 years. She's been a teacher, a principal and most recently a councilor with the former college of teachers.

 

 

TEDxTC - Sparks: How Youth Thrive

"Peter L. Benson, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Search Institute, is one of the world's leading authorities on positive human development. Dr. Benson is the author or editor of more than a dozen books on child and adolescent development and social change, including, most recently, Sparks: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqzUHcW58Us

"Only Works For A While"

"Original song written and performed by Jenna Spowart.
Poem written and performed by Shane Koyczan.
Video by students and staff of Georges P. Vanier Secondary School..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqmnY5IveJU

Education for Tomorrow - 2012/2013 Transformation + Technology Update

Vision;

As a government, we want all learners to achieve their potential. As a province,

we need them to succeed.

We are entering a world of accelerating change, a time of thinking globally and

acting quick, when it’s not what you know but how you use that knowledge that

matters. Tomorrow’s citizens will need knowledge but, even more, they’ll need

passion and drive. They’ll need to be creators, not just consumers, of new and

innovative ways to learn...

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/pubs/tt-plan/2012_bced_tt_plan.pdf