Report from the Board Chair
On January 4 and 22, the Board Chair
attended Race Relations, Cross Cultural Understanding, and Human Rights
(RCH) Policy Review Committee meetings. The Committee is working
diligently to ensure that the RCH policy is clear, transparent, and
fair. The Committee is getting closer to having a draft RCH policy
ready for the Board's Policy Committee to review. The next RCH
Policy Review Committee meeting will take place on February 13 at
10:00am at the Yarmouth Board Office.
On February 2, the Board Chair along with
Board Members Hines and Moses - as well as the Director of Programs &
Student Services and the Coordinator of Programs 7-12 - will be
attending a forum in Halifax that is being sponsored by the NSTU.
Report from the Superintendent of
Schools
In December the Superintendent met with the
Municipality of the District of Yarmouth to discuss safety procedures
within TCRSB schools.
At the December 14 and January 25 Education
Consultitive Forums, the following items were discussed:
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Pre-primary program
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Preliminary budget discussion
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Capital budget
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Inclusion review
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Physical Education compulsory credit
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Nunn Commission
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School security
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Provincial exam marking
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School bus evaluation
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School closure process review
On December 18 the Superintendent met with a
committee called Rails to Trails. 87km of rail lines are
going to be converted to trails. This could be a benefit to the
TCRSB with regard to the new Physical Education course at the senior
high level. There are possible additional options for the entire
P-12 system in many respects.
Report from the Director of Programs &
Student Services
The Director's report highlighted sections
of the Board's revamped Business Plan. The Director was unable to
be in attendance so he will present the fully revised Business Plan at
the February 6 Board meeting before sending it to the Department of
Education.
The Director has been in contact with
Medic-Alert regarding their No Child Without program which pays for
medic alert bracelets for needy students. As a result of the
Director's efforts, TCRSB has been chosen as the second Board in nova
Scotia to pilot this program.
Report from the Wellness Committee
Board Member Brewer reported that the
committee has had an overwhelming response to the Walking Challenge that
was issued to TCRSB staff & their families. At the time of the
report 109 teams have signed up.
Report from the NSSBA Education Committee
Board Member Pippy reported that steps are
being taken to ensure that Distance Ed will become readily accessible
for small rural communities.
The NSSBA, in cooperation with the Director
of Libraries for Halifax Schools, is working to obtain licensing rights
to Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The aim is
to gain province wide access to the film in order for it to be used as
an education tool in Nova Scotia classrooms.
There was discussion about Nova Scotia
School Board's opening up some of their classroom space to support Adult
Literacy programs.
The Department of Education's Program
Consultant - Youth Pathways and Transition - shared a proposal on
creating a new curriculum for grades 7-9 Family Studies programs.
Report from NSSBA School Insurance Committee
Board Member Moses presented a written
report from the last School Insurance Committee meeting. The
majority of the meeting time was spent discussing Enterprise Risk
Management. In simple terms it means identifying risks and
having the protocols in place for dealing said risks. It was
recommended that each School Board establish a Risk Management Committee
to identify & prioritize potential risks.
Education Week 2007
The theme for Education Week 2007 is
Skills & Learning: Building our Future. Education Week
will take place from April 15 - 21. Each Board in Nova Scotia will
choose award recipients through a regional nomination process. The
Board Members serving on the Regional Education Week Committee are:
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Board Member Surette (Yarmouth)
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Board Member Pippy (Shelburne)
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Board Member Comeau (Digby/Clare)
Saint Mary's Bay Academy Trivia Challenge II
On Saturday, February 10, Saint Mary's Bay
Academy (SMBA) will be holding its second annual Trivia Challenge.
Proceeds from the event will go to support SMBA's sports teams.
The TCRSB has entered a team and its members are: