Superintendent’s Update

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

As we continue into a lovely, warm weekend, thank you for such a positive school start up. It takes the efforts of every staff member, parent, and caregiver to support students to get to school and to be supported as learners before, during, and after school. We have so many stories about students, staff, and parents enjoying making new connections and relationships while taking part in the school and District events and activities.

Savona Elementary

Principal Scott Galloway, Trustee Cara McKelvey, and I visited Ms. Regan’s Gr. 5-6-7 class. We met with students who shared their learning about writing. Mattias (Gr. 7) was developing a story about zombies and told us that one of his favorite District events is attending “Young Authors” where he worked with multiple authors to learn about story writing. Maysa was learning about coral and writing about it.

We then went to Ms. Moore’s Gr. 2-3-4 class, where they had just finished the picture book “Stolen Words” about residential school experiences. Students were contrasting their experiences of school with what they had learned about in this book.

Sunshine, Jocelyn, and Grayson were discussing their pictures and the details that best showed similarities and differences.

In Ms. Gill’s K-1 class, they were playing a game of counting to decide who would get snacks, and she shared, “I trick them into learning even at snack time.” We visited the daycare and learned about the importance of looking to the future to consider how to provide more child care spaces.

SD73 Runs the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope

SD73 schools took part in Terry Fox runs and supported events throughout this week to study Terry Fox’s life and his dreams of raising money for cancer research, which reflected his relentless commitment to worldwide wellbeing, a core value in the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan. He also challenged people’s attitudes towards individuals who are disabled by setting an extraordinary goal as an amputee of running over 3000 miles across Canada. To learn more about what our schools engaged in this week, read more.

International Day of Sign Languages

School District No. 73 (SD73) is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all students. This value commitment is especially important when working with students who have diverse abilities or disabilities. As we prepare to celebrate the International Day of Sign Languages on September 23, 2023, we would like to share insights into the power of sign languages, its historical roots, and its importance within the Deaf community to illuminate how equitable learning opportunities are at the forefront of our work in classrooms with students, parents, and partners of the deaf and hard of hearing community. Read more.

Howling Coyote Golf Tournament

In the2022-2027 District Strategic Plan, we are committed to connections and relationships through partnerships and events. Fifteen years ago, the Aboriginal Education Council and Kamloops-Thompson staff members collaborated on a committee to raise funds for Aboriginal scholarships and bursaries.

District Principal Mike Bowden explained, “Not only is this a great legacy supporting and celebrating the success of SD73 Aboriginal graduates, but the annual event is an opportunity to connect communities and build positive relationships all for a good cause.”

This Scholarship/Bursary is awarded to Aboriginal students of School District No. 73 that have been involved in school and/or community activities either as a participant or volunteer and is planning on pursuing further post-secondary education. They also identified role models that have inspired them to finish high school and go on to post-secondary. Read more.

Thank you for all that you do to participate in and support District and school events, and to give to students and families through your roles as school and district staff, parents, and volunteers. We could not achieve our District mission without you.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Rhonda Nixon, PhD

Superintendent