Grand Forks Gazette Wednesday, September 19, 2012
www.grandforksgazette.ca A7
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SD51 talks large class sizes, head count
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Gazette Reporter
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School District 51 (SD51) school board trustees discussed class sizes and new initiatives during their first school board meeting of the year on Sept. 11. Class sizes large in Christina Lake Two classes at Christina Lake Elementary School are at or over the maximum student limit. Large class sizes have not been much of an issue with the schools in SD51, as most fall under the mandatory provincial limit of 30 students and below. The Grade 6/7 class has 31 students, while the Grade 4/5 class is at 30 students. SD51 Superintendent of Schools Michael Strukoff noted that they would address the issue of large class sizes using the tools prescribed in Bill 22, the Education Improvement Act. Student head count SD51 saw a drop in 78 students throughout the district, with fewer students enrolled in the West Boundary than expected. Jeanette Hanlon, SD51 secretary-treasurer, noted that the numbers are expected to change over the next few months, but the drop in numbers is worrisome. Public Forums SD51 will be holding follow-up public forums to discuss the issue of district redesign on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. The forums will discuss the finances and information gathered from previous forums and the possibilities of middle schools, as well as provincial education initiatives such as the Erase Bullying program and graduation program review. The West Boundary forum will take place at Boundary Central Secondary School on Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m., while the East Boundary forum will occur at Perley Elementary School on Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. District above average in FSA results Results for this year’s Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA) for School District 51 (SD51) Grade 4 and 7 students reveal overall marks above provincial averages in reading, writing and mathematics. The overall assessment of Grade 4 students in SD51 revealed that for the writing portion, 72 per cent of students met or exceeded expectations. Numeracy for Grade 4 students averaged at 68 per cent, while literacy saw a drop to 64 per cent, which is below the provincial average of 72 per cent. The participation rates for Grade 4 students was at 88 per cent. The overall assessment of Grade 7 students in reading skills saw 75 per cent of students meet or exceed expectations,
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Expert Teresa Rezansoff , School District 51 board chair, discusses the Foundational Skills Assessment results during the school board meeting on Sept. 11.
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which is above the 64 per cent provincial average, while writing skills were also above provincial average at 83 per cent who met or exceeded expectations. Summer updates to schools Maintenance, custodian and technology departments worked throughout the summer to prepare the schools around the district for a new school year. New roofing was done at Grand Forks Secondary School (GFSS) and Hutton Elementary School, while the gym floors across the district were resurfaced. Some updates include a new paint job in the main entrance, gym, office corridors and band room, along with new flooring in these areas in GFSS. The exterior of GFSS was also repainted. At Hutton and Christina Lake Elementary School, the wood sliding was replaced with metal sliding, and Boundary Central Secondary School (BCSS) parking lot was also paved. Within the technology department, new hardware and computers were upgraded in several schools. The new phone system, VOIP (voice over internet protocol) was also completed at BCSS, Perley and Hutton. The next school board meeting is on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. at the Boundary Learning Centre.
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