Crossing guard Debrah Saunders stops traffic in front of Osoyoos Elementary School on the first day of school after the summer holiday on Tuesday. Using the crosswalk are Amanda McAllister, who is wheeling Isabelle in the stroller while Silas walks beside them. Amanda is the wife of Vice Principal Jason McAllister, who was in front of the school to welcome children back. (Richard McGuire photo)
Osoyoos Elementary School begins the school year with a few new teachers, new house teams and a new system for reporting to parents.
Amanda Stene will be teaching Grades 1 and 2 and comes from Oliver Elementary School.
Yvonne Lewis is another new teacher, who will be a learning support teacher and will also teach Grades 6 and 7.
Lisa Raminsh is the new band and music teacher.
Deb Douglas will tackle her new job as an education assistant and is a child care worker. Her tasks include working with children requiring behavioural support.
Another change this year, said Principal Dave Foster, is that all students and staff will be divided into four house teams for the first time.
“We have the Blue Owls, the Green Salamanders, Yellow Tarantulas and the Red Coyotes,” said Foster. “Those four names correspond with the same names at the high school. The high school has house teams and what we’re doing is co-ordinating our animals to be the same as theirs.”
Some of the house teams’ roles will be competitive and some non-competitive, said Foster.
“What it is going to do is hopefully unite our students together in different activities throughout the year,” he said. “It might be as simple as an intramural event, it can be a spelling bee and it can be a poster contest. It could be curriculum related.”
Some of the Grade 6 and 7 students will provide leadership, Foster added.
“It’s going to be student led, as well as teacher sponsored,” he said. “We’re trying to encourage a sense of belonging. We want them to love school and come to school and get excited to be at school. This is one of our ways of doing it.”
Foster said the school is expecting an increase in enrolment of 15 students, bringing the number of students to 327. He cautioned, however, that the school needs to do an exact count on the first day because sometimes students have moved away and the school hasn’t been told.
Vice Principal Jason McAllister said the school is introducing a new program called Fresh Grade for reporting to parents more regularly about their children’s achievements and activities.
The regular report cards will be shorter, but parents will receive ongoing assessments from teachers throughout the year both through email and a website that offers a digital portfolio, he said.
The updates may not always be dedicated to the child’s progress, he added. Sometimes it will be on what the class is doing.
McAllister said a letter is being sent to parents this week explaining about the new reports and also providing a consent form.
As for those parents who don’t have access to email, McAllister said the school will be in contact with those particular parents to see what works best for them.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Osoyoos Elementary School Principal Dave Foster and Vice Principal Jason McAllister are welcoming back students and staff for the new school year. The two have both now completed one year at the school, and this year they are moving forward with a new school plan based on discussions held among teachers during early dismissal days last year. (Richard McGuire photo)
