Allan Douglas, School District 71 director of instruction for elementary, provided an update on full day kindergarten (FDK) lunch-time supervision at Tuesday's school board meeting.
Some parents attended February's meeting to voice concerns regarding lunch time supervision since the district implemented FDK. In response, Douglas met with all elementary school principals and has determined there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach.
He noted that Ecole Robb Road has implemented a pilot program where teachers supervise kindergarten students while they eat their lunch for 15 minutes. With the current district practice, intermediate students monitor kindergarten students during eating time and educational assistants and administrative staff monitor the school as a whole — while teachers take their lunch breaks. The pilot program will be expanded to Brooklyn and Arden schools.
Douglas added that teachers will still receive their one-hour duty free lunch during the day.
Comox Valley District Parent Advisory Council chair Tonia Frawley questioned the use of teaching time for teacher-supervised lunches, but SD71 superintendent Sherry Elwood said students would learn things such as safe eating and cleanliness habits.
Douglas will continue to meet with elementary school principals to discuss the issue over the next three months.
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Denman and Hornby Island students taking French immersion at Mark Isfeld Secondary will have an in-town transportation option next year.
Seven island students caught the school bus from the ferry to G.P. Vanier Secondary School and were taken to Isfeld by taxi this year. The taxi ride was wholly subsidized by SD71 because of a last-minute transportation scheduling change at the start of the school-year.
The board carried a motion to continue this service next year, but up to $700 per year will be charged per student to recover some taxi costs. The program will likely still be partly subsidized by SD71 with this charge.
The decision was not unanimous with trustees Rick Grinham and Peter Coleman voting against.
Trustees Sheila McDonnell, Paula Selby, Janice Caton and Tom Weber voted in favour. Trustee Donna Gambacorta was not at the meeting.
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The public is invited to upcoming Education Committee meetings, which are usually held on the second Tuesday of the month. However, the committee has not met since the beginning of the school year, according to Weber. The first spring meeting will be on April 17, with another following on May 8. Details will be posted on the school district website at www.sd71.bc.ca.
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The Finance Committee will ask for public feedback on the district's annual budget between May 9 and 11. The committee will have already met with partner groups by this time and the budget will be further refined after the public has provided feedback. Details, including a link to provide feedback, will be posted on the school district's website at www.sd71.bc.ca.
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The Calendar Committee will look for public input on the school calendar when spring break is over in mid-April. The web survey will ask for a preference between one or two weeks for spring break once the district has tried both models.