Software woes: Due to difficulties implementing MyEducation BC at Brooks Secondary School, Powell River Board of Education voted in favour of drafting a letter to BCs education minister Mike Bernier at their December 15 meeting.
The web-based software is intended to manage school and student information across the entire province.
“They’ve had a tremendous amount of difficulty putting out grades and grade point averages at Brooks,” said newly elected board of education chair Doug Skinner. “This was supposed to have been handled through this program and the office staff at Brooks could not make that happen.”
Other BC school districts have also reported problems the software.
Crime prevention proposal
Board of education trustees have sent a grant request in support of a crime prevention pilot project to BC Ministry of Justice.
The request for one-time funding in the amount of $20,000 was made in response to the ministry request for proposals to fund anti-gang initiatives and at-risk youth crime-prevention projects.
If received, funding would go towards setting up a one-year pilot program called WildHope, which would support struggling teens through regular outdoor therapy. The program would serve in addition to the existing Jade Coast Discovery program run from the Haywire Bay Outdoor Learning Centre.
For more school board briefs, readers can go to prpeak.com.
Trip tabled
Board trustees expressed concern that a yet-to-be approved Brooks Secondary School European trip would set a precedent for further class trips falling within instructional time.
Brooks teacher Jason Rae wrote a letter of intent to take grade 10 through 12 students to Europe for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
In addition to attending the Vimy Ridge ceremony over a period between April 6 to 17, 2017, students would also visit other Vimy and Normandy region battlefields, as well museums in the cities of Amsterdam, Paris and London.
Further discussion of the trip was tabled until more information could be gained about its logistics.
Bike race request
Board of education are asking for more information after a Powell River Cycling Association request to use Brooks Secondary School as a 2016 BC Bike Race venue.
After the regular Dwight Hall venue was booked for a wedding party, cycling association director Wayne Brewer sent a letter to the board asking for permission to use Brooks to host meals for the 600 race participants expected next year.
“I have concerns with the number of people who would be using our facility and extra custodial costs,” said superintendent of schools Jay Yule at the board’s December 15 meeting. “We would be happy to do it if there were no cost to the board.”
Yule estimated additional costs for using Brooks’ kitchen and dining area facilities would be just under $500 and said he was willing to work with Brewer to find a solution.
