At the meeting of the Board of Education of School District No. 52 (Prince Rupert) on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 the Board gave third and final reading to School Closure Bylaw 1-2011 – Port Edward Community School.

The Board passed this motion, with the result that the existing school will be closed effective August 31, 2012.

In making its decision, the Board noted that they are continuing to support the District of Port Edward with their plans to build a new school space attached to the community centre. “This decision is not just a closure; it is opening a new door,” said Board Chair Tina Last. “We are excited to know that the District of Port Edward is moving forward with their plans for a new school in their community.”

New Website
The launch of the new website for School District No. 52 (Prince Rupert) was celebrated at the Board meeting on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Superintendent Lynn Hauptman reviewed the organization and content of the website with the trustees, and encouraged everyone to go to explore the site. Any feedback on improvements to the site is welcome.

School Sports Initiative
District Principal of Student Support Services, Linda Hikida, advised the Board that the school district has been selected to receive up to $50,000 over the next three years from the Sport Branch of the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. The purpose of the funding is to enhance or expand on existing programs that provide opportunities for vulnerable students and students with special needs to participate in sports activities. This participation is expected to improve the physical and mental health of the students. The money can be used for training, with the expectation that the programs will be sustainable when the funding ends in three years’ time.

Additional School Resources
At the November 8, 2011 meeting of the Board of Directors of School District No. 52 (Prince Rupert) approval was granted for the use of prior year’s surplus funds to provided additional resources to students. These items were originally proposed during the budget process last year but were not funded at the time. The Board was happy to be able to address these items. The three main programs to be supported are:

One-to-One computers
This program began with two classes in Conrad Elementary School in the second half of the 2010/11 school year. The program provides a classroom with a dedicated set of notebook computers, which the classroom teacher is able to incorporate into the student’s learning program. The program has continued with two grade 6 classes at Prince Rupert Middle School
(PRMS).

The additional funding will allow the program to expand to all of the grade 6 classes at PRMS.
The PRMS library began the year with resources that were shared from the high school and the elementary schools. The school, along with teacherlibrarian, Ms. Mavis Glencross have identified a need to expand the range of materials available in the library to meet the needs of the students in the school.

These additional funds will help to create a vibrant middle school library. Balanced Literacy Resources. The third program is to invest money in balanced literacy resources for students in grades 4 through 8. The selection and purchasing of resources will be deferred until the end of the teacher strike, so that input from the teaching staff can be obtained on the selection of these resources.

This was indicated as a need during last year’s budgeting process.

New Policies
Two new policies were approved by the Board of Education on November 8, 2011. The Volunteers Policy encourages the use of volunteers in schools, while requiring that appropriate safeguards are in place with respect to the selection and use of volunteers.
The Harassment Policy confirms the Board’s commitment to fostering a healthy working and learning environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and are free from harassment.

French Advisory Committee
The Superintendent advised the Board that the initial meeting of the French Advisory Committee would take place on January 23, 2012. Invitations will be sent to identified
partner groups.

2011 Trustee Elections
Elections for School Trustees will take place on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at the Civic Centre. Advance polls are open on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at City Hall. Everyone
is encouraged to get out and vote.

Contact Persons:
Tina Last, Chair
Board of Education
(250) 627-7260

Lynn Hauptman, Superintendent
Board of Education
(250) 624-6717