By Times Chronicle Staff

The following are school board briefs from the Oct. 26 meeting.

World Teachers’ Day

The South Okanagan Similkameen Teachers Union and School District No. 53 have made a joint donation to help Indigenous students.

The donation to “Indspire” was made in recognition of World Teachers’ Day and International Day of the Girl Child last month.

Indspire is a national Indigenous charity that invests in Indigenous education.

$20,000 grant received

School District No. 53 has received a $20,000 grant to develop a program offering early childhood education with a post-secondary partner.

Superintendent of Schools Bev Young reported the district will start the program in September 2023 with a target of five students. She noted they will be partnering with Okanagan College to deliver a blended program of online education and face-to-face instruction.

Career fair

All secondary schools in the district will take students to a career fair in Kelowna on Nov. 28.

The district normally takes Grade 10 and 11 students to the fair to start the exploration stages of their career pathways.

The district recently hosted its annual post-secondary visit day at secondary schools. This was a great opportunity for Grade 12 students to speak to recruiters and hear about options available to them. Grade 10 and 11 students also participated.

Superintendent of Schools Bev Young reported that a number of students will be starting certificate programs in business offered through Okanagan College. Students will be taking marketing, accounting, and economic courses to support their transition to post-secondary.

She also reported that seven students, including six from SOSS, are enrolled in the Gateway to Technology program through Okanagan College. This program introduces students to a wide range of opportunities in the tech sector including coding, web development, and networking.

School plans

The district has posted individual school plans on its websites.

These plans determine what improvements might have the greatest positive impact on student learners.

Schools have selected from one to three main areas of focus for the year.

“It is evident that our school leaders and their staff are doing outstanding work on addressing identified areas of priority,” said Superintendent of Schools Bev Young.

The public can view these plans on individual school websites.

Enrolment

Schools in our district have reported increases in enrollment.

As of Sept. 30, schools reported enrollment of 2,388 (full-time equivalent) students, which is an increase of 29 students from Sept. 20, 2021 when enrollment was 2,359.

Financial statement

Total revenue for the three months ending on Sept. 30 was $3.63 million.

Total expenses for the period were $4.88 million, resulting in a $1.25 million deficit.

According to the district, this deficit should reverse as the district receives larger payouts of annual funding as the school year progresses.