September 3, 2019
Dear North Vancouver School District community:
Subject: Welcome to the 2019/20 school year
Welcome back to school in the North Vancouver School District. We hope you had an enjoyable and restful summer. Each September marks a time of excitement and renewed enthusiasm for the start of a new school year. As we look forward to 2019/20, we would first like to take a moment to reflect back on last year.
Throughout 2018/19, much was accomplished towards better supporting students, staff and parents. New policies were created, new communications protocols were implemented, engagement was augmented through an online feedback platform, and work moved ahead on many building projects. As a school district we have five educational priorities that affect each student – modernizing curriculum, inclusive education, Indigenous education, Social Emotional Learning and mental health, and career development. Please have a look at this visual to see the progress achieved in each priority area. While the information reported in the visual is an overview, more detailed reporting on each priority area will be presented throughout the fall.
In addition to educational planning at a school district level, schools also undertook localized educational planning. School communities came together to determine the learning needs and focus of their specific schools. A new website was created to support schools in communicating their plans to their students, staff and parents. Not all school plans are complete at this stage and each plan is a living document with regular changes. To view the work so far, please click HERE, scroll down and select your school.
We look forward to continued work on our educational priority areas in the coming school year.
Looking ahead, we are also enthusiastic about implementing our 3-Year Operating Plan (2019-2021) and beginning work on our next 10-Year Strategic Plan (2022-2032). As we embark on creating our next Strategic Plan, we will be asking for input from our North Vancouver School District community. As a collective we need to reflect on what we have achieved, determine where we need to continue to focus, and generate new ideas for success. More information will be provided throughout the upcoming school year regarding how to get involved.
New curriculum from kindergarten to grade 12 will be fully in place this year. Students today are learning the transferable skills they need to be successful no matter what they do. Students are graduating as critical thinkers, problem solvers and effective communicators. They know how to relate to others, take care of themselves and give back to the greater community. We are proud of our students and their success. For the 2018/19 school year our six year graduation rate was 92.9% and graduates received more than $1.9 million worth of scholarships and awards.
Our school replacement projects continue to progress with both Mountainside Secondary Seismic mitigation and Argyle Secondary Replacement in active construction phases. We are looking forward to a milestone for the Handsworth Secondary project when we go out to tender in mid-fall. We continue to prioritize our discussions with the Ministry of Education on securing a replacement for Cloverley Elementary to service the growing Lower Lonsdale community.
This year also marks a year of bargaining with both the teaching and support staff unions. Bargaining takes place at both the local level and the provincial level. While no agreements are in place at this time, we are optimistic that positive and respectful negotiations will continue and agreements will be reached. We will continue to provide updates as bargaining progresses.
The teaching and learning that takes place every single day in the North Vancouver School District is truly outstanding. We value and appreciate the dedication of staff and the strong partnership with parents and the community. Our students have a desire to learn and grow; the hard work they put in to achieve their personal best is inspiring. We cannot wait to see what these young people will accomplish next.
On behalf of the North Vancouver Board of Education and the North Vancouver School District, we wish you a great school year.
Sincerely,
Christie Sacré
Chair, North Vancouver Board of Education
Mark Pearmain
Superintendent, North Vancouver School District
