SUNDAY September
6 2015
FOCUS 3
Whyte Lake Trail BRIGHT LIGHTS 12
The Space SPORTS 25
Eagles celebrate 50th $1.25
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Local News . Local Matter s
INTERACT WITH THE NEWS at N S N E W S .C O M
Schools test new curriculum this fall K-9 transitioning to ‘flexible learning,’ full rollout next year JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com
Kids on the North Shore head back to school Tuesday with that familiar mixture of first-day excitement and jitters that their parents probably remember. They still have the pencils, books and backpacks, but some students will also use tablets in their classrooms while teachers are more likely to use touch screens than blackboards. This year, it’s not just the tools of education that are changing. September marks the start of a three-year program to introduce a new curriculum in schools. At its core is a renewed emphasis on learning skills students will need to carry them through both their school years and beyond that in the adult world — critical thinking, how to work collaboratively with others and how to communicate effectively. “If we’re preparing kids for the future, those are really important skills that kids need to have,” said Lynne Tomlinson, director of instruction for the West Vancouver School District. For the most part, educators are enthused about the changes. It’s unlikely parents will notice any dramatic shifts, said Kathleen Barter, an administrator who works with the curriculum for the North Vancouver School District. “A lot of it is what is already happening in our classrooms,” she said.
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Ironworkers bridge sidewalk project complete
Although there’s a stress on allowing students more choices, “It’s not everybody does whatever they want,” she said. Many of the approaches being adopted in the new curriculum are similar to those found in International Baccalaureate schools, which emphasize values like global citizenship and social responsibility. Several schools in both
BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
See Approach page 10
After months of construction and restricted access, the $20million project to widen the sidewalks and install suicide prevention fences on the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing is finally done.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure opened the gates on the west sidewalk just in time for the evening rush hour Thursday. North VancouverSeymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite said completing the project is a step towards one of the main goals she had when entering provincial politics
in 2009 — resolving the transportation issues that plague the bridgehead and Seymour area. “I’ve been lobbying for lots of changes, not just the bridge safety issue, but also the on-ramps and off-ramps and the whole transportation infrastructure project that we got approval for earlier this year,” she said. “I think
safety is one of the key issues that prevents people from actually getting on a bike. If we can make the cycling infrastructure safer for people, then they will be more encouraged to get on a bike and then that would obviously alleviate one extra car on the road,” she said. See Fence page 8
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