The Central Okanagan Board of Education trustees are getting a raise.
The trustees voted at the April 28 board meeting to increase the indemnity in accordance with the most recent B.C. Consumer Price Index of 0.7 per cent.
Effective July 1, 2021, until June 30, 2022, the stipend of trustees will be $21,802; for board of education vice-chair $23,026; and for the board chair $24,886.
Each school district is responsible for setting its own trustee indemnity rate.
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The school board recognized Central Okanagan Public Schools students, teachers and a former trustee honoured as Kelowna Civic and Community Award Winners
The civic award recipients were: Young Citizen of the Year: Tian Whitehead, Grade 12, OKM; Teen Honour in the Arts Award, Julius Brooker, Grade 12, OKM; Bob Giordano Memorial Award for Coach of the Year: Meghan Faust, teacher, OKM; and Anita Tozer Memorial Award: Rolli Cacchioni (former trustee)
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The 2021 BC School Trustees Association annual general meeting, held virtually April 15-18, 2021, featured videos Central Okanagan public school videos shown during meeting breaks.
One video was a rendition of O Canada and the Okanagan Song from Harmony Day 2016.
Another video was produced by the Rutland Senior Secondary School company dance class, called The Rainbow Project (link is youtu.be/m7dhPX_5UoQ).
In the 2019-20 school year, Jennifer Skogstad, RSS dance teacher, worked alongside her company dance class during the COVID-19 pandemic, to prepare a dance video.
Dance students conducted their dance individually and a video was collated to the song Rainbows.
The third video featured the Okanagan Mission Secondary senior jazz band, titled Cotton Tail (link youtu.be/HGc3DSaQr5A).
In the 2019-20 school year, Megan Frederick, music director at OKM, worked on a virtual project with her senior jazz band during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each student recorded their individual pieces at home. The audio was then edited by Frederick to create a virtual performance.
The overall goal was to learn the new skill of playing/recording to a click track, but one key aspect of the project was to keep the students connected by making music together.
The students performed Duke Ellington’s 1940 classic swing tune Cotton Tail.
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The Central Okanagan Board of Education has declared May 3-9, 2021, as Mental Health Week in Central Okanagan Public Schools.
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Parent Alena Cockwell voiced her frustrations about the complications she encountered in registering her son for kindergarten at Mar Jok Elementary in West Kelowna.
Board of education chair Moyra Baxter sympathized with the overcrowding issues on the Westside that have impacted Cockwell’s child, issues that several schools across the school district now face.
Baxter reiterated the support welcomed by the school district to help advocate for new schools and replacement or expansion of existing schools.
More information on the public advocacy campaign is available online at sd23.bc.ca/boardadvocacy.
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The next public town hall meeting to engage the community in the framework for an updated Enhanced Student Learning strategic plan takes place Tuesday, May 4, 5 to 7 p.m., via Zoom at sd23.zoom.us/j/67139343998.
The initial strategy invoked in 2018 is up for renewal this year, and also follows a ministry of education order for all school districts to produce an annual report that contains the district’s results in certain mandatory measures as well as the school board’s approach to continuous improvement of student achievement.
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Students in a senior Social Studies class at École Kelowna Secondary had the rare opportunity to participate in a virtual town hall forum with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Wednesday (April 28).
The students were invited to ask questions about issues that impact youth.
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Upcoming school district meetings accessible via Zoom: Board of education, Wednesday, May 12, 6 p.m.; policy committee, 4 p.m., and planning and facilities committee, 6 p.m., on Wednesday, May 5.
