Education

(Black Press file photo)

WOLF: B.C. letter grade debate gets high marks for provoking thought

COLUMN: All districts now use proficiency scale through Grade 9

 

BC Greens are calling on the provincial government to introduce a universal school food program, but the provincial government says local districts know best how to serve their communities. (Black Press Media file photo)

Calls for universal school food program in B.C. get sent back

Provincial government says local district knows best in response to BC Greens’ demand

 

School District No. 74 includes Desert Sands Community School in Ashcroft. (Photo credit: DSCS)

$200,000 private donation helps B.C. district fill teacher shortage

Gold Trail School District used money to offer incentives to draw teachers to the community

 

School zones are back in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in Vernon. (Vernon RCMP Photo)

Crashes injure 51 children every year in school and playground zones: ICBC

Education minister, police chief urges British Columbians to slow down near schools

School zones are back in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in Vernon. (Vernon RCMP Photo)
Students across much of Canada are packing lunches and slinging on backpacks today as they bid farewell to summer vacation and gear up for another school year. A elementary student arrives for his first day back to school in Montreal, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Wildfires, climate issues accompany Canadians back to school

Wildfires affecting classes to the north and west, heat wave smacks the centre of the country

Students across much of Canada are packing lunches and slinging on backpacks today as they bid farewell to summer vacation and gear up for another school year. A elementary student arrives for his first day back to school in Montreal, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Education Minister Rachna Singh, here seen in June, says B.C. won’t follow Quebec’s example of a province-wide ban of cellphones in classrooms as school returns. (Photo courtesy of Langley School District).

Sweeping cellphone ban not incoming for B.C. classrooms

Education minister says ban will be up to individual schools, defends letter grade decision

Education Minister Rachna Singh, here seen in June, says B.C. won’t follow Quebec’s example of a province-wide ban of cellphones in classrooms as school returns. (Photo courtesy of Langley School District).
Students await their bus on Douglas Highway Tuesday morning for the first day of the 2023-2024 school year. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

Back to school arrives with affordabilty, AI, climate change issues

Most families, however, are focused on the usual change of routines

Students await their bus on Douglas Highway Tuesday morning for the first day of the 2023-2024 school year. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Middle school teacher Zahra Hassan is seen in a portrait in Mississauga, Ont., Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

TikTok teachers balance privacy and misconceptions on social media

Social media platform offers chance to share issues and ideas important to the profession

Middle school teacher Zahra Hassan is seen in a portrait in Mississauga, Ont., Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Teacher Kasi Humber poses in Truro, N.S. on Friday Aug. 25, 2023. Humber says she uses ChatGPT to help her organize report cards and create French reading materials that allow her students to learn new vocabulary. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Teachers turn to AI to make workload more manageable, chart lesson plans

‘I was able to plan most of my school year in a really short amount of time this summer’

Teacher Kasi Humber poses in Truro, N.S. on Friday Aug. 25, 2023. Humber says she uses ChatGPT to help her organize report cards and create French reading materials that allow her students to learn new vocabulary. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
The stationary aisles are expected to be busier this year as parents and students stock up on back-to-school essentials, though their baskets may be a little less full. A parent shops for school supplies deals at a Target store, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in North Miami, Fla. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Marta Lavandier

Back-to-school shoppers expected back in stores but pulling back spending

Biggest chunk of school shopping dollars will go towards stationary, survey suggests

The stationary aisles are expected to be busier this year as parents and students stock up on back-to-school essentials, though their baskets may be a little less full. A parent shops for school supplies deals at a Target store, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in North Miami, Fla. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Marta Lavandier
It’s the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province’s Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings. A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa in this Monday, July 18, 2022 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Quebec to ban cellphones in elementary and high school classrooms

Survey found 92 per cent of teachers were in favour of such a measure.

It’s the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province’s Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings. A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa in this Monday, July 18, 2022 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The Saskatchewan government says schools must now seek parental consent when children under 16 years old want to change their names and pronouns. Saskatchewan Education Minister Dustin Duncan speaks to the media in Regina, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Saskatchewan: parental consent needed for student name, pronoun change

Province wants to standardize pronoun and naming policies

The Saskatchewan government says schools must now seek parental consent when children under 16 years old want to change their names and pronouns. Saskatchewan Education Minister Dustin Duncan speaks to the media in Regina, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
Britni Hannah (right), director of Sprott Shaw College Chilliwack campus, and Marissa Bell, employment services specialist, hold historic images of the school that will be on display at the 120th anniversary celebration on Aug. 17. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Sprott Shaw College marks 120 years with celebrations across B.C.

B.C.-based school has survived economic recessions, 2 world wars, Great Depression

Britni Hannah (right), director of Sprott Shaw College Chilliwack campus, and Marissa Bell, employment services specialist, hold historic images of the school that will be on display at the 120th anniversary celebration on Aug. 17. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
The former head of Aspengrove School has been banned from teaching for 15 years after trying to meet a vigilante posing as a 15-year-old boy. (News Bulletin file photo)

B.C. private school principal caught by ‘creep catcher’ suspended 15 years

Former head of school in Lantzville met vigilante posing as 15-year-old boy

The former head of Aspengrove School has been banned from teaching for 15 years after trying to meet a vigilante posing as a 15-year-old boy. (News Bulletin file photo)
A former high school teacher in Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district has had his teaching certificate suspended for 15 years after admitting to sending messages of a sexual nature to three students. (Stock photo)

Former B.C. high school teacher suspended 15 years for sexting youths

Incidents involving Nanaimo-Ladysmith teacher happened between 2014-16

A former high school teacher in Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district has had his teaching certificate suspended for 15 years after admitting to sending messages of a sexual nature to three students. (Stock photo)
A protester holds a flag reading “Liberate Hong Kong, the Revolution of Our Times” during a demonstration in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Lee Jin-man

Canada lifts education requirement for Hong Kong immigrants

In 2021, the federal government created two immigration pathways for Hong Kong residents

A protester holds a flag reading “Liberate Hong Kong, the Revolution of Our Times” during a demonstration in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Lee Jin-man
British Columbia’s Ministry of Education will do away with letter grades from kindergarten to Grade 9. File photo

B.C. ending letter grades despite parent, teacher, student concerns

2021 report showed the majority of teachers, students and parents didn’t like the idea

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education will do away with letter grades from kindergarten to Grade 9. File photo
Children walk with their parents to a school in North Vancouver on Sept. 10, 2020. All students from kindergarten to Grade 9 in British Columbia public schools will now be assessed with a proficiency scale instead of letter grades. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

B.C. public schools dumping letter grades from kindergarten to Grade 9

Only students in grades 10, 11 and 12 will receive letter grades and percentages starting this year

Children walk with their parents to a school in North Vancouver on Sept. 10, 2020. All students from kindergarten to Grade 9 in British Columbia public schools will now be assessed with a proficiency scale instead of letter grades. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
A new report from the BC Teachers’ Federation finds teachers are working longer than in the past with negative effects for their health and the quality of instruction. (Photo courtesy of Langley School District/Black Press Media file photo)

B.C. education system suffering as teachers in worse health, working more: survey

BCTF commission survey that calls on government to improve recruitment

A new report from the BC Teachers’ Federation finds teachers are working longer than in the past with negative effects for their health and the quality of instruction. (Photo courtesy of Langley School District/Black Press Media file photo)
Vernon Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu addresses the crowd at the opening of the new accessible and inclusive playground at Vernon’s Alexis Park Elementary School Tuesday, May 16. (Roger Knox - Morning Star)

PHOTOS: More B.C. school playgrounds made inclusive and accessible for all

Vernon elementary school hosts B.C. education minister who announces similar projects in 25 school districts

Vernon Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu addresses the crowd at the opening of the new accessible and inclusive playground at Vernon’s Alexis Park Elementary School Tuesday, May 16. (Roger Knox - Morning Star)