Shelter overwhelmed Fellowship reverts to extreme weather. PAGE 22 Arab fiction University literature class breaks down cultural barriers. PAGE 30 High interest Players line up to join VIU Mariners men’s soccer squad. PAGE 3
Ranger earns MVP PAGE 29
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
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VOL. 24, NO. 55
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SCHOOL’S IN As thousands of Nanaimo students head back to class today, labour peace between teachers and employers is expected during the upcoming school year BY JENN M C GARRIGLE THE NEWS BULLETIN
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anaimo educators are looking forward to a calmer school start-up in September compared to last year. Teacher job action lasted for most of last school year, with administrators taking over supervision and other duties from teachers from September until March, a three-day strike and then a withdrawal from extra-curricular activities for the remainder of the school year. But a deal reached in July between the teachers’ union and the province should mean a return to normal, said Jamie Brennan, school board chairman. “I’m looking forward to a positive and constructive year,” he said. The first priority for trustees this fall is finishing the strategic plan, which will guide all future decision-making in the district. Brennan said the board expects the first draft to be ready by the end of September. “Getting it done means we’ll be able to put our tiller in the water and know which direction to steer in,” he said. Brennan said trustees also plan to focus on some immediate needs that aren’t impacted by the strategic plan, such as seismic
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Richard Francoeur, a painter with Nanaimo school district, puts the finishing touches to a fresh coat of paint on the front doors of Nanaimo District Secondary School Thursday. Faculty and maintenance workers were busy making last minute preparations at schools across Nanaimo last week to get ready for the start of the school year today (Sept. 4).
upgrades at Wellington Secondary School. Another new development this fall is the new learning services department, which includes the introduction of school-based, inter-disciplinary teams that will move from class to class and school to school to help teachers deal with challenging learning environments. Brennan said it is important to ensure the teams are making a real difference in classrooms and making teachers feel supported. “It can be a lonely job in the classroom,” he said. “We want teachers to feel they’re fully covered by staff.” Justin Green, president of the Nanaimo District Teachers Association, said teachers are looking forward to more certainty this fall – last fall they returned to work with no contract and unsure of what they should and shouldn’t be doing during job action. “Without a strike and without anything out of the ordinary, it should be an ordinary startup,” he said. “Everything should be as usual.” Green said the union will be busy this fall ensuring the new learning services department is deploying resources where they are most needed and participating in discussions about the strategic plan. ◆ See ‘ENROLMENT’ /5
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