November 2013
Inside
The Educate & Communicate Newspaper
PAGE 3 • Chairperson's Message PAGE 4 • Environmental Initiatives PAGE 6 • School Garden PAGE 9 • Mandarin Program PAGE 10 • Students and Trades PAGE 12 • Lawyers In Training PAGE 14 • Grandbuddies Program PAGE 15 • RCMP Youth Squad Program
Also available online at www.sd38.bc.ca & www.richmond-news.com
Crossing guard program offers lessons in leadership Crossing guards have come a long way over the last few decades, in large part thanks to the British Columbia Automobile Association School Safety Patrol Program. First off, they’re called "patrollers" now so there’s that. Also, the vests are particularly reflective and the signs are light and made of plastic and wood; goodbye heavy, rusty, jagged metal octagons. Furthermore, now the patrollers come in teams of three, not two. There’s no getting by these kids. Aside from the obvious traffic safety benefits of crossing patrols, the BCAA program serves to teach elementary students leadership, which is exactly what’s happening at Manoah Steves Elementary school with the guidance of Principal Liz Taylor. The association sets out some prerequisites prior to schools implementing the patrol program, which also encompasses education on active modes of transportation and how to become a responsible leader in one’s community. Taylor needed to follow the training model set by BCAA. That meant having herself and the students watch a DVD about road safety, among other things. Also, the school needed to have a marked crosswalk close to it but not at a busy intersection which it does. Once the students were trained according to BCAA guidelines they received new crossing equipment, cones included. When one speaks to the patrollers it’s obvious that they enjoy taking part in the program. “I like the whistle. It’s fun,” said Justin Smith, a patrol captain in Grade 5 who guides the two sign bearers. What’s more is that Taylor has made her Grade 5 students the patrollers, not the Grade 6-7 students, which has typically been the standard. “For us developing leadership is really important. The sooner we can start kids on that the better off we are as a community,” explained Taylor. The crossing patrol program is part of Taylor’s broader strategy of advancing leadership values throughout the school. Manoah Steves has 63 Grade 6-7 students who are divided into leadership committees that then lead teams with students from all grades. The teams participate together during school events and leadership activities with social responsibility aspects, such as sports games, concerts and ceremonies. A recent example Taylor pointed out was "Fill your Bucket Day," which asked students to positively reinforce one another. The leaders had to explain to the primary students what that meant and provide examples of how to "fill another’s bucket."
Taylor meets with the Grade 6-7 students twice monthly to monitor progress. She says she follows the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, a leadership model developed by educators in the United States. The model values are known as MICEE. First, older students must "Model the Way" and develop standards of leadership. This means setting examples for younger students, for instance. Second, students must "Inspire," meaning they must enlist others to participate. Third, students are asked to "Challenge the Process" meaning they must improve upon their initial standards. Fourth, the Grade 6-7 students should "Enable Others to Act" so that the younger students participate equally in any given activity. Fifth, the students are asked to "Encourage the Heart." This last step means the students must always recognize the contributions of others. “We practice. We do little scenarios at lunch time and all of our Grade 6-7’s sit in on primary classes at lunch and help the little kids stay calm and relax,” said Taylor. “It’s about how can we be leaders and give back and how can we help,” she added.
PHOTO: Daniel Blackmore holds up the ‘stop’ sign as fellow crossing guard Justin Smith blows his whistle, indicating to cars that there is a pedestrian crossing the street out front of Manoah Steves Elementary school on Nov. 4, 2013.
EC2 November 2013 EdCom News
RICHMOND FIRE-RESCUE Lighting of the Fire Halls The doors are open from 3:30pm to 5:00pm when the community can join local fire fighters to celebrate the holiday season with cake and refreshments, crafts, face painting, bouncy castles, and fire safety displays and information. One lucky visitor will get to turn the switch to bring the lights and decorations to life at these locations:
Sunday, December 1, Brighouse Fire Station, 6960 Gilbert Road Monday, December 2, Steveston Fire Station, 11011 No. 2 Road Tuesday, December 4, Sea Island Fire Station, 3911 Russ Baker Way Thursday, December 5, Hamilton Fire Station, 22451 Westminster Highway Friday, December 6, Shellmont Fire Station, 9400 No. 4 Road
Richmond Fire-Rescue offers the following holiday safety and Christmas tree care tips:
• Choose a sturdy, stable tree-stand that will not easily tip. If it is for a cut tree, ensure it has a large water reservoir and refill it daily. • Make a fresh cut on the bottom of the cut tree base prior to placing it in the reservoir stand. • Ensure live trees have no brown spots or loose needles. Check the roots daily and keep the soil moist. • Make sure your artificial tree is labelled as fire-retardant. • Use lights which are in good condition and tested and labelled by ULC or CSA. Never use indoor lights outside. • Avoid overloading electrical circuits or extension cords. • Always unplug Christmas tree and other indoor decorating lights before leaving home or going to sleep. • Keep candles well away from trees, decorations and other combustibles, and never leave a burning candle unattended. • Place your tree at least one metre (three feet) from fireplaces or other heat sources. Never place your tree where it may block access to an exit. • Safely dispose of cut trees as soon as possible after Christmas. Dried-out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house.
Come and join Richmond Fire-Rescue for fun, games and prizes, also the opportunity to meet BLAZE the Fire Mascot!! For more information call 604-278-5131
EdCom News November 2013 EC3
The Educate & Communicate Newspaper
Richmond School Board Trustees Mr. Rod Belleza Trustee 604-241-7153
Mr. Kenny Chiu Trustee 778-707-9393
Dr. Norm Goldstein Trustee 604-448-1751
Ms. Donna Sargent Chairperson 604-272-0742
Mrs. Debbie Tablotney Vice Chairperson 604-272-4020
Ms. Grace Tsang Trustee 604-789-7363
Dr. Eric Yung Trustee 604-816-2874
Richmond School District No. 38 7811 Granville Avenue Richmond, BC V6Y 3E3 Phone: 604.668.6000 Fax: 604.233.0150 sd38.bc.ca
Edcom News: The Educate and Communicate Newspaper is published by the Richmond News on behalf of the Communications Department of the Richmond School District No. 38. Edcom News us intended for the parents of the Richmond School District students and includes information on upcoming events, district projects and school based activities. Edcom News is produced at no cost to the Richmond School District. Commercial advertising in the publication does not imply endorsement by the Richmond School District No. 38. For more information, or to provide feedback or article suggestions, contact David Sadler, Communications and Marketing Manager School District No. 38 at 604.668.6000 x3399 or dsadler@sd38.bc.ca All stories written by Graeme Wood. For information on advertising please contact Rob Akimow, Director of Advertising Richmond News 604.249.3340 or rakimow@richmond-news.com Richmond News 5731 No. 3 Road Phone: 604.270.8031 Richmond BC Fax: 604.270.2248 V6X 2C9 richmond-news.com
Publisher: Gary Hollick ghollick@richmond-news.com
Editor: Eve Edmonds eedmonds@richmond-new.com
Director of Advertising: Rob Akimow rakimow@richmond-news.com
A message from the chairperson On behalf of the Richmond Board of Education, I am proud to present our first edition of EdCom to our students, parents and our community. There are so many great accomplishments that happen each day in Public Education and it is important that we find ways to share these stories. The Board of Education and District staff are very aware of this and are constantly looking for new ways to communicate with our students, staff and the general public. EdCom is a great opportunity for us to develop a voice for our District and as such, it is a valuable platform on which we can deliver stories about success, perseverance, dedication and teamwork. It is important to note that EdCom is produced at no cost to the Richmond School District and the commercial advertising in this publication does not imply endorsement by our District. Our first issue touches on a variety of topics that include school crossing guards, environmental stewardship and career programs to name a few. These stories are about our District and about the dedicated people that make a difference each day. Countless hours are committed behind the scenes to accomplish so much and often times this dedication goes unrecognized. I am excited that we have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on a few of these individuals and congratulate them for the great work that they are doing. I hope that you enjoy these articles.
Donna Sargent Chairperson, Richmond Board of Education
EC4 November 2013 EdCom News
The Educate & Communicate Newspaper
Environmental initiatives set lofty goals PHOTO: The Burnett Green Team collects food scraps every day after school to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. The school won a 2011 green games award. Currently, there are 125 students taking part in mostly student-led environmental stewardship programs at Burnett.
“A growing number of items that come into a building are now being vetted in terms of sustainability,” said Anita Doig, the district’s purchasing agent. For instance, when new computers are purchased the school district assesses if the waste can be handled in an environmental way by asking: Is the packaging recyclable? Can it be returned and reused? Is the material recycled? Also, more than ever before, schools are using tablets and computers and in turn reducing paper use; many schools now send out newsletters via email. Of course, thanks to technology, some
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according to Tracy Blagdon, Manager of Sustainability and Energy. In 2012 there were 17 schools with raised garden beds. Last year alone nine new schools added them to their property. And over the last three years the number of water bottle refilling stations has doubled from nine to 18, keeping more than 340,000 single-use beverage containers out of the landfill. District wide, purchasing is taking on a whole new meaning as the school district tries to eliminate waste before it even gets to the schools.
things will come automatically. The school district installed automatic lights in gymnasiums at a cost of $36,000. While the costs were high in the short-term, the system will pay itself off in five years, thanks in part to an incentive from BC Hydro. When it comes to waste reduction there are currently seven schools that have been removing food waste from the garbage with the goal of having the program “district wide,” said Lyseng. This is in anticipation of the Metro Vancouver-wide ban on disposal of all yard trimmings and food scraps in the garbage in 2015. These are just some examples of environmental stewardship programs at work in the district. The most significant factor that has led to the success of the programs has been the implementation of the Environmental Stewardship Policy that was approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2011. There are eight focus areas in the policy: curriculum, energy conservation, grounds greening, leadership, sustainable purchasing, sustainable transportation, waste Con't on page 5
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The 2013/14 school year will prove to be an important one for environmental stewardship programs and resource conservation at the Richmond School District after green ideals blossomed last year like never before. The question for Kevin Lyseng, the district’s environmental stewardship teacher consultant, will be: Is all this sustainability sustainable? “Environmental stewardship is huge. I’m thrilled to be working in my area of passion, but none of it takes place without the collaboration of students, staff, schools and community partners,” said Lyseng. Lyseng was once a teacher at Ferris Elementary school, but now assists his former hallway colleagues in implementing environmental programs that can integrate seamlessly into everyday school life, as well as curriculum. The job is demanding, but fulfilling. Over the past few years the district and its schools have been taking home regional, provincial and national awards in energy conservation and environmental action projects, and have also received countless grants for it's efforts. The bar has been set high and it will only continue to rise. Last year, the district reduced its electricity consumption by four per cent, gas consumption by six per cent, and greenhouse gas emissions by 13 per cent resulting in a net savings of about $165,000,
EdCom News November 2013 EC5
The Educate & Communicate Newspaper management and water conservation. At the school level, these focus areas are integrated. For each of the focus areas there are guiding principles and five-year planning guides that help define long-term vision and short-term objectives, as well as provide consistency across the 50 district sites. The action plan for each of the focus areas follows the acronym SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely, remarks Blagdon. When it comes to being specific, for example, schools wanting a garden must develop and submit a five-year plan that outlines how - among many things - the garden will be incorporated into the curriculum and how it will be maintained year-round. Another critical component of a fiveyear plan will be how to measure success. Things like water meters and waste collection statistics will be vital. This year, the school district hired NorthWest Waste Solutions to be the sole collector of the district’s waste, which in time will be pre-sorted by students and staff into categories like paper, metal, recyclable plastics, glass, refundable containers, waste food and refuse. Statistics for this year have yet to been compiled, according to NorthWest. To have a program be able to attain its goals it will need to have funding. Energy savings are often passed on to improve the programs. Grants are also important There was a 50 per cent increase in envi-
PHOTO: Grade 12 student Gallop Fan is the president of the Burnett Green Team. Here, he shows off his school’s water bottle station, which helps reduce the use of plastic water bottles. Under his leadership the team has grown three-fold in the last two years.
ronmental sustainability grant applications received this year from interested schools compared to last year. Leadership is also vital for the policy to succeed. To build leadership, networking and capacity building opportunities, the school district holds an annual gathering called the Eco-Wise Sustainability Kickoff. There are also monthly meetings, known as Eco-Wise Sustainability Cafes, which see
students discuss a range of green initiatives. These meeting will help students refine their green ideas come April when the district holds its third annual Richmond Earth Day Youth Summit in partnership with the City of Richmond and the David Suzuki Foundation. Furthermore, volunteer hours by students on green teams throughout the district more than doubled last year compared to the year prior. One great example of environmental leadership and conservation happening in high schools is at Burnett Secondary school, which was a winner of the 2011 B.C. Green Games, a province-wide school competition run by Science World. Currently, Grade 12 student Gallop Fan is at the helm of Burnett’s green team. The green team president estimates that after the green games win the program gained even more popularity and in the past two years interest has increased five-fold and the team has tripled in size. In fact, it came to a point where there weren’t enough positions for students who applied. Fan says the team made the application process especially long to "weed out" those who weren’t totally committed. In total, there are 125 students on the green team. From that they are then split into groups and have individual tasks to
complete such as turning off lights, composting and recyclables collection. This year’s projects include an electronic waste program where students can hand in old devices, and a garlic bread sale with garlic grown in the school’s small courtyard garden. The proceeds of the projects go back into the team's funds. Fan is also helping to prepare a "Walk to School Wednesday" event. Fan started getting involved in Grade 9 and grew into a leadership role. “As of last year it’s become about inspiring younger kids to care about something more than just video games and clothes. It’s a lot of fun, I enjoy what I do and make a lot of new friends. It’s a good leadership experience and it develops me as an individual,” said Fan. Biology teacher Terri Farnden oversees the green team, but says she has little involvement aside from signing paperwork because the students are so selfmotivated. “It makes it a lot less work for me. It allows me to give them the freedom of what the students think is important. They can go with the initiatives they want because they’re organized and they believe in it,” said Farnden. As more district-wide environmental programs roll out, schools like Burnett should have no problem sustaining their sustainability.
A Gift of Music: The Richmond Music School offers Group Classes
Outreach Violin Program: low cost group violin classes to a limited number of children, age 7-13. Cost is $250 per 12 week session (2 hours per week of instruction); director – Tatyana Kravsun, violin teacher, B. Mus., M. Mus.; Tuesdays & Saturdays, hours vary. Children’s Orchestra: weekly rehearsals Mondays, 5-7 p.m. Free of charge; director – Allen Stiles, M. Mus.; Pratima Cheung, ARCT, LTCL. For ages 7 years and up, with Grade 3 experience. All you need is a love for music, commitment to attend rehearsals and time to practice! Children’s Choir: Mondays 3:30 & 4:30, Grades 1-7; $60 January to June; director – Maria Goobar, B. Mus. Group Guitar: Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:30; 10 one-hour sessions $86; instructor – Robert Hollingsworth, ARCT.
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The Educate & Communicate Newspaper
It takes a village to build that school garden There was no need to consult Elmer J. Fudd as all that was needed was a little extra chicken wire to keep "wascally wabbits" from eating carrots in May Wong’s school garden two summers ago. “This year it’s been fine, but it depends on how persistent these rabbits are as they borrow under the fence,” said Wong, the vice-principal at Brighouse Elementary school. By now you may have read many stories about gardens at schools in the Richmond School District. At a glance the plots look like a bunch of dirt-filled, rectangular wooden boxes with some stuff growing out of them. But there’s so much more to it than that. Operating a garden takes planning, money and, most importantly, commitment - lots of it; dealing with rabbits is easy. In order for a gardening project to come to fruition schools must submit a five-year plan that assesses many aspects of the garden’s operations, such as how the project is funded, the roles and responsibilities of students and staff, interactions with the community, integration with curriculum, environmental standards and basic logistics. And all that just scratches the surface. The goal of the five-year plan, which falls in line with the district’s broader Five-Year Sustainability Action Plan that oversees environmental projects, is to ensure the garden doesn’t become a cumbersome
heaping pile of weeds. “We don’t mandate that a school must have a garden. We can put it in there, but it’s not going to be successful unless there’s somebody there who actually wants it,” explained Manager of Energy and Sustainability Tracy Blagdon. The plans are working and gardens are becoming increasingly popular, according to district statistics; between 2000 and 2012, 17 schools had gardens with about 90 raised garden beds. In the 2012/13 school year alone nine schools had gardens built as about 36 more garden beds were added to the district’s totals. Last year, school green teams became more popular, student volunteer hours went up and interest in garden programs amongst teachers has seen a spike. Gardens are an important utility for the district’s environmental stewardship programs and having one mostly comes down to whether or not a group of teachers is willing to take on the task. James Thesiger and Mari-Jane Medenwaldt are two examples of teachers who have taken the time to examine the benefits of a school garden and taken the task to paper by drafting a five-year plan at General Currie Elementary school. The school has the green-light this spring to go ahead with a 13-bed garden, replete with all the necessary accessories
PHOTO: Grade 5 students Luke Legault (left) and Naruna Okundaye (right) collect soil samples from the Brighouse Elementary school garden for a class study on Nov. 14, 2013. The school garden is connected to a community garden. such as tools, a tool shed, a harvest table and even some fruit trees. Thesiger, Medenwaldt, and other teachers and students, are known collectively as the Currie Green Team. It procured $10,000 from the Parent Advisory Council capital fund (leftover money for a school playground) to pay for the garden. The City of Richmond and school district landscapers will build it. The basis of the plan has roots in the
school’s existing environmental ethos, said Thesiger, as the school already has a robust recycling and composting program. Last year, the school also won a $1,000 grant from the B.C. Green Games for a video the team produced showing how students studied the merits of having a garden. It’s plan calls for 10 of the 13 beds to be available to the community. Con't on page 7
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The Educate & Communicate Newspaper “We agreed we didn’t want plots just for the school. So, we wanted to know how we could incorporate the community because a lot of people use the park,” said Thesiger, noting that the school is surrounded by condos that provide no gardens to residents. Aside from the garden being fun it will be used for educational purposes by integrating it with prescribed learning outcomes such as science, math, nutrition and health, and habitats and community. “You can count and categorize seeds, measure plants.… Why not go out into the garden and draw or get some daily physical activity by working the soil,” suggested Kevin Lyseng, the district’s environmental stewardship teacher consultant, who helps teachers with lesson planning. Social aspects are also important to think about. “We didn’t want it to be teacher driven, we wanted it to be student driven,” said Medenwaldt, adding that gardens can be both a calm and engaging place for students having trouble focusing. Also, the team, with help from the Richmond Food Security Society, will organize volunteers to maintain the garden in the summer. Much of what the Currie Green Team is planning has already taken shape at Brighouse Elementary school, which also collaborates with the community.
Wong is one of the adults overseeing the garden, now in its third year. “A lot of the challenges we find are resources, time, and the need to have a couple people who are passionate and on board,” said Wong. Now that the 16-bed garden is established Wong has to raise money for new soil, seeds and small repairs. That’s done largely through grants (a recent $1,000 donation from a bank) and fundraising (returning recyclables for cash). Other logistical things arise as the program develops. Wong has to consider if berry bushes can be planted and, if so, which ones are easiest for grounds crews to maintain. Another challenge is engaging teachers, who may also need to learn how to garden - such as Brighouse Grade 4/5 teacher Cori Gibson. “I didn’t know much about gardening, so I’m learning a lot. It’s a lot of responsibility for one person to take on, so you definitely need lots of help,” said Gibson. Gardening consultant and program director for the Richmond Schoolyard Society, Ian Lai, helps teachers by visiting classrooms to discuss the nature of gardening. “I hope (kids take away) a better understanding of food and food systems. Every choice has an impact on the environment. Even as a Grade 1, these kids have the power to make changes,” said Lai. Much of what General Currie wants to do and what Brighouse is doing has been done at Richmond Secondary school. “You start small and you keep growing as big as you can. If you go too big too quickly the plots get out of hand,” said teacher Lynn Forrest, who has overseen Richmond’s garden plot for more than 10 years. Richmond now has a greenhouse to germinate seeds year round and the school’s green team sells produce at the Steveston market every summer. While most of the money goes to pay students for their time, it’s a lesson in so many other ways, said Forrest.
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Program offers students a chance to mingle with Chinese community
Do you like Peking duck and potstickers but can’t read that Chinese restaurant’s sign, let alone its menu? Well, you can stop ordering pizza week after week by enrolling in one of the Richmond School District’s beginner’s Mandarin classes through the Continuing Education Program. The Mandarin program offers classes to children and seniors and everyone in between, whether you know the pinyin system or simply just ping-pong. Program coordinator Salina Leung will celebrate her 10th year at the program’s helm this upcoming January. “Our program is for anyone, no matter the age, from five to 99, and it can be custom made for a non-Chinese speaker or even a Chinese speaker, too. So, we have a variety of programs,” said Leung. The program has 1,000 part-time students and has grown steadily over the years. It operates out of Rideau Park Adult Learning Centre weekdays and Richmond Secondary school on Saturdays. That’s where you may find Mandarin teacher Rachel Tang, who teaches all ages and believes, like anything else, Mandarin can be learned with effort. “Reading is easy, but to convert to
speaking that is the difficult thing; to perfect the tones. But I think if you can take time you can catch them,” said Tang. Leung estimates 70 per cent of students in the program are of Chinese heritage. Of those, most of them have a connection to Hong Kong or have a Canton background and understand some Cantonese. Mandarin is the language used in central and northern China. Other than being able to read the words on paper and some similar vocabulary, a Cantonese speaker has no more of a learning edge than a non-Chinese speaker, said Leung. That’s because the two languages are not mutually intelligible as pronunciation, tones, grammar and slang terms are all different. “The speaking and dialect is different. It’s totally different,” said Leung, who compared the differences between the two languages to that of the differences between English and French. Leung said English speakers enrolled in the program are learning Mandarin for a variety of reasons, but the three major ones are travel, business and curiosity. “I have found that these people want to travel in China or they find that because there are so many Chinese people in
Richmond they want to learn about the culture and some Mandarin to communicate with them,” said Leung. For those looking for some cultural guidance some courses will offer background on Chinese history mixed with lessons on the basics such as phonics, pen stroke, sentence structure and vocabulary. Among such valuable lessons is learning the Hanyu Pinyin phonetic system that converts Chinese script into Roman characters. Leung said people in their retirement years particularly enjoy the Mandarin course for 60-plus year-olds. Some students have business relations in China, and when travelling to PHOTO: Mandarin teacher Rachel Tang checks the country it proves beneficial to read eight year-old student Anny Wang’s Mandarin street signs, taxi information and res- homework in class at Rideau Park Adult Learning Centre on Nov. 1, 2013. Wang’s parents came to taurant menus, among other things. Canada from Beijing. She speaks perfect English “Quite a few people have events to and understands Cantonese, but her mother travel to in China. So, quite a number wants her to learn Mandarin. of professionals take our classes,” she added. Courses can focus on any one or a mix Leung came to Canada in 1989. She of reading, writing and speaking. A typiobtained an arts degree in literature cal course runs for 15 weeks and costs studying in Taiwan, and an education between $175-200. For more information, degree while living in Hong Kong, where visitwww.RichmondCE.ca or call 604-668she also learned Mandarin. She taught 6532. high school in Hong Kong prior to her departure.
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EC10 November 2013 EdCom News
The Educate & Communicate Newspaper PHOTO: Alex Bullough-Klassen is taking part in the ACE IT baking and pastry arts program at Vancouver Community College. Here, she is seen cutting pastry in the VCC professional training kitchen.
Students getting ahead with trades programs Students in the Richmond School District have more opportunities than ever to explore the trades with career programs that offer both high school and post-secondary credits for working and completing technical training. The intensive Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training program (ACE IT) is intended for high school students who are serious about early enrolment in one of several Industry Training Authority (ITA) trades offered in the district, such as plumbing, auto mechanics, professional cooking or cosmetology. The district’s ACE IT programs are affiliated with post-secondary institutions such as Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Vancouver Community College, the Piping Industry College, the Finishing Trades Institute and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. They span about five to seven months for Grade 11 or 12 students (preference is given to Grade 12 students). “This is the real deal, it’s the real college curriculum that they’re taking in high school. In many of our programs students attend the post-secondary partner school full-time and are in class with adult learners,” explained District Coordinator of Career Programs Terri Lockhart. The programs offer students the opportunity to earn a minimum 16 high school credits as well as post-secondary credit and Level 1 certification with the ITA through their technical training course work. Some of he programs incorporate work-based training, which typically occurs after school or on the weekends. Another benefit to students is that the school district covers the cost of tuition at the postsecondary school, a potential savings of up to $4,000. Students, however, must pay for their textbooks, school fees, and other outside costs. Con't on page 11 Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site www.parkscanada.gc.ca
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The Educate & Communicate Newspaper More significant than the financial aid is the fact that come graduation they are ahead of their peers and often well on their way to establishing a strong foothold on their career. For those who may later decide to pursue a different career path or further education, the newly acquired trade skills can lead to higher paying work, supporting a transition into another field. One of the basic requirements for ACE IT program applicants is that they complete certain high school courses such as Math 11 and English/ Communications 11. For some trade programs Physics 11 is strongly recommended. Students in Grades 10-12 may also take advantage of another career program - the Secondary School Apprenticeship Program (SSA) - to gain high school credits for paid work they are doing in an ITA recognized trade under the supervision of a certified journeyperson. The SSA program requires students to complete relevant employmentrelated assignments and submit employer evaluations. Upon completion, their work hours can then be credited toward ITA apprenticeship training requirements. “If someone is working in a restaurant under a Red Seal journeyperson, those earned hours could contribute to a student’s Level 1 professional chef certification with the ITA,” said Lockhart. If SSA students graduate with a C+ average and work for 900 hours in their trade, they may qualify to receive a $1,000 scholarship from the BC Ministry of Education. Because a student can be as young as 15 years-old, sometimes the SSA program is the logical first step before applying for ACE IT. Furthermore, for the first time last spring, the school district offered a new and unique work-based opportunity called S.T.E.P. (Skilled Trade Exploration Program). Through an agreement with Richmond School Board, the district’s works yard management and CUPE Local 716, students were given an opportunity to work for one week in either the plumbing, carpentry, electrical or painting trade. The program will be offered again to Grade 11 and 12 students in spring 2014. “It turned out to be a huge success and has become a template shared with other Lower Mainland school districts. It was positive for both the
students and the works yard employees. STEP was a win-win, opportunity for all who worked to make this program happen,” said Lockhart. For more information about these career programs you can attend a career programs workshop on Jan. 25 at MacNeill Secondary school or a career programs forum on Jan. 29 at Richmond Secondary school. You can call the career programs office at 604-668-6000, extension 6072.
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EC12 November 2013 EdCom News
Lawyers-in-training at second annual law challenge Can you imagine a world without lawyers? Burnett Secondary school Law 12 teacher Herj Ghaug can’t fathom the idea and that’s why he’s moulding Richmond’s next generation of barristers and solicitors. What sets Ghaug’s class apart from others is the high level of engagement he grants his students, such as having in-class guest speakers from the law profession, taking his class on a tour of B.C. Supreme Court and the Vancouver Police Museum, and implementing student-led in-class activities. One particular activity is gaining traction district wide. In November, Ghaug, with the help of other participating Law 12 teachers - Ryan Ververgaert, Drew Arnold and Spencer Cook - organized the second Richmond Charter Cases Challenge, a one-day law debate between secondary schools in the district. The teacher of seven years is hoping to make it an annual event. “The level of learning goes to a whole new level. Even the students that are not so willing to come to a Law 12 morning block class are there giving 110 per cent,” he said. The event had students debating historic, high-profile Supreme Court of Canada cases that demanded an interpretation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
and have subsequently affected Canadian law. Each school was divided into five or six teams that squared off against one another, taking the side of the Crown or the defence. Although the cases had already been settled in court, the debate was intended to have the students explain on what legal grounds the case outcomes were based on. Students dressed up in formal attire this year and Ghaug will consider acquiring legal robes, if it’s not too much trouble. Also, for next year, he’s hoping the Justice Education Society of BC will help students run the challenge. Last year, Ghaug’s class participated in the debate with McRoberts Secondary school students. This year, Steveston London Secondary school joined and next year McNair Secondary school will join. “It’s about giving students a better understanding of law, the law profession and the Charter of Rights. It gives the students an awareness that in Canadian law there are different perspectives, there’s no clear-cut answer. So, in this challenge we’re putting the criminal code up against the charter,” said Ghaug. Grade 12 student Brigitte Malana said that because of Ghaug’s class she is considering a career in law. Malana debated
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on the Robert Latimer case - one that sparked a national debate in the 1990s on euthanasia after the father killed his severely disabled daughter, Tracy Latimer. “It was eye opening to see both sides, because legally his actions were wrong, but once you hear the personal story it makes the issue grey. It shows that not all issues are black and white,” said Malana, who added that hearing opinions from students from different schools gave her a better understanding of the cases her class had already been debating. The teaching requirements are fulfilled, Ghaug says, but it’s not always textbook learning. While students need to memorize basic concepts and definitions, activities
such as the debate are more an exercise on critical thinking and becoming openminded by looking at an issue through multiple perspectives. Such values and skills are important for students, whether they aspire to be a lawyer or a doctor, nurse or electrician, Ghaug said. “With the ever changing society the challenge is that all view points are heard. It’s important everyone has a say. Often, we run out of time because the discussions are so in depth,” Ghaug is in his third year at the helm of Law 12 at Burnett. He teaches one law class per semester. With close to 30 students enrolled in each class, about 25 per cent of students at the school take Law 12.
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EdCom News November 2013 EC13
EC14 November 2013 EdCom News
The Educate & Communicate Newspaper
‘Grandbuddies’ program gives students and seniors a generation’s worth of connections They call one another their "grandbuddies" of them had smiles on their faces. and you will be hard pressed to find a more “To me this is wonderful. I raised kids of my inspiring example of bonding between stuown and we had this kind of thing in Vancouver. dents and members of the community. And this reminds me of when mine were all The intergenerational program at Blundell small,” said Jean Olafsen, 83, a retired banker Elementary school sees primary students visit and Rosewood resident. with residents of nearby Rosewood Manor, a “It’s beautiful. It brings me back to when my non-profit residential care home for seniors, on kids were like this. And now I’m a great granda monthly basis to form connections with one mother. I love this,” said Eleanor Tucker, 80, a another. retired saleswoman and Olafsen’s friend and felThe program is grassroots; there is no school low resident. mandate and it was not drawn up to fulfil any The program is currently being looked after sort of curriculum requirements. It’s simple by current recreation and volunteer manager goodwill, and a lot of it at that. Katherine Schooley, who joined the Rosewood The program started five years ago when team only a few months ago. a Rosewood recreation and volunteer man“It’s so nice to see the kids and residents interager asked the Blundell administration for the PHOTO: (From left to right) Laura Batmagnai, Jean Olafsen, Marie-Louise Sanchez- act with each other. I think both the kids and children to visit one day. Since then managers Flores, Eleanor Tucker, Adisa Ameeri, and Megan Kong show off their Halloween residents benefit immensely from the intergenhave come and gone, as have seniors and studigs at Rosewood Manor on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2013, during an intergeneraeration visits,” said Schooley. dents. But through and through teacher Pamela tional event between residents of Rosewood Manor and students from Blundell The next meeting takes place in December Garton has continued the program. Elementary school. when the Rosewood residents will visit the “It’s really important to give back and to make school for a Christmas concert. Visits tend to The most recent visit to Rosewood came on Halloween. a connection between older people and younger people, revolve around holidays, but not always. About 20 students from Garton’s Grade 2/3 class dressed and I’ve taught the kids to connect with everybody. up in costumes and performed the Monster Mash. In turn, What’s more, both Rosewood and Blundell have an “The looks on the faces of the residents is priceless. the seniors gave the kids a small bag of candy and cupagreement whereby in the event of an emergency, such The smiles and memories the kids bring back are incredcakes, which kept them occupied on the short walk back as a fire, each place is the other’s emergency meeting ible; I can see it in (the residents’) eyes even if they aren’t to the school, across Blundell Park. and refuge point. verbal. I really appreciate Rosewood allowing us to come Garton also directed the children to go around and find You could certainly say the agreement is one for the here and connect with us,” said Garton, who has taught a "connection" with their elders. Some of the residents ages. for 23 years. have limited mobility and ability to communicate, but all
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EdCom News November 2013 EC15
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RCMP invites students to explore careers in emergency response This school year, Richmond secondary students interested in a career in law enforcement or emergency response have had the opportunity to learn first hand about what such jobs may entail by attending the RCMP Youth Squad Program The program is an eight week affair that sees students meet once a week at the Richmond RCMP detachment. Aside from lectures from various departments within the police service - such as the canine unit - students also meet with members of the BC Ambulance Service, the Richmond Fire Department and the Canadian Armed Forces. “It’s a good opportunity to allow the kids to have a look at all the emergency services,” said Cpl. Anette Martin, head of Richmond’s Youth Section Program that oversees school officer liaisons. “We heard that Coquitlam RCMP did something similar like this, so I met with my team and we discussed what we wanted to accomplish. So, we put this together with the school board. Our aim is to connect with kids, that’s what we always try to do. Usually we connect with the more difficult ones, so this is really a pleasure to work with the good kids,” said Martin. On the first week students were given a tour of the detachment and were able to have a conversation with the watch commander. Officers from traffic services spoke on the second week, followed by ambulance attendants and firefighters. About 40 students from Grades 10-12 across the Richmond School District paid a $120 registration fee and had to pass a screening that included a juvenile records search and a written essay explaining their ambitions. “It’s truly meant for the good kids.” Most of them are thinking about a career and their career choices and examining if it’s suitable for them. Our message is that the RCMP has so many choices from within,” said Martin. Grade 12 student Brayden Alexander from McMath Secondary school was one of the attendees. He was also the guinea pig who dressed up in riot gear when the tactical squad visited the program in October. “I want to have a career as a police officer, so I thought this program would be a good
PHOTO: Prospective law enforcement officer Brayden Alexander from McMath Secondary school dons riot gear at the RCMP Youth Squad Program at the Richmond RCMP detachment during an Oct. 28, 2013 session.
place to start,” said Alexander. Others, such as Misha Yaroslavsky, a Grade 11 student from Burnett Secondary school, wanted to learn more about a career in the military. “I’m interested in that line of work, helping others. You can travel and it pays well,” said Yaroslavsky who joined the cadets during his formative years. The program continues until mid-December and Martin hopes to make it an annual event.
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Richmond Detachment Youth Section The Richmond RCMP Youth Section is dedicated to building strong relationships with youth and their families in Richmond. The team of 8 constables, headed by Corporal Anette Martin, serves a dual role in our schools and community. “Our officers ensure the safety of students in school by investigating and appropriately dealing with issues related to drugs, violence and property crime. However, we also play a key role in prevention and youth engagement,” says Cpl Martin. “We frequently deliver classroom talks on drug awareness, Canadian law, policing as a career and online safety.” The Richmond RCMP Youth Section also actively participates in establishing programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and the Lower Mainland Youth Academy. In 2013, the unit also developed and delivered the Youth Squad Program, an 8 week educational series examining careers in the emergency field. “If there’s one key message we’d like to get out, is that it’s key for parents to get involved in their children’s online lives,” says Cpl Martin. “Today’s youth are very plugged into the online world. It’s important that the adults in their lives directly monitor the websites and materials their children are accessing.” For more information on the Richmond RCMP Youth Section or programs in your community, please contact Cpl Martin: 604-278-1212.
EC16 November 2013 EdCom News
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